Christian Therapy

With the recent and shocking death of Robin Williams, substance abuse, depression and suicide have been public topics of conversation.  Raising public awareness about how these are linked will hopefully lead to more people honestly looking at their life and seeking help if they need it.  The truth is out there, substance abuse is linked to higher levels of depression, and depression is unquestionably the leading cause of suicide.

Robin Williams tragic death also raises our awareness that an energetic, humorous , successful persona can be a mask for desperate, personal , hidden agony underneath.   Few of us will know what Robin Williams personal struggles and battles and inner life was really like.  However all of us have our own circle of relationships, perhaps these kind of public tragedies can prompt us to find out how those we have contact with are really doing.   And if depression is part of your life right now, please reach out for help.  Our brain like any organ in our body can become ill.  However when our brain is ill it doesn’t manifest with symptoms such as fever, but with emotional symptoms such as anxiety and depression and thought disturbances such as a distorted view of ourselves and our circumstances.  Much like an antibiotic helps pneumonia, anti depressants help depression.   Research consistently shows that medication and therapy are the most effective treatment for depression

Many bloggers have weighed in today with their thoughts on Robin Williams death and depression.  Here are links to some of the best ones I have seen.  The first outlines the links between substance abuse and depression.  The second by the gifted writer Ann Voskamp discusses how the church views mental illness and depression based on her own experience.  The third  considers the truth that no matter how outwardly successful a life may appear, without spiritual peace found in Jesus Christ there is no peace.

What makes therapy Christian?   A licensed Christian therapist has the same training and skills as a secular therapist and is therefore qualified to help any client within their scope of training regardless of their spiritual framework.  However many Christians want the added benefit of a Christian therapist, so I thought it would be a worthwhile topic to discuss what else a Christian counselor has to offer.  Volumes of books have been written on this topic, but here are a few brief thoughts on the subject that are certainly not meant to be exhaustive or a complete discussion of Christian counseling.

So what makes  therapy Christian?   A starting point would be that the therapist is a Christian and therefore has access to the wisdom and guidance of the Holy Spirit as they work and the additional “counseling tool” of prayer for the client.

Whereas pastoral counseling would be more likely to open the Bible and instruct the counselee through teachings of Scripture and direct advice, the Christian therapist is more likely to use Biblical principles.  The Bible is the ultimate textbook of relationships; what makes them work, what makes them go wrong, and how to reconcile the wrongs.  THe Bible is a book about reconciliation both with God and others.  Many of these principles have been adopted unknowingly by secular therapists, which is why it is certainly possible for a
Christian to find help from secular therapists.  Good Christian therapy however, draws not only on these principles, but as well on a sound understanding of the nature of mankind.  The person who sits before any counselor is first a creation of God and made in His image.  They are also a sinner, one who has diverged from God’s plan of how life is to be lived and is  instead trying to make it on their own.  If the person is a Christian they are also forgiven, have a new life inside, but still have the struggles of the old vs. the new inside.  All of us have been affected by the brokenness of this world and carry various degrees of bruises and bumps from this.  For some this is everyday disappointments, for others it is repetitive abuse, for most it is something in between.  The Christian counselor addresses both the wounds of the person to facilitate the healing process, and also the unique ways these wounds have caused each person to live their life more committed to self protection than to the great commission to love God and others.  As the client examines their life and does the necessary work, there is most often significant personal healing as well as improved relationships with God and others.

check back soon for a discussion on Christian marriage counseling