Dr. Woodward uses this session to discuss the various Christian counseling approaches because he wants us to be able to see where the Grace Fellowship International (GFI) model fits in with the rest of the models that we will be exposed to throughout our ministry.

There are some forms of Christian counseling that rely on the principles of psychology combined with the Scriptures as the basis for guiding their clients through life’s challenges.

The goal now is to guide the client into a position where he can transition from his “self” being the controller and source of his life, to that of Christ being the controller and source of his life.

As discussed in the previous blog, in the trichotomous model of man, the essential makeup of man is shown to the client using what Dr. Solomon refers to as the Wheel Diagram, divided into three sections, consisting of the client’s spirit, soul, and body.

Dr. Solomon’s model of counseling is focused on helping believers appropriate their union with Christ, experientially.

In a world filled with competing counseling models, it’s not uncommon to find contrasting views on what “biblical” or “Christian” counseling truly means. Searching for answers can feel overwhelming, and the terms alone—“biblical counseling” versus “Christian counseling”—can spark endless debates on how, or whether, secular counseling methodologies fit within a Christian framework. Yet through this search, we can find clarity. Siang-Yang Tan, a respected voice in Christian counseling, has described three major approaches: 1) the non-integrative paradigm, 2) the manipulative paradigm, and 3) the non-manipulative paradigm