A Comparison Paper: Effective Biblical Counseling: a Model for Helping Caring Christians Become Capable Counselors by Larry Crabb

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A COMPARISON PAPER: CRABB’S EFFECTIVE BIBLICAL COUNSELING Dr. Larry Crabb believes that “God has ordained the local church to be His primary instrument to tend to his people's aches and pains.” He lays out a counseling plan for the local church to use in his book, Effective Biblical Counseling: A Model for Helping Caring Christians Become Capable Counselors (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1977). In this standard textbook for Christian counselors, he reminds us that people “will never be happy if [they are] concerned primarily with becoming happy (Crabb, page 22).” The real goal of life and thus the path of happiness is glorifying God and serving others. SUMMARY: The author’s theory/methodology 1. Primary goal (What is the desired outcome?) Dr. Crabb shares that the biblical goal of counseling goals should be to help people move over to the path of righteousness (Crabb, 28); and help them move up in their maturity to be like Christ (Crabb, 29). “Moving over” deals with any immediate problems; and “moving up” is about developing character (attitudes, beliefs, purposes) that conforms to Christ (Crabb, 31). People have one basic personal need (that is “personal worth”) that requires two kinds of input for its satisfaction: significance (purpose, importance, adequacy, etc.) and security (love) (Crabb, 63). The counselor’s goal should be to help the person find their significance by helping them understand who they are in Christ (Crabb, 71). A person also needs assistance finding security, which is the demand that they be unconditionally loved, accepted and cared for, now and forever [by God] (Crabb, 72). The counselor should seek to help meet these needs through biblical teaching and counseling techniques. 2. Development of problems and personal need (How do the issues come about?) As shared above, a person has two types of needs (or

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