What is Christian Counselling?

The first time I met with a psychologist, I was trying to explain how it felt like I was under some type of Spiritual oppression, I couldn't really articulate my feelings but instead of being met with compassion and understanding, I was made to feel like my faith had nothing to do with my feelings and that my experience was purely biological. They suggested I take some anti-depressants, get some exercise and maybe take a break from church. I walked away feeling misunderstood, more confused and isolated. Through that time of seeking support and healing from my own personal trauma, I discovered such a great need for Christian counsellors who could understand the complexity that their clients bring into therapy and seek to understand them not only from a physical perspective but also from a spiritual perspective. Each Christian counsellor is different, and the relationship matters the most. If you feel safe and connected to your therapist, this is the most effective environment for healing to begin.

Some Christian counsellors do not integrate any secular psychological theories of human change into their approach and rest purely on biblical insights. We believe that God has given humans wonderful knowledge and insight into way our brains are beautifully wired, and we seek to utilise the best evidence-based approaches in our work. At Hope Christian Counselling we partner with our clients in discovering how God has uniquely formed and designed them, their unique story and strengths and we align this with our knowledge of trauma, attachment and holistic wellbeing. We listen from a position of non-judgement knowing that we are all on a journey of getting to know Christ better and becoming more like him in our character. We rest on the wisdom of the Holy Spirit in navigating difficult areas of our client's lives, we always consider our client's need for psychological safety and seek to empower our clients in working towards their own goals for therapy.

You might be wondering, well what if I am not a Christian can I still access counselling support through Hope Christian Counselling? Absolutely! We would love to support you and bring compassionate, trauma informed care. We seek to uphold the professional code of ethics and always seek to work with your values, goals and concerns.

We love questions, please use our contact page to reach out if you would like to know more!