" The implication that pastoral care and counseling and not and have not been Biblical, Vicki Hollon, executive director of the Wayne Oates Institute in Louisville, insists, was creating a false dichotomy. Hollon contends that Southern officials created the proverbial straw man. "And their movement away from science reveals a lack of faith, or at least a fear that somehow science is outside the realm of God's creation and domain." Some secular counselors encourage clients, including those in marital counseling, to refrain from reading the Bible and to stop going to church if that made them feel worse. Stuart Scott, a former pastor and current professor and convert to biblical counseling, became disillusioned with the answers psychology gives. Scott states he found his confidence in the Bible began to wane at one point when he practiced secular counseling. He questioned, "What good is the Bible if it's not helping God's people?'" While counseling one couple experiencing marriage problems, Scott began to utilize the process of asking the couple questions and then would help them apply scripture to their marital issues. "As a result,' Scott said, 'the Holy Spirit began to change the couple and helped them resolve issues ranging from depression to hostility.'" This in turn, inspired him, Scott said, to learn more on how God's Word deals with spiritually-based issues.
Loren Townsend teaches pastoral counseling at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and reports some clients he sees have been hurt by biblical counseling, as they are "doubly burdened: Not only haven't they been able to get over their depression following the biblical example, but now they're also a failure as Christians because they had inadequate faith to be able to do that." In some situations, however, the biblical counseling approach can help, Townsend admits. He argues, however, when a counselor rejects the behavioral sciences, Biblical counseling abandons a source of vital information God made available for them. David Powlison, editor of the Journal of Biblical Counseling, argues the discipline of psychology's divergent and competing theories undermines it. "There is no unitary psychology," Powlison writes. "Modern psychology...is a marketplace of differing popular philosophies of life." Powlison stresses:
Various psychological theories only agree on one primary point, human dysfunctions can be solved without regard to God or God's design for humanity...All [secular psychologies] agree that the problem with people is anything but sin, and the problems can be explained in purely psychological, psychosocial or psychosocial-somatic terms.... Modern psychotherapy is simply the attempt to do face-to-face pastoral work in service to different gods, different ideals, different diagnoses, a different gospel.
Scott, who appears to agree with Powlison, states he addresses false assumptions head-on. When an individual, in and/or out of a marital counseling displays low self-esteem, he typically learns what judgments the person makes about him/her self. Scott notes: "In the book of Philippians it says, 'Think on things that are true.' So I want to bring those things over and say 'Are they true?'" Scott also probes various areas and relationships to identify the specific concerns/issues that contribute to a person's depression and/or other concerns. "Ultimately, all broken relationships and emotional issues are in some way related to the fall of Adam," Scott maintains. While some issues may trace back to a person's sin; others may be traced back to trials the person faces in a fallen world.
Hope-Focused Approach
Some counselors use a hope-focused approach in martial counseling sessions, particularly when clients are Christians. Hope, according to Worthington (2003) involves maintaining the motivation to change; ways/paths to change; perseverance to change, as depicted in the following figure (1).
Figure 1: Hope-Focused Approach in Marital Counseling (info from Worthington, 2003)
Worthington (2003) remains hopeful society and intervention specialists can still strengthen marriages, despite cultural influences currently challenging marriage as an institution. He uses these three hope-focused principles "to understand marriage and its future, to guide recommendations for public policy and preventive strategies, and to encourage helpers to continue to help couples."
Strategic techniques also need to be implemented outside of marital counseling settings to change current negative, social concepts regarding marriage, Worthington (2003) contends,. He recommends utilizing the following four guidelines to govern a needed campaign to strengthen marriages. This will in turn, Worthington (2003) purports, help strengthen communities, as well as individuals and couples in marriages.
Rebuild hope for/in marriage.
Do some new things and do them well to help people value marriage, and see that government support new and empirically supported programs.
Simultaneously attack counters to marriage on various fronts. Simply searching for a magic bullet to counter current, challenging divorce rates and the multitude of struggling marriages will not work.
Engage numerous community partners to support marriage.
In addition to increased community support, Worthington...
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