Christian Counseling: Origins, Trends, and Key Principles

Introduction to Christian Counseling

The evangelical Christian community has developed an approach to counseling that has been described as "Christian counseling" (Lartey, 2003, p. 106). A growing number of practitioners have recognized the value of integrating the heart of Christian counseling — the Holy Bible — with psychological approaches in their counseling practice (Lartey, 2003). In this regard, Lartey emphasizes that "evangelical Christian counselors seek to base their counsel on a particular reading and interpretation of the Bible that is based on an experience of salvation through personal faith in Jesus Christ" (2003, p. 107). The personal experiences and faith of Christian counselors represent the fundamental interpretive and theological perspective applied to the enormous range of problems that accompany modern life (Lartey, 2003). According to Collins (2007), "Counseling attempts to provide encouragement and guidance for those who are facing losses, decisions, or disappointments. Counseling can stimulate personality growth and development" (p. 36).

The primary differences between evangelical Christian counselors and conventional counselors concern the extent to which Christian counselors are prepared to apply "secular" psychological knowledge within their doctrinal and biblical framework (Lartey, 2003). Views in this area exist along a continuum. At one end stands Jay E. Adams (1970), who maintains that no psychology whatsoever is needed for Christian counseling to be effective. At the other end stands Gary R. Collins, a practicing Christian counselor with a PhD in clinical psychology from Purdue University (Lartey, 2003). Collins believes that a rebuilding of psychology is needed for Christian counseling — one that builds on the theistic premise that "God exists and is the source of all truth" (1977, p. 118). Collins has written extensively on Christian counseling, including his seminal work, Christian Counseling: A Comprehensive Guide (2007), and is a founding editor of the peer-reviewed journal Marriage and Family: A Christian Journal (Clinton, 2003) and a frequent contributor to the Christian Association for Psychological Studies (Allison, 2006). In sum, Christian counseling is described as:

". . . a solidly biblical approach to counseling, one which draws from secular psychology without betraying its Scriptural premise, one which realistically faces the deep (and not so deep) problems of people and honestly evaluates its success in dealing with them, and, most importantly, one which clings passionately and unswervingly to belief in an inerrant Bible and an all-sufficient Christ" (Lartey, 2003, p. 106).

This perspective — adopted by Collins and like-minded practitioners — represents an important aspect of Christian counseling: a commitment to using secular psychology in combination with the Scriptures to provide a holistic counseling approach not otherwise available (Lartey, 2003).

Statement of the Problem

Despite a growing body of research on Christian counseling, there remains a dearth of knowledge within the Christian community concerning the optimal approach to helping people deal with personal problems (Meadors, 2012). As Meadors points out, "Some believe that Christians should submit only to biblical counseling, while others support psychological counseling so long as it is integrated with the Scriptures" (2012, p. 2). Moreover, there has been a growing recognition that spirituality is an important component of effective mental health practice (West, 2004). Fully 50 percent of mental health professionals identify with some type of religious affiliation, and these practitioners hold that personal prayer is valuable and that spirituality is personally relevant (Weld & Eriksen, 2007).

Consequently, a number of mental health counselors regard spirituality as an important part of every client's well-being (Meadors, 2012). As Weld and Eriksen emphasize, "prayer is the most frequently used spiritual intervention by Christian counselors. Even practitioners working in secular settings regularly incorporate prayer into their practices in some way" (2007, p. 328). Although the majority of practitioners who subscribe to these tenets believe it is inappropriate to pray with a client, most feel that praying for a client is appropriate (Weld & Eriksen, 2007). Moreover, an overwhelming majority of counseling clients feel it is important to have their spirituality or religion incorporated into the counseling context, due in part to the fact that most Americans (approximately 80%) believe in God and in the efficacy of prayer (Weld & Eriksen, 2007). Weld and Eriksen further emphasize that "Christian clients expect prayer to be included in Christian counseling. Because sensitivity to clients' expectations helps build the therapeutic alliance, which in turn contributes to positive outcomes, methods for including prayer in counseling with some clients need to be examined" (2007, p. 329).

Purpose, Importance, and Rationale of the Study

The purpose of this study is to provide a critical and systematic review of the relevant literature in general, and of Gary R. Collins's book Christian Counseling in particular, concerning the origins and trends in Christian counseling and how this approach can be used to provide timely and essential interventions for people in need.

Living in the 21st century can be daunting, and many people find themselves at a loss when coping with the demands of modern life. Collins (2007) reports that "people come with marriage problems, crises, depression, interpersonal conflicts, and other problems" (p. 64). Identifying opportunities to help people with personal problems by drawing on both the Holy Bible and secular psychotherapeutic interventions is therefore a timely and valuable enterprise. As Clinton and Hawkins point out, "This is a new and exciting day in Christian counseling, a ministry and profession expanding in both worldwide influence and membership" (2011, p. 141). Spirituality and faith-based counseling are increasingly being regarded as the fifth force in mental health care (Koenig, 2004). Clinton and Sibcy further stress that "when people seek mental health services, they often start with a pastor, priest, or rabbi, and, regardless of the context, they usually want their faith addressed as part of the therapeutic process" (2012, p. 142). Additionally, a growing number of religious leaders are recognizing that psychological training is a prerequisite for effective counseling in cases involving serious emotional and behavioral disorders (Meadors, 2012).

Given the strong belief in the need to incorporate spiritual and religious elements into counseling, approaching the process thoughtfully makes good sense. Resources are by definition scarce and time is of the essence when helping people overcome personal problems; it is therefore incumbent on Christian counselors to draw on the resources that will provide the most effective counseling approach.

Origins of Christian Counseling

Growing out of the evangelical Protestant tradition during the 1970s and early 1980s, the Christian psychiatry movement in the United States was started by Mansell Pattison, chairman of the department of psychiatry at the University of Georgia, and William P. Wilson, head of biological psychiatry at Duke University (Koenig, McCullough & Larson, 2001). Both were well-respected psychiatrists who organized training programs for psychiatrists seeking to incorporate Christian practices and beliefs into the psychotherapy and treatment of mental disorders (Koenig et al., 2001). By the mid-1980s and early 1990s, Christian psychiatry had established units in tertiary health care facilities as well as independent treatment centers specifically developed for evangelical Christian clients (Koenig et al., 2001). Some of the best-known Christian psychiatric networks were the Rapha mental health centers, the Minirth-Meier New Life treatment centers, and the Kairos mental health centers, all staffed by Christian psychiatrists and mental health workers (Koenig et al., 2001). According to Koenig and his associates, "Frank Minirth and Paul Meier have written a number of popular self-help books related to this practice that have been hugely successful" (2001, p. 1195). Other prominent figures who have acquired large followings through popular self-help books include Gary Collins (Christian Counseling: A Comprehensive Guide, 2007) and James Dobson (Dare to Discipline, 1970) (Koenig et al., 2001).

In academic psychology, Allen Bergin, a Brigham Young University professor, was instrumental in integrating religious practices and beliefs into the practice of psychotherapy (Koenig et al., 2001). In 1980, Bergin published an essay arguing that psychotherapists cannot be fully effective unless they conceptually integrate clients' religious belief systems into their practice (Koenig et al., 2001). According to Bergin (1980), "Religious communities that provide the combination of a viable belief structure and a network of loving, emotional support should manifest lower rates of emotional and social pathology and physical disease" (p. 102). This combination was termed "theistic psychotherapy" by Bergin, who described it as "a comprehensive orientation that includes a theistic conceptual framework, a body of religious and spiritual therapeutic interventions, and guidelines for implementing theistic perspectives and interventions" (1980, p. 99).

The connection between religious beliefs and psychotherapy was made explicit in Bergin's characterization of theistic psychotherapy: "The foundational assumptions of this approach are that God exists, that human beings are the creations of God, and that there are unseen spiritual processes by which the link between God and humanity is maintained" (1980, p. 99). A further assumption is that people who draw on spiritual resources as part of their treatment will experience an enhanced ability to respond to therapy and improve their life condition (Bergin, 1980). As Richards notes, "No other mainstream tradition has adequately incorporated theistic spiritual perspectives and practices into its approach, and so this orientation fills a void in the field" (2009, p. 12).