What is Christian Counseling

A secular definition of counseling is the scientific enterprise of applying experimentally-proven laboratory truths to modify troublesome behavior. So, what then is Christian counseling and how doe sit differ from secular counseling? In a nutshell, secular counseling depends on man's wisdom, while Christian counseling depends on the eternal Word of God as applied by the Spirit of Truth. Christian counseling then is simply giving godly advice and godly guidance. Therefore, the Christian who knows the bible is able to apply that truth to everyday life. They are also empowered by the Spirit to be sensitive to God's voice is equipping them to offer sound, godly counsel in a spirit of love.  Secular counseling differs from Christian counseling in several important ways:

 Secular                                                                                                              Christian
-Secular counselors study & rely on counseling theories for answers    -Christian counselors rely on the Spirit & Word while trusting God to change the behavior. to troubling behavior.                                                                                         -Studies man's wisdom but considers it to be secondary to the Word of God
-Excludes the Word of God                                                                               -Exalts God                                                                        
-Exalts Man                                                                                                           -Starts with the will of God
-Starts with the needs of man                                                                          -Encourages responsibility
-Removes responsibility from the counseled                                                -Encourages confession and repentance
-Ignores sin                                                                                                           -Knows the carnal nature of man must be reckoned dead
-Tries to change the carnal nature with man's wisdom                             -but to us, the message of the cross is the power of God
-The message of the cross is foolishness
​
Now what we (believers) have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught to us by man's wisdom but in words taught to us by the Spirit explaining  spiritual realities and spiritual words. ..
I Corinthians 2:12-13