Faith-based counseling refers to counseling or psychotherapy that involves spiritual and/or religious components. This type of counseling is likely to be of interest to people for whom spirituality or religion play a major role in their lives, and who lean into their faith-based values to help them to make decisions, understand suffering, set priorities, and to create purpose and meaning in their lives.
What Is Faith-Based Counseling?
Faith-based counseling is counseling or therapy that involves a spiritual and/or religious approach. Dependent upon the education and skill-base of the provider, the approach might be entirely religious/spiritual, or it might incorporate and integrate secular psychological theories and interventions as well.
Core Concepts of Faith-Based Counseling
Spirituality
Spirituality refers to a personal connection with a higher power, energy, divinity and/or consciousness, which can provide a deeper sense of purpose and meaning in one’s life.1
Religion
Religion refers to an organized and shared set of beliefs, values, and practices that guide an identifiable religious community in their quest to deepen their spirituality.1
Counseling vs. Psychotherapy
Understanding the differences between counseling and psychotherapy can be confusing because of the potential overlap, and due to the fact that these terms are often used interchangeably. In the broadest sense, counseling can refer to providing information, education, guidance, coaching, advice, and/or supportive listening.
Individuals who use the title of “counselor” in these contexts, are not required to be licensed by the state, and thus do not have to meet minimum educational or clinical requirements. In some cases, however, “counseling” might refer to professional counselling or psychotherapy. Individuals who are professional counselors or psychotherapists will have completed at least a Master’s degree and a supervised clinical internship in a mental-health related field (e.g., clinical counseling, counseling psychology). They must also meet state licensing requirements to provide these services.2
Biblical/Christian Counseling
Biblical counseling is a type of faith-based counseling that is more common among conservative Christian religions. These counselors adhere to the belief that biblical knowledge is both necessary and sufficient to provide the framework and foundational knowledge needed to allow them to counsel their fellow Christians.3
Pastoral Counseling
Pastoral counseling refers to guidance and counsel offered by religious leaders (e.g., priests, rabbis, imams, gurus, etc.). Some pastoral counselors will have had one or two counseling courses as part of their religious training. Others will have completed dual degrees in both religious studies and in the counseling field. The former tend to work in religious settings and are not required to be licenced by the state. The latter, in addition to working in religious settings, will often also work in community settings and will be state licenced to provide professional counseling and psychotherapy.2,3
Faith-Based Psychology, Professional Counseling or Psychotherapy
Faith-based psychology refers to professional psychologists who integrate spirituality or religion into their clinical work. These psychologists have completed doctoral level studies and are licensed to provide services within their state. Within this group are a subset who identify as Christian Psychologists.
Christian psychologists focus primarily on the underlying psychology of the Bible and other Christian texts and use this to guide their clinical practice.3 Likewise, faith-based professional counselors or psychotherapists have completed the education and training required for state licensing, and integrate their faith and spirituality into their clinical practices.
What Are the Goals of Faith-Based Counseling & Who Determines that Goal?
The goals of faith-based counseling will be determined by the client in conjunction with their counselor.
Some of these goals might include:
- Making sense of suffering and challenges in one’s life
- Learning how to use spiritual or religious interventions to deepen one’s faith and increase coping skills
- Finding purpose or meaning in life
- Identifying religious or spiritual values to help to guide life decisions and choices
- Learning how to forgive others or oneself, and how to ask for forgiveness
- Connecting or reconnecting with a religious community
What Can Faith-Based Counseling Help With?
Faith-based counselling can help with:
- Spiritual and religious concerns, including religious abuse
- Interpersonal challenges (e.g., marriage, couple, or family issues)
- Finding meaning and purpose
- Making important life decisions
- Improving and maintaining physical, emotional, and spiritual health
- Reducing distress and symptoms caused by mental illness
- Providing a sense of belonging and connection
- Offering hope
Who Is Faith-Based Counseling NOT Right For?
It will be important that those who seek services from a faith-based counselor or therapist are aware of the approach of the provider of those services, to ensure they fit with their own spiritual or religious values and goals.
There are times when faith-based counseling might not be right for a person, a couple, or a family. Some situations might be beyond the scope of certain faith-based counselors (i.e., those who are not specifically licensed to practice as mental health professionals), and additional specialized care might need to be activated.
Some examples could include cases in which clients are dealing with symptoms of:
- Psychosis
- Schizophrenia
- Bipolar Disorder
- Severe Depression and/or Anxiety
- Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
- Active suicidality
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Furthermore, if a faith-based provider is aligned with religious or spiritual beliefs that believe that mental illness is a result of sinfulness or a lack of faith, this could add an additional burden to a client who is already suffering. Likewise, members of the LGBTQ+ community who are looking for support might connect with a faith-based counselor who further stigmatizes them based on religious or spiritual tenets, which could cause greater harm.
Faith-Based Counseling vs Professional Counseling and Psychotherapy
What are the differences among faith-based counselors, professional counsellors, and psychotherapists? There is not always an easy answer to this question since faith-based counselors might also be licensed as professional counselors and/or psychotherapists depending on their educational and clinical backgrounds, their approach to counseling, and whether they have met licensing requirements within their state.
Faith-based counseling can refer to different practices dependent upon the counselor. Faith-based counselors are commonly referred to as pastoral counselors, biblical counselors, and specific faith-based counselors, therapists, psychotherapists, or psychologists (e.g., Christian psychologists, Jewish therapists, etc.)
A Biblical Counselor is one who has a background in understanding and interpreting sacred texts within a particular religion. This counselor will use their understanding of these texts to provide guidance and support to their clients from a biblical perspective.3
A Pastoral Counselor will tend to be a leader within a religious community (e.g., a rabbi, an imam, a priest, and elder, etc.) who has completed a course of study specific to their religion – which might include some courses on counseling.
In some cases, in addition to their religious training, a pastoral counselor will have also completed a graduate level degree related to providing professional counseling (e.g., social work, counseling psychology, marriage and family counseling), which would allow them to be licenced to practice professional counselling or psychotherapy within their state. Pastoral counselors tend to approach counseling from a religious/spiritual perspective.3
A specific faith-based (e.g., Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Hindu) Professional Counselor, Psychotherapist, or Psychologist has completed extensive studies not only within their faith, but also in a psychology-related field. These counsellors will be licensed to practice within their state. They work to integrate both religious and psychological perspectives in a balanced way in their work with clients.3
Common Types of Faith-Based Counseling Interventions
There are a number of common interventions that might be utilized within faith-based counseling. Such interventions might include prayer or meditation, study of sacred texts, the act of forgiveness, mindfulness, and sacred rituals.3
Prayer or Meditation
Prayer refers to a form of communication in which a person or group directly addresses a spiritual entity for the purposes of requesting guidance, strength, or direct assistance with issues, and/or to express gratitude and adoration. Meditation might also be a type of prayer, depending on the focus of the meditation. Meditation involves consciously directing one’s attention to focus and/or reflect on something specific (e.g., a word, a concept, nothingness, the experience of the present moment) for the purposes of enlightenment, understanding, spiritual connection, or insight.
Reading and Interpreting Religious Texts
Religious texts (e.g., the Christian Bbible, the Quran, the Tanakh) are studied to find guidance and direction regarding a framework for how to live one’s life and perspectives on meaning and purpose.
Forgiveness
Each religion has its own teachings regarding forgiveness, and what is expected of followers. Asking for forgiveness from a spiritual entity and/or the person(s) one has wronged might be deemed the appropriate course of action based on one’s religious and/or spiritual beliefs and values. There might be specific steps one is expected to take regarding repentance or making amends for the wrong one has committed. There might also be directives in terms of forgiving others.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness refers to consciously focusing one’s attention on the moment, i.e., the here and now. It is a foundational practice of Buddhism.5 Mindfulness is learning to notice and accept what is, without judgement or trying to change it.
Sacred Rituals6,7,8, 9
Fasting, repentance/atonement, and smudging are examples of spiritual rituals that might be used as interventions for the purposes of purification, healing, divination, and/or for strengthening spiritual connection.
Faith-Based Counseling Examples
Case Example 1
A 17-year-old woman has made an appointment to see her Catholic high school cChaplain. Her father is physically abusive to her and her mother. She is afraid because her father has threatened to kill her if she tells anyone.
When the young woman meets with the chaplain, he starts with a prayer. She tells him what has been happening. She also tells him that she has been praying for years that things will get better at home, but they are only getting worse. She wonders if God hears her or cares about her and her family. The chaplain reassures her that God cares, but that God has given each person free will, and it is up to her parents to make changes. The chaplain offers her empathetic support and reassurance. He also asks if he can bring in the school social worker, in confidence, to discuss any community support options that would be available to her and her family members.
Case Example 2
A married Jewish couple makes an appointment with a Jewish Professional Counselor. They are struggling with their teenaged son. He has become angry and withdrawn. He is missing school and spending his days sleeping. He only leaves his room occasionally to get something to eat. They have tried to talk to him but he either becomes belligerent or he shuts down and ignores them.
When the therapist meets with them, she starts the session with a prayer. She asks them what their concerns are. She listens and asks some clarifying questions. She empathizes with their concerns for their son and reflects back their love for him. She wonders aloud if their son might be suffering from depression. The mother said she was wondering the same thing. The therapist and parents come up with a two-pronged plan: 1) to obtain a psychological assessment of the son; and 2) for the therapist to continue to provide support and guidance to the parents as the family works through this.
Case Example 3
An elderly man, who is First Nations, makes an appointment with an Indigenous Psychotherapist. The man has been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and has been told he only has a few months to live. He has been offered medically assisted death, which is legalized in his state. He watched his father die an agonizing death from cancer. He is afraid to suffer like his father did, and to put his family through such a death. He is unsure what to do.
The session begins with smudging and prayer. The man explains his situation and his dilemma. The therapist listens and empathizes with him. They explore his fears around suffering, based on what he saw his father go through. They discuss his spirituality and beliefs. The therapist shares a sacred story, which talks about approaching death. They reflect on what it means. At the end of the session, although the man has not made a decision regarding what he will do, he said he will think about their talk before they meet again.
Cost of Faith-Based Counseling
The cost of faith counseling will depend on the credentials of the therapist and the setting in which the service is offered. Within a religious community (e.g., congregation, school, agency, hospital), counseling might be offered free of charge if the person is a member of the community.
Health insurance might cover all or part of the cost of visits to specific practitioners (e.g., professional counselors, psychotherapists, social workers, psychologists). Typically, with health insurance coverage, the cost to the client will be $20-$50 per session.10,11,12
| Possible Faith-Based Counseling/Therapy Providers | Range (per one-hour session) | Average cost (per one-hour session) |
| Bible Counselors Bible counselors have usually completed some level of religious educational training which can vary from a certificate program to a degree program (e.g., Master’s in Divinity). | $0-$200 | Not available |
| Faith-based or Pastoral Professional Counselors, Psychotherapists, and Social Workers These mental health professionals have completed a master’s degree (typically a M.A., M.Ed., or M.S.W.) in a mental health related field such as psychology, counseling, social work, or marriage and family therapy, as well as religious/spiritual education. | $0-300 | $100 |
| Faith-Based Psychologists A faith-based licensed psychologist has completed a doctoral degree, typically in clinical counseling or educational psychology, as well as religious/spiritual education. | $70-$250 | $70-150 |
How to Find a Faith-Based Counselor
If you are a person of faith, your spiritual leader may be willing to give you counsel, and would likely be able to point you to other resources or counselors with similar religious views. It is important to be certain that you seek counsel from someone qualified, so be sure to ask questions regarding their training and certification.
Who Is Able to Offer Faith-Based Counseling?
Faith-based counseling can be offered by:
Biblical Counselors
These individuals have studied religious texts and their interpretation and are knowledgeable about spiritual and/or religious matters.2
Pastoral Counsellors
These individuals will have completed religious/spiritual training education and will often have also completed a degree in a counseling-related field, with a clinical training component (which meets state licensing requirements for mental health professionals). Note: Pastoral counselors are only licensed in a few states at this time.13
Faith-Based Professional Counselors, Psychotherapists, Psychologists
These individuals will have completed educational and clinical programs which meet state licensing requirements AND who identify as having a religious or spiritual approach to their clinical work.3
Christian psychologists focus primarily on the underlying psychology of the Bible and other Christian texts and use this to guide their clinical practice.3 Likewise, faith-based professional counselors or psychotherapists have completed the education and training required for state licensing, and integrate their faith and spirituality into their clinical practices.
One of the things you might want to be aware of is that biblical counselors and some pastoral counselors will not be willing to work collaboratively with other mental health professionals if they are of the belief that psychological theory and practice are inferior to, or in opposition to, their religious teachings.3 Those faith-based counselors who have completed a degree in a counseling or psychology related field however, are more likely to be willing to collaborate with other mental health professionals.
Key Questions to Ask a Faith-Based Counselor or Therapist
- What is your religious or spiritual training and education?
- Do you also have counselor training and education? If so, what kind?
- Do you have areas of specialization? If so, what are they? (e.g., marriage and family counseling, depression, trauma, eating disorders)
- What is your approach? (e.g., support, guidance, advice, counseling, therapy)
What to Expect at Your First Appointment
At your first appointment, your session with a faith-based counselor might include:
- A prayer or other sacred ritual
- Information about your counselor’s approach, your roles, administrative information (regarding how crises are to be handled, fees, appointment cancelations etc.), and an explanation of confidentiality and its limits.
- A discussion about what brought you to counseling, what you would like to work on, and what your goals are
- A conversation about the role that spirituality and/or religion plays in your life.
Is Faith-Based Counseling Effective?
While spirituality and religiosity have been shown to be related to better quality of life, faster remission from depression, enhanced coping abilities, and increased sense of purpose and meaning in life1,14,15, there is currently a scarcity of research focusing specifically on effectiveness of faith-based counseling and religious or spiritual interventions. The limited research available does, however, indicate that faith-based counseling shows promise in promoting the following outcomes:
- Reduction in general anxiety symptoms16
- Decreased stress, alcoholism, and depression16
- Increased sense of well-being17
