Mike Emlet
Understanding the Influences on the Human Heart

Counseling and Physiology Class: Neurobiology of Addiction (or, A Good Thing Gone Bad)

In the first chapter of the American Society of Addiction Medicine’s textbook on addictions, Alan Leshner says this: “The brain of someone addicted to drugs is a changed brain; it is qualitatively different from that of a normal person in fundamental ways, including gene expression, glucose [sugar] utilization, and responsiveness to environmental cues.”

Counseling and Physiology Class: OCD

As an extension and application of the material on psychiatry, we recently covered the topic of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in class.  People with this struggle find that they have persistent and intrusive, anxiety-producing thoughts (obsessions) that are usually (but not always) associated with behaviors/rituals (compulsions) that lessen the anxiety.

Announcing a New Book by Mike Emlet

A Remedy for “Take Two Verses and Call Me in the Morning”

Mike Emlet knows that Christians struggle with real life problems—and he believes the Bible offers divine wisdom for life’s challenges. But he discovered that effectively applying ancient Scripture to modern life is challenging, sometimes resulting in simplistic prescriptions, which resemble “Take two verses and call me in the morning.” So, Mike wrote the new book CrossTalk: Where Life & Scripture Meet to give Christians the tools to bridge the gap between the Bible and the everyday struggles of contemporary life. He provides not only specific guidelines for using Scripture in ministry, but also illustrates how it might look, by providing case studies of Scripture effectively applied to life struggles.

Read the Introduction and Chapter 1 (PDF) and watch a video (below) of author Mike Emlet talking about CrossTalk.

Counseling and Physiology Class: Psychiatry

This past Monday we started our exploration of psychiatry and psychiatric diagnoses. I asked the class what particular questions and concerns they brought to the table when considering this topic. Here are a few of their responses:

Counseling and Physiology Class: Psychoactive Drugs…continued

This past Monday we concluded our discussion of psychoactive medications. As I’ve thought about when it’s appropriate or not appropriate to use psychiatric medications, I’ve concluded the following:  It depends.  (How’s that for a definitive answer?!)  In other words, the use or non-use of these medications is a wisdom issue, and depends on many different factors in the life of the individual I am counseling.  The decision has to be contextualized to the person at hand and involves knowing their story and the contours of their struggle intimately enough to bring wise counsel that addresses the person holistically, body and spirit.

Counseling and Physiology Class: Psychoactive Drugs

This week, I gave the first of two lectures on the nature and use of psychoactive medications. I began the class with an exercise that pushes students to wrestle with their presuppositions regarding the use of psychiatric medications. I asked the question, “To which of the following people would you strongly consider giving medications to, or at least refer to a physician for consideration of that option?”

Counseling and Physiology Class: Asperger Syndrome

“Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4).  Fairly straightforward command— right?  But consider this question:  do we all have the same baseline ability to obey this command?  Might there be individual differences among us that make this command either easier or more challenging to carry out?

A Blog Series by Mike Emlet, M.D.

Counseling and Physiology Class: Post 1

I recently started teaching my fall class, Counseling and Physiology, and I decided to do a brief reflection after each class, starting this week. This class explores the practical implications of the fact that we are body-spirit image bearers and therefore need to consider both aspects of our personhood carefully as we minister to others.

Today I divided the class into two sides and asked them to debate the question, “Can our bodies make us sin?” (This is the closest a seminary classroom can get to a Bud Light commercial: “Tastes Great!” vs. “Less Filling!”)

Here’s what the “NO!” side of the room came up with:

• Romans 1:18ff focuses on the fact that sinners actively choose evil (See also James 1:14-15)
• The Bible speaks of the body as weak, dependent, and limited, but never as sinful (see Ed Welch’s Blame it on the Brain).
• The body is the context of temptation but it is not the source of temptation or sin.
• Mark 7:20-22 points to the heart as the source of evil/uncleanness.
• Col 3:10 speaks about the inner renewal that comes through Christ.
• If you allow the body to have the final say when it comes to sin, you set aside responsibility.

(Listen to this audio podcast by clicking the play button above.)

This week we take a break from our usual topical podcasts to give you a glimpse into the teaching ministry of CCEF. One of CCEF's greatest blessings is God's provision of our wonderful faculty. In this podcast, we've asked three of those teachers—Mike Emlet, David Powlison, and Tim Lane—to tell us about some of the courses they teach for both CCEF's online and on-site counselor training. (More info here.) Even if you never plan to take one of our courses, we think you'll be inspired and challenged by the passion of these teachers for their subjects.

CCEF's Distance Education training gives you the opportunity to receive the same renowned biblical counseling training that our students in Philadelphia receive, but from the comfort and convenience of your own home.

• Learn how to help people change through the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
• Enhance your ministry.
• Grow in Christ yourself as you learn from our gifted teachers.

Registration deadline for August classes is July 15. Find out all you need to know and register today!