"The entrance of thy words giveth light (Psalm 119:130)."
How to Select a Counselor/Therapist
Counseling can be helpful or damaging. This article provides some guidelines.
First: The counselor should be a Christian and be providing your counseling from a biblical perspective. Ask the person about his approach to counseling. If you don't hear a lot about the Bible, you've got the wrong person.
Second: The counselor should have been referred to you by a source you trust, like a ministry, pastor, deacon or friend.
Third: The ideal counselor should have successful personal experience, using the Bible, without drugs, for an issue similar to what you are experiencing. If such a person is not available, they should at least have successful experience counseling those with similar issues, without relying on psychotropic drugs.
It's a good idea to interview the counselor first. You can ask questions and get a good initial impression as to whether the counselor would be a good fit.
Fourth: Use your intuition and intelligence. If either facility says this is the wrong person, find someone else.
Fifth: There are both advantages and disadvantages to opting for a licensed therapist.
Advantages: The person has a wide range of knowledge and experience. Licensed therapists have been through a more intensive screening process that always includes criminal background checks.
Disadvantages: 1) Licensed therapists usually must refer you to a doctor for psychotropic drugs. And they can never tell you, in therapy, not to follow your doctor's advice. To protect your therapist's license, and his fear of being sued, you must tell him, at the onset of therapy, that you do not want such a referral. He can then document this in his notes. 2) Many Christian therapists do much the same thing as secular therapists. Often, they combine Scripture with a psychological theory.
Anything that distracts you from the Bible, for very long, will be detrimental to your making progress. This includes psychology homework assignments. Combining a psychological theory, with the Bible, diminishes the efficacy of Scripture.
"For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power." {1 Corinthians 1:17 ESV}
". . . your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God." {1 Corinthians 2:5 NKJV}
Notes: 1) Once he gets to know you, a good counselor should also be able to provide useful advice and explain how he plans to resolve your issues. 2) He should know Scripture well and be able apply his knowledge to your case. 3) Talking about what's bothering you, expressing your feelings, is fully consistent with the Bible and is an important part of the counseling process (Galatians 6:2). 4) Your therapist should not, however, encourage you to share every thought that comes in to your mind. This can cause long-term damage to your mental health.
Sixth: Reporting requirements: There are various laws that may require authorities to be notified in cases where the counselor learns about current or past abuse or neglect issues. This may apply to both licensed therapists as well as pastoral counselors. Check for the laws in your jurisdiction.
Spanking may be viewed as child abuse. Refusing to give a child prescribed psychotropic drugs may be viewed as child neglect, and is another area of concern.
You can ask the counselor, in advance, about his reporting requirements.
Be aware of such issues and avoid unnecessary problems.
If authorities are notified about such an issue, seek out legal counsel right away. Many local bar associations offer a free initial consultation. And this is often all that is needed.
Seventh: Group counseling is highly recommended—especially when this is done with those with similar concerns. Many churches have groups for various issues. Examples include sexual abuse, sexual addiction, domestic violence, drug abuse, pre-marriage, marriage enrichment etc. You can learn a lot from other people.
Some cautions: 1) Make sure you are comfortable with the leader of the group. 2) If you do go to a secular group, be very cautious about any advice that is given.
Eighth: For individual counseling, consider talking to a pastor, deacon, church elder or simply a more experienced Christian.
You can also ask someone to disciple you.
This is how these things have been traditionally handled in the Christian church.
Finally, a synopsis:
- The counselor should provide you with a safe space to talk about your issues.
- You should feel comfortable with the person who is counseling you, or leading your group.
- The advice you receive should be consistent with the Bible.
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