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Therapy
Aayushi Kapoor February 13th, 2022 · 5min read

Will Being Religious Cure My Mental Illness? Understanding Christian Counselling

I have been asked by various people “will being religious cure my mental health?” To clear this confusion, I am here to make you understand Christian Counseling. Clearly, if you are someone who wants a mental cure with spiritual advisory then Christian counseling is for you.

Christian counseling is a form of psychotherapy that is integrated into the methodology of traditional talk therapy along with beliefs and practices and the application of theological concepts. Christian counseling aims at navigating spiritual concerns.

Let us understand what is Christian counseling in brief.

What Is Christian Counseling?

Christian counseling is valuable counseling for those who understand the faiths and practices of Christianity. The aim of this therapy is to get proper guidance and understanding of Christianity. Christian counseling is offered by a Christian counselor.

A Christian counselor is a mental health professional with religious practices. However, it can also be offered by a pastor, priest, minister, or a spiritual leader. It is a form of religious counseling wherein the counselor uses theology to cure the mental health issues of the client.

This type of counseling took place because most of the Americans still affiliate themselves with religion and most of them are Christian. Hence, Christian Counseling became common and popular especially in the USA.

Related Read: The Difference between Christian Counseling and Secular Counseling

Types of Christian Counseling

As of now, there are no types of Christian counseling, however, there are subcategories like Bible counseling, Pastoral Counseling, and Christian psychology. Below are some categories of Christian counseling:

1. Christian Psychology

Christian psychology revolves around sessions with a Christian counselor. Christian psychology is applied when a person seeks integration of psychology into Christianity. This is based on theological approaches and psychological theories. This type of therapy focuses on God’s grace wherein “God forgives sins and offers his love.”

2. Pastoral Counseling

Pastoral counseling is a part of Christian counseling which is offered by a Pastor or someone who holds experience in counseling and ministry. Pastoral counseling is the same as psychotherapy. The only difference is that it is offered in the religious facility and focuses on spirituality with the integration of psychology.

3. Bible Counseling

As the name implies, Bible counseling is based on the guidance of the Bible. Bible counseling revolves around counseling individuals with the help of the Bible and other psychological theories. In this type of counseling, the counselors try to connect the meaning of the Bible with the present world and reality so that they can improve an individual’s life.

4. Christian Counseling With Psychotherapy

It is completely true that psychotherapy can be incorporated with Christian counseling. In this type of therapy, the therapist holds an experience in practices of Christianity so that they can provide spiritual advice to the individuals or groups.

Here is a list of the 9 best Christian Counseling Services.

Techniques used in Christian Counseling

Below are some techniques which are used in Christian counseling. The below techniques might look similar to traditional therapy but they hold a different meaning when actually performed.

1. Cognitive-behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is highly included in Christian counseling as it is more effective than others. CBT when applied with Christian counseling can be named Religious Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (RCBT). RCBT helps people in processing their negative thoughts such as religious doubts or feelings of guilt.

2. Prayer

Leaders of ministry get the individual engaged with prayers so that the individual can enjoy the peace. Meanwhile, the clergy leader provides spiritual guidance. Prayer is considered a healing technique that helps the individual to connect and communicate with god. It can also be used to seek gratitude, protection, intervention, and deliverance.

3. Meditation

Meditation is the most effective strategy applied during Christian counseling. It helps people to gain focus on the grace of God. It also helps the individual to be mindful so that they can find a deeper connection with God.

4. Bible Reading

Bible reading is used during Bible counseling. It can be used as a learning strategy. It helps the individual to relate theology and philosophy with everyday life. It is also a strong tool to provide additional support while Christian counseling.

Uses of Christian Counseling

Christian Counseling helps in treating conditions like:

Benefits of Christian Counseling

We all understand that spirituality and religion are related to improved overall wellbeing. Therefore, Christian counseling is really beneficial if you wish to engage in spiritual or religious practices.

Such spiritual advisory will help in curing and overcoming mental health challenges. Integration of such psychotherapy brings more positivity in your life like, you start welcoming optimism and gratitude which means less contact with depressive thoughts.

Consecutively, spiritual growth gained by Christian counseling helps in changing the overall life of a person with great positivity.

I hope this blog helps you to understand Christian counseling in brief. Comment down your queries related to Christian counseling. For more such content, connect with us on all social media platforms.

Thanks for reading!

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