Christian Counseling vs. Professional Psychotherapy - Essay Example

Abstract Counseling has the aim to help individuals to find the solutions to their emotional, moral and psychological problems. There is the belief that every single person seeks counsel at least several times a year. Not all of them go for advice to either professional or Christian counselors but the outside help is encouraged. Christian counseling motivates the clients to solve dilemmas through spiritual maturity, while the professional counseling is based on helping the clients in analyzing and understand what has caused the inner discomfort. Counsel, help, advice, wisdom and plan have different meaning in Biblical terms and subsequently the counseling is provided from the different perspective. Recently, the debate over which type of counseling is more effective arises the need for closer examination of differences between Christian and professional counseling. Counsel Counseling is the application of the mental health through cognitive and interventions using the strategies that address the wellness growth, career development and other areas of the human development. The Christian definition is not very different from above with the only difference that the intervention strategies are based on the Christian principles outlined in the Bible (Butler 2003). “Now David had been told, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” So David prayed, “O Lord, turn Ahithophel's counsel into foolishness” (2 Sa 15:31, Kohlenberger 2001). In this verse “counsel” has the meaning of the specific course of action which was given by Ahithophel, but perceived as unreasonable by David. “Now let us make a covenant before our God to send away all these women and their children, in accordance with the counsel of my lord and of those who fear the commands of our God. Let it be done according to the Law” (Ezr 10:3, Kohlenberger 2001). The “counsel” in this verse is clearly explained: God has given the specific instruction on what to do and this counsel is expected to be followed (Bruce 1999). The counsel is used in the same context as the Law – the guidance that cannot be violated. “Yet it was he who filled their houses with good things, so I stand aloof from the counsel of the wicked” (Job 22:18, Kohlenberger 2001). In this verse, the “counsel” has a different meaning – it indicates the way of life unbelievers have. Advice Advice is statement, which helps the person to make the right decision. It is not as specific as counsel is and has the aim to lead the counseled individual to the right decision. Advice provides several alternatives and individual decides which alternative is more acceptable to him/her (Butler 2003). “Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people's representative before God and bring their disputes to him” (Ex 18:19, Kohlenberger 2001). In this verse the advice is the recommendation but very specific one – the person is recommended to make the specific choice (to become the people’s representative) and assume the specific responsibility (to bring the disputes of people to God). “Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give us your advice. What should we do?” (2 Sa 16:20, Kohlenberger 2001). Advice in this verse is self-explained: Absalom asks Ahithophel “what shall we do” – he is asking for the direction in life, the alternative course of action. Advice is asked for when someone is aware that some choice has to be done, but he is not able to decide which one is better. “When Hushai came to him, Absalom said, “Ahithophel has given this advice. Should we do what he says? If not, give us your opinion” (2 Sa 17:6, Kohlenberger 2001). The meaning of advice in this verse is an alternative, possible course of action. It can be either accepted or rejected by the one who receives it. Bible leaves the right to make decision to the individual, who is the only one to decide what is better for him and what he feels is right to do. Wisdom Wisdom is a different concept than counsel and advice. It is not even the trait of the character, but rather the ability to make right decision based on the previous experience and the ability to reason, to consider different alternatives and to make the best decisions. From Biblical perspective, wisdom comes with the acceptance of the Godly lifestyle and belief into God, while from the general perspective the person is regarded as wise if all of his decisions are logically and ethically right. The concept of wisdom is introduced in the Bible from the first book: “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it” (Ge 3:6, Kohlenberger 2001). This verse talks about the desire of people to gain wisdom (Bruce 1999) and Christian counseling has the aim to help people to find the right way to become wise in decisions. “Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people” (De 4:6, Kohlenberger 2001). Wisdom is also the ability to be tolerant to others, the ability to listen to people and to accept their point of view, even if it is very different from the own. “Your servant Joab did this to change the present situation. My lord has wisdom like that of an angel of God--he knows everything that happens in the land” (2 Sa 14:20, Kohlenberger 2001). Being wise is not about knowing answers to all questions but rather about hearing others, analyzing the situations and finding the most appropriate solution, as the above verse supposes. Plan Planning is closely related to wisdom because it implies the course of action for future based on the understanding of the present. From Biblical perspective, planning should not contradict the Christian principles and must not harm the rights of other people. From general perspective, planning is about consideration of one’s means and abilities to reach some goal in the future. These two definitions are not self-exclusive, but they rather complement one other. Thorough and wise planning helps individuals to overcome and even avoid different problems in the future. “The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them” (Ge 11:6, Kohlenberger 2001). In the verse the concept of plan is viewed deeper – planning involves the consideration of many details and influences as well as the opinions of other people. As the author of the above verse noted, the plan will be successful if there is the mutual understanding among participants (Bruce 1999). “All this, “David said, "I have in writing from the hand of the Lord upon me, and he gave me understanding in all the details of the plan” (1 Ch 28:19, Kohlenberger 2001). In addition, planning is a highly personal and intimate activity because while planning the individual analyses his life, his goals and his abilities. Everyone has several roads to step on but Christian counseling helps to select the right one. Help Help is the concept that unites counseling, advising, and planning into one general issue. According to Bible, everyone needs help and no one is self-sufficient (Butler 2003). Christian counseling is about helping those individuals who seek to change their lives for better to find the right way. Help is a very wide concept and has several definitions in Bible. First is spiritual help – the aim of spiritual help is to lead the lost individuals to understanding of their lives, the reason for their living and the future. Material (financial) help – Bible teaches the believers to be open for material help, to share their belongings with those who are in need. “When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house” (Ge 39:15, Kohlenberger 2001). Christianity is based on mutual help, generally speaking. When someone asks for help, it is ethically wrong to refuse and even if the individual is not able to provide the help, he should try to. Help is something specific, it is either an advise or and action - “Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say” (Ex 4:12, Kohlenberger 2001). “If one of your countrymen becomes poor and is unable to support himself among you, help him as you would an alien or a temporary resident, so he can continue to live among you” (Le 25:35, Kohlenberger 2001). When people help each other, they do so without seeking any benefit for themselves, they just try to make the life of someone easier. Counseling: Christian vs. Professional Perspectives Christian Perspective Bufford has outlined major distinctives of Christian counseling: church setting, intervention techniques, motivation of counseling (conversion and discipleship), and counselor characteristics (personal relations with God and pastoral role) (1997). In addition, Christian counseling requires deep personal faith, reflects the Christian world view, is guided by Christian values, and uses spiritual resources within the ethical guidelines. So what is Christian counseling about? It includes the number of activities in which helpers and clients engage with the aim to lead to constructive change in life. Counselors help the clients to start talking about their problems and initiate problem-managing actions (Egan 1994). When talking about the Christian counseling two different types of counseling are involved: spiritual (encouraging the client to enter the spiritual life and to mature spiritually) and mental health (helping to resolve the psychological, emotional, and relational distresses). Christian counseling has deep roots, but the movement towards psychological help has started in early 1970s. By 1992, the field of Christian counseling has been broadened to include 10 different themes: anti-psychology, biblical counseling, Christian lay counseling, pastoral counseling, missionary psychology, psychological measurement of Christian constructs, marriage and family education, recovery movement, professional psychotherapy and counseling for Christians, professional counseling guided by Christian values. (Bufford 1992). The supporters of Christian counseling believe that clinical or counseling psychology is in no way related to Christian counseling. Discipleship, as the part of Christian counseling, has the aim to promote Christian maturity, worship and service (Bufford 1997). Others suppose that Christian counseling views all clients as fallen but worthy of grace as well as emphasizes the individual responsibility rather than personal rights. However, not everybody views Christian counseling as positive: ‘There is no difference between Christian and non-Christian therapy. The goals are the same, the means are the same. The difference lies not within therapy, but within therapists themselves. One group is Christian and the other is not” (Bufford 1994, p. 114). Christian counseling is based on the assumption that human problems are primary spiritual and therefore, the spiritual approaches should be applied. Christian counselors are focused on their understanding of the person and the perception of Bible, which is believed to shape all aspects of the practice. Thus, the Christian counselor sees himself as the servant of God and only secondary as the representative of his profession. Clinton and Ohlschlager who are the supporters of the Christian counseling state that Christianity as the part of individual’s recovery through counseling, transforms clients from inside out through the operation of the Holy Spirit in human lives and relationships. They base their article on the research principles and strive to prove that Christian counseling is much more effective than professional counseling. For example, Christian counseling has the predictive function – helps to predict the behavior and potential outcomes in the relationships and address such issues as satisfaction, adjustment, problem intensity, commitment, demographics, sexual and sensual enhancement, violence and abuse, and family development. The second function is correctional – the counseling can lead to changes in the understanding of Scriptures and provide the safeguard against superimposing one’s preconceived notions into biblical passages (Clinton 2004). Professional Perspective Professional counselors reject the importance of Christian principles in counseling process. Teyber and McClure have stated the following about the relations between the professional counselor and the client: “ what therapists say and do in the therapy hour that promotes a good working alliance has proven to be the most important contributor to change and positive treatment outcome” (2000, p. 70). How does the professional counseling work? Therapeutic healing gives the client the opportunity to find the new symbolic value in his or her experience through the relationship with counselor (Sullivan 2005). There are several important features of the professional counseling: using the self, engaging, and objectivity. Counselors are able to set themselves as the agents of change in the relations with clients and the importance of congruency in their professional and personal lives. Therapy is a form of relationships when the counselor has the responsibility to make the connection between feelings and experiences, to recognize the power of the his/her own psychological and emotional condition. Second, professional counseling is about engaging the clients in change by working with client motivation, expecting clients to progress and maintaining the conditions for change. Third, the professional counselors have the perspective based on the extensive experience, they maintain an objective stance in the therapy relations, and they view the therapy as the series of phases (Sullivan 2005). Some of the authors point out that professional counseling is more structures and effective in helping the clients to find the most appropriate solution to their problems compared to Christian counseling. For example, Horvath argues that professional counseling is more effective for general population, no matter whether the client is the believer or not. Professional counseling is of higher value for people seeking help because it is based on the collaboration between the counselor and the client, the application of the trustworthy psychological therapies and intervention strategies, and the creation of different forms of alliances (Horvath 1993). Example: recently, there have been many discussions about the effectiveness of the pre-marriage education in terms of minimizing the divorce level. There is the belief that the increased delay in separation is valuable because it gives the couples the thinking time for deciding whether the divorce is the best solution (Stanley 2001). Stanley notes that unfortunately, there is no published report about the effectiveness of the pre-marital education efforts in improving the situation, however, the encouragement to wait for a while before making the final decision can help some couples discover dynamics that may lead them either not to be separated or not to marry at all in the future. Both Christian and professional counseling have similar positions on the issue: many Catholic churches require the couple to notify them at least 6 months in advance of a wedding for the purpose of premarital training. McCubbin has focused on professional counseling as the tool helping in discovering the factors that determine the family elasticity and factors that determine family bouyance (1997). In particular, he notes that professional counseling, unlike Christian counseling, helps to strengthen the prominent family protective factors such as family celebrations, family hardiness, family time and routine and family traditions. These factors are influences by the family communication patterns, financial management and personality compatibility of the partners. Christian counseling pays little attention to these factors and therefore, the problems are covered incompletely and remain partially unsolved. Similarities From the first glance, Christian and professional counseling have little in common, however, both types of counseling seek helping the client in resolving his inner and social conflicts. As Bufford has noted, the problems that are addressed in Christian counseling are often the same problems addressed by the other counselors: depression, anxiety, relationship conflicts, addictions and so on (1997). In addition, the majority of the Christian counseling therapies have been adopted from the existing professional counseling theories. Moreover, the intervention strategies are common for the Christian and non-Christian counseling and emphasize the importance of the counseling relations, providing support and confrontation, and making behavioral interventions. In the same manner, some of the Christian therapy elements are integrated into the professional counseling. For example, forgiveness, journal keeping, meditation and celebrate are very common for the professional counseling even though these methods are rooted in the Christian counseling. Of course, discipleship and spiritual maturity are very distinctive for Christian counseling, but alleviation of depressive symptoms, reduction or anxiety, management of anger and control over addiction are integrated into approach of both Christian and non-Christian counseling. Even the Codes of Ethics of Christian and professional counselors are very similar. For example, the AACC Code of Ethics is based on the statement that all of the information about the counselors’ competence corresponds to the real facts, and ACA Code of Ethics is based on the statement that every counselor occupies the position he is eligible for, in other words according to the education and experience (ACA 2005, Section C). One of the similarities is that both codes talk about the boundaries of competence and assistance from other specialists – such counseling is encouraged and supported by both codes for the higher benefit of the client. In addition, AACC Code of Ethics makes a point that the professional help of non-Christian professionals is not avoided and advised whenever the client seems to need it (AACC 2004, ES1-200), as well as ACA Code of Ethics does not deny this right of the client. Despite of so many similarities and common goal, some of the radical Christian counselors have the belief that the professional counseling, psychotherapy in particular, is harmful for people. This leads to the basic question of the research: should counseling be the form of the spiritual ministry or the professional practice? Probably, it would be correct to say that there is no definite answer to this question. For some clients, the professional counseling is more appropriate if they are non-believers and trust the professional medicine more. For example, the drug abusers are rarely believers and the statements like “the faith in God will strengthen you” are of little value to them. From the other point, professional counseling does not supply for the spiritual growth and is more based on logic and reasoning. There are numerous cases when coming to faith has given the previous non-believers the strength to overcome the addictions, to start the legitimate life and to get cured from emotional distress. Professional counseling and Christian psychology are of great help in individual lives and marriages, as it was explained in more detail above. The therapists are giving the support and wisdom as the ministry in the context. Both types of counseling seek to identify the problems from which the individual is suffering emotionally. If the problem is not identified, it is possible that the therapy is directed at symptomatic treatment instead of the problematic. Counseling can be the practice when faith is either set aside giving the preferences to the professional approach in therapy or when the faith is integrated into practice and trust in God helps to transform the lives. Personal Implication Conducting the research, I have reached the conclusion that both professional counseling and Christian counseling have much in common and strive to help individuals in coping with their problems. The key and probably the only difference is that the approaches of helping the clients are different. Professional counseling is based on the scientific knowledge and experimentally proved experiences about the behavior modification and cognitive influences. Christian counseling uses the similar approach but the faith in God and in his power is integrated into the therapy. It is up for each individual to decide which type of counseling is more applicable in his particular case. For example, the individual who has no faith in God at all and does not want to hear the sermons about how the faith can help him to become more mature spiritually, will not seek the Christian counseling and, moreover, will probably be annoyed to here about God when his own problems are overwhelming. The believers, on the other hand, will seek the advise from the Christian counselors because they have the same perception of the world and can give the advice which is of high value to the client. Sex education, for example, has become a very common practice at school and counselors often disagree over the issue which type of counseling is more effective with a group of school students. If I was to conduct the counseling at school about sexual relations, I would probably combine Christian and professional counseling techniques. Christian counseling emphasizes that sexual relations before marriage must be avoided because Bible forbids it, while the professional counseling helps the students to understand why the decision to have sex before marriage is an important decision. Christian counselors seems to lack this capability to explain the issue thoroughly from all sides, not only from spiritual and religious standpoints. Professional counseling pays more attention to other factors such as increased responsibility, possible health problems (including unplanned pregnancy), diseases, psychological changes and others. Divorce is another interesting issue to discuss. When the couple decides to separate, but still seeks the advice from the counselors, it indicates that the problems two loving individuals have are not serious enough to destroy their family, but the couple is unable to find the way out to solve them. Christian counselors would strive to find the support from Bible and focus more on the scriptures which say that divorce is not the best way out, that people should learn how to forgive and stay together, that problems make family stronger and so on. Professional counselor would not immediately say that the divorce is bad and two people should stay together. The first step is trying to understand what has pushed two individuals to make the decision to be separated. Then, the counselor would give several advices on how to improve the relations. Finally, the professional counselor would help the couple to plan how the relations will be improved in the future, including the specific actions to be taken by each family member. It is similar to the debate about abortion: Christian counselors would say that it is wrong and that the woman has to be strong and give birth to the child, that God will not leave her along and faith in Him will help to overcome all of the hardships. The professional counselor, would look at the situation deeper and analyze such factors as the emotional condition of the future mother, her physical and financial abilities to raise the child, other factors that are ignored by the Christian counselors. At it is written in the Codes of Ethics of both Christian and non-Christian counselors, the counselor has to avoid giving his personal reaction to the situation, he has to stay outside the personal beliefs and stay focused at the problem of the client only. It appears that Christian counselors still project their faith and Christian principles on the clients. It is necessary to avoid the situation when Christian counseling is shifted from helping the individual to converting him into Christianity. Several years ago, I have been the witness of how Christian counseling was delivered, unfortunately, unsuccessfully. The friends of my parents, the couple that is married for 15 years, decided to separate. They attended the same church my parents did. They had five children, but claimed to have little in common, no topics to talk about, nothing that united them. They sought the advice from the Church counselor. These were the words the Church counselor said them: “I know you for many years, you have always been a very strong family, and you must not separate because you have five children. You are the believers and God will give you the strength to overcome your hesitations.” As the result, the problem was not addressed at all. The counselor did not talk to the husband and wife separately, he did not find out what has caused they to reach the decision to divorce. He did not know and did not try to find out that when they have married, the woman was only 18 years old and the reason why she decided to marry was to escape the pressure from her parents, while the man had just divorced with his first wife and needed the support. There was no love between them, but something has kept them together. In this case, the combination of the Christian counseling and professional advice would help to save the family. If were the counselor, I would try to identify the factors that have kept them together for so long and provide the plan on how to strengthen their relations instead of just saying that their kids is the key reason why they should not divorce. I believe that being the counselor has a positive impact on the life of other people as well as on the life of the counselor. When counselor is helping other people to overcome their problems, to find the inner comfort and save the relations, he become more attention to his family as well. He becomes wiser is life situations and can always find the right solution to the problems he has. Some people say that the doctor is not able to cure himself, that the psychologist cannot save their own families from divorce, and many other examples. I disagree with this statement because I think that the person, who gives advices to others, helps them to start the new life is able to apply these advises in his own life. Being the counselor is a very responsible profession because the future course of life, relations and decisions are impacted by his words. It is not an easy task to cure the souls, but seeing that people are getting happier is the best reward the counselor receives. References American Association of Christian Counselors. (2004). AACC Code of Ethics. Retrieved October 18, 2006, from http://www.aacc.net American Counseling Association. (2005). ACA Code of Ethics. Retrieved October 18, 2006, from http://www.counseling.org Bufford, R. (1992). Reflections on Christian Counseling. CAPS West Newsletter, 3-5. Bufford, R. (1997). Consecrated Counseling: Reflections on the Distinctives of Christian Counseling. Journal of Psychology and Therapy, 25 (1), 111-122. Bruce, F. (1999). New International Bible Commentary. Zondervan Publishing. Butler, T., Brand, C., Draper, C. & England, A. (2003). Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary. B&H Publishing Group. Clinton & Ohlschlager. (2004). Competent Christian Counseling. Colorado Springs, CO: WaterBrook Press. Egan, G. (1994). The skilled helper: A problem management approach to helping. Pacific Grove, CA: Cole Books. Horvath, A., & Luborsky, L. (1993). The Role of the Therapeutic Alliance in Psychotherapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 61 (4), 561-573. Kohlenberger, J., Strong, J., & Swanson, J. (2001). Strongest Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Zondervan Publishing. McCubbin, H.I., McCubbin, M.A., Thompson, A.I., Han, S., & Allen, C.T. (1997). Families under stress: What makes them resilient? Retrieved November 3, 2003 from http://www.cyfernet.org/research/resilient.html. Stanley, S. (2001). Making A Case for Premarital Education. Family Relations, 50, 272–280. Sullivan, M., Skovholt, T., & Jennings, L. (2005). Master Therapists’ Construction Therapy Relationship. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 27 (1), 48-70. Teyber, E., & McClure, F. (2000). Therapist variables. In C. R. Snyder & R. E. Ingram (Eds.), Handbook of psychological change (pp. 62–87). New York: John Wiley and Sons. Read More