The Purpose of Christian Counseling in a Disconnected and Hurting World

We live in a world of significant disconnection and strife. Issues such as depression and anxiety seem to be more widespread than ever before, affecting individuals, families, and communities in an ever-growing capacity. Even those in the church, Christian families, are faced with issues of isolation, miscommunication, and discord. So, how do we address these problems in a healthy and biblical way? Where do we turn for our source of hope and connection in a disconnected world?

Looking at Jesus, the Source of Healing and Restoration

Picture this moment in history as Jesus attends a synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth. Imagine that you are there when the Lord of Life stands up to address the crowd. What an exciting moment! He takes a scroll and unrolls it. All eyes are watching. What will He say? What will the sermon be from the God who wrote the Scriptures?  

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me…” His eyes land on yours. “…because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.” Every pronouncement hits like a hammer and cuts like a saw. “He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted...” You see a gentle smile crease His face as He locks eyes with you. He continues, “...to proclaim freedom for the captives, and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Your eyes fill up with the wonder of the words He speaks from what we know today as Isaiah 61. 

He speaks as if saying He would do these things for you, healing your wounds and making things right. But His next move stuns you with its implications. He rolls the scroll back up and sits back down. All is silent. Then, He says: “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:16-21). You realize for the first time what He intends to do. He Himself will be the healing for your heart. He intends to be the freedom for the captive places of your soul. He will recover your sight. He will be the freedom for the imprisoned places of your heart. He will be your favor with God. 

Mending Families, from the Inside Out

The healing and redemption that Jesus intends for our human souls, He intends to also reverberate throughout families and even beyond. His restoration is meant for the deepest places within human existence – “truth,” as King David expressed in the Psalms, “in the inmost places” (Psalm 51:6). 

Those of us within the church know this — or at least we hope to know it. Jesus announced to us the very reason He came, the joy set before Him as He endured the cross, was that we would be rescued, delivered, given eyes to see, and become His favored ones – His favorites. But how does Jesus mete out this miraculous rescue? By what means does He provide us this grace?

The church in the West has often answered this question with activities like church attendance, listening to sermons, reading the Bible, community worship and perhaps small groups or personal spiritual disciplines. These things are undoubtedly important and, to some extent, are means of Christ’s grace to us; they can help us grow to become restored and transformed. However, ultimately our hearts also need to be healed from the wounds of this imperfect world; we need a place where we can have individual attention given to the transformational journey of our souls. This healing process is intentional, having the potential to transform us from the inside out and build healthy families, strengthening our interpersonal relationships and ability to love others like Christ.

Much like when we have a physical injury and might need the expert services of a physical therapist, our hearts and minds – our psyche – may need the professional services of a psychotherapist, someone we can trust to guide us into the healing, restoration, and graces that Christ speaks of in Isaiah 61 and Luke 4. This is all the more important when, within the family unit or in intimate relationships, we end up inadvertently harming one another, unintentionally creating wounds, or opening past traumas in our human interactions of imperfection. This is where and why we must be open to using the tools God has given us for mending, forgiveness, and health. A Christian psychotherapist is trained to walk with us, pointing us to biblical truth in the healing of the soul and relationships.

Being the Example for a Hurting World

Of all families in the world, Christian families need this kind of loving service. Families rooted in Christ are rightly oriented in the Kingdom of God as the example of love and redemption to others. Therefore, we must be this living example of ministry to a hurting world. As the enemy seeks to steal, kill, and destroy relationships, he wants families to remain in discord, fragmented, and unhealthy – pushing issues under the rug, resentful, and defensive towards one another. His attacks against Christian families are evident everywhere, emphasizing their importance in the Kingdom of God. As we are beloved and seen by the King of the universe, God desires deepened, thriving connections for us, within our families and beyond.

Christian therapy and/or counseling can help provide guidance, a place to encounter Jesus in the grace of which He intends for us to heal and grow. Christian psychotherapy is focused on building strong, Christ-centered families that glorify God and bless a broken and hurting world.

Therefore, I challenge you to consider where you’ve fallen short in your personal and familial relationships, where you yourself have unresolved wounds, and how you can take intentional steps toward healing. Jesus is the answer, and the tools He’s given us through Christian therapy and counseling are stepping stones.

Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Giuseppe Lombardo 

Dr. Brian Fidler is an assistant professor of counseling at Colorado Christian University, a licensed professional counselor and marital and family therapist in Missouri, and a certified emotionally-focused therapist.

Originally published April 11, 2025.