BIBLICAL COUNSELING
What is Biblical Counseling?
Biblical counseling is a process of understanding an individual's struggles in light of biblical concepts. All problems lie at the core of our hearts. Our responses to life's pressures, hurts, and sin expose our hearts to us. When those issues arise, biblical counseling is helpful. We believe God's word is alive and active and therefore powerful enough to bring positive change to a person's life. We strive to equip the individual with the proper skills for them to walk the word out with the help of the Holy Spirit thereby creating lasting and permanent change. Biblical counseling is essentially intensive one on one discipleship of the Word.
What Does an Individualized Counseling Plan Look Like?
The sessions will start with data collection. To rightly understand a person’s heart and situation, the right questions must be asked and answered truthfully. There is no one size fits all or cookie cutter process. Each person will need to approach their struggles individually. After establishing a clear understanding of the client’s needs, a formalized plan will be presented. Counseling is typically a one hour session each week.
Counseling includes weekly homework assignments that must be completed to move forward in the process of healing. These will be presented on a week to week basis. The typical client will spend about 10 sessions in counseling and then we will reassess progress and further needs at that time. Each person is unique; therefore, each plan will be different. In intense situations, counseling could be more intensive to meet that need. In certain instances, intensive back to back sessions are helpful. Sanctification is a process so the weekly process seems to help truth sink in more deeply over time and help lasting change occur.
How Are Sessions Conducted?
Because humans are complex, sessions will vary from person to person. For more informal counseling needs, we can meet in a coffee shop or other informal locations. For formal counseling, we can meet at a more formal location-my church. For any occasion we can meet online over our private and secure Zoom meeting room. I love the Zoom meeting room because there are no border boundaries. We love to offer our services to missionaries on the field and Zoom allows us to do this.
What is Unique about Biblical Counseling?
Biblical counseling is unique because it is a process of sharing life together with the client. It isn’t the typical picture that many have regarding counseling; a couch where the client talks and a chair where the “expert” counselor listens, takes notes and advises.
In Biblical counseling we experience life together; shoulder to shoulder. We all have struggles and are on this same journey of sanctification together. Don’t think of an “expert” verses a non-expert. Think of a fellow believer who has been trained in practical theology and has the ability to teach practical application of the Bible for everyday life.
Biblical counseling gets to the heart of the matter at hand which is the only way to get real and lasting change in one’s life. Other methods can be helpful for a time but true and lasting change can only come from addressing the core issues of the heart and applying the truth of God’s word to them. Christ gave us His word to set us free and the Spirit works that out in us as we look to Christ for His grace and help.
The cost is significantly less. Not because the quality of care you receive is inferior but instead we believe any person who is hurting should be able to access help at a reasonable rate. Everyone experiences pain at some point in their life and as believers we are called to bear one another's burdens.
How to Make the Most of the Counseling Process
Pray. Only God can truly change your heart. Enlist a few close friends to pray with you as you embark on this journey.
Make attending all the meeting times a priority. Be on time and bring all the completed homework assigned.
Transparency and vulnerability are essential. Be completely honest. Lack of honestly will hinder the process.
Ask good questions to be certain you understand the concepts presented.
Wait, Free Counseling? How is that Possible?"
It does cost something to run this site and to obtain helpful resources and on-going training. However, God has blessed us to carry these services out at no charge currently and we hope to continue this. One way you can help is to donate to us, share our services with others, and pray for us. Again, free does not mean the services are not top notch. Also, Angela is available to speak at women’s conferences as another source of income for this ministry. Just Inquire for more information.