#Nouthetic Counseling

[wutbju]

Bob Jones University will forever be associated with the GRACE Report. That's its legacy.

We have that.

[rabbits-of-negative-euphoria]

not about to rag on christian counselors without giving a solution btw

this is a directory of nouthetic Christian counselors, meaning they can be relied upon to give you counsel that is faithful to Scripture in a manner that is faithful to Scripture:

[crossdreamers]

The destructive force religious conversion therapy has on trans and queer people

Meggy-D has published a very personal thread on the use of transgender conversion therapy over at twitter. This is what she writes:

Canada just announced a ban on gay and transgender conversion therapy, and I want to take a moment to talk about my experiences with conversion therapy at Moody Bible Institute from 2009-2012 when I was a student there to help people understand how it happens. 

Struggling with gender since a kid

I entered the Moody Bible Institute in 2009 on the promise that if God would heal me of my gender dysphoria, I would become a pastor or a missionary wherever he called me. I had been struggling with my gender since I was 4 years old.

I knew I wanted to be a girl as young as 4, and when I first learned about trans people I asked a parent about them. They told me, "Transsexuals are deeply unhappy people who become prostitutes, get AIDS, and die homeless." Those words became the root of my closet.

Reinforcing this root was the fact that every single example of trans people and especially trans women in media portrayed us as disgusting, unnatural, violent monsters. My closet grew deeper and darker and more entrenched.

My mental health was not good, especially during puberty. I survived two suicide attempts (age 8 and 15,) and fell into Evangelical purity culture hard because I felt disgusted with my anatomy and I was promised that pure living would heal me.

These promises came through Evangelical youth groups and books, especially material directed at young boys, and resonated with me because of the constant references to "healing, regeneration, renewal, and rebirth."

In short, I knew that I wanted to be a woman, society  told me that was a bad thing, so I wanted a way out of wanting to be a woman. Evangelical purity culture promised me a way out, and I grasped onto it.

Evangelical culture

I delved further and further into Evangelical culture, memorizing large swathes of Scripture and praying fervently. I remember being very happy during these early years, but I wonder how true those recollections are.

Recently I found some of my old prayer journals, and just about every entry is lamenting that god had yet to "heal me" and continually asking for healing.

One such entry: "I don't understand. Nobody else feels this way? Nobody else just hates themselves the way I do? Everyone around me is so happy. Everyone else knows what they want. Everyone else has a plan. I just am. I hate this. I HATE THIS."

Another: " I don't even want to be happy anymore. I'll make due with content. You want to work a work in me? Do it. Do it and get it over with. I can't wait anymore. I hate this. I hate existing."

One more: "I just want to give up. I've been praying for a decade. For a decade you haven't healed me. Maybe tomorrow I'll finally have the courage and walk out the window."

So when I enrolled in Moody Bible Institute, it was the next step in my plan to be healed of my gender issues. But my mental health issues followed me, and it culminated in crippling insomnia that led to me losing 7 consecutive nights of sleep.

Introduced to “cognitive aversion therapy”

On day 8 of that insomnia episode, I had a nervous breakdown in chapel. Campus public safety took me to the hospital, and afterwards I was referred to resident life supervisors who required me to attend therapy with a Moody therapist or else face probation.

I want to add that what I now recognize as a threat wasn't presented as a threat, it was presented in the nicest, most sincere way possible. They were incredibly gentle with me at this stage, even though they were holding real academic consequences over my head.

The therapist I saw was a nouthetic counselor. Nouthetic counseling is an Evangelical model of therapy that rejects psychiatry and psychology, relying on Biblical principles in order to help their clients.

One of the hallmarks of nouthetic counseling is the belief that mental illness stems from unconfessed sin, and so for the first few weeks we discussed my habitual sins. At this time, I had almost forgotten my gender issues, having stuffed them so far deep into the closet.

I want to note that my therapist was extremely kind to me, extremely gentle. The part that is most upsetting to me now is remembering just how nice the counselor was and how I was convinced through his words and deeds that he had my best interests at heart.

So several weeks in, when we had landed on this confession, I trusted him. And I explained how long I had wanted to be a woman, my experiences stealing girls' clothing out of elementary school cubbies, my jealousy of women's friendships, etc.

He asked several probing questions, like if I had a choice between playing as a man or a woman in a video game, would I always choose the woman (the answer was yes.) He asked if I enjoyed seeing pictures of myself (I did not.)

At the end of this session, in an extremely confident and compassionate tone, he said, "Okay, well I want you to know that this is very common. Many men struggle with feeling like they should have been women, and we have a way to treat this problem."

I was ECSTATIC. I left that session thinking that I wished I had confessed those feelings decades ago. He promised me the healing I had been praying for for years. I began to think that this was God's providence, the fulfillment of my purpose at Moody.

In the next session, the therapist discussed the "causes" of what he called "Gender Identity Disorder." He said that the leading theory was that abuse, either physical, emotional, or sexual, was the primary cause. So we discussed my history of abuse.

At that time, I confessed that I had been sexually assaulted while in the hospital after one of my suicide attempts, and that it was extremely difficult to talk about. He asked me to recall the details of the encounter. I broke down and hyperventilated multiple times.

He said that during this assault, I was made to "feel like a woman" and my brain was still processing the trauma, causing gender identity disorder. Both of us conveniently ignored that the assault occurred over a decade after my first reported experience of gender incongruence.

He said we were going to "treat the problem with the root" through "cognitive aversion therapy." And by that he meant when I felt any gender dysphoria, I should recall my sexual assault in as much detail as it takes to elicit an emotional response (crying, hyperventilation)

So we practiced in his office. And I practiced in my dorm. And whenever I found myself jealous of women on campus, I would do it, sequestering myself away to train my brain against feeling those feelings.

Ex-gay activist

I was then partnered with Christopher Yuan, an adjunct faculty member at Moody who was a prominent member of the Ex-Gay community. We had weekly meetings where I would talk about my week, about how the therapy was going, and strategies for dealing with my feelings.

After a year, I convinced myself that I was cured, and was ready to get married. The therapist had told me that often, marriage signaled the final end of feelings of "same sex attraction" and gender identity disorder. So I courted a woman and got married.

I did discuss my gender issues with my ex-wife, but told her confidently that I had received treatment for it and was fully healed.

Losing faith

But the problems were not solved, and as my faith began slipping from my fingers (precipitated largely by the rise of racism, xenophobia, and the increasing post-truth culture of the Evangelical Church) I began to lose my grip on the closet as well.

It took years for me to finally come out to my ex-wife. I held on for so long because I thought I could just tough it out for the last fifty years of my life. But there came a point where, I knew that doing so would kill me in the end.

I am now working with a therapist to undue the damage done to me by my conversion therapy. They believe that intentionally triggering my PTSD in association with my gender dysphoria had deepened the traumatic bent of those memories, making them more difficult to extract from.

I know that what I experienced was a mild form of conversion therapy, I was never sent to a camp dedicated to the practice and I was never hooked up to electrodes. My therapist actually laughed at one point and said "we used to do this with electricity, but that is barbaric."

I suppose the thing I want people to learn from my experience is how NICE and KIND and WELL INTENTIONED the people involved in my therapy were. That kindness reads insidious to me now, like a smile on the face of an abuser.

Anyway, I am very glad that the bill passed in Canada and that fewer and fewer people will be subject to what I had to go through.

[banana-with-a-bow-tie]

God is surely not neutral toward sinful behavior. To attempt neutrality, therefore, is to misrepresent God.

Jay Adams, Competent to Counsel: Introduction to Nouthetic Counseling, pg. 183

[lady-stormbraver]

Hello! About a month ago, you said you could definitely infodump about "Christian" counseling versus conventional therapy. I've been super curious about that ever since, but I don't have any experience with Christian counseling so I don't know what to ask. Take this as an open invitation to talk about that, please?

Hey friend! Thanks so much for this thoughtful ask, and for your patience as I've worked to formulate an answer!

So, before I dive in, a few disclaimers for context: First, I am a Christ-follower. I'm not here to say that Christianity shouldn't be integrated with psychology at all, and I'm also not here to say that every Christian who is a counselor should be a Christian counselor. There's nuance here, as I’ll discuss.

Second, I have a B.S. in Psychology with a Counseling cognate, and my long-term plan is to become a LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor). I was incredibly fortunate to receive an undergraduate education from professors who wisely offered us multiple perspectives, and the pros and cons, of many different theoretical orientations that Christians can take when approaching the field of psychology, and therapy specifically. I got to take an entire class on the integration of psychology and Christianity and the different ways this could look, which was incredibly cool... and incredibly eye-opening. A lot of the concepts from this course helped shape my opinions on counseling and Christianity, and the sort of therapist I want to become.

I have many friends who have sought counseling, both from counselors who labelled themselves as Christian counselors and those who did not (but may or may not have been Christians themselves), and these friends have been kind enough to share some of their experiences and perspectives with me. They have also been formative for my opinions on counseling.

All of this to say... I know a thing or two on this subject, but I definitely don't know everything, and I want to approach this with a spirit of humility. I'm also going to try and give as comprehensive and balanced a view as I can, so please bear with me.

If you're frankly not interested in reading my thoughts on this subject... no matter! I hardcore don't blame you! So I'm putting my infodump under the cut to avoid making this post more absurdly long than I fear it's already become. :)

So the first thing to know with Christian counseling is this: There's a difference between Christians who are counselors with a secular practice, (good) Christian counseling, and "Christian" counseling. When I say "Christian" counseling, with slightly derogatory air quotes, I am referring to the type of counselor who approaches everything through their version of a biblical lens, and tends to reject conventional psychology as fundamentally opposed to Christianity. If you hear about biblical or nouthetic counseling, this is probably the theoretical perspective you’ll find.

I’m sure many of us have been exposed to the perspective that mental health issues are sin issues and therefore ought to be treated as such. With this perspective comes responses to depression and anxiety such as “You just need to pray more”, “You don’t have enough faith”, and “You need to repent of an unspoken sin before you can experience healing”. I’ve heard these types of phrases spoken from the pulpit, from Christian counselors, and from well-meaning adult believers in my life. These words, when spoken to someone who is in acute psychological distress, can be incredibly damaging; I’ve seen this deeply wound people and lead to crises of faith.

I probably don't have to spell this out, but I will anyway: I take issue with the notion that mental health issues are sinful. Can you act sinfully while struggling with mental health? Yes. Is the struggle itself inherently sinful? No.

Mental health issues, particularly depression and anxiety, are in part tied to chemical imbalances in the brain. These imbalances, once they occur, can’t be turned on and off by sheer force of will-- goodness, wouldn’t it be easier if they could? Nobody chooses mental health issues; they are a byproduct of the Fall, some of the world’s many brokennesses. Nobody in human history since Adam (except Jesus) has had a perfect brain, not even these same people who call mental health struggles sinful. Not even people whom we would call neurotypical. As my best friend likes to say, everyone can benefit from counseling! Some people just need it more acutely and immediately than others.

With all this in mind, I believe it’s far more harmful than beneficial to approach mental health with the mentality that it’s sinful, and that’s my main issue with biblical/nouthetic counseling. That being said, if you are looking for counseling that is strictly spiritual and offers biblical-based solutions, this approach is for you!

So what does Christian counseling look like when practiced in conjunction with conventional psychology? This theoretical framework will typically be known as an integrationist approach to counseling, although there is also a good bit of nuance within this approach. In general, counselors who operate with this perspective believe that “All truth is God’s truth” (St. Augustine); ie, that there are good truths to be found in the principles of psychology, and that an answer does not have to be found in the Bible to be beneficial for the psyche.

For example: Quoting Philippians 4:6-7 might not be beneficial for a client who is struggling with intense, debilitating anxiety, but evidence-based centering techniques may prove to be incredibly useful to them. An integrationist counselor believes that this is valid and does not make the client any less a person of faith. And if the client does wish to include biblical principles in their treatment along with those other techniques, that is just as valid, and the counselor will act accordingly.

You’re most likely to find a holistic approach to therapy here-- counseling that addresses and cares for the body, the mind, the environment, and the soul. Or, as one of my professors put it: a biopsychosocial and spiritual model of mental health.

Some Christians are called to practice counseling on a more secular basis-- and that is good and valid! Christians don’t have to (and shouldn’t, in my opinion) confine ourselves to a little bubble where we only offer counseling services to people of our own faith. When counseling clients who have different beliefs, it’s not professionally appropriate or ethical to evangelize. According to the ACA (American Counseling Association) Code of Ethics: 

“Counselors are aware of—and avoid imposing—their own values, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. Counselors respect the diversity of clients, trainees, and research participants and seek training in areas in which they are at risk of imposing their values onto clients, especially when the counselor’s values are inconsistent with the client’s goals or are discriminatory in nature” (A.4.b.).

So basically, when a person is not licensed or representing themselves as a Christian counselor, and especially when working with clients who don't share their beliefs, they’ll be operating from a perspective within conventional psychology that won’t lend itself to spiritual integration.

Ultimately, after having said all this... each individual should choose a therapist based on what they are seeking and need out of counseling. There is no right or wrong answer here, but there are certainly pros, cons, and nuances to each of these counseling orientations that should be considered, explored, and-- if you pray-- prayed over.

And finally... if you're interested in reading more on the subject of how Christianity can be integrated well with psychology, I would recommend Psychology and Christianity: Five Views, which I read for that undergrad course I mentioned above. I also thoroughly recommend This Is Your Brain on Joy by Dr. Earl Henslin (I love this book with my entire heart, actually, but that's an infodump for another time) and my current read, Try Softer by Aundi Kolber (MA, LPC), which is absolutely wrecking me in the best way.

Again, thank you for this ask, dear friend; I hope something from this infodump was remotely interesting and/or helpful to you! If you’d like to discuss this further, my inbox is always open. :)

[idratherdreamofjune]

Problems that are left unresolved by side-stepping them in one way or another tend to grow larger as time goes on. They grow in two ways. They become more complex, like the unextracted tooth that abscesses, and the stress of the problem makes the problem grow in the mind of the client.

Jay E. Adams, Competent to Counsel: Introduction to Nouthetic Counseling

[dayspringbaptistchurch]

What's the most important issue facing the Church today?

Soul Winning?

The Bible Version Debate?

Baptist History?

"End Times Prophecy"?

"Servant Leadership"?

"Nouthetic Counseling?

Marriage and the Family?

[violacastanedahuntingdon]

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[wutbju]

Nouthetic counseling, now more commonly known as Biblical counseling, has taken root across the country since Adams created it in 1970. In 2002, the Southern Baptist Convention endorsed the principles of the method, which is now taught at the denomination’s most prominent seminaries. It has garnered intense criticism over the decades for its renunciation of evidence-based counseling and what detractors say is an overly confrontational approach. The word “nouthetic’ derives from the Greek word “noutheteo,” which means to confront or admonish. It’s the same method highlighted in the Bob Jones University GRACE Report, a 2014 evaluation of the conservative Christian school’s response to sexual abuse. The report found counselors at BJU in Greenville for years consistently focused on the supposed culpability and sin of survivors of sexual abuse, and de-emphasized the responsibility of perpetrators.

BJU is not safe.

[gwen-chan]

Resources Adams, Jay E. (1970). Competent to counsel: Introduction to Nouthetic

Resources Adams, Jay E. (1970). Competent to counsel: Introduction to Nouthetic

Resources Adams, Jay E. (1970). Competent to counsel: Introduction to Nouthetic Counseling. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. Adams, Jay E. (1986). How to help people change: The four-step biblical process. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Powlison, David. (2010). The Biblical counseling movement: History and context. Greensborough, NC: New Growth Press

[banana-with-a-bow-tie]

Responsibility is the ability to respond as God says man should respond to every life situation, in spite of difficulties. It is the ability to do good to those who despitefully use you. It is the ability to feed one’s enemy when he is hungry. It is the ability to give him a drink if he is thirsty. It is the ability to overcome evil with good.

Jay Adams, Competent to Counsel: Introduction to Nouthetic Counseling, pg. 83

[gritvan]

Resources Adams, Jay E. (1970). Competent to counsel: Introduction to Nouthetic

Resources Adams, Jay E. (1970). Competent to counsel: Introduction to Nouthetic

Resources Adams, Jay E. (1970). Competent to counsel: Introduction to Nouthetic Counseling. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. Adams, Jay E. (1986). How to help people change: The four-step biblical process. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Powlison, David. (2010). The Biblical counseling movement: History and context. Greensborough, NC: New Growth Press

[essaynook]

Resources Adams, Jay E. (1970). Competent to counsel: Introduction to Nouthetic

Resources Adams, Jay E. (1970). Competent to counsel: Introduction to Nouthetic

Resources Adams, Jay E. (1970). Competent to counsel: Introduction to Nouthetic Counseling. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. Adams, Jay E. (1986). How to help people change: The four-step biblical process. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Powlison, David. (2010). The Biblical counseling movement: History and context. Greensborough, NC: New Growth Press

[everydaylifewithgrace]

The Truth About Depression

Depression is a condition which has affected many persons in one way or another. Statistics show that 264 million people have or are suffering from depression, the larger percentage being women than men. Many societies have different ideas and opinions concerning depression. Some consider it to be a genuine issue while others view it as an abomination among the society. In other areas depression is not something to be talked about in the open and a counselor is the last person to go to. Some believe depression can keep you on drugs for a really long time and the hope for healing is far-fetched. All these are some of the misconceptions society has on depression. It is everyone’s responsibility to look out and counsel one another. Depression can stem from marital issues, financial problems, work, guilt, shame, self-pity, insomnia, despair, drug abuse, sexual difficulties, and many other challenges. As much as these problems affect depression, they are not the main causes of depression. Depression has affected so many young people today due to the large amount of exposure and wrong choice of influence. One of the greatest misconceptions concerning depression is that it is merely sadness. Sadness is just a normal emotion that one can feel from time to time when reacting to a loss, difficulty, or any challenging situation. On the other hand, depression is a long-term condition which changes someone’s mood and affects the way they see themselves and the world around them. Depression has been labeled as a “mental illness,” which has led so many to rely on drug usage for immediate recovery. There are people who have easily recovered from a deep state of depression in a short period without the need of drug usage. By using the Christian principles of counselling through nouthetic confrontation, the depressed persons will not only deal with the presentational problem but will find themselves solving other unknown problems too. Nouthetic confrontation involves the effect of personality and behavior change through Scripture. It helps the depressed person realize his condition in full and helps him to recover through confession, repentance, and total restructuring. The counselor must assure the counselee that the problem may have not been caused by him but it is his responsibility to respond appropriately to the situation. This may prompt the counselee to confess his sins and seek for help to change his ways. Nouthetic confrontation ought to be authoritative and the counselor should not settle for anything less than the truth of the matter by not succumbing to the emotional feelings of the counselee. There are a few examples of people in the Bible who experienced depression one of them being King David and we find this story in 2 Samuel 11 & 12. David committed adultery by lusting over Bathsheba and sleeping with her knowing that she was someone else’s wife. He later found out that Bathsheba was pregnant and tried to falsely lay the responsibility on her husband, Uriah, by sending him home so that he could sleep with his wife. After David’s plan failed, he sent Uriah into the battle front where it was intense so that he could die. A few days after Uriah’s death David brought Bathsheba into the palace to become his queen and she gave birth to his son. This greatly displeased the Lord and He sent a prophet named Nathan who nouthetically confronted David of his sin. David went through a period of depression which caused him to fast, pray, and confess for his sin. During his period in fasting, God spoke to him and restored him. This shows us that unless David repented for his sin and went back to God, he wouldn’t have lived in peace with God and himself. Another example of depression is the story of Gehazi, the servant of Prophet Elisha, found in 2 Kings 5. Naaman was the commander of the army of Syria and suffered from leprosy. It affected his life immensely and he decided to go and seek for healing through Prophet Elisha. When Naaman finally met Elisha in Israel, Elisha commanded him to dip himself three times in the Jordan. This

was difficult for Naaman but definitely healed him of the disease. Filled with so much joy, Naaman offered Elisha some presents but he refused and told them to simply go back. After Gehazi witnessed this shortly after they left he ran to see them off and decided to receive the gifts. Gehazi lied to the commander that Elisha was expecting visitors from afar who needed to be well taken care of. Once Gehazi arrived Elisha asked him of his whereabouts, but he decided to lie to Elisha. This greatly displeased the Lord and caused Elisha to nouthetically confront him of his sin which left Gehazi in awe. Gehazi was cursed back with the same leprosy that Naaman had together with his descendants. After this incident the Bible does not mention much about him only that he simply left Prophet Elisha’s presence. One can only imagine how Gehazi must have felt depressed and guilty after committing such a sin and being cursed by the Lord. Guilt and unforgivess can truly affect the depressed person. Depression is similar to a helixical spiral and can either go upward or downward depending on how we respond to situations in life. For the counselee who is undergoing depression, it is important for him to be assigned homework which will help establish new Biblical habits or patterns. It could be limiting TV hours, ironing, reaching out, or any other kind that is related to one’s problem. It is important for the counselor to avoid minimizing or supporting the situation at whatever costs. This will only do more harm than good. All these points illustrates the true marks of proper counseling. We may not be counselors by profession but that should not limit our ability to help out others in need. I would rather listen to someone’s story than attend their funeral. In Philippians 2:4 it says, “Let each of you esteem and look upon and be concerned for not [merely] his own interests, but also each of the interests of others.”

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Picking Up the Pieces - Lou Priolo

Picking Up the Pieces Recovering from Broken Relationships Lou Priolo Genre: Christianity Price: $8.99 Publish Date: February 7, 2012 Publisher: P&R Publishing Seller: Presbyterian and Reformed Publ When a romantic relationship is torn apart, it can wreak havoc in the lives and emotions of everyone involved. The pain is all the worse if you were not the one who wanted the relationship to end.  You may wonder, “Will the ache in my heart ever go away?” The answer, says Lou Priolo, is yes. You can find relief even when you feel forsaken, because true healing comes from the One who will never forsake you. If you are hurting after a broken relationship, here is much-needed counsel and biblical guidance to lead you away from heartache and into a healthier, happier, and holier relationship with Christ. “A masterful job of applying God’s Word to the anger and agony that flow from broken relationships.”  —Ken Sande, president, Peacemaker Ministries “If someone you love has abandoned you, [here] you can find helpful biblical suggestions for dealing with the anger, hurt, bitterness, and sense of loss.”   —Ed Bulkley, president, International Association of Biblical Counselors “Copies of this book should be in every counselor’s toolbox.”  —Jay E. Adams, author, Christ and Your Problems “A book about a problem that no one wants to acknowledge exists. . . . Thoroughly biblical, thoughtfully practical, Christ-honoring.” —Elyse Fitzpatrick, author, Idols of the Heart “[Lou] writes in an engaging style that blends just the right amount of humor with the unapologetic proclamation of God’s Word.”   —James MacDonald, senior pastor, Harvest Bible Chapel Lou Priolo is the director of the Center for Biblical Counseling at Eastwood Presbyterian Church in Montgomery, Alabama. Lou has been a full-time biblical counselor and instructor for more than twenty years and is a fellow of the National Association of Nouthetic Counselors. http://dlvr.it/R5d0ll