Effective Biblical Counseling: A Model for Helping Caring Christians Become Capable Counselors (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "Listen to what might be a typical conversation between a client and a Christian counselor: Client: I am so frustrated..." (more)
Key Phrases: deficit motivation, secular psychology, biblical counseling, Basic Anxiety, Holy Spirit, Nothing Butterists (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

What the Critics Are Saying About Effective Biblical Counseling “Helpful insights that can be used...to help those who are hurting to move forward to successful Christian living.”

“Well researched in both psychological and theological data and presented in a readable style that makes it valuable to pastors...”

“It is not often that a book the quality of Effective Biblical Counseling comes along.”

“...members of any church, or other group of Christians, would benefit by such loving biblical concern and counsel.”

“...loaded with lots of help.”

“Crabb has done his homework well.”

“…‘must’ reading for the Christian professional.”

In Effective Biblical Counseling, Gold Medallion Award-winning author Dr. Larry Crabb Jr. presents a model of counseling which can be gracefully integrated into the functioning of the local church. He asserts that counseling is simply a relationship between people who care, and that its goal is to free people to better worship and serve God.

This book will show you how to help people achieve obedience and character growth in their lives, and establish a sense of personal worth and security along the way.

Dr. Crabb says, “I believe that God has ordained the local church to be his primary instrument to tend to his people’s aches and pains. In writing this book I have tried to be of practical help to Christians who want to be more effective in ministering to their suffering brothers and sisters. -- Publisher

Product Description

This book from award winning author Dr. Larry Crabb seeks to think through a model of counseling which can be integrated into the functioning of the local church. It contains a chart appendix.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 212 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan; Fifteenth Printing edition (June 14, 1977)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310225701
• ISBN-13: 978-0310225706
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #205,603 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Has some strong points, August 10, 2003

By	Robert Wynkoop (Washington State) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Crabb believes that the local church should assume the responsibility for restoring people who are in need of healing. For too long the church has abdicated this biblical role. He states that there are three levels of counseling. Level I is counseling by encouragement which every member of the church can do by helping hurting people focus on establishing biblical feelings. Level II is counseling by exhortation. This level of counseling requires a good biblical background, it can be done by elders, Sunday School teachers and pastors. Level III is counseling by enlightenment that tries to establish godly behavior through changed thinking.

A picture is worth a thousand words. Larry Crabb's charts give clarity and meaning to his writing. While having a strong biblical basis, Crabb does not ignore the contributions of secular systems of psychology, rather, he puts them thorough the sieve of biblical truth to find practical helpful advise. I appreciate his thoughtful critique of competing systems of psychology. He gives the reader a general introduction to the different schools of counseling, both secular and Christian. Rather than bashing the non-Christian viewpoints he notes their strengths and exposes their humanistic presuppositions. The discussion of Transactional Analysis on pg. 39 demonstrates a model of secular psychology adopted by the evangelical church. While Transactional Analysis can be a helpful tool for the pastor, Crabb looks at its humanistic presuppositions and warns of its misuse. He sees man's basic need as significance and security. People need to know that they have worth and that they are loved. Crabb has a gift to communicate in a clear way some rather technical stuff. Also worthy of note is Crabb's discussion how problems develop in chapters six and seven.

I really enjoyed this book but I felt as if I were duped. The church is to have three levels of counseling, yet, it is not until pg. 165 that Mr. Crabb states that Level II counseling (counseling by encouragement) is for "elders, pastors, deacons . . . other spiritually mature." The bulk of the book is about Level III counseling which requires specialized training of six months to a year to learn. Mr. Crabb admits to not having develop a teaching curriculum for it. Clearly, Level III counseling requires a time commitment that few pastors and lay people can afford to make.

The book gave me hope that we can do Level I and II counseling with very little training. I am afraid, however that Level III counseling is out of reach most churches. The time, expertise and expense in trading are beyond the means of most small churches. Personally, this book helped me order my thinking on pastoral counseling. In seminary, I was taught an eclectic model of counseling with no biblical worldview. It left me drifting in a mass of psychobabble. I highly recommend this book because if its excellent survey of competing schools of thought and its thorough analysis of them.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very readable - powerful concepts, January 20, 2006

By	David S. Rhodes (Scottsdale, AZ United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Dr. Crabb does a good job a presenting his case for powerful Christian counseling. Readers should remember that this is Dr. Crabb's opinion and observation - not the Bible itself.

He does a wonderful job of crafting the structures of counseling and how the church should (and is obligated) to participate fully in the healing needs of its members.

Congratulations and thanks for a job well done!

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unique, February 15, 2003

By	Craig Ashhurst "craiginoz" (Canberra, ACT Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Crabb's approach is unique in the Christian world and very effective. This book sets out his general approach but his later books fill out the practical outworkings.