God is our counselor, Jesus is the wonderful counselor and the Holy Spirit is our counselor. Mature Christians are exhorted to encourage others, warn the idle and help the weak. Most Christians who counsel believe that God is the author of all truth and that the Bible is the authoritative guide in the counseling process. Sound psychology is used to promote change and wholeness in the counseling relationship when it supports scripture, such as holding people responsible for their behavior and helping people change their thinking and behavior to coincide with truth. Christian counseling evaluates and considers the mental, physical and spiritual needs of people using a process in which the Bible is the authoritative guide.
Christian counselors recognize their work as redemptive and restorative in character.
The Christian counselor brings the entire counseling enterprise under the lordship of Christ. He or she aims at reconciling the counselee's relationship with God. This helps the counselee find personal significance and meaning in his or her relationship with Jesus Christ and facilitates the restoration of human relationships. This column is not intended to take the place of direct professional mental health services but rather to provide insight into various problem situations and possible helpful resources and interventions. All rights reserved.