Why I Switched Careers from Psychologist to Biblical Counselor
I’ve worked in the field of psychology for over a decade now. I’ve done private practice and taught in a graduate psychology program. I loved my work, my clients, my students, and my colleagues. I was respected in my community as a professor and psychologist. But I left my job in psychology to start and lead a biblical counselling ministry at a church across the country. Why? When I talk to people about biblical counselling, it brings up varied thoughts and emotions. Some people are unfamiliar with it. But to others, biblical counselling connotes misquoted Bible verses, uncompassionate calls for repentance, and an overly reductionist view of mental health struggles. They’ve experienced (or know people who’ve experienced) counselling from well-meaning pastors and ministry leaders that made them feel utterly misunderstood, with their suffering and pain reduced only to a trial that must be embraced with joy. My heart grieves when I hear those stories. And yet, here I am—a psychologist tur