I have been working for several months on the Theology Exam which is one of the requirements for becoming a member of the National Association of Nouthetic Counselors (NANC). I'm not sure why the founders of that group chose to use the word "Nouthetic" rather than "Biblical" but the purpose of the group is to promote and assist in counseling that recognizes Scripture as the sole and final authority in counseling. Deborah and I adhere totally to that principle, believing the Word of God to have answers to the problems of His people. We are not psychologists; we are Biblical Counselors. I don't have a doctorate in any of the social or mental disciplines; my doctorate is in Biblical Counseling. We have no reason to apply Scripture "plus" anything; we have found Christ as revealed in Scripture to be all sufficient for the needs of those who come our way.
Do we disregard medical needs? No. Do we deny the existence of medical conditions which affect the abilities of the mind to function correctly? No. But - we do believe that many medical conditions and many "conditions of the mind" have a spiritual root. As we deal with addictions, we deal with them knowing that the the root of the problem is spiritual; as we deal with marriage problems, we recognize that the root problem is spiritual; as we deal with depression, we recognize that the root problem is often spiritual and offer hope in Christ.
At its best, nouthetic counseling lovingly confronts counselees with the truth of the Word of God and authoritatively states changes which must be made by the counselee. It is the Word of God, lovingly applied to the soul of man, and nurtured by the Spirit of God, which will bring about lasting change. Deborah and I are nothing more than those who have found a spring of Living Water and point others to that Source. if we can ever help you or those you love, please let us know.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment