Links to more articles below

v1.8 1/16/18 1914 dw

Preface to the Research Concept of Biblical Counseling

The central question is this; is the Bible a dependable and practical source of truth and wisdom in counseling? Is the Bible really still relevant and useful today? Can we trust counseling that is based on a holy book that is more than two millennia old? Is the Bible really as trustworthy and venerable as some say it is? Is it really accurate and authoritative on all subjects on which it speaks? Is it really pragmatic of us to put our faith in something so ancient? The answer to the central question is an absolute yes. This paper seeks to explain why this is so, and then back up that substantial claim.

Spiritual beliefs are a central part of our existence as humans. And our need for love is just central and as essential as our need to breathe oxygen. Love is arguably what makes life great. We love our country and our families. Jesus commanded us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. But God’s love is what tops it all. The Bible tells us that God loves us all dearly. Jesus stressed that just as God’s love extends to all people, across all religious traditions, races/ethnicities, classes, ages, genders and sexual orientation, that we should too, as Christ followers, extend that same love to all, regardless of anything, not just the items listed above.

So we love everyone, but that does not mean we love everything. We are taught to love what God loves and hate what God hates. Combine the love we are taught in the Bible with the ethical standards of mental health counseling today, and the two work together nicely, not contradicting each other, thou the Bible standard may be a bit higher than average.

That said, not all religions are equal, and if the truth is what you’re after, there is truly only one truth, the rest are simply false. There is more than enough evidence that backs up the Bible while disproving the outshoot cults of false teachers like the Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses. The Bible and only the Bible is where we find that truth.

Christian biblical counseling believes in the truths of the Bible and thus seeks to teach these truths as part of the counseling process. And there is a growing demand for quality Christian counselors. According to the Pew Research Center’s Religious Landscape Study in 2012, 89 percent of adults in the United States believe in "God or a universal spirit" and eight-in-ten people identify with a religious group (Pew, 2012).

Any Christian who sets out to counsel another individual is aware that the counsel offered must be true. Counseling is by definition and impulse a helping ministry. It assumes that someone is confronted with some measure of confusion, disappointment, or despair in their lives and that a second person who endeavors to help by analyzing the counselee’s situation, sorting out the issues involved, and then offering helpful and healing advice and direction. But the efficacy of all that the counselor undertakes to do is dependent at least on this one thing: that his analysis and counsel is true. (Mack, 1998, p. 68)

Thus it is the responsibility of the Christian counselor to be the vessel of truth for God, and to shine the light of truth on what is false. To illuminate this truth and wisdom of God in the lives of those who are struggling and seeking wise counsel, the Christian counselor must be a true living Christian themselves.

And of course they must be very well versed in God’s Word. Or as Paul puts it in 1st Timothy 3 verse 9, they must “upholding and fully understanding the mystery [that is, the true doctrine] of the [Christian] faith with a clear conscience [resulting from behavior consistent with spiritual maturity” (from the AMP Bible).

Plus to be a worthy clinian, they must also be knowledgeable about world history, all of the natural and social sciences, as well as an in depth knowledge of all the other religions, their histories and the cults that have grown from them.

11/16/17 2008

Assignment - Interview someone that has the job I want

Why I chose this career path for my interview

I was originally going to interview one of the assistant counseling pastors at my church, one of the ones that do family and marriage counseling, as this is what I am most interested in becoming; a pastoral counselor providing biblical counseling. I seek to serve a wide range of clients including multiple church communities and beyond.

At this point, late 2017, I see my career going in two primary directions, and both are important to me and both complement each other very nicely.

The first path is a theology doctorate with a masters in biblical counseling degree at an ordained seminary. The second career path for me is the medicine route, something like a Psy. D. (Doctor of Psychology) degree in psychiatric medicine and counseling, or something like a NPP, a nurse practitioner psychiatric. Or I will find one of the many other ways that they’re out there to earning medication prescription writing privileges.

Whatever the way, all ways mean that there is years of medical school ahead of me, and if I wish to earn these medication privileges, I’ve to put the work into it, and I’m willing.

My Career Future Prospects

What is the best direction for me to go? Medical school or seminary?

I have carefully considered my multiple possible future career paths, and after much deliberation and prayer, I have decided that the medicine provider route makes the most sense for me at this point in my career. Even though my heart longs to go to seminary and dive deep into Scripture study while learning the ancient Greek and Hebrew, I recognize that I have preciously limited time, and that my time should be devoted elsewhere that is more practical.

And as much fun as studying Hebrew sounds to me, that’s not my strongest suit. It’s like my attempt to learn Japanese for the first year and a half of my undergrad days. I didn’t pick up the foreign language fast enough to merit the time investment, so I had to turn my attention elsewhere.

That said, seminary will have to wait for now, because the medical school path makes more economical sense, and provides a more practical and tangible career path in the end. And the value of a counselor and med provider combined in one is that I can provide whole patient treatment, medicine if needed and Christian counseling. I won’t have to outsource the medication aspect of the equation.

This is something unique and with a lot of potential. Pastoral counseling is still the goal and end game, but with the credentials to prescribe medicine, I am opening myself up to be of more service to many more people. Lord I pray this is the right way for me to go.

9/24/17 1812

Pastoral Psychotherapy

A clinical pastoral counseling approach. Clinical counseling combined with Christian mentoring.

Combining elements from proven research-based mental health treatment methods with Christianity.

Book cover concept in the works. The vision process has begun.

9/1/17 Started new website

Why I want to be a pastoral LMHC (Licensed Mental Health Counselor

The heart and soul of my practice will focus on three key areas of my clients’ lives.

First, helping my clients discover their inner spiritual conflicts (between their soul and their flesh).

Secondly, focus on helping my clients find enlightenment of the Truth.

And thirdly, and ultimately the most important aspect of the counseling process, the focus on the salvation of their soul.

David's Blog

Copy-free Creative Commons October 2017