How A Lack Of Counselling Training Is Hurting The Church

Laying our troubles down and carrying one another’s burdens is what we are meant to do as Christians. It’s biblical. Many of us feel a strong pull towards comforting those who are experiencing emotional turmoil. Even if we have a natural knack for counselling others, our empathy and listening skills might need fine tuning to help us reach a higher standard of counselling for reaching others.

Having a heart for people and a genuine desire to see them overcome may not be enough, particularly if the person has an underlying mental health issue that we’re neither aware of, nor trained for.

The Churches Survey shows the current state of mental health in the church community.  One in five congregation members report experiencing commonly known disorders, such as depression and anxiety. Depression and anxiety can cause changes to mood, emotional disturbances and impaired thought processes affecting behaviour.

WHAT IS A DISORDER?  A mental illness is usually characterised by impairment of thought, mood, or behaviour.

What is there to learn and what’s the risk?

1.       A lack of skills to counsel others can result in emotional injury and offence. Many people have left their home churches to attend another after being hurt by clergy in pastoral care type roles. Some people have even left the church & the faith. This is the worst case scenario.  Causing division, works against God. Good intentions or not, we are accountable.

2.       Learning to shake off bad habits with effective life changing counselling skills is a step right direction to see others restored to peace and order. This does not attempt nullify the work of the Holy Spirit. But rather works with God by helping us do better in what we are already doing.

3.       Train to accurately use empathy and develop professional listening skills to make sure others are being respected and heard. Bad advice and the lack of empathy or training have landed many in court despite having genuine Godly love for those they’re trying to help. A good bible based counselling education helps to establish boundaries with ethical guidelines in an effort to minimise, and ideally prevent litigation.

4.       Counselling others is rewarding when done accurately and effectively.  Learn to recognise mental health issues and personality disorders. Equipping ourselves with skills may also mean knowing the difference. Thus giving us insight into what is really going on in the heart of the matter.

Sandra Ciminelli
Cred. Couns. Dip. (Christian)

Take a look at our accredited Christian counselling courses.