Crabb's Biblical Model Of Counseling Comparison And Discussion Goal of Christian Counseling

The goal of Christian Counseling differs from private practice counseling in many regards. For example, a Christian community offers a counselor a unique set of resources, often comprised of loving and caring individuals for are members of the local congregation. In private practice the resources that a counselor may have to work with can be comparatively limited by contrast. Furthermore, each Christian is called to help others based on their faith. A private practice counselor can be motivated by a plethora of reasons -- some of them are surly genuine and altruistic however others may be for monetary gain or similar ambitions. Thus, the resources that are available and the motivations behind entering counseling represent two initial and fundamental differences.

Another difference is that the fundamentals of the counseling practices might be starkly different. Many Christian counselors believe strongly in the Bible as a source of guidance for all counseling methods. However, many also are incorporating all the modern benefits of academia and research into their practices.

"Although the Scriptures provide the only authoritative information on counseling, psychology and specialized discipline of psychotherapy offer some valid insights about human behavior which in no way contradict Scripture. If we combine these insights with the healing resources of a local body of caring, committed Christians by training people in the church to handle a good deal of the counseling load, we might witness a tremendous increase in spiritual and emotional maturity in our churches" (Crabb & Crabb, 1977).

Thus Christian counselors can not only have access to the resources that the church offers, but they can also benefit from all the development in the related academic fields as well. Therefore a Christian counselor is uniquely suited to meet the needs of other Christians in need of counseling on many levels.

Part II: Basic Concepts

The basic concepts of modern Christian counseling include bridging the Bible, the resources that the Christian community offers, and some of the new practices that the scientific method has provided about human behavior and psychology. Thus the new form of Christian-based counseling is a hybrid of many different approaches that adds the best practices from traditional and emerging disciplines. Crabb argues that the last thing we need is "more conferences and books on esoteric issues of counseling theory" (Crabb & Crabb, 1977, p. 16). The goal rather is to develop Christians into people who have reached a level of maturity in which they can become psychologically whole and spiritually mature.

Thus the goal of biblical counseling is stated to be the act of promoting a level of Christian maturity that can be defined as helping to promote a level of maturity that can lead to a richer experience of worship and a more effective life of service (Crabb & Crabb, 1977). Thus, with that broad goal in mind, there are a multitude of different paths one can take to reach this level of maturity. There really isn't necessarily a right answer; although some answers may be better than others. The modern field of psychology has introduced many ideas and concepts that are entirely consistent with the Christian faith. Although not all psychologist are necessarily Christian and some have been critical of faith, understanding human behavior through the lens of psychology can empower Christian counselors in their work. The focus should be on helping the individual with the best practices that are available today. The way these best practice came into existence is not really relevant so long as they are consistent with the Christian belief. In the next section we will provide a background on some of the modern models of counseling that are available in the literature.

Part III: Basic Strategy

Dr. Carl. R. Rogers provided much of the intellectual background for client-centered counseling, student-centered education, and person-centered approaches to human relations (Rogers, 2006). The guiding principle behind this model is that if you can approach someone else in a certain way, then they are more able to grow and develop and work through whatever problems they might have. It is not only the solutions that are important, the journey is equally important if not more so in some cases. It is important that the people we come in contact with feel accepted and understood and it is also necessary for empathy to be accurate and genuine. Therefore, it is not absolutely necessary to agree with someone to show genuine compassion and try to understand what they're going through. Sometimes this can be enough...

They are viewed as being a mentor or even a spiritual guide. It can be easy to jump to an opinion is such circumstances. However, being judgmental is one of the obstacles that keep many people from forming relationships that are healthy. With the very rare exception among the Christian community, most Christians are genuinely open to growth and development in all capacities; intellectually, spiritually, and emotionally.
Another common issue is that most people discount the role of the environment in people's decision making processes. However, psychology teaches us that the environment is a critical factor in everyone's judgement. For example, one might be quick to judge another's actions based on their interpretation of their decision making process. However, if you take to time to truly understand the motives for such actions in an open and non-judgmental manner then it is easier to frame the role that the environment may have played in this process. Basically, although this is almost cliche, it is difficult to judge someone without fully understanding what is like to walk in their shoes and as soon as we pass judgement then it makes it more difficult for compassion and empathy to develop.

Empathy is an innate ability of the human being that automatically develops from an early infant stage and is an emotion that does not have a particular intention (Schmid, n.d.). Most of the cognitive social perspectives in psychology are involved with gaining certain resources or community advantages. However, empathy is a different process and likely evolved as the necessity for living in communities. Empathy creates something of a social solidarity in which a person can better related to another person and understand them more fully. Roger's believed that empathy is one of the fundamental conditions that foster personality development.

To give an answer before hearing is a foolish thing and a cause of shame.

Proverbs 18:13

Another aspect to empathy is humility. A person must be humble to be able to consider another person's perspective without rushing to judgement. Humility and empathy both play an important role in human centered approaches in counseling. Basically, to be able to effectively relate to another individual, you have to let down your defenses and fully be able to try to see the world from someone else's perspective. Although this might seem rather straightforward, it can be difficult to achieve in practice. However, it can also be improved upon with practice and reflection. For example, if your own thoughts rush to judge another person, then you can reflect on why this might be the case and improve your own psychological state so that you can better serve others.

There are also many other academic models that can guide counseling practices. For example, brief therapy, structural therapy, constructivist therapy, psychodynamic therapy, object relations approach, network therapy, and many more are among popular foundations in the academic literature. Although not all of these are directly implacable to Christian counseling, some models do offer useful insights. For example, rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) has become one model that has been identified as relevant to clients that are particularly religious (Johnson, Ridley, & Nielsen, 2000). In this form of therapy, the counselor can help an individual learn to generate their own emotional reaction to a particular event. This work was based on a theory that was produced by Albert Ellis however and this individual was far from a Christian. This implies that there could be some ethical risks with adopting this approach, although these risks can be minimized with a thoughtful approach.

Another uses model is the cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) model. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a psychological therapy used to treat a wide range of psychiatric disorders and it is both directive and structured and recognizes that people's emotions and behavior are strongly linked to their thoughts (Mann, 2008). The entire process of CBT is driven by a problem focus and has developed as a best practice in the field to treat anxiety, depression, and substance abuse disorders among others. The practice is grounded in thought and the therapy centers on the ability to improve one's thinking.

Part IV: Developing a Counseling Program in the Local Church

Developing a counseling program at the local church can be a major addition to supporting the lives of the congregation's members. It provides a support network that goes much deeper than just joining each other for worship…