Faith-based counseling is a valuable tool for someone with faith in a deity, typically a Judeo-Christian deity. However, when choosing a Christian Counselor, you need to be aware of a few things. 1) Christian Counseling is NOT REGULATED. There is NO GOVERNING BOARD for Christian Counseling due to the First Amendment, thank God (no pun intended). However, due to this fact, Christian Counseling is sort of the Wild West of counseling. Anyone allowed to practice counseling by the State of ___________(add State here), can call themselves a "Christian Counselor." Usually, these counselors are well-intentioned but are laypeople with little to no understanding of how to apply Scripture or sound Biblical theology. 2) Christian Counselors do not “have” to be of your denominational preference. You may not be aware, but those identifying as Pentecostals worship and believe differently (theologically) than those identifying as Southern Baptists, who differ from the American Baptists (the Northern sect of Baptists in the US), and from those identifying as Roman Catholics. Anyone stating they are providing Christian Counseling might—unknowingly—interject their personal beliefs into counseling regarding Christianity in spite of the secular counseling community discouraging anyone from doing so as it pertains to any other belief or opinion in any other subject. 3) Christian Counselors—the “wrong” ones—can hinder your spiritual development. I have met clients who came to me after having a negative experience with a “Christian Counselor” (quotes used to designate that was what this counselor called him/herself…I cannot remember the gender). One person felt like they had no worth or value. They felt shame, which is the feeling that one is intrinsically bad/marred/unusable. That counselor unknowingly did more harm than good for this person. We are sinners. Yes. We should feel guilt for our actions when they are not in accordance with how God tells us He wants us to act in the Bible. However, God made EVERYONE with worth and value, and when one Christian causes another one to question their worth/value, then there is a disservice done in the Christian community—the body of Christ.
Bottom Line: I know some very devout Christian Counselors who have not had the opportunity to obtain former theological training whom, I believe, can and have done, “good.” As a potential client, I recommend you go into counseling fully aware of what might occur as one who is informed from the outset. However, I truly believe that the working relationship is paramount to successful psychotherapy/counseling. Therefore, if you feel positive when you leave the office (sad times notwithstanding), you may have found the therapist that “works” for you.
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