Biblical and professional approaches to Substance abuse counseling
Introduction
Drug and substance abuse is the one among the most common social evils in the contemporary societies. The drug and substance abuse menace is both a menace to health and an economic cost that is uncalled for. In a bid to try and fight the menace, society has come up with a wide array of methods. The methods designed to aid the war against drugs can be analyzed and categorized into two categories. The first category is the anti-drugs campaign, which seeks to prevent the growing of the menace among members of society. The second class of methods is the set of curative measures, which concerns itself with addicts and victims of drug and substance abuse. Speaking of curative measures, the main one is counseling and guidance. Further, counseling can be divided into two broad spectra – Christian or religious counseling and professional counseling. This paper endeavors to discuss the main themes of the bible in relation to drug and substance counseling, with special focus on the comparisons and differences between biblical and professional approaches to counseling.
Summary of Core Biblical Themes Related to Counseling and Addiction
Apparently, the Bible gives a number of views on the idea of drug addiction and substance use. The Bible, especially in several books of the New Testament addresses the issue differently. The themes seek to address the root cause of the menace in society today. The first theme, which is arguably, the most significance theme brought out in the book of Ephesians 5:18. This is the theme of drunkenness. According to the verse, drug addiction and substance abuse are forms of the drunkenness which Apostle Paul defined in Ephesians 5:18 “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.” According to the Standard English dictionary, debauchery is a form of absolutely ruined life. Biblical counseling defines the drug addiction menace as a form of drunkenness addressed by Paul in the book of Ephesians. According to the above verse, the only healing advocated for by Biblical counseling is the acceptance of the Holy Spirit. The presumption of this theme is that the Holy Ghost can displace the desire for drugs (Lago 2011).
The second biblical theme explained by the scriptures is the theme of enslavement. Apostle Paul explains enslavement in the book of Galatians 5: 16 – 21. Biblical counselors seek to differentiate between drug use and drug addiction. Drug addicts are those people that are dependent on the drugs, and cannot live comfortably without consuming such drugs (Lambert, 2012). The addicts are like slaves that have to obey their master. In the Book of Galatians 5: 16-21, apostle Paul warns that people should desist from getting carried away by their selfish desires of their flesh, such as desire for wine as this will enslave them. Further, in the book of Colossians 2:8: “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” Such captivity is the enslavement that biblical counselors have so keenly associated drug consumption and addiction with.
Crabb (2007) explains that, for something to be referred to as spiritual, it must be associated with good and evil as explained by the metrics of the Bible. Therefore, to address the drug addiction menace from a Biblical viewpoint, the menace must be considered and described as a sin. A sin is anything in breach of the supreme commandments given by God to the human race. According to 2 Corinthians 59, sins are addictive by nature. It is, however important that such sins be replaced by the desire to serve God, so as to have eternal peace. 2 Corinthians 59 says “So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.” The message in this verse is quite clear. People like the addicted counselees will find peace and happiness in the love of God, if they make it their aim to act according to the will of God.
Comparing and Contrasting Biblical Views with Professional Views
Stewart (2005) argues that Biblical and professional approaches to the drug and substance addiction counseling are as different as they are similar. What this means is that the two approaches hold extreme views, but also strongly agree on some points. It is pertinent to mention that the main differences between the two approaches revolve around the perspectives held by either side in relation to God, Bible and its contribution, the gospel and counseling as a whole. Stewart (2005) argues that the similarities between the two approaches revolve around the fact that they have many common aims. This section gives the main differences and similarities between the two approaches – professional counseling and the comprehensive Biblical counseling approaches.
The differences between Biblical Views and Professional Views
The primary difference lies in the perspective of the Bible and its contribution. Most professional counselors perceive the Bible as a source of inspiration and encouragement. The Bible, a book to which many counselors refer, is a common sight in all counseling offices, both the ones occupied by Biblical Counselors and those occupied by professional counselors (Lambert, 2012). As much as both streams use the bible, the reason behind use is different. The biblical counselors consider the bible as the single most important source of inspiration. They consider the holy book as the sole source of counsel, which can help the helping individual communicate with his counselee. Essentially, therefore, the professional counselors can go about their duties without the Bible because, seemingly, the Bible is a subsidiary tool they use to enhance their message. Conversely, a Biblical counselor centers his message on the Bible.
The second difference between the mainstream counselors and the Biblical counselors lies in the perspective of God. The mainstream or professional counselors do not focus on all qualities of God while going about their duties. On the contrary, they only focus on such encouraging qualities as love, kindness, care and the like. Conversely, the biblical counselors cover all traits of God in trying to explain to the counselee why they should stop taking drugs, and how God has a plan for them. Biblical counselors focus on such qualities as justice, fairness, forgiving, omniscience and so on. In addition to focusing on all qualities of the living God, the biblical counselors describe drug use and addiction as sin (Powlison, 2011). They focus on the supremacy of God, and the essence to obey and please Him through leading a clean life, devoid of such evils as drugs.
The third difference, according to Powlison (2011) lies in the fact that the Biblical and the Professional counselors view the gospel differently. While the Biblical counselors find spreading the gospel as an obligation, most professional counselors do not regard gospel preaching as part of their job. As such, they do not incorporate the principles of the gospel into the counseling sessions. On the contrary, they only do it out of personal will and choice. This makes their reference to the Bible quite shallow because essentially, they are supposed to speak about the love of God, and by extension, explain to the counselee about the disadvantages and the nature of sin. On the contrary, they only focus on the encouraging quotes from the Bible. Powlison (2011) argues that Biblical counselors, on the other hand incorporate the gospel and the teachings of Christ into the counseling session. For instance, while a professional counselor will tell the counselee that God loves them, a biblical counselor will tell the counselee that God loves them, and then go ahead to demonstrate that by explaining how and why Jesus Christ lost his life in a painful manner at Calvary for the sake of mankind.
The last main difference explained by Powlison (2011) is the reality that the biblical and the professional counselors hold different perspectives on counseling. For instance, a professional counselor – whether a Christian or secular – will consider it as an occupation associated with his profession. They therefore do not really get concerned about the client’s post counseling behavior. They may be too busy with other clients to make a follow up on the progress. On the contrary, Biblical counselors do not consider it as a profession, but rather as a calling from God. They believe that during the counseling session, it is God trying to speak to the counselee through them. This is mainly the reason why they make prominent use of the Bible, which most Christians refer to as the word of God. Powlinson (2011) explains that the professional counselors may fail to establish the connection between God and the counselee. On the contrary, the biblical counselors consider the activity as a pastoral activity which they are obliged to fulfill. This could be a valid reason as to why many biblical counselors are volunteers that do not anticipate any form of payment.
The key similarities between Biblical Views and Professional Views
As much as the two views are different, there are some principal similarities between them. The similarities revolve around the fact that the desired results of the counseling process are similar for both cases. One of the similarities is the actuality that both of them have belief in God and the existence of salvation or rather redemption from evil. According Lambert (2012) both biblical and professional counselors, especially those who are Christian, believe in the actuality that prayer is a therapeutic activity and that it should be performed right before the beginning of the counseling session and right after the communication process is over. It is pertinent to note that counselors from both streams are concerned with creating a new person in the addict.
According Lago (2011), counselors seek to reform the individual through giving them hope and encouraging them. In so doing, counselors from both streams borrow heavily from the Bible and other religious books. They communicate various messages from the Bible to the counselee with the hope that they will make the counselee find happiness within themselves. Both biblical and mainstream counselors usually, especially in severe cases, recommend spiritual intervention. They do prescribe such intervention as a way of trying to have the counselee understand that the supreme source of power and healing is God. It is for this reason that counselors from both sides borrow heavily from the bible. Lago (2011) explains that what differs is the extent and depth of reliance on the Bible, but they all refer to the book.
Crabb (2007) gives a rather interesting definition of the similarities between the two concepts. In his explanation, he argues that a biblical counselor and a professional counselor are people on the same journey, but in different vessels. The destination remains to be one. The message in this analogy is quite worth noting. What Crabb (2007) means to say is that both professional and mainstream counselors have the same aim, which is the reformation of the individual counselee. The only difference is the fact that they use different approaches to have the individual reform and quit the unacceptable tendencies. As a matter of fact, all the cited authors agree in near unanimity that the difference between the two views is as noteworthy as is the similarity.
Personal Application
The study of the biblical themes on counseling relating to drug addiction and substance use is as interesting as one could expect. I have found the study to be not only interesting but also enlightening. Understanding the difference between biblical and professional counseling is one thing that will help me progress well with my career in counseling. What this means is that I will, as a way of complementing the approaches, borrow from either side. What I realize is that no one view is purely effective or perfect. As such, the views should be used in a complementary manner so as remedy the inefficiencies of either view. Taking a pure biblical approach, as I have learnt will not be effective, especially in a secular or non Christian society. A professional counselor for example can easily serve counselees in Saudi Arabia as well as people in America. In straightforward terms, a professional counselor can adopt a multi-cultural outlook by serving counselees from all religions. Conversely, a biblical counselor will only offer effective services in either a Christian or a secular society.
With the world quickly embracing cultural diversity, it is only convenient and reasonable tat a counselor should endeavor to embrace an approach that is diverse, in such a manner that it embraces all cultures, and can be applied in guiding and counseling people from diverse backgrounds. It is critically essential to mention that, from my own understanding, biblical counseling is appropriate but quite narrow in the contemporary world. Considering such a society as the American society, culture and religion are becoming subject to syncretism, with the rate of immigration being on a constant rise. Asia, a continent associated with Islamism is single largest source of migrants. The implication is that Christianity will soon not be the only outspoken religion in the United States. This will bring some level of irrelevance to the biblical form of counseling since the Islamist counselee will not comprehend the biblical views because they naturally would not like to be associated with a religion that is so bitterly in opposition of Islamic principles.
Of particular importance to point out is the reality that a professional oreven a biblical counselor can attend to a client from any background. There is no restraint in the works of God. The word restraint is prominently used in the book of Sam 14: 6. There being no hindrance or restraint to the capacity of the almighty to protect the human race, a counselor, whether biblical or professional can at all times apply relevant theological principles to counsel a non Christian (blueletterbible.org, 2012). For instance, he can quote from the Bible, but remain neutral on the issues of the gospel. What I learn from this point is that the most critical aspect of the counseling session is to identify the mindset of the client prior to beginning the counseling session. Understanding the mindset of the counselee is important as it may make the counselor understand what to say and what to avoid, and ultimately, the approach to be adopted.
One of the lessons worth mentioning is that I have learnt that through Christian or biblical counseling; the counselor can ‘kill two birds using one stone’. How? Through using the bible to educate the counselee n the dangers of drug consumption, the counselor gets an opportunity to preach the gospel to the lost population. This way, the counselor may end up saving or converting a soul or two in the process of helping the counselee. I will, therefore endeavor to use the biblical principles in going about the counseling efforts. This means that, being a Christian, I will seek to give the counselee an insight of why it is proper to quit drugs and equip them with tactics to avoid the consumption of such drugs. With principles from either stream, I look forward to being a perfect counselor.
References
Blueletterbible. (2012). www.blueletterbible.org. Retrieved on 16 April 2013.
Crabb, L. J. (2007). Effective biblical counseling. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publication House.
Lago, C. (2011). The handbook of trans-cultural counseling and psychotherapy. Maidenhead: McGraw Hill/Open University Press.
Lambert, H. (2012). The biblical counseling movement after Adams. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway.
Myers, T. (2013). Word Study on Counselling. Liberty University
Powlison, D. (2011). Is there any difference between biblical counseling and Christian psychology or Christian counseling? Caleb Counseling: biblical solutions to life. http://www.calebcounseling.org/frequently-asked-questions
Stewart, W. (2005). An A-Z of counseling theory and practice. Cheltenham, UK: Nelson Thornes.
