I first wrote this article a few years ago, but felt it was time for a revamp—one that reflects my more current experiences in the field.
“How is faith-based counseling different from what you’re currently doing?”
That was the question posed by my very first clinical supervisor.
At the time, I was counseling in a community mental health setting—the very environment that first inspired my vision for a faith-based initiative in mental health care. It’s a setting that demands a delicate balance: as counselors, we’re called to provide the highest quality of ethical care to anyone who walks through the door, regardless of their background. At the same time, we wrestle internally with our own values and the limits of what we can provide within a secular framework.
I answered my supervisor in a straightforward way: “I’ll use different interventions.”
To me, faith-based counseling offered a kind of freedom—a way to do the work I love without the fear of overstepping, of unintentionally imposing my beliefs. I was excited about the ability to integrate Scripture, prayer, and existential conversations about purpose and intrinsic value into the counseling process.
And yes, I do use those tools. But faith-based counseling is so much more than the techniques we employ.
Not long ago, I stumbled upon an article discussing how some of Jesus’ words could come off as—well—harsh. That perspective stuck with me because it touched on something universal in counseling: the tension between perception and reality.
So much of our personal experience is filtered through what I call "goggles"—the invisible lenses of perfectionism, resentment, impatience, stubbornness, judgment. These goggles shape the way we interpret not just the world around us, but even Scripture itself. The Bible you read may not be the same Bible I see, because our filters are different.
These same filters—these goggles—are what lead to misunderstandings, conflict, and division in our relationships, our workplaces, and our politics. And yes, they show up in counseling sessions too.
While using prayer and Scripture can be powerful, the heart of faith-based counseling goes beyond what we do. It’s about who we are as counselors.
I’m reminded of 1 Corinthians 13:1 (NIV): “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.”
Love must come first.
As faith-based counselors, we are called to love—radically and unconditionally. That means meeting people exactly where they are, with full awareness of their past hurts, trauma, shame, and insecurities. Faith-based counseling is about loving the person who’s been judged, rejected, and made to feel less-than. It’s about helping them slowly change their goggles—not to erase the pain of the past, but to see through lenses of grace.
Romans 8:38–39 (NIV) reminds us that “neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth… will be able to separate us from the love of God.”
Nothing you’ve done or endured can rob you of your God-given value.
Faith-based counseling creates a safe, unbiased space where clients are seen, heard, and gently guided toward a new vision of themselves—one rooted in truth, love, and identity in Christ. Because the truth is, we can’t fully remove the goggles. As Paul says, “Now we see only a reflection as in a mirror” (1 Corinthians 13:12, NIV). But with the right support, we can begin to shift the reflection. We can change the way we see.
The old hymn says, “Come, just as you are.” And yet fear often holds us back. We’ve been hurt too many times to believe that someone could truly love us as we are—or even that we are lovable. But with the right counselor, fear can begin to fade.
As a faith-based mental health clinician, my goal is simple: to be a vessel of God’s unconditional love for every person who walks through my door. Do I get it right every time? No—I, too, have my own goggles. But I strive to love well, and I trust God to do the rest.
If you’ve never tried faith-based counseling, give it a chance.
Let someone walk with you as you rediscover your identity, your value, and your purpose. Let God gently change the way you see.