“When You Need Help:  

How to Choose a Counsellor.”    

ISBN 978-966-651-599-8 

A helpful guide if you are... 

- reluctant to ask for help       

-confused about the process of counselling 

-discouraged by bad experiences 

-wanting protection from harmful counselling

HELP can be given to a person (a church member, an adherent, a visitor, or an unbeliever)…

1. When he is concerned that all counsellors will do more damage than good.
2. When he is thinking that counselling will by like devouring lions.
3. When he needs the assurance that your counselling and counselling of those to whom you refer people will actually protect them from “lions” who devour God’s people, and that your counselling and the counselling of others to whom you refer people will protect them and seek to advance what God is doing in their lives.
4. When he is concerned that there is not a history of solid biblical help, and that your approach is simply a recent fad on the counselling landscape.
5. When he is asking questions about the nature and direction of counselling.
6. When he asks you about different approaches to counselling.
7. When he is sceptical or suspicious about seeking help from an individual, church leaders, etc., who are limited, have weaknesses and who continue to struggle with sin as does this person.
8. When he apologetically asks you about counselling, and you want to encourage him to ask good biblical questions and be careful about those whom he may choose as a counsellor.
9. When he tends to neglect what God has appointed (help from wise Christians), expecting change without the means.
10. When he tends to trust in the physical instruments He appoints, over-depending on them to do what only God does.
11. When he has too high a view of church leadership – viewing them as beyond temptation and sin, rather than a “fellow traveler” in the Christian life.
12. When he has an unjust fear of “interviewing” prospective counsellors, Christian mentors, pastors, etc., about the nature, goals, and process of counselling.
13. When he has had negative experiences of counselling in the past.
14. When he is willing to discuss a potential counselling relationship with a wise Christian, but do not know what questions to ask.
15. When he is concerned that he may start well in the process, but then leave a healthy and right path and continue without any criterion with which to evaluate good counselling.
16. When he desires objective questions for interviewing prospective counsellors, evaluating the effectiveness of the process, and when the counselling goal is attained.
17. When he has the idea that problem resolution typically occurs by some special spiritual event, prayer or pronouncement, rather than a process of growing in self-knowledge before God and growing in the application of the Gospel.
18. When he wants a clear description of what the end of the period of counselling looks like and what results occur.
19. When he objects to a season of counselling upon one of the 14 reasons stated in the Appendix.
20. When he would benefit from a summary ‘portrait’ of a true spiritual helper, so that seeing such characteristics, they would be motivated to ask a wise Christian for help.

Ron Harris

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