Biblical Christian counseling or mentorship and discipleship is different from Christian counseling. Most Christian counselors are licensed by their states and have completed degrees that meet requirements their state has established as necessary for receiving professional licensure.
Some Christian counselors are only certified and not licensed. Certification can come through many different organizations that provide trainings to equip counselors, frequently in specific counseling areas, such as marriage, family, or in a Christian or biblical emphasis. Some counselors then are both licensed and certified.
The Influence of Psychology in Counseling
All licensed counselors, and many that are only certified, utilize strategies in helping people that come from sources outside of the Bible, in other words through secular psychology. Our culture has been highly influenced by psychology and we perpetuate the idea in the Church that licensed counselors, psychologists and psychiatrists are the professionals in the area of helping people who have emotional and mental “illnesses,” or significant problems with relationships or managing life in general. The standards set by any state for licensure, and so taught in even Christian degree programs, are founded on the principles of psychology.
Licensed counselors are members of a larger, national association that sets ethical standards and standards for practice that licensed counselors must abide by. If these are not followed, the counselor can be legally liable for misconduct by their state. So licensure places counselors under legal authority of the state they are licensed through, and they must support the state’s ethical requirements by law.
National Ethical Standards
States vary in some degree to the standards and ethics they require, however the national standards are set by the American Counseling Association (the ACA) and are accepted as foundational to all state licensure standards. The ACA states this in their “Values and Statements”:
“The ACA Code of Ethics symbolizes and guides the ethical values of the counseling profession throughout the U.S. and around the world; reflects the core values of the profession; and embodies a belief system that undergirds the bedrock principles of autonomy, justice, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and fidelity. This belief system is essential to living a life free of discrimination, prejudice, bigotry, and intolerance.
As an organization, ACA’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion prescribes that we support the rights of the LGBTQ+ community and other communities minoritized based on their race, gender, religion or physical abilities, to enjoy protections and privileges that are extended to all people. We have the responsibility to respect and serve all people that seek out counseling services, and we support the fair and equitable rights for all counselors and the clients they serve. Further, the ACA Code of Ethics does not condone legislation or regulatory measures of any sort that do not support cultural inclusiveness of all types.”
Why Stage 5 Ministries Chooses Unlicensed Counselors
In other words, it is not legal for a licensed Christian counselor to tell a client that any of their behaviors or lifestyle choices are wrong or talk to them about God as the answer for their mental and emotional struggles, unless the client gives the counselor permission to do so. It is for this reason that Stage 5 Ministries has chosen to have trained counselors that are not licensed. We want to walk alongside believers who are seeking God and biblical truth for the answers for their emotional, mental and spiritual health, because we believe the Bible holds the only true answers for everything in life, and that God through Christ and the Holy Spirit is the only One who can fully heal and restore anything that has been damaged or wounded within us.
What is Psychology and How Is It Not Aligned With a Christian Worldview?
Psychology is actually a fairly new worldview. The beginning of psychology as a science is attributed to a German named Wilhelm Wundt in 1879, and began as an area of experimental study in 1854 through Gustav Fechner’s work on sensory experiences, though it has its roots in the teachings of Greek philosophers, such as Plato and Aristotle.
The most famous early contributor to the field of psychology was Sigmund Freud, a German neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis. He began his influence over Western thought in the late 1800’s in the publishing of his first book, and though many of his theories are not considered valid today (see the Oedipus Complex for example), his teachings have “suffused contemporary Western thought and popular culture” (Wikipedia). Freud’s legacy “has been assessed as “one of the strongest influences on twentieth-century thought, its impact comparable only to that of Darwinism and Marxism,” with its range of influence permeating “all the fields of culture … so far as to change our way of life and concept of man” (Wikipedia).
It is also notable that Freud died by suicide. As Christians, we should recognize that if someone so influential to how we view life and major concepts in the Western, postmodern world didn’t find meaning in life through psychology, it might be wise to question the foundation of these ideas that have infiltrated how we address anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems in our culture and in the modern American Church.
Psychology’s Limited Scope
By definition, psychology addresses only 2 major parts of who we are as human beings, namely how we think and how we act. According to Britannica, psychology is a “scientific discipline that studies mental states and processes and behaviour in humans and other animals.”
The Bible tells us we are much more than what we think, feel, (mental states) and do (behavior). We are created as image-bearers of God and are most importantly spiritual beings above cognitive processes, emotion, and actions. Ignoring the spiritual influence in how we process our lives (mental states and behaviors), denies the power and working of God in everything that we experience, think, believe, feel, or act out. The Holy Spirit dwells in our spirit and the Word of God tells us He is our Counselor, Teacher, and the One who internally transforms us to make us more like Christ.
Psychology vs Biblical Teaching
The teachings of psychology directly oppose Biblical teaching and how we should process everything we experience. It literally undermines the source of our belief system, which is the inerrant Word of God. Methods of seeking mental and emotional stability and wholeness for a believer in Christ should never be done through “cognitive-behavioral” strategies, which are “evidence-based” and have been found through studies of non-Christians to be the most effective approach to doing everyday life (controlling and coping with thoughts and feelings) through research and the science of psychology.
Secular, psychology-based forms of addressing mental and emotional “disease” and “health” are prevalent in our culture, including the culture of American Christian counselors, conversations between believers, theological teachings, and are highly prevalent in media and on social media. Most of us have been taught to believe if we can change our thought life, it will change our behavior, and many Christian counselors utilize this as the foundation for how they mentor and provide strategies for their clients. Psychology is always a “me” centered approach, because it ignores God and His power to work in our being.
Stage 5 Ministry’s Approach
If the Holy Spirit is who changes us, we need to ask Him to be in the process. Stage 5 Ministry believes in prayer as the biggest tool for our emotional and mental health in alignment with the truth of God’s Word. For more information on how we view our role in your journey for spiritual, emotional, and mental freedom in Christ, check our partners website, the Association of Biblical Counseling (ABC). We encourage you to see their website for their values and philosophy of biblical counseling and for more information regarding the differences between licensed Christian counseling and Biblical counseling.
If this information made sense to you, and you feel ready to take further step into your walk with the Lord of freedom, schedule now a free consultation with one of biblical counselors!