Before we get too deep into this topic, let us define the word therapy. Therapy simply means a treatment intended to relieve or heal a disorder. I do not want people within the church to believe they need to hold a doctorate in Christian counseling before they are able to help people correctly. The truth is, we have the love of the Father within us and through that love, we can help people. The Bible and the Holy Spirit guide us when we minister to others; however, do we obtain all our wisdom through God’s revelation directly? Certainly, not! Even scriptural speaking, we are learning through the eyes of the eleven disciples and others within the Bible. Men and women who ministered before us who sought after God, learned from Him– to help others; we look into their lives for insight and take notes to better help people who are hurting (mental disorders, wrong thinking in many cases). Some have spent a lifetime studying God’s ways, behaviors, how people think, and ways to treat or help people who are in need. One such way of helping people with disorders — or simply put behavioral problems– is by using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a tool we can use to help uncover the root causes of behavioral problems. Using this type of therapy has a synergy effect in ministry because it uncovers or reveals wrong thinking which leads to bad behavior. The Mayo Clinic had this to say about CBT:
“CBT helps you become aware of inaccurate or negative thinking so you can view challenging situations more clearly and respond to them in a more effective way. CBT can be a very helpful tool ― either alone or in combination with other therapies ― in treating mental health disorders, such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or an eating disorder. But not everyone who benefits from CBT has a mental health condition. CBT can be an effective tool to help anyone learn how to better manage stressful life situations.”
Raised Faith Ministries (RFMs) believes that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy when used in conjunction with scripture is a good way to overcome the works of the enemy by helping to identify wrong thoughts and replacing them with scripture and God’s ways (by renewing minds, Romans 12:1-2). This is not about denominations or are we using therapy over what God wants. Rather, we are using God-given wisdom and His ways to help overcome the mental health problems some are facing; helping people is about bringing faith, love, and hope to a hurting–fallen world– as well as believers suffering from such issues.
As I wrote this, I am currently in the process of reading The Quick-Reference Guide to Biblical Counseling by Dr. Tim Clinton. I have personally read and studied under Dr. Tim Clinton (@Liberty University) and come to love the man (he cares for people God’s way). Many counselors read and reread his books and writings to stay in tune with the current methods of Christian counseling–helping people overcome. The funny thing is, I was reading this book to refresh and update my abilities to counsel and a section helped me with what I was dealing with–go figure. If one’s goal is to help people, even at the non-professional level, I recommend our readers to read Dr. Tim Clinton’s books on Counseling.
“People serving at all three levels must develop both the character and servant qualities that reflect the grace and truth of Christ Himself. God has also distributed His gifts liberally throughout the church to perform the various ministry tasks that are central to any healthy church operation. For no matter how skilled or intelligent or caring we are, unless we directly rely on the Spirit of God to work in us to do the ministry of God, it will not bear kingdom fruit. He will bring to us the people He wants us to help, and we must learn to depend on Him to touch others supernaturally—so that people exclaim, “God showed up (and miracles happened) in that counseling session today!”
“Pastor or Church Staff If you are a pastor or church staff member, virtually everyone sitting in your pews today has been (or soon will be) touched by addiction, divorce, violence, depression, grief, confusion, loneliness, and a thousand other evidences of living as broken people in a fallen world. This guidebook will help you:”
Several of his books that RFMs recommends reading include:
- Why You Do the Things You Do: The Secret to Healthy Relationships
- Caring for People God’s Way: Personal and Emotional Issues, Addictions, Grief, and Trauma
- The Quick-Reference Guide to Marriage & Family Counseling
- The Quick-Reference Guide to Counseling Teenagers
Tim Clinton, Ed.D, LPC, LMFT, is the President of the American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC), the largest and most diverse Christian counseling association in the world. Licensed as a Professional Counselor and as a Marriage and Family Therapist, Dr. Clinton is recognized as a world leader in mental health and relationship issues and spends much of his time working with Christian leaders and professional athletes. He has authored or edited nearly 30 books.