What approach, or technique, should be used in Christian counseling?
There are two poles in counseling methodology used by Christians: Directive: The counselor basically tells or advises the person about what to do. The counselor assumes more of a dominant role using the Word of God as the source of authority. Confrontation, challenge, and admonishment tend to characterize this approach. Non-Directive: The counselor guides the counselee in coming up with his/her own solutions to problems by reflecting on what the counselee says and feels. The counselor is more of a facilitator than an initiator. For this reason it has been called a client-centered approach. Encouragement, support, and empathy characterize this approach. Which approach is best? — Taken to their extremes, the directive approach can be judgmental and too assuming and the non-directive approach can be humanistic and existential. While each model has its limitations, they both can contribute greatly to the counseling setting. Balance may be the better approach wherein the counselor does not
