PERSONAL COUNSELING THEORY
The Difference Christ Makes:
A Christian Version of Mentalization/Mindfulness for Use with Christian Clients
The Two Communities in the Bible
“You were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience, among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of humankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ….” (Eph 2:1-5)
“…At one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.” (Eph 5:8-10)
“If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” (Jn 15:18-19)
The Two Cities of St. Augustine
Based on such biblical teaching, St. Augustine wrote that humanity is composed of two communities: the City of God, which by God’s grace is becoming increasingly God-centered; and the City of Humanity, which remains human-centered
According to Abraham Kuyper, these two cities produce two different kinds of human sciences: one issues from regeneration, listens to Scripture, and is becoming increasingly God-centered, while the other remains human-centered
The Two Sciences of St. Abraham
Two Therapeutic Frameworks
The City of God and the City of Humanity each have their own therapy framework centered on God or humanity, respectively
What are the implications of Augustine and Kuyper ‘s notions for Christian psychotherapy and counseling?
Two Therapeutic Frameworks
The great challenge facing Christian therapists is that we have been trained in a time when the City of Humanity—and its gods and worldview—dominate our culture, including its psychology and therapy
At the same time, modern/secular psychology has done excellent work studying human beings and their soul-healing—though from a human-centered standpoint—the truth of which must be appropriated by the City of God, out of love for God—but reinterpreted theocentrically.
Two Therapeutic Frameworks
However, it is also desirable to develop distinctly Christian models of psychotherapy and counseling for use with Christian counselees. So Christians must also retrieve and reinvest in the therapeutic teachings and practices of Scripture and the Christian tradition.
Integration programs have made it possible for Christians to participate in public mental health in our day, by teaching them the ethical rules of secular psychotherapy and encouraging as much compliance as possible, without violating Christian values.
Convergence of Therapeutic Goals
Many secular models of therapy have been converging on helping clients objectify their internal-relational world, in order to modify it
Classic CBT: exposure therapy and learning to tolerate the distress
Mindfulness: non-judgmental observation of one’s internal-relational world
ACT: accepting one’s internal-relational world
Contemporary psychodynamic therapy: preventing automatic responses and promoting mentalization
Relational and attachment therapy: creating conditions for clients to safely explore their internal-relational world
Convergence of Therapeutic Goals
All of these models have identified a key feature of psychological healing:
In order to modify a disordered psychic element (a belief, emotion scheme, defense, or part) individuals have to recognize it and disbelieve or disidentify with it, while maintaining it in their consciousness.
The question I want to try to answer today is Does Christianity provide distinctive ways to promote this therapeutic process with Christian clients?
Two-Track Training for Christian Therapists
The most important part of diagnosis is determining (as best we can) whether the client is a member of the City of God (or open to it) or the City of Humanity
Christian therapists are free to use “common grace” resources (most of them developed by secular therapists) with Christian and non-Christian clients
In addition, with Christians they can use distinctly Christian resources—due to “redemptive grace”—that are unavailable to non-Christian clients
However, they should avoid discourse and practices that explicitly promote an alternative faith-system
And they should be free to share their worldview beliefs with anyone—just like secular therapists do every day!
Using Distinctly Christian Therapy Resources with Christian Clients
Distinctive features of Christian clients
Because of Christ’s redemption, they are reconciled with God and can have communion with him
United to Christ and have the indwelling Holy Spirit
Their old self was crucified and their new self was created
Therefore, distinctly Christian therapy promotes
Communion with the Father and Jesus Christ
Union-with-Christ identity and reliance on Holy Spirit
Differentiation between one’s old self and new self
Integration of one’s whole self in Christ
Communion with the Father and Jesus Christ
The most notable distinctive of Christian therapy is the central role of communion with God
Some time should be spent training Christian clients how to engage in lectio divina, affective prayer (e.g., lament to God), guided imagery with Christ, and meditation
Christian clients need ongoing experiences of God’s love in Christ, within which to explore and transform their internal-relational world through collaborative coping strategies
Christian therapy is fundamentally relational and exocentric, rather than individualistic and self-centric
Union-with-Christ Identity and Reliance on the Holy Spirit
Counselors can practice with such themes in session and assign homework that promote their internalization
Christians have been given two divine gifts: union with Christ– entailing perfect righteousness, holiness, and adoption—and the indwelling Holy Spirit who empowers new action (Php 2:12-13)
This makes possible self-awareness without condemnation and with hopeful agency
Christian therapy communicates a non-judgmental attitude towards internal-relational dynamics—but only on the basis of one’s union with Christ
Redemptive Differentiation
The old self is all that pertains to themselves that is fallen and the new self is who they are as created and in Christ
Christians come with a confused and chaotic internal-relational world. They have to be trained how to distinguish their new self and old self
New Self, Desirable
Old Self
Structural
Features
Directional
Dynamics
Internal-Relational
Dynamics
Creational
Redemptive
Sinful
Damaged
Creational
In-session work and homework can help Christians distinguish these aspects
Redemptive Integration
Based on communion with God and their perfection in Christ, Christians gradually come to terms with their internal-relational world and come to accept their actual self as primordially good, sinful, broken, and redeemed
Hypothesis: as a result, they will become less anxious, depressed, defensive, more open to feedback, more tolerant of their limitations, and more compassionate to themselves, as they come to internalize their relationship with God and union with Christ
Such outcomes resemble those of the secular therapies we referenced earlier, but through using distinctly Christian resources
Next step
More research on Christian-derived therapies, like what is being proposed here