Top 3 myths about Christian Counseling
Christian counseling is so misunderstood!
Being a therapist in general leads to its fair share of interesting reactions from people. Add the title Christian therapist and then the response is even greater.
As such, we are going to talk about the 3 most common myths in Christian counseling
1. All you are going to do is preach at me.
While I can understand why this could be a natural place that one’s brain goes, in many aspects it couldn’t be further from the truth.
In a blog written by Stewarts Gift Counseling they give great examples where preaching could occur. However, in most Christian clinical counseling, preaching is not the goal.
As we discussed in last week’s blog, Christian counseling is all about healing you so you may go out and do the Holy Spirits work. If I wanted to preach at you I could have gone out and became a preacher.
You get preaching already by going to church or your family. I am looking to help you figure out what is causing your healing to not happen. That process can look like a lot of things.
Maybe we crack the bible open, maybe we sit and pray, or maybe we simply talk and let the Holy Spirit lead. Bottom line, my job isn’t to be your pastor. My job is to help you find you!
2. All you are going to do is JUDGE ME!
This is a myth that really breaks my heart. Having a person’s initial reaction to my title bring up so much negativity is really disheartening.
Which leads me to wonder what Christians are doing to other Christians for that to even be a thought. But, that is a conversation for another time.
If I look biblically the last thing that I am called to do is judge others. In fact, I am a BIG hypocrite when I do that. Last time I checked we are all fallible and sinful.
I also know that when we look at the Bible it says that sin is SIN. That is right, all sin in God’s eyes is the same.
What that means is that Christian counseling should be all about grace, mercy, and empathy. About opening a space where a person can come as they are, warts and all.
Which is all of the things that God gives every person daily.
3. If I was a real believer, I wouldn’t need this.
I’ll be honest, this is a big myth that irritates me. The idea that if I just was more faithful to God or if I just prayed more, I wouldn’t need counseling. NOT TRUE!!!!
That mindset inclines that being a believer and God’s sovereignty over us is about what we do. If we look in the word, it says that NO WHERE!!!!
God’s love, mercy, empathy, protection, care, and so many other things have NOTHING to do with what we do. The reality is that God allows some things to happen. Why?
Some of it I understand and a lot of it I don’t. Either way it does. So, I ask you, do you really think God, in all of His majesty, is thinking, “that weak human if he just proved himself more to me than he wouldn’t be in this position.”
If you do believe this, I highly encourage you to get into the Word and find other Christians that can talk through this with you. I also encourage you to read this blog by Destiny City Counseling that discusses the same topic.
You can also find more information on this topic through my podcast Courage to Know, which can be found on all major podcasting platforms. Just click this link and you can begin to listen!
If you are in a place where you are struggling and want help, but are afraid because of all the myths listed above, I hope this blog helps you! Christian counselors, like myself, truly just want to help!
Want to work with me? Click this link!
