What is the philosophical basis for a biblical and holistic approach to psychotherapy? What are the requirements for a biblical counselor? What are some examples of biblically-based interventions?

1. Network Institute of Christian Counseling
04 November 2013
Sponsored by

2. • To review the philosophical basis for a biblical &
holistic approach to psychotherapy
• To identify requirements for a biblical counselor
• To provide a number of examples of biblically-
based interventions in counseling based on
today’s presentation

3. • σύμβουλος (sumboulos) = (σύμ) with +
(βουλή) advice, direction

4. (kho-bal) derived from the nouns ‫ל‬ ֶ‫ב‬ ֶ‫ח‬
a rope or ‫ל‬ ֵ‫ב‬ֹ‫ח‬ a rope puller, a sailor, a
pilot (plur. fem. rule, government)
‫ה‬ָ‫ל‬ֻּ‫ב‬ ְ‫ח‬ ַּ‫ת‬

5. (psyche) = soul
(logos) = word, dissertation, science of
“psychologia” coined in 1524 (Vande Kemp, 1996)

6. ‫ׁש‬ֶ‫ֶפ‬‫נ‬

7. Mind (cognition)
Emotions (affection)
Conscience (violation)
Will (volition)

8. “The cure of a part should
not be attempted without
the treatment of the
whole, and no attempt
should be made to cure
the body without a soul.”Socrates, 400 B.C.E.

9. Genesis 1:27 So God created man in His
own image; in the image of God He created
him; male and female He created them.
‫ם‬ֶ‫ל‬ֶ‫צ‬‫ים‬ ִ‫ֹלה‬ֱ‫א‬
(selem) = “image” or representation,” and
(demut) = implies comparison.
The essence of human nature can only be
understood by comparison with God Himself.

11. a body a soul
a spirit
Cp.
God the Son,
Jesus
Cp.
God the Father
Cp.
God the Holy Spirit

12. • Body
• Spirit
neurology psychiatry
• Soul
observations, testing
& assessments
biochemistry brain surgery
therapy
insight
diagnosis
intervention

15. Isaiah 6
Seraphim’ declare “Holy, Holy, Holy”
ἅγιος [hagios] = separated
‫ש‬ ֶ‫ד‬ֹ‫ק‬ׁ [ko·desh] = separated, holy,
sacred, complete

16. Isaiah 6
Isaiah’s confession “Woe is me, I am undone”
[’owy /o·ee] = “woe is me!”‫וי‬ֹ‫א‬
‫א‬ ֵ‫מ‬ ָ‫ט‬ [taw·may/] = become unclean,
defiled, undone, fragmented

17. A Biblical Philosophy of Change
• Thinking
(Ephesians 3)
• Behaviors
• Emotions
• Beliefs

18. Proverbs 1:5
A wise man will hear and increase
learning, and
a man of understanding will attain
wise counsel

19. “The deeper one’s thought
penetrate in the field of
psychotherapy, the closer one
comes to the realm of theology…
The fundamental questions with
which psychotherapy ends can
only be answered with theology.”
Rollo May
Love and Will, 1967, page 218

20. John 8:30-32
As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.
31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed
Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My
disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the
truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

21. II Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,
and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness,
17 that the man of God may be complete,
thoroughly equipped for every good work.

22. (em) = toward + (pathos) = suffering
(sym) = with + (pathos) = suffering

23. Hobart Mowrer
(1907-1982)
“For several decades we psychologists looked upon the
whole matter of sin and moral accountability as a great
incubus and acclaimed our liberation from it as epoch
making. But at length we have discovered that to be free
in this sense, that is, to have the excuse of being sick
rather than sinful, is to court the danger of also becoming
lost… In becoming amoral, ethically neutral and free, we
have cut the very roots of our being, lost our deepest
sense of selfhood and identity, and with neurotics,
themselves, we find ourselves asking: Who am I, what is
my deepest destiny, what does living mean?”
“Sin, the Lesser of Two Evils,” American Psychologist, 15 (1960): 301-30

24. It is not the experience of life, but the experi-
ence of the cross that makes one a worthy
hearer of confessions. The most experienced
psychologist or observer of human nature
knows infinitely less of the human heart the
simplest Christian who lives beneath the cross
of Jesus. The greatest psychological insight,
Bonhoeffer
ability, and experience cannot grasp this one thing: what
sin is. Worldly wisdom knows what distress and weakness
and failure are, but it does not know the godlessness of
men. And so it also does not know that man is destroyed
only by his sin and can be healed only by forgiveness. Only
the Christian knows this. In the presence of a psychiatrist, I
can only be a sick man; in the presence of the Christian
brother, I can dare to be a sinner.

25. Romans 15:14
Now I myself am confident concerning you, my
brethren, that you also are full of goodness,
filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish
one another.
Romans 12:3-8
6 Having then gifts differing according to the
grace that is given to us, let us use them: 8 he
who exhorts, in exhortation…

26. Who Am I?
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
June 1944
Who am I? They often tell me
I would step from my cell's confinement
calmly, cheerfully, firmly,
like a squire from his country house.
Who am I? They often tell me
I would talk to my warders
freely and friendly and clearly,
as though it were mine to command.
[LPP, pp. 347-48]

27. Apathy / Hatred Love
Pessimistic / Discouraged Joy
Self-Pity Peace
Impatient / Procrastination Perseverance
Callous / Unkind Gentleness
Immoral Goodness
Disobedient Obedience
Doubt & Fear Faith
Irresponsible Faithfulness
Stubborn Meekness
Lack of Self-Control Temperance
Resentment / Bitterness Merciful / Forgiving
Guilt / Shame Accepting Forgiveness
Prejudice / Partiality Just
Proud Humility
Deceitfulness Integrity
Anxiety Gratitude
Negative Thinking Positive Thinking
Immoral Fantasies Pure Thinking
Scattered Thinking Concentration
Forgetting God Communion with God
Mood Scale (1-10)
Proverbs
NEGATIVE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 POSITIVE
My Daily Inventory of Thoughts, Attitudes & Behaviors
“Walking in the Flesh” “Walking in the Spirit”
For Positive ~ “Y” Space For Mixture ~ “X” Space
(tempted)
For Negative ~ “N” Space
(sinned)
Psa. 19:12 Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me
from secret faults.
Psa. 26:2-3 Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my
mind and my heart. For Your loving-kindness is before my
eyes, and I have walked in Your truth.
Harry L. Morgan, Ph.D.
Biblical Counseling Center, Palmetto, FL

28. T.A.B. DEFINITIONS
NEGATIVE & POSITIVE ATTRIBUTES
Works of the Flesh Fruit of the Spirit Relevant Scripture
Apathy / Hatred
Heb. śānē; Gk. miséō = an
aversion; a malicious,
unjustified attitude toward
another; enmity. Apathy is an
unemotional, dispassionate,
indifference, lack of concern
or motivation.
APPLICATION: Is there
anyone I ignore, desire their
misfortune, or seek their
destruction?
Love
Heb. āhēḇ = an intimate
relationship; classical and
NT Greek used agapē to
express a tangible and
sacrificial giving of one’s
self to others without
expectation of return as
God has loved us.
APPLICATION: Am I
expressing in tangible
ways love to those who
oppose me?
Galatians 5:19-25
Leviticus 19:17
Luke 6:22,27
John 15:9-17
I Corinthians 13
I John 4:8,16,20-
21

29. John 15:15
No longer do I call
you servants, for a
servant does not
know what his
master is doing; but
I have called you
friends, for all things
that I heard from My
Father I have made
known to you.

31. Accountability
7 Questions
1. Have you been ethical in business and personal
dealings?
2. Have you been faithful in actions and thoughts to your
wife, children, friends, and God?
3. Have you read the Bible and prayed daily?
4. What temptations towards sin are you struggling with?
5. Are you struggling with any other concerns or
problems?
6. Is there anything I can help you with?
7. Have you lied about any of the above?
Memory verse:

32. COMMON FALSE BELIEF SYSTEMS
FALSE BELIEF
SYSTEM:
HOW IT AFFECTS ME: HOW IT AFFECTS MY
RELATIONSHIPS:
I don’t need
anyone.
PL
SL
Isolates me. I am
unable to ask for
help. Get stuck in
problems. Only
have surface
relationships.
People think I don’t
like them. It shuts
people out. I get
accused of “hiding.”

35. Personal Needs
Salvation
Security
Crisis
Significance
Avoidance
Compulsive/Addictive Escapes
Sex
Drugs
Music
Money
Religion
Work
Lying
Cheating
Galatians 5
Fear
Shame
Guilt
Anger
Separation
Lack of:
Talk
Feelings
Trust
Relational Problems with:
God
Ourselves
Others
Isolation
Testing or Temptation

36. Testing or Temptation
Identify the Pain
Acceptance
Identify with Christ’s Suffering
Romans 6
Identify with Christ’s Victory
Growth and Recovery
II Corinthians 1
Ministry and Fellowship

37. Confession
“How Do I Overcome the Cycle of Sin?”
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful
and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him
a liar, and His word is not in us. (1 John 1:8-10, NKJV)
Principle: The level of cleansing is commensurate with the level of confession.
Body
Behavior  What did I say or fail to say that was inappropriate?
 What do you see that was inappropriate?
 What I hear that was inappropriate?
 Where did I go or failed to go that was inappropriate?
 What did I do or fail to do that was inappropriate?
Soul
1. Mind (cognition)  What reasoning or thoughts did I use to rationalize this behavior?
2. Emotions (affection)  What were my feelings at the moment preceding this behavior?
 What are my affections and desires prior and after this behavior?
3. Conscience (morality)  Do I feel guilt having experienced this behavior?
 Do I blame or criticize others for a sin I am guilty of?
4. Will (volition)  In what way(s) is my desire contrary to God’s will?
 What are my beliefs about myself, others and God in relationship to this behavior?
Spirit
Worship  How did I attempt to substitute something or someone else in place of the God by this
behavior?
Harry L. Morgan, Ph.D.
Biblical Counseling Center
www.TRUTHtransforms.com
941-729-6600

40. CHANGE MY FOCUS
From Self To God & Others
CHANGE MY MOTIVATION
From Self-Protection To Love
Whenever I am afraid,
I will trust in You.
In God (I will praise His word),
In God I have put my trust;
I will not fear.
Psalm 56:3,4

41. • Marriage, Divorce & Remarriage
• Homosexuality
• Questionable Ethical Issues
• Thirty-two Consequences Of Adultery

42. You can contact Harry at:
Biblical Counseling Center
825 4th Street West
Palmetto, FL 34221
941-729-6600
Sanctitas@aol.com
www.TRUTHtransforms.com