The Benefits of Christian Counseling Vs. Secular Counseling

If you are a Christian, and searching for professional help with your relationships or your personal struggles, you must have asked yourself if you should seek secular counseling or Christian counseling, and what would be pros and cons. This is an article for you. I’ll try to unfold how Christian counseling could benefit you more than secular counseling.

Is secular counseling helping Christians?

It should be noted that secular counseling can help clients who are broken and can help bring healing and restoration. God gives common grace, His blessing on all people, both righteous and unrighteous. Jesus explains in Matthew 5:45, “For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”

God’s common grace is given to secular counselors in wisdom. The research and findings in psychology are valuable and helpful to understand humanity, and all the delicate nuances of the human brain, behavior, emotions, etc. Common grace explains any product of man that glorifies divine truth or divine character. Psalm 145:9 says, “The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.”

Secular counseling has many theories and interventions that help people, but it doesn’t lead clients to the source of healing – the God of the Bible – by drawing closer to Him, the one who fills all needs (“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19), and the pursuit of unity and peace with one another (“Continually pursue peace with everyone, and the sanctification without which no one will [ever] see the Lord.” Hebrews 12:14).

The main goals of Christian counseling are to guide broken people to unity with God and restore their relationships with others. Secular counseling goals are different. How can you reach complete healing if you do not know the Lord, and are not at peace with those who are in your life?

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” – Matthew 22:36-40

Do Christian and secular counselors have different education?

Christian counselors have the same basic education and skills as secular counselors. All licensed professional mental health providers obtained their degrees through accredited schools with a solid foundation of knowledge and skills in secular counseling foundations.

All specialists who are practicing as Christian counselors have the same foundational education, graduated with a master’s or doctorate in the mental health field and were mandated to meet all requirements to prepare and pass the same state licensing exams as all secular counselors.

In addition to the state education requirements and licensing process, Christian counselors have a different personal path to gain a biblical foundation for their carrier. For example, as a licensed clinical social worker and practicing Christian counselor, I have been growing in church since I was a child, have attended multiple Bible studies and workshops, and listened to a multitude of biblical teachings.

The most important foundation of my biblical understanding is my personal relationship with Christ, I have been steadily developing personal intimacy with Jesus throughout my life and keep moving forward to be closer and closer to my Lord and Savior. Some Christian counselors have pursued specific training to gain knowledge and skills in theological understanding.

Since my carrier started as a Christian counselor, I have completed a course at my church, “Counseling God’s Way,” the course is based on the book How to Counsel God’s Way by pastor Bob Hoekstra. While this article is being written, I am currently studying the Zondervan Academic Online Course “A Theology Of Biblical Counseling” by Heath Lambert (Ph.D., The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary). I’ll be pursuing professional and personal growth for the rest of my life.

Other aspects of Christian counseling.

After researching and listening to different counselors and theologians I realized that there is a difference between Christian counseling and biblical counseling. In my opinion, Christian counseling is the type of counseling when secular psychology science is integrated with Christian aspects, and secular counseling strategies are necessary to combine with biblical teachings.

Biblical counseling is based purely on Scripture, alone. The biblical counselor believes that the Bible is sufficient to understand humanity’s problems and find a way of healing through the teachings and instructions given in the Old and New Testaments.

According to Heath Lambert, Ph.D. (The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary), there are multiple agreements between Christian Counseling and Biblical Counseling approaches. First of all, both Christian counseling and Biblical counseling agree on a conservative view of all aspects of life.

Second, for both Christian and biblical counselors (and also secular counselors) the most important goal is to assist those who are hurting and need help, who are experiencing heartbreaks, emotional pain, and relationship dysfunction.

Third, biblical and Christian counselors don’t reject psychology as a science, and most of the findings of psychological observation. Also, both biblical and Christian Counseling approaches agree that medical interventions are necessary for physical sickness.

How do Christian counselors integrate faith into counseling?

There are multiple approaches to integrating biblical theology into counseling. As a Christian counselor, I start and end each counseling session with prayer, praising the Lord, asking for wisdom and guidance, and blessing the client and his or her loved ones.

I personally before each session ask Jesus to use me as His vessel and always try to give all the glory to Him, pointing out to clients that Jesus is the Wonderful Counselor. Throughout the session on and off in my mind I ask Jesus for wisdom and words to speak. I integrate a biblical view into the session as a foundation for problem-solving, and as the basis for a healthy life view.

What limits does a Christian counselor face?

Christian counseling practices are advertising openly and providing a Bible-based approach. This disclosure on any platform is clear for any potential clients. This prevents misunderstandings of majority ethical issues because all clients are identifying as Christians and seeking to restore their lives according to biblical teaching.

My personal biggest challenge is to not preach God’s commandments on how to live right away; not to condemn clients and make them feel shameful and guilty. The biblical approach always has to be based on unconditional love, empathy, grace, mercy, and lack of condemnation, but rather with kindness, genuinely accepting the client for who she or he is and guiding the client with love and patience to restore the relationship with God and people.

An example of an ethical issue that I would predict in my career would be if my potential client were to bring up a gender identity issue with a desire to fight against the culture which promotes same-sex relationships. According to California regulations, mental health professionals are only permitted to validate and encourage clients to change their biological gender and pursue intimate relationships with the same gender partners.

This contradicts the biblical truth that God created a man and a woman, and marriage is only between a man and a woman. This is one example of many conflicts between the society and specific political regulations we live in versus biblical truths.

I want to invite you to reach out to one of our Christian counselors to seek healing and restoration, unity with God, and your loved ones. I pray for each of you to be blessed, may God supply every need of yours according to his riches and glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19),

I wish Psalm 84:11 for you and your household,

“For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord will give grace and glory;
no good thing will he withhold
from those who walk uprightly.”