Christian counseling

Christian counseling on the other hand is conducted by a licensed counselor who integrates spirituality into traditional counseling methods and psychological principles. They may reference scripture but unlike biblical counselors, Christian Therapists do not focus solely on biblical teachings.

History

Christian counseling began between the late 1960s and early 1970s with the Biblical Counseling Movement directed by Jay E. Adams. Adams's 1970 book Competent to Counsel advocated a Christian-based approach which differed from the psychological and psychiatric solutions of the time. As a devout Protestant, Adams believed that it was the job of the church to heal people who he believed were morally corrupt, but labeled by society as mentally ill. He rejected other models of counseling, such as the medical model, which gave clients a medical diagnosis based on a list of their behaviors or actions. Adams believed the lists of maladaptive behaviors listed under each diagnostic category were actually behaviors emanating from our volitional nature, rather than an illness. Maladaptive behaviors, he maintained, are a matter of sin and therefore subject to confrontation and education in God's word, exhorting the client to choose behavior that is obedient to God's word, thus removing the sin in their life. Adams disagreed with any attempt to reclassify behavior that removed people from complete responsibility for their choices.

Adams gained converts but also lost popularity among some groups due to controversies surrounding his approach. Competent to Counsel (1970) introduced his model of Nouthetic counseling, which was rooted in a strict biblical framework and focused on exhorting clients to change their behavior, aligning it with Christian teachings. His model encouraged counselors to use various scriptures to guide clients in their journey toward repentance and spiritual transformation. The term "nouthetic" derives from the Greek word noutheteo, meaning "to admonish," and Adams emphasized the role of the counselor in directly confronting sin and encouraging obedience to God’s commands. However, Adams' rigid approach to counseling and its strict biblical orientation faced criticism from those who believed his methods were overly prescriptive and not adaptable to more secular or psychological approaches to therapy. Despite his influence, Adams' popularity waned in the 1980s, as some in the Christian counseling community began to seek a more balanced approach that integrated psychological insights with biblical principles.

Prior to this movement in the late 1960s and early 1970s, counseling had become something more secular and was no longer closely associated with the church. This shift likely began during the 19th century when developments in science and philosophy challenged traditional religious worldviews. Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species (1859) questioned the biblical account of creation, causing panic among religious communities that held a literalist view of the Genesis narrative. In a similar vein, Wilhelm Wundt (1832–1920), known as the "father of experimental psychology", sought to explain psychological phenomena in naturalistic terms through careful observation and introspection. His approach rejected theistic explanations for human behavior, favoring naturalistic and introspective methods. Wundt’s work was pivotal in transforming psychology from a branch of philosophy to an experimental science.

In addition to Wundt, Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) offered secular explanations for religious belief. Freud proposed that belief in God often stems from an individual's relationship with their father. He argued that the "father complex," shaped by the Oedipus complex and early familial relationships, influenced one’s perception of God as an exalted father figure. Freud also developed psychotherapy as a field separate from the church. These intellectual movements collectively drove counseling practices away from the church and toward secular frameworks.

Jay Adams brought attention back to the church with his 1970 publication Competent to Counsel, which introduced nouthetic counseling. However, his influence waned by the 1980s, and the mantle was taken up by David Powlison. A convert to Christianity in adulthood, Powlison advanced Adams’ work and sought to refine the movement. His publication of the Journal of Biblical Counseling provided a platform for addressing critical issues within the field, such as balancing the authority of scripture with compassionate engagement, addressing complex psychological problems like trauma and addiction, and integrating insights from broader counseling disciplines without compromising biblical fidelity. Powlison’s efforts encouraged Biblical counselors to engage in ongoing self-evaluation and develop methods that were both theologically sound and practically effective, fostering a more nuanced and holistic approach to faith-based counseling.