Types of Christian Counselors

Gary Collins, a licensed psychologist, wrote an article in a 1975 publication of Christianity Today entitled “The Pulpit and the Couch” that has defined the way Christians view counseling. He placed Christian counselors into five distinct categories. The categories have remained relevant throughout the changing times and are a great starting point when you are deciding who to go to in order to receive Christian counsel.

The five categories are described as follows:

1) Mainstream pastoral counselors. These counselors ascribe to a generally secular psychological style of counseling though they have received theological training. A major organization that trains mainstream pastoral counseling is CPE or Clinical Pastoral Education. CPE accepts ministers from all walks

of faith: including Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, etc. Their website states that they are a “multicultural, multifaith organization devoted to providing education and improving the quality of ministry and pastoral care offered by spiritual caregivers of all faiths through the clinical educational methods of Clinical Pastoral Education.” Needless to say, mainstream pastoral counselors are generally pretty liberal in their theology.

2) Evangelical pastoral counselors. Also called biblical counselors. Jay Adams is the most famous and outspoken; he is the one who coined the term “nouthetic counseling.” Biblical counselors generally receive their training from the NANC or National Association of Nouthetic Counselors or the IABC, the International Association of Biblical Counseling.

3) Christian professionals. These counselors integrate psychology with evangelicalism. They have received secular psychology or counseling degrees, but are committed to biblical truth and evangelical theology. Gary Collins considers himself to be a Christian Professional. Other popular Christian professionals include James Dobson and Clyde Narramore.

4) Theoretician researchers: These counselors are mainly concerned with testing and trying scientific theory.

5) Evangelical popularizers: The Christian “self-help” crowd. Most do not hold degrees in psychology or counseling, but write self-help material for based on their experiences, biblical studies, and research. Tim LaHay is a famous evangelical popularizer.

Obviously, an individual who has been trained under any of these schools of though may not ascribe to every component of that school of though. I’m sure there are counselors listed in the NANC directory who support the use of antidepressants in some circumstances. There are certainly evangelical pastoral counselors who shun various secular psychological ideas. There may even be a conservative counselor in the CPE directory!

However, realizing that significant differences in Christian counseling approaches exist is a good stepping off point when searching for a qualified and caring Christian counselor.

At this point, it’s no secret that I would choose a Christian professional, one who acknowledges psychology but uses theological discernment when treating a patient. Take caution when choosing a counselor who credits his or her training from CPE or NANC or IABC. Be informed, ask the right questions, and walk away if necessary.

Coming up: A checklist to help you choose the right Christian counselor.