The Christian person-centred approach to counselling

What is the Christian person-centred approach?

The Christian person-centred approach to counselling rests on a number of fundamental beliefs: 

• a belief that all human beings are created in the image of God and as such, have value and worth simply because we are human.
• a belief that all of us have an innate God-given capacity to move towards wholeness.
• a belief that many of the problems we face stem from broken relationships – broken relationships with ourselves, with others and with God. These broken relationships are the consequence of living in a less than perfect world where both our own woundedness and that of others inhibits our capacity to become more fully the people God created and intended us to be.
• a belief that we are able to change and grow when we experience a relationship in which we feel unconditionally accepted, in which we feel heard and understood and in which the other person is open and honest with us. 

The quality of the relationship between counsellor and client is therefore believed to be of prime importance. Learning to be a person-centred counsellor is more about learning a way of being and of relating than it is about learning skills or techniques, although these are not unimportant in themselves. Our most important ‘tool’ as counsellors is ourselves and so, much of our training is concerned with developing our acceptance, awareness and understanding of ourselves and our ability to be fully present with – to ‘be there’ for – those we encounter.  

 

What is the difference between secular and Christian person-centred counselling?

Humanistic and Christian person-centred counsellors share many of the same beliefs, values and ways of working. As Christians, however, we bring to our role as counsellors our own particular Christian philosophy and worldview, our recognition of the importance of the spiritual dimension in people’s lives and willingness to work with the spiritual issues they present, and our desire to integrate our Christian faith with our practice in a meaningful way.