Having been a pastor since the age of 20, in 2007 when my wife and I founded SoulCare Counseling, there was no question but that it would be a Christian counseling center. The only question was, what kind of Christian counseling would SoulCare do? That question might surprise you because most people assume that all Christian counseling is the same: the client shares a problem to which the counselor applies some Bible verses and has prayer. That is one kind of Christian counseling but it’s not the only kind. The fact is, all Christian counseling has similarities but also differences.
Different kinds of Christian counseling
While all Christian counselors want to…
Help you change
Enter into a caring relationship with you
Integrate a Christian worldview, values, and assumptions into therapy
Use a counseling method that is effective
The Association of Christian Counselors defines Christian counseling as activities that “seek to help people towards constructive change and growth in any or every aspect of their lives, through a caring relationship and within agreed relational boundaries, carried out by a counselor who has a Christian worldview, values and assumptions…Counselors use different methodologies or models for their counseling depending on their training and what they find to be effective.”
Two approaches to Christian counseling
There are two basic approaches to Christian counseling:
Theology Only
This is often called biblical, or nouthetic counseling. It uses only the Bible and fits the apply-Scripture-and-pray model described earlier. Its biggest advocate is Jay Adams.
Theology and Psychology
This is called professional Christian counseling. A professional Christian counselor has training and degrees in counseling/psychology and is committed to biblical theology. James Dobson and Larry Crabb are examples. When it comes to integrating psychology and theology, some counselors attempt to separate them, others mix them like a salad, and still others pick and choose only psychological approaches that are consistent with biblical teachings.
SoulCare’s Approach to christian counseling
SoulCare Counseling falls into the second category. All of our counselors are Bible-believing Christians who have either earned or are working on degrees in counseling/psychology and are licensed by the state of Texas. We don’t believe that there is biblical truth and there is scientific truth; there is just truth, and all truth is God’s. Philippians 4:8 says, “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything is worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” So, we take from psychology that which is true, right, etc., and consistent with Scripture and use it while discarding the rest.
Emotionally Focused Therapy
We have found Emotionally Focused Therapy to be one of the most effective and biblically consistent counseling models. In the 1980’s, Dr. Sue Johnson developed a secular counseling therapy based on the science of human attachments that turns out to be consistent with the teachings of Scripture. When this was pointed out to her, Sue worked with EFT trainer and former missionary Kenneth Sanderfer to adapt her book Hold Me Tight into Created For Connection, The Hold Me Tight Guide For Christian Couples. It is based on Genesis 2:18 that “It is not good that man should be alone.” God created human beings for connection, so when we go against God’s design and become disconnected, conflict and dysfunction always arise. The key, then, to resolving conflict is to reconnect through understanding our true needs and feelings, communicating them in a way our partner will receive, and giving/receiving forgiveness and reconciliation creating a safe, secure attachment bond. Christian themes run all through that: humbling oneself, considering the other as more important than self, being honest and speaking truth to one another, forgiveness, reconciliation, love as the bond of unity, to name a few.
Since Emotionally Focused Therapy is based on biblical principles, it works! Even if Dr. Johnson didn’t know her therapy model lined up with Scripture, it still did and does. That’s why it works. It goes with, not against, God’s design. That’s why it works. Studies of Emotionally Focused Therapy over decades have shown that 70-75% of couples who complete EFT move from distress to recovery, and 90% show significant improvements. No other counseling model can make that claim. So, Emotionally Focused Therapy is perfect for Christian counseling because it is biblically consistent and effective. That’s why our Christian counseling center solely practices Emotionally Focused Therapy as our counseling approach.
I encourage you to learn more about Emotionally Focused Therapy, and reach out to us to schedule a free thirty-minute consultation. We can help you out of the pain of disconnection and into the comfort of connection with God, others, and self.
Dr. Mark Riley is the co-founder and executive director of SoulCare Counseling. He holds Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees, and is retired from 44 years as a pastor. He is the husband of Dr. Bernis Riley.