"Biblical counseling is often thought of as a Christianized Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT). That is a problem if that is the case. CBT encourages self-talk. But we encourage talking to Someone else."

-David Powlison in his course Theology and Secular Psychology

In the Austin area? Come hear Dr. Tim Lane, Executive Director at CCEF and author of How People Change, address the question of how you can do effective gospel ministry in your local church. You will be equipped, strengthened and encouraged. Register here to bring your staff or church leaders.

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As a parent I want to create opportunities to have meaningful and fruitful conversations with my children. I often use role-playing as a means to accomplish that goal. Role-playing is when you present a situation to your children and ask them what they would do and say as they take on different roles in the story. For example, your child may not know what to do when a peer pressures him to lie or cheat.  Role-playing gives children an avenue in which to practice possible responses to difficult situations. It allows children to think with you about situations they haven’t encountered.

Some passages of Scripture could be read before every counseling time, no matter what the circumstances.[1]  This is one of them.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,
      and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
      for I am gentle and humble in heart,
      and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Matt 11:28-30)

Bullying happens in every school across America. This means it is highly likely that your child or one of the kids in your church has experienced bullying. And since it has become an area of concern in schools and a focus in national media, techniques and advice now abound. CCEF wants to offer a perspective on bullying that goes beyond punishment or behavior modification and toward wise love for the bullied and the bully. We recently sat down with Julie Lowe to discuss this issue and practical helps for parents, youth leaders, and children’s ministry workers.

As parents we often struggle with this reality: the older our kids get, the weightier their decisions become. We also realize there is a great deal of evil in the world that we want to protect our children from. Given these facts, parents are often tempted to micromanage in an effort to prevent poor decisions. Parents may have good intentions but can become overbearing when driven by fear. As a counselor I want parents to focus on helping their children grow in independent decision-making. Ultimately we want children to have two things that go hand-in-hand: