Given the challenges that so many of us have experienced in 2020, it’s not surprising that mental health concerns have been growing. Because of this, Christians are increasingly likely to consider counseling or therapy for support. But while pursuing counseling can be good, our commitment to Christ does raise questions about the kind of counsel we should seek. If the counseling methods found in the helping professions are rooted in science, are they “neutral”? Does having a biblical worldview affect the form that counseling should take?
As a licensed psychologist, I have wrestled with these questions. I’m familiar with a variety of well-established therapeutic approaches, and I have seen firsthand the healing effects clinical treatment can have on people suffering from anxiety, depression, and other emotional/behavioral disorders. I used to think the goals of secular psychology and Christianity were entirely complementary, and that as long as counselors weren’t actively antagonistic to Christianity then it wouldn’t really matter what their personal beliefs were.
But the more I have wrestled with the tensions between a biblical worldview and the goals in secular psychology, the more convinced I have become that the differences in perspective matter significantly. While fields like psychology offer many good tools for reducing symptoms of distress, the purposes of the profession are not always in line with God’s design for us.
Decreasing mental health problems is a good thing, but the emphasis in secular psychology on achieving greater autonomy, personal happiness, and self-fulfillment can significantly conflict with the biblical call for those who follow Christ to die to self, take up our cross, and live our lives in obedience to him—even in suffering.
What, then, should Christians do? When we suffer mental health problems, we may benefit from support from professional counselors. How can we determine whether we are receiving counsel that honors God?
Let me offer three questions that may help us begin to assess whether counseling is in agreement with a biblical worldview.
1. What is the goal of counseling?
Both the counselor and client together contribute to the development of goals in counseling. Typical goals include decreasing symptoms of distress, improving daily life functioning, or developing coping skills for managing life’s stress.
These are good goals, but for Christians none of these takes precedent in Scripture as God’s primary purpose for our lives. Sometimes pursuing the things that feel most relieving are not reflective of biblical truth. It’s good to decrease symptoms of psychological distress, but this desire is misguided unless it falls under the greater goal of living a life pleasing to the Lord (2 Cor. 5:9).
Sometimes the things that feel most relieving are not reflective of biblical truth.
While God never takes pleasure in our suffering, we also know that his primary purpose for our lives is not based on relief from our present trials. Romans 8:28–29 makes it clear that his design for us is to look more like Christ.
When we give the goals of counseling correct priority, we will become more Christlike and live a life that pleases him, while tools for decreasing distress take their rightful place.
2. What does the counselor believe?
This question may be difficult to answer if we do not know the counselor well, but it is still important to consider. While our culture tends to emphasize training credentials, I would argue that this may not be the most important characteristic for a Christian to examine in a counselor.
If the counselor has not fully integrated her counsel with biblical truth, then clients will have to invest themselves in the difficult task of reinterpretation. Wise guidance requires accurate self-understanding, and accurate self-understanding is contingent upon knowing God, and how he relates to us and calls us to live.
Because counseling is designed to reorient our thoughts, emotions, and behavior, the counselor’s beliefs about God and his presence in our world matters. It isn’t merely a question of whether the counselor identifies as a Christian.
The counselor’s beliefs about God and his presence in our world matters.
I was previously a Christian psychologist in private practice for several years, with little skill or interest in applying my clinical skills through a biblical lens. Instead, the counselor’s spiritual maturity—as shown by his personal relationship with God and the way he interacts with others—is a far better indication of the counsel he will give than his training credentials or even identification as a Christian alone. “You will recognize them by their fruits” (Matt. 7:16).
3. Do other mature Christians agree with the counsel?
It can be difficult to see clearly when we’re in distress. As a result, it may be challenging for us to accurately assess the wisdom of the counseling we have received. Is the guidance consistent with what the Bible says about who we are and how we are to live?
It can be difficult to see clearly when we’re in distress.
To answer this, we must broaden our circle of “counselors” and be open about our struggles and the counsel we are receiving with a few mature Christians we know well: mentors, small group leaders, pastors, friends. We should invite their advice and ask for help in discerning how the Bible applies to our particular situation. As Proverbs 11:14 says, “Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.”
Finally, we should approach any counsel we pursue and receive with prayer, asking that God give us insight and wisdom as we seek to know him better and to see ourselves more clearly. As sinners seeking help from fellow sinners, our greatest source of security is our free access to all of the resources found in Christ. While counseling may be the means he uses to help us, it’s ultimately Christ who opens our eyes, gives us the clarity to see truth, and teaches us to apply his wisdom to our lives.
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