Biblical Counseling in the 21st Century

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Biblical Counseling in the 21st Century

• Philip G. Monroe, PsyD
• pmonroe_at_biblical.edu
• www.wisecounsel.wordpress.com

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biblical.edu
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Our review is overdue!

• Last review? 1988
• Human motivation must be explored and integrated
  into practice
• Need a better view of suffering and human
  responsibility
• Counselor-Counselee relationship?
• Relationship to secular models?

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Distinguishing Marks of Biblical Counseling

• Seeks the glory of God and the perfection of his
  people
• Sola Scriptura
• Critique of secular models of change
• Every member ministry

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What is Biblical Counseling?

• God-centered, Bible-saturated,
  emotionally-in-touch, culturally-informed use of
  language to help people become God-besotted,
  Christ-exalting, joyfully self-forgetting lovers
  of people who spread a passion for the supremacy
  of God in all things for the joy of all peoples.
• John Piper, Philadelphia, 2001

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Areas for further focus

• Doing violence to suffering/seeking justice
• Expanding our understanding of what it means to
  be human, or developing both a creation and a
  fall focus
• Putting our goals into real life context
• Being challenged by secular writers
• Expanding our counseling skills

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Skills Focus

• Practical use of Scriptures
• Incarnational relationships
• Emotions as entry-gates to change

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Practical Use of Scriptures

• How ought the Scriptures be used in the act of
  counseling? By what processes do we bring people
  into communion with God through the Scriptures?
• And what uses of the Scriptures injure rather
  than heal?

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Bible Projectiles?

• Now there is a wrong use of Gods word and a
  right one. The wrong use is this sort of
  thingsomeone comes to you, and you cast about in
  your mind what sort of man he is, then hurl a
  text at him like a projectile, either in prayer
  or in talking as you deal with him. That is a use
  of the word of God that kills your own soul and
  the souls of the people you deal with. The Spirit
  of God is not in that. Jesus said, the words I
  speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are
  life. Who also hath made us able ministers of
  the new testament not of the letter, but of the
  spirit for the letter killeth, but the spirit
  giveth life. Do remember to keep your soul in
  unsullied touch with the directions of the
  Spirit.
• O. Chamber, Workmen of God

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Uses of Scripture

• Secondary
• Teaching, rebuking, correcting (e.g., 2 Tim 316)
• Discernment (e.g., Ps 11110 Heb 513f)
• Comfort (e.g., 1 Cor 143 Ps 11952)
• Strengthening and encouragement
• Hope (Rom 154 Isa 42)
• Primary eyeglasses and mirror
• To see/meet God
• Retooling our narratives

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Counseling Assessment

• Take a page from friendship evangelism
• The person (history, issues, experiences,
  abilities, etc.)
• The context/relationship
• The message (or experience you hope them to have)
• The delivery
• Just as counseling is more art/sales/process, so
  too the Scriptures are not just about information
  exchange

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Specific Techniques

• Better done first in session where feedback and
  dialogue possible before encouraging to use as
  bibliotherapy
• Engaging affect as well as intellect
• Inviting dialogue, avoiding Sunday School
  answers

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Examples

• Just one thing meditations
• Provoking important conversations
• Exploring other realities
• Modeling hope

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Incarnational Relationships

• Biblical Counseling has focused much of its
  energies on the message and the steps to change
  (the big picture and the put offs, put ons)
• What if we paid attention to the processes and
  relational aspects of change?
• How do relationships with mentors help you
  change? Is it what they say or who they are?
• John 4 and Jesus example
• Questions, reflections, restatements,
  self-disclosure, silence, body language

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Emotions as Entry-gates

• In your counseling, do you ignore emotions and
  emphasize thinking?
• When we peel back the defensive/protective
  emotions (anger, defensiveness, etc.) we often
  find fears, hurts, despair operating.
• Here and now focus often gets to the real
  issues and allows us to provide more accurate
  counsel
• Consider how you would respond to an angry,
  self-righteous person

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• www.wisecounsel.wordpress.com
• Click Articles, slides page