The Rise of Biblical Counseling

[ladyamylynn]

My grandmother is a nouthetic counselor. Bonus! She also performs exorcisms. She does have a bachelor's degree in Psychology but some of the things she does are just jaw-droppingly unethical- like discussing details of patient cases with family, or offering to have my grandfather go rough up the ex husband of a patient. Fun fact, she ended up setting up that same patient with my dad, her son! They married after knowing each other for less than three months, about a year after my parents divorced. 

[feministxtian]

I have issues with depression, anxiety, PTSD along with ADHD and ASD. I have been told that if I had more faith or changed churches to a "real bible believing and teaching" church all my issues would resolve themselves. Guess these morons don't believe in neurological and biochemical disorders....thank God for Lexapro,  Trazadone, Xanax, a good (Christian) licensed therapist and my recovery group...without those I probably would have gone and stepped out in front of that semi truck.

[grandmadugger]

The one difference I've seen from some area IFB, which isn't much better, is since they need money so badly that the children have all kinds of "disorders" in order to get money.  Anything that can be diagnosed by observation only.  God only knows what those kids actually have because the "parents" have found doctors who support them.  I don't trust any doctor who prescribes chemical-balance meds over the phone. 

[lawlifelgbt]

I think religion of any type can help. When I was a teenager and in college and had a problem with self-harm, I told a church leader I could trust. But, that was in conjunction with actual counseling and I mostly talked to the church to help me deal with the idea that because I was having that problem and, you know, harming what God gave me, it was really wrong and I didn't deserve to be a part of the church.

My friends also prayed for me (the Christians of different levels of liberal/conservative and my Muslim best friend). But, instead of bashing me with religion, they just let me talk and comforted me when I needed it. I also learned "breath prayers" which are your standard antianxiety breathing exercises with a short prayer to repeat in your head as you do it.

So I don't know if it was the religion that helped or just knowing people cared.