PRACTICING PSYCHOLOGY...FROM A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE

Greg Swenson, Ph.D.

  The terms, “Christian counseling” and “Christian psychologist” have become common.  Both are somewhat misleading, in that they suggest there is a specific approach to counseling that is uniquely Christian in nature.  In reality, Christian psychologists may adopt several different approaches to facilitating change in a person’s life.  The essential features necessary to identify a psychologist’s approach as Christian, are a belief in the central tenets of the Christian faith, and the integration of these beliefs with the counseling process.  This will involve how the psychologist conceptualizes people and their problems, as well as the approaches taken to the problems.

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  A psychologist’s perspective becomes important in counseling, because all counselors operate from some frame of reference regarding what they believe about how people function, and what kind of changes are desirable.  This has implications for your experience as a client. Inevitably, beliefs, values, and priorities become important in the counseling process.  We have all adopted principles that guide us in our daily lives, although we may or may not be conscious of them. Some psychologists and counselors attempt to adapt to whatever values or perspectives their client holds.  This does not seem effective to me.  A medical doctor would not be useful if he or she assumed that whatever health practices a patient has are sound.  In order to be helpful, a psychologist must operate from a set of beliefs and values that give direction to the process of change.  There are several central beliefs that are essential to me in understanding and helping people:

1. We are created by God.   Each person has unique value and a purposeful life.
   

2. We are imperfect, and have significant faults. This creates problems for ourselves and in our relationships with others.  We often come to false 
   conclusions about ourselves, others, and life, which we accept as true.
   

3. God has revealed himself through Jesus Christ and through the truth  contained in the Bible.  These are two primary sources that I rely on to provide direction for myself, and in my work with people.
    

4. God desires to have a relationship with us as individuals.  That relationship can be the source of healing, direction, and courage in facing the challenges in life.
   

5. My goal is to help people see, understand, and change the areas of their life where there is faulty thinking and functioning, in the context of the problems they are experiencing.  It is also to help them recognize their need to be reconciled to God through Jesus, the Christ.

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 Counseling is not primarily a theological discussion, but our understanding of God, and the manner in which we relate to him, have significant implications for how we live our lives.  Psychological theories that I find useful as tools in the process of change involve cognitive, behavioral, and interpersonal psychology.  These theories deal with how we relate to each other and how our thinking affects our behavior.  You may access several articles on this website that explain in more detail my perspective on how Christian faith and belief are related to counseling,  marriage, depression, anxiety, sexuality, and other topics.