Looking for a counselor can be overwhelming. How do you know if they will be good? Are they properly trained? Are they a Christian? If they are a Christian, how much does their Christian worldview shape their counsel?
One of the most frequent pieces of advice I hear is to seek out a licensed Christian counselor. I recently finished a book by a counselor I respect who offered this advice a number of times throughout her book. Near the end of the book, she explained that she urges people to seek a licensed counselor because licensure certifies that the counselor has received proper training and isn’t offering faulty or half-baked advice.
It makes sense that one would make sure that one’s counselor is trained well. When I go to my doctor, I expect she has received training from reputable institutions, not TikTok videos.
And yet, I disagree. I don’t think your counselor needs to be licensed.
Why would I encourage you to consider a non-licensed counselor? There are a few reasons. First, while licensure has some benefits (it confirms that the counselor has received a formal education, been supervised by a licensed counselor, and passed a national exam), many of those standards can be problematic for a Christian counselor. For instance, the philosophy of most certified programs conflicts with a biblical understanding of trauma, sin, and healing. Second, in some respects, the national exam is also at odds with a biblical understanding of anthropology and care. Consider the six domains of the National Counselor Examination:
1. Professional Practice and Ethics
2. Intake, Assessment, and Diagnosis
3. Areas of Clinical Focus
4. Treatment Planning
5. Counseling Skills and Interventions
6. Core Counseling Attributes
In each of these areas, there is the potential for disagreement from a biblical counselor. This examination will, for instance, ignore the role of sin in one’s diagnosis and the role of scripture or the church in treatment or interventions.
Consider it from this angle. You are probably aware that seminaries (where pastors are trained) vary widely in their biblical and theological training. For reasons beyond the purview of this post, I graduated from a liberal seminary. If the state had licensing for pastors tied to attending similar seminaries, would I encourage you to go to a church with a “licensed pastor”? I wouldn’t. It’s not because I’m anti-intellectual or anti-seminary; I just have reservations about the theological underpinnings of such seminaries. Do I think good pastors graduate from these seminaries? Certainly. Do I believe that conservative seminaries graduate poor pastors? Certainly.
If we believe that counseling involves both the mind and the heart, the institutional philosophies matter. If we believe that counseling is not merely psychotherapeutic techniques, but also has theological underpinnings and impact, then we cannot act as though secular institutions are neutral in their formation of counselors.
My wife received her Master’s degree in Biblical Counseling and chose not to pursue licensure.[i] The reason is because of her discomfort with being under the authority of the state. To be a licensed counselor (as opposed to what the state considers a “religious counselor,” such as my wife) places one under the state's authority. My wife and I are suspicious of the trustworthiness of the state. The state of Washington has already impinged on the rights of Christian counselors. “In 2018, Washington passed a law that allows government officials to decide what can be said within the confidential conversations between counselors and their clients. Under the Washington law, [a counselor] can’t mention or discuss anything related to gender, sexual orientation, sexual behaviors, or gender identity that is not in line with the state’s views.” [ii] We suspect other states will follow. I respect many counselors who have chosen to pursue licensure and refer many at New Life to trusted licensed Christian counselors. But I don’t believe that a Christian ought to write off a counselor just because they aren’t licensed.
So, how should you look for a Christian counselor? My bias is that you would look for a biblical counselor who has received training from a reputable school. However, I believe faithful Christian counselors come from more than just one corner of the spectrum of Christian counseling (soul care, Christian psychology, and integrationist, for instance). It often depends what the counselor means by their approach. The best Christian counseling websites have explanations of their approach, or you might be able to find something they’ve written for a blog.
I would shy away from Christian counselors who appear not to have any room in their approach for the physiological realities of psychological disorders (John MacArthur, for instance, denied the existence of psychological disorders). I would also shy away from Christian counselors who appear to merely tack on their Christianity to a secular psychological approach. For instance, they might say on their website that they are willing to offer a Christian perspective if their client would like them to do so. Such an approach does not operate from a coherent perspective that relies on scripture.
Another way to learn a fair bit about a counselor is to ask them who their most significant influences have been. Most counselors should be willing to respond to this question via email. My wife, for instance, was taught under David Powlison, Ed Welch, and Paul Tripp and has also learned from Larry Crabb, Diane Langberg, and Dan Allender. Just as understanding what pastors and theologians have influenced your pastor can give you a window into their approach, so too can understanding who has influenced your counselor help you understand their philosophy.
It has been said that counselors are the new priests in today’s culture. That means Christian counselors have an incredible opportunity to speak into lives that pastors may never be able to speak into. But it also means that we need to be careful not to grant power to the world to legitimate those serving in such a noble role. No, I don’t believe your Christian counselor doesn’t need to be licensed.
[i] You can find out more about Angel’s philosophy and practice here: https://wholehopecounseling.com.
[ii] Alliance Defending Freedom, https://adflegal.org/article/counselor-challenged-washington-state-law-threatens-free-speech-harms-clients.
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