3 Things I Wish You Knew About Therapy (From a Christian Perspective)
If you grew up in a traditional or conservative Christian environment, you might have inherited a vague, negative connotation about counseling. Maybe you were told it was indulgent, a waste of time, or something only "broken" people do. You might feel that if you just prayed harder or read more scripture, you wouldn't need a professional to help you navigate your mind.
As a therapist here in Minnesota, I talk to people every week who carry this exact tension. They love the Lord, but they feel stuck.
If that’s you, I want to pull back the curtain. Here are three things I wish you knew about what actually happens in the therapy room—and why it might be the most faithful step you take this year.
1. Therapy is Stewardship, Not Indulgence
There is a common misconception that therapy is just an hour of "venting" or paying someone to agree with you. In reality, effective therapy is about stewardship of the mind.
In 2 Corinthians 10:5, we are commanded to "take every thought captive to obey Christ." That is a high-level mental discipline. Sometimes, our "factual reality"—the patterns of anxiety, grief, or trauma we've lived through—makes it incredibly difficult to see the "truth reality." Therapy isn't about navel-gazing; it's about identifying the distortions and "pretensions" that are keeping you from living the life God called you to live. It is hard work, and it is the opposite of indulgent.
2. The Holy Spirit Works Through People
I often hear the objection, "I should just give this to God." While that sounds spiritual, it often ignores the way God actually designed the world to work. From the very beginning, God declared that it was "not good for man to be alone"(Genesis 2:18).
We call this Common Grace. Just as God provides wisdom to a surgeon to heal a broken heart, He provides clinical tools (like CBT or EFT) to help heal a "stuck" mind. I believe the Holy Spirit is a full participant in the therapy room, but He often chooses to minister to people through other people. My role as a therapist isn't to replace your faith; it’s to use the spiritual gifts and clinical training I’ve been given to help you get the "car" moving again.
3. You Don't Need a "Diagnosis" to Need Help
Many people wait until they are in a total crisis before they seek support because they don't want to pathologize their life. They think, "If it’s not a clinical disorder, I should be able to handle it."
But here is the truth: People need people. Sometimes, the reason you can’t "just pray it away" is that your brain is stuck in a loop that requires an outside perspective to break. You don't need to be "broken" to benefit from counseling. You might just need someone with more than average knowledge about the human mind to help you navigate a difficult season, a grieving process, or a relationship that has lost its way.
Final Thoughts: The Client is the Car
I always tell my clients: You are the car. You provide the power and the direction. I am simply the person helping you get unstuck from that specific spot in the mud.
If you’ve been holding back because you’re afraid therapy will make you "less spiritual" or "too self-focused," I want to encourage you: dealing in reality is the most spiritual thing you can do. Christ wants us to live in Truth. And sometimes, the path to that Truth involves a guided conversation.