Biblical Counseling in the 21st Century

Philip G. Monroe, PsyD

pmonroe@biblical.edu

www.wisecounsel.wordpress.com

biblical.edu

Our review is overdue!

• Last review? 1988– Human motivation

must be explored and integrated into practice

– Need a better view of suffering and human responsibility

– Counselor-Counselee relationship?

– Relationship to secular models?

Distinguishing Marks of Biblical Counseling

• Seeks the glory of God and the perfection of his people

• Sola Scriptura

• Critique of secular models of change

• Every member ministry

What is Biblical Counseling?

God-centered, Bible-saturated, emotionally-in-touch, culturally-informed use of language to help people become God-besotted, Christ-exalting, joyfully self-forgetting lovers of people who spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples.

John Piper, Philadelphia, 2001

Areas for further focus

• Doing violence to suffering/seeking justice

• Expanding our understanding of what it means to be human, or developing both a “creation” and a “fall” focus

• Putting our goals into real life context

• Being challenged by secular writers

• Expanding our counseling skills

Skills Focus

• Practical use of Scriptures

• Incarnational relationships

• Emotions as entry-gates to change

Practical Use of Scriptures

• How ought the Scriptures be used in the act of counseling? By what processes do we bring people into communion with God through the Scriptures?– And what uses of the Scriptures injure rather

than heal?

Bible Projectiles?

“Now there is a wrong use of God’s word and a right one. The wrong use is this sort of thing—someone comes to you, and you cast about in your mind what sort of man he is, then hurl a text at him like a projectile, either in prayer or in talking as you deal with him. That is a use of the word of God that kills your own soul and the souls of the people you deal with. The Spirit of God is not in that. Jesus said, “the words I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. Do remember to keep your soul in unsullied touch with the directions of the Spirit.”

O. Chamber, Workmen of God

The client’s present level of struggle

The dangerous habit of using the Scriptures to point them to where they should be if they were more mature

“I’m afraid.”

“Don’t be afraid.”

Uses of Scripture

• Secondary– Teaching, rebuking, correcting (e.g., 2 Tim 3:16)– Discernment (e.g., Ps 111:10; Heb 5:13f)– Comfort (e.g., 1 Cor 14:3; Ps 119:52)– Strengthening and encouragement– Hope (Rom 15:4; Isa 42)

• Primary: eyeglasses and mirror– To see/meet God– Retooling our narratives

Counseling Assessment

• Take a page from friendship evangelism– The person (history, issues, experiences, abilities,

etc.)– The context/relationship– The message (or experience you hope them to have)– The delivery

• Just as counseling is more art/sales/process, so too the Scriptures are not just about information exchange

Specific Techniques

• Better done first in session where feedback and dialogue possible before encouraging to use as bibliotherapy

• Engaging affect as well as intellect

• Inviting dialogue, avoiding “Sunday School” answers

Examples

• Just one thing meditations

• Provoking important conversations

• Exploring other “realities”

• Modeling hope

Incarnational Relationships

• Biblical Counseling has focused much of its energies on the message and the steps to change (the big picture and the “put offs, put ons”)– What if we paid attention to the processes and

relational aspects of change? – How do relationships with mentors help you change?

Is it what they say or who they are? – John 4 and Jesus’ example

• Questions, reflections, restatements, self-disclosure, silence, body language

Emotions as Entry-gates

• In your counseling, do you ignore emotions and emphasize thinking?

• When we peel back the defensive/protective emotions (anger, defensiveness, etc.) we often find fears, hurts, despair operating.

• “Here and now” focus often gets to the real issues and allows us to provide more accurate counsel

• Consider how you would respond to an angry, self-righteous person

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