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Biblical & Secular Views on Counseling

In: Religion Topics

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Running head: Biblical & Secular Views

Biblical & Secular Views on Counseling
John Smith
Liberty University

Abstract
Whether a counselor comes from a strong Christian background, or a secular one, the goals of the professional should remain in the best interests of the client. Still, it remains important where the views of that counselor originated from and where the source of their motivation and ethical standards are derived. This paper attempts to compare and contrast the viewpoints of secular and biblical worldviews, as it relates to the counseling profession.

Biblical & Secular Views on Counseling No matter what philosophical background counselors come from, the theme of their work should remain the same: It is all about the client. Whether a counselor uses the Code of Ethics adopted by the American Counseling Association, (2005) or the code adopted by the American Association of Christian Counselors, (2004) the goal of the professional still need to keep the client’s best interests at heart. Still, with this thought in mind, Christian and secular groups differ in the ways in which they go about not only helping clients, but how they define their perspective roles in the exchanges between the therapist and the client. In order to accurately evaluate the ways in which Christians view the role of the counselor, it is first important to go to the source of their opinions of the matter; the Bible. Different terms from the world of counseling can be defined and broken down throughout the Old and New Testament. I will provide a word study through which these terms can be understood from the Lord’s perspective and then compare the Christian worldview as it applies to counseling, to the secular viewpoint of the same subject. Finally, I will include my personal thoughts on

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