7 Reasons Why

Christians Can Seek Therapy

Some within the church champion only the Word of God to eradicate emotional pain or mental illness. They frown at psychology because of its humanistic roots.

Therapy? Ditto. 

But a different perspective exists. Here are 7 principles demonstrating why it is biblical for Christians to utilize therapy: 

1. If psychology were not from the Lord, it would never have survived (Acts 5:39). But what about psychology’s founding fathers—those who infused the field with its atheistic or humanistic worldview? Proverbs 21:30 asserts the answer. Because “there is no wisdom or understanding or counsel against the LORD,” true wisdom, no matter where we find it, is guaranteed to always agree with the Lord’s Book. As such, you can receive as wisdom the gems psychology offers—so long as they fit with the Bible. 

2. Ever heard of popular slurs such as “therapy is for the weak or crazy”?  Truth is, therapy profits everyone. So why should Christians be excluded from this godsend, considering God is the Giver of all good and perfect gifts (James 1:17)?

3. James 5:16 emphasizes healing as the result of both prayer and confession: “confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” However, confession is scarce in Protestant churches—which is where therapy enters. Most clients are open to share their shortcomings and sins to their therapist.

Therapy + Prayer = Healing.

4. Paul testified about how God comforted him by sending Titus (2 Corinthians 7:5-6). God often comforts us by the presence of another believer—including someone who works as a therapist.

5. Childhood is rife with emotional hurt which results from being in a relationship.[1] The thing is, “we were wounded in relationships, and we are healed in them, too. We won’t make much progress on our own.”[2]

Therapy provides a safe space to heal.

6. It’s also a vessel for Matthew 18’s principle to reconcile. Unlike in other relationships, you can broach grievances with your therapist without fear of reprisals. A therapist will hear you out and then side with you—which eases what can often be difficult, such as the case with reconciling.

7. Many, including Christians, roam around with a love deficiency. (Review 1 Corinthians 13 for the list). In contrast, we can expect professional therapists to exemplify this same love in every session, whether because they are patient and kind, not easily angered, refuse to seek their own interests, or always protective of their clients. Seeing a therapist is a way to experience the love God intends for us.

Is it okay for Christians to be in therapy? This Christian says so—but only you have the right to decide the answer for yourself. 

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1. Anderson, F., Sweezy, M., & Schwartz, R. (2019). Internal family systems skills training manual [Kindle Paperwhite version]. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com.

2. Clinton, T., & Straub, J. (2010). God attachment: Why you believe, act, and feel the way you do about God [Kindle Paperwhite version]. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com.

 

 

Tags: counseling, faith,  mental health, therapy