Comments on: The Role of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy within Pastoral Counselling

By: Simon

Simon — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 12:03:04 +0000

Thanks for this post Andy. I also went through a course of CBT a few years ago whilst being treated for depression and anxiety. In my case it was 2 Corinthians 10:5 which helped convince me of the value of taking that step, and also provided encouragement regarding both the means of putting it into practice and judging the rightness of each aspect of the treatment given.

By: David Alliston

David Alliston — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 10:29:19 +0000

Hi Andy,
Hope you don’t mind me commenting. Since leaving Horsham 6 yrs ago I have trained as a Counsellor and CBT therapist and now operate my practice in the Midlands. My client base is both Christian and Non Christian and whilst I very much believe in the ‘Power Encounter’ ( We pray and you are sorted!!) at times I know from experience that God works in many other ways with those who’s lives have been damaged. It’s too simplistic and in my view immature to operate pastoral care within a church setting believing that all you need is a Power Encounter to be restored. I have met numerous Christians who have been taught that to submit to so called ‘worldly’ forms of counselling is somehow to lack faith in Jesus as healer. In fact, my experience with some Christian clients is that they feel guilty and experience further damage for not being ’sorted’ by the Power Encounter counselling style that operates within their church. Sometimes they are made to feel like this by leaders who havn’t time to investigate other forms of counselling or see it as unnecessary. I have had Christian clients come to me who have responded very well through CBT therapy. Sadly I often first have to help them to work through the damage caused by the attitudes of leaders and others in their church, some of it unintentonal I’m sure.
So Andy I commend you for opening yourself up to the many other ways that God can heal – go for it!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 17:30:13 +0000

Read Experiencing Fathers Embrace by Jack Frost! Great book, along the lines of this discussion.

By: Andrew Fulkes

Andrew Fulkes — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 15:00:47 +0000

Andy, I totally agree with you in regard to Counselling having a value within Pastoral settings. CBT is a form that has value. I would recommend reading Christ Empowered Living by Selwyn Hughes. It is a book that contains all the wisdom he gained over the years of developing a thoroughly Biblical framework for Counselling yet not ignoring all the wisdom gained from secular theories including CBT. I also trained in this framework at CWR for a year. If I could recommend any book in this area for people to grasp who they are in Christ when in the midst of problems it would be this one, apart from the Bible of course . It is also invaluable to anyone with pastoral responsibility for understanding why people are the way they are in this fallen world.