5 Types of Christian Counseling

By Adrienne Mc Ginnis

There are numerous types of Christian counselors. Gary Collins was the first to recognize these different types and but them into categories. He identified five general categories which are still legitimate and recognized today Main Stream Counselors: These counselors receive training known as CPE or Clinical pastoral Education training. These individuals are educated as pastors receiving a complete theological education. When they decide to become counselors they go through a secular training program. Because they have a religious background they are able to integrate the drastically different secular education into their previous religious education Main Stream Counselors have been criticized for being too liberal. They often negatively view conservative evangelical theologians. They believe that the conservative counselors cause people to steer away from Christian counseling due to the fear that they will be judged and condemned for their behavior. Main Stream Counselors want people to feel that it is ok to be imperfect and that we are all humans, what matters most is that we try to live our lives for God and recognize when we fail. Rather then be condemned for failing they believe that being supportive can help the person avoid failure later on. Evangelical Pastoral Counselors: These counselors use a counseling theory outlines that the bible is the only foundation of all counseling. These counselors are confrontational, that is, they are very blunt, to the point, and have no problem pointing out when you are at fault for your problems. They take an educational approach to counseling, by the time you are finished with counseling you will have a greater scriptural knowledge to guide your future decisions. Christian Professionals: The father of Christian counseling Clyde Narramore falls into this category. As does James Dobson, founder of focus on the family, and an outstanding author. These individuals have received a purely secular education and generally, possess state credentials or licensure. These individuals choose to keep their roots in biblical evangelical theology despite their secular background. These counselors have to find ways for integrating their psychological knowledge and skills with biblical truth. Theoretician Researchers: Unlike all other types of counselor this category these counselors do not work in the field unless they are doing research that requires them to do so. Most individuals in this category are university professors. Theoretician Researchers are scholarly and scientific individuals. They work arduously on researching, developing and testing new theories and techniques. Their education secular, with the exception being those that are professors at a private religious university. Evangelical Popularizers: You will most likely see these Christian counselors name pop up on self help books, seminar lessons, action plans for troubled youth and so on. They primarily focus on helping individuals help themselves. The five types of counselors identified in 1975 are still utilized today. Some changes have occurred within each category, nothing past fine tuning and things related to societal impact and culture change. One way in which a category has been impacted by our culture is the movement of evangelical counselors from obtaining clinical pastoral education to obtaining a secular education.

About the Author:

Adrienne Mc Ginnis B.A. Psychology provides information on Christian counseling Services and offers a free 10 step guide to help you find a counselor