A Biblical Counseling Process: Guidance for the Beginning, Middle, and End

Helping the Helpers

by Lauren Whitman

What makes counseling biblical? What does the biblical counseling process entail? What is the focus of each stage of the process? Lauren Whitman, an experienced CCEF counselor, addresses these questions and more in A Biblical Counseling Process, sharing a process from start to finish that will help guide counselors in reaching the hearts of their counselees and connecting them to Jesus, who brings hope and change.

Although there is not a one-size-fits-all formula for biblical counseling, Whitman captures the scope of a counseling process and identifies two major tasks for the beginning, middle, and the end. Each of the chapters works together to explain, describe, support, and illustrate these tasks. The author also provides a case study that continues throughout the book, providing readers with an example of how to implement the process.

As part of CCEF’s Helping the Helper series, A Biblical Counseling Process will equip counselors, pastors, and lay leaders to approach their counseling ministry intentionally so that their work faithfully points people to the Lord, considers who he is, his heart, and what he calls us to. Useful for new and seasoned counselors alike, this resource will equip helpers with a vision for what a progression of counseling looks like.

Genres: Counselling, Christian, Nonfiction

112 pages, Paperback

Published October 4, 2021

About the author

Lauren Whitman, MA, is a staff counselor at the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF), where she has served for a decade. She also serves as the developmental editor of the Journal of Biblical Counseling and is the author of A Painful Past: Healing and Moving Forward and A Biblical Counseling Process. Whitman, her husband, and their two children make their home in the Philadelphia area.

Reviews

[Michael Beck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whitman provides a good overview of the biblical counseling process. As a pastor, I would have liked to see more Scripture throughout that corresponds to the process. Also, the questions regarding "race" seemed like an unneeded concern in the example given (p. 45). Overall, this is a good description of the how the counseling process should work, and with so few books on the subject I strongly recommend this book (with the caveats mentioned above) to those getting started with biblical counseling.

[Haley Annabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even thought I did not 100% agree with the theology and methodologies laid out in this book, I did gain a lot of insights. I would recommend this to all Biblical Counselors looking for a structure for counseling. However, take Whitman’s own advice- this is simple ONE method. Take what you find useful, leave the rest.

[Abbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for counseling newbies! I’m encouraged that I’m on the right track and also challenged to incorporate some of Whitman’s guidance.

[Josh S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a helpful, clear, and concise resource. One I will revisit many times.

[Eleasa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Concise & clear, compassionate & concrete -- this is such a helpful primer for a newer Biblical counsellor's toolbox. Lauren is a counsellor and faculty member of CCEF and has written a great handbook to introduce the counseling process as part of a training program (which is why I read this book). The book is organised well, starting with theory based on a Biblical worldview of sin, forgiveness, and a Spirit-driven sanctification in Christ to grow and change towards loving God and others deeper, followed by goals at each step in the process. Lauren includes a rather 'simple' case study to illustrate this process at each step, as well as demonstrating some ways in which to use Scripture as part of counseling.

She helpfully acknowledges that counselors must be careful to check their assumptions of their counsellees, including any biases coming from a different ethnic or socioeconomic background to a counsellee.

Here is one of my favourite parts about being a Biblical counselor that Lauren writes about in the chapter titled "Imagining the Faithful Way Forward":

"This is perhaps the most exciting and inspired part of the counseling process!...Before we dive into the details of this part of the process, let me note that what I am referring to as the 'imagined way forward' could also be called the 'counseling plan'. I am using 'imagine' language instead because I find it more inspiring! How so? Because God endowed us with this powerful capability to imagine, to 'look' beyond what is currently in our experiences and envision something more, something greater, and even glorious. For the Christian, we must use our imaginations to envision our lives changing, developing, and maturing more and more into the likeness of Jesus. God stirs up our hearts with that which stirs up his heart -- to bring beauty from our ashes, to replace oldness with newness -- and that gives us vision, direction, and purpose in our lives. And because he has given us the Spirit, we can act on these imaginations and can work toward bringing them into our lived experience.

Perhaps one of the most effective ways to imagine is to spend time with counselees reflecting on who Jesus is. How he lived. How he served. How he laid down his life. How he took it back up again. How he serves us today. The life of our Lord, the ways of our Lord -- this is where we find motivation. This is how we draw from the past -- Christ's past -- to help us track our new way forward. 'Be thou my vision.' We desire Jesus to be our vision for our futures. 'Thou my best thought.' Jesus is our best thought for our futures. The task of imagining includes carrying Jesus, our best thought, into a vision of the future that has been shaped by his life and love."

[James Schroeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Few counseling books are as practical to new counselors and those looking to improve the structure of their counseling plans as A Biblical Counseling Process: Guidance for the Beginning, Middle, and End by Lauren Whitman. Whitman takes her experience as a counselor for the Christian Counseling & Education Facility (CCEF) to show a road map to the counseling process that will improve any counselor’s planning for future sessions. The author covers how to structure each stage of the counseling process, and provides concrete examples as well as tips for each stage.

Although biblical counseling has benefited from a multitude of books on individual counseling topics, there are few books on how to structure the counseling process. With the clear goal in mind that biblical counselors would “work ourselves out of a job” Whitman guides counselors on how to proceed throughout the various stages of counseling (96). In each stage she provides a summary of the main goals of the stage, as well as how a counselor could structure the individual sessions to meet these goals. Throughout these stages Whitman desires for counselors “to connect the person of Christ to the person we are meeting with” (13). In each section the author also provides a case study so the structure she has described is clearly demonstrated.

One of Whitman’s helpful contributions comes in the form of questions for counselors to consider themselves at each stage of the counseling process. Whitman describes specifically how incorrect assumptions made by counselors can lead to misdirected counsel. On this she says, “If we aren’t careful, we can begin to speak about our assumptions as if they are facts. We can believe there are problems that don’t really exist” (108). These questions listed in each section would be best used when evaluating counseling with a counseling supervisor, although they are beneficial even for the counselor to consider on their own.

Overall this book is a quick and helpful read for those evaluating their counseling structure. The contents would be best for a new counselor or a minister who might currently counsel without a clear structure. A Biblical Counseling Process is a great resource to consider in planning out future counseling sessions, and will be revisited by this counselor frequently.

[Maria Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so helpful that as a counseling student, I feel that no future textbook will meet the standard of Whitman’s compelling, gospel-centered handbook. Everything she covered was helpful, and nothing she left out felt lacking.

Impressively informative without being didactic. I hope to incorporate all of her suggestions to my counseling, formally and organically. Every believer should read this book because her insight can inform and improve the counsel-giver in each of us.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This definitely had some helpful tips for helping me think through the basic counseling process. I'm sure I'll pull this out for reference in the future.

[Levi Friesen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely helpful introduction to the process of biblical counselling.

[Eric Rhodes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very helpful book on how to approach each stage of counseling.

[Kelton Zacharias · Rating 5 out of 5]

A practical step-by-step guide for counseling – I took tons of notes and refer to them often.

[Patrick Porras · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brief overview with some helpful nuggets of ONE idea of what a biblical counseling process could look like.

[Katie Kelting · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the resource I’ve been looking for! So helpful and practical! Highly recommend!

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This very helpful, succinct resource is essentially a primer for newer counselors, guiding them through the beginning, middle and end of a counseling relationship, covering both theory and practice in an easily implementable way. First the theory is outlined with the goals of counsel at that stage, a potential session structure, and topics for the counsellor to be considering. Then, through the use of one main case study throughout the book, Whitman illustrates how to do it in sessions with a real counselee.

Positive aspects include:
- The call to be empathic, face our own assumptions, and be aware of cultural differences with a counsellee.
- She models a natural and seamless way to integrate scripture and Jesus with someone’s life experience.
- The approach seems to be similar to person-centred cognitive behavioural therapy. However, it is integrated with a biblical perspective that acknowledges sin, forgiveness, potential for change and growth in Christ, and a desire to love God and others.
- It’s well structured, and easy to read.

One note: this book should not operate as a stand-alone tool. It does not make the reader a biblical counselor. Anyone training to be a biblical counselor would likely be taught much of the content. So, it will likely function as a simplified reminder of what a counselor in training would be learning or already know.

So, this book is aimed at a rather specific audience - the new biblical counselor - but for them, there is much of value within.

(For a more detailed review - see https://musingsinadelaide.blogspot.co...)

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly helpful resource as I'm re-entering the counseling space. This book would be most helpful for someone new to the biblical counselor role looking for encouragement, guidance, and structure for how to approach counseling from a biblical perspective. I imagine it may not be as helpful for someone who has a good deal of counseling experience because it does go into detail for the beginning, middle, and end of the counseling process (as the title aptly states). There are some helpful references to primarily CCEF articles at the end of the book if you have a membership or are interested in paying for some additional resources. I read this as an e-book but likely will get a physical copy for easy reference as I continue growing as a biblical counselor.

[Bethany Roseberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outside of a few instances in which Lauren speaks to race, rather unnecessarily, and seems to be in line with CRT thinking, I found this book helpful. As counselors, we should view each individual as different from us and coming from different walks of life and points of view. This is not about race, but about the reality that we don't know with whom we sit across at the counseling table, so we must come humbly and curious. Apart from this unfortunate blunder, this book had great questions to think through and ways to establish goals and momentum in counseling. I would recommend this book with this caveat.

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, the book provides some helpful thoughts on the process of biblical counseling. She clearly has experience in counseling and her insights into the ministry are worthy of reading. I am concerned that there are at least two instances where she has an over emphasis on race and seems to advocate elements of CRT. How much this ideology pervades her theology is not evident in the book; in fact, outside of those two instances, it is not visible. So, I cautiously recommend the book as long as you understand and are willing to ignore the references to racial ideology.

[Troy Nevitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book. It was not a novel approach, nor did I find it uniquely insightful, but it was a good book.

The few things I found helpful were the aspect of seeing clients as people who you grow to care for, and the questions a counsellor asks himself or herself.

There is a clear and genuine love woven into the book, and it was an easy and pleasant read to get through.

Not the best 4-star book, but certainly no waste of time.

[Ben Franks · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent resource that gives new counselors tangible markers to know where they are in the counseling process and how to keep things moving forward. The case studies and examples she weaves into the book help to know what these things look like in real life and the short chapters keep the book moving. Very useful for those learning the art and craft of counseling.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great overview of the biblical counseling process. I loved how the chapters were short and practical and how she used a case study example to show how to apply the information.
My biggest takeaway was to think about the counseling process as helping the counselee interpret their situation in a biblical way and then imagine a faithful way forward applying biblical principles.

[Caroline McGill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful and practical primer for thinking through the steps of biblical counseling. However, if you are like me and not intending to counsel anyone in a formal setting, you may find parts of this book a bit clinical, though still helpful for thinking through how to practically walk with someone through a difficult situation and give them practical steps for biblical change.

[Linnea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book, training wheels if you will, for starting a counseling ministry. As an immediate follow up, I'd go to "instruments in the hands of the Redeemer" by Tripp. Together, they give a practical and theological overview to individualized discipleship.

[Heather Mclintock · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for anyone who is considering biblical counselling as their ministry. Although not everything was relevant to me, this book was practical and helpful-just what is needed for this kind of ministry

[Steven Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's plenty of books about biblical counseling. This book is the first I've read on the actual process of biblical counseling. I would have liked it to be a little more in depth. It came across too truncated at times, but still a good read.

[Nadine Giles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book offers simple, practical wisdom for engaging with a counselee at the beginning, middle, and end of a counseling relationship. It’s a quick read, but one that I’ll probably go back to in the future.

[Lucas Nosal · Rating 5 out of 5]

The reason I gave this book 5 stars is not because of any profound wisdom, but because of the simplicity and practicality of it. This is a great starting point for biblical counselling. I wish this was one of the first books I read on counselling.

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very helpful tool in more deeply understanding some of the specific actions a counselor can take to aid the counselee. Although not a template to copy precisely, the explanations about the scenarios and approaches help build a more robust base of biblical wisdom to operate from.

[Ashlee Schmidt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whitman provides helpful and practical direction and clear benchmarks for biblical counselors at each stage of the counseling process. This book will serve as a methodological guide for those seeking to faithfully combine loving care and wise help in their counseling relationships.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good overview.

[Marjorie Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good!! Practical and biblical!