The Council of Christian Colleges and Universities even suggests that, "psychological theories are not proven, and since the proximate cause of mental-emotional problems is spiritual, one should rely on Biblical principles for [emotional] healing" (Mills, 1999). In the book, Dr. Anderson even suggests that mental illness is a form of distortion of our understanding of who a person regards themselves to be and the way they view their relationship with God. When this is distorted, it can result in what is secularly considered to be mental illness.
In this sense, it is quite natural for people to wonder when a condition should be diagnosed as a psychological problem and when it should be treated as a spiritual problem. According to Dr. Anderson, this is completely antithetical to the holistic form of treating people, as both conditions affect one another. There are two central ideas that make up Christian Discipleship Counseling: they are having the right view of the world in a Biblical sense and the centrality of the Bible and the Gospel in general. The latter will determine the way in which the counselor approaches counseling their subject, whether they encourage them to walk according to what God commands or help them to bring glory to God so that their life will be better. Having the right worldview in the Biblical sense is important, as this is where true healing can come from.
The Structure of Christian Discipleship Counseling
The organizational structure of Christian Discipleship Counseling is another central theme discussed in Dr. Anderson's book. As scripture states, "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ" (Holy Bible, Timothy 2:5). As described in this scripture and in Dr. Anderson's work, there is only one real mediator between the person who needs counseling and God, and the counselor does not serve to replace God in the person's life...
Discipleship Counseling, Dr. Neil T. Anderson seeks to integrate Christianity with counseling, and demonstrate to the reader how a Christian focus can make someone a more effective counselor. He disagrees with the approach taken by secular psychology and suggests that only Christian counseling can help people overcome the fact that they are born spiritually dead and can only achieve spiritual life through Christ. Anderson suggests that secular psychology can
D.). When these counselees overcome the various obstacles, they will be able to know the spiritual battle in their lives and move towards freedom in Christ. Conclusion: The topic of discipleship counseling has developed to become an important subject in the church, psychology, medical, and sociology fields. Dr. Anderson's book is a balanced and reasonable tool that provides an outline of the process of Christian-based counseling and how it can be established
Ultimately, every person is a child of God, and this positive sense of self must be upheld by the counselor, who ultimately points the client to self-healing and a better relationship with the world and the divine. Conclusion The American Association of Christian Counselors states the Christian counseling is a: "Ministry to persons acknowledges the complexity of humans as physical, social, psychological, and spiritual beings. The ultimate goal of Christian counseling
Discipleship Counseling This discussion provides an in-depth analysis of the whole situation about Christian counseling. Through the book, Anderson has been able to come up with themes that could come in handy in counseling. Throughout the text, there is general agreement that Christianity is particularly noteworthy in seeking the way forward in the counseling of individuals. Spiritual warfare is one such theme that no single Christian counselor should ignore. An individual
(Snyder & DeBono quoted in Kjeldal 2003, Introduction section, ¶ 6). The results from the study Kjeldal (2003) conducted with 70 participants in two stages suggest that the word association responses high self-monitors (HSMs) produce reflect selective activation of a personally meaningful, experiential, system. The responses low self-monitors (LSMs) produce, on the other hand, indicate an intellective factual system. 2. Decision Making Process Theories Dr. Bonnie Halpern-Felsher (2009), an Associate Professor at
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