Customer Reviews

Christian Counseling: A Comprehensive Guide

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

My edition is from 1980, but what Collins says in these pages is timeless. He deals with so many different kinds of issues, from personal issues to single/marriage issues and even sex. I certainly don't claim to be a psychologist or counselor, but this book has been a helpful tool to use for reference on a number of issues as I have lived my life and for friends who have been going through a variety of issues. I recommend this for the average Christian layperson.

Collins has written an excellent that is useful for both the professional (pastor, counselor, church staff, etc.) or layperson.

The author discusses counseling in 6 major areas:

1. Personal - anxiety, loneliness, depression, anger, guilt.
2. Developmental - child rearing, development from adolescence to the later years.
3. Interpersonal - sex, homosexuality, violence and abuse.
4. Identity - inferiority, self-esteem, grief, singleness, choosing a spouse.
5. Family - premarital counseling, marital problems, pregnancy, divorce, remarriage.
6. Other - vocational, mental disorders, alcoholism, addictions, spiritual issues.

Collins addresses these areas based on his extensive Bible knowledge and counseling experience. Periodically I have referred to the book and have benefitted from its insights.

Read, be encouraged, and encourage others with what you learn from reading this title!

Highly recommended!

Collins has written an excellent and comprehensive book concerning a wide variety of everyday issues.

The book is organized into 7 main issue areas:

1. Personal (anxiety, loneliness, depression, anger, guilt).
2. Developmental (child rearing, adolescence through the later years).
3. Interpersonal (sex, homosexuality, violence and abuse, relationships).
4. Identity (inferiority, self-esteem, physical illness, grief, singleness, choosing a marriage partner).
5. Family (premarital counseling, marital problems, pregnancy, divorce and remarriage).
6. Other Issues (mental disorders, alcoholism, addictions, financial counseling, vocational counseling).
7. Concluding Issues (spiritual issues, counseling the counselor).

Periodically over the years I have referred to the book and the content seems to be solid and biblical.

Whether a pastor, church staff person, professional counselor, or layperson, you will benefit from the wise counsel from an author with extensive counseling experience and a solid biblical background.

Read, enjoy, be encouraged, and use what you learn to encourage others!

This is a book I had problems putting down. I enjoyed the examples of case references, and the lessons it shows in the way christian counseling benefits people.For those of you not being help by mainstream counseling do yourself a favor and pick this one up.

This book has everything a Christian Counselor would want to know and need to learn in counseling clients with a blend of biblical principles and psychological training. It is an outstanding book, incorporating years of experiences and practical studies with methodology that has been proven by both the American Psychological Association and the American Association of Christian Counselors to benefit the client and counselor. I highly recommend Christian Counseling - 3rd Edition to anyone who is considering becoming a counselor as part of a church lay counseling ministry or a professional clinician working with those who deal with Christian/spiritual issues. It is a must read! Well worth the time and investment.

Although this work is old, even for the revised and updated version, it proves to be a wonderful and accurate resource for biblical counselors. Collins covers several key areas from diagnosis, and treatment to helping those in need of counseling. He has made this work as exhaustive as he can, eventhough, the field of biblical counseling continues to broaden. Students and professional counselors will find this book useful, and most likely, refer to it often. I can't imagine this book gathering too much dust in any couselor's office.

Gary Collins text on Christian Counseling is one of the most comprehensive resources available for counselors. As a seminary adjunct professor and lecturer at several Bible colleges this book has been required reading for the students. Gary Collins is an icon in Christian counseling with numerous books that speak to the issues that counselors need to hear. The book is divided into eight parts and addresss the church and counseling, personal issues,developmental issues, interpersonal-identity-and family issues, along with other issues such as addictions, mental disorders and spiritual concerns. Originally released in 1988 the topics and biblical principles are still relevant today. The text has also been revised, updated and expanded. "Christian Counseling: A Comprehensive Guide" is a much needed resource for clinicians, lay counselors, pastors and leaders.

Generally a very good book. The theological orientation is a bit "low church" (a perception doubtless colored by my own Catholicism) and the chapter on homosexuality is of dubious validity in its claims of the origins of homosexuality (its perspectives are determined more by wishful thinking than by clinical research). Still, it's an interesting overview of issues in pastoral counseling. Not for those without at least some training in counseling issues, but for those who feel that counseling has an imperative to have a spiritual basis, this is a good resource.

Dr. Collin's books have became indispensable for counselors, not only in the US, but around the world, as is my situation. There are not good reliable books edited in Spanish, and the ones we have are mostly from Jay Adams. I am sorry to hear that his works are compared to Dr.Collin's writings. In fact are two different things. Chrsitan Counseling help many people to understand their own issues, as well as, other people's issues. The problem with Jay Adams is that he's lost in an ontological labyrinth.

This is a must buy! This is a keeper. It is a necessary reference for all Christian libraries. I refer to it often.