Finding Validation Through Christian Counseling
The church can provide many opportunities for healing and personal growth. However, it is also a place where we can feel judged and not accepted by the community members. Many people have been hurt by the church in the past, either directly or indirectly.
Often, we seek validation from pastors, church elders, or other church members only to be left feeling unheard and misunderstood. The church communities are often the first place Christians turn to for help, so when they are let down by their experience, it can feel as if there is nowhere else they can turn.
But Christian Counseling can offer you the support, open-mindedness, and guidance you need. It can give you the clarity that you seek and the validation they desire.
Keep reading to learn how it can help.
Counseling Let's You Speak Your Truth
Therapy provides you with a safe space to express yourself. It's a confidential, non-judgemental space that allows you to talk about what you are feeling. A Christian counselor is there to listen. They don't seek to condemn you, ridicule you, or make you feel less than because of how you feel.
Instead, a Christian counselor is there to provide a place where you can finally be heard. They are not there to agree with how you handled a situation but instead helping you understand how you reacted to a certain situation. Through this validation, they'll also help you work to develop resilience and more self-compassion.
It Recognizes and Gives Weight to Your Experiences
Your past experiences have shaped you in ways you may not even realize. A Christian counselor will recognize how the past hurt you encountered influences you now. They will see you for who you are and not through a judgemental or idealistic lens. Because of this, you can find validation and understanding. Working with someone who is trained as a Christian counselor AND understands the human mind can be really powerful.
You Can Find Validation From God Through Counseling
As Christians, the greatest source of validation we should turn to is God himself. But that is easier said than done when God doesn't have a cell phone we can pick up and ring him on. While you are talking about your issues and concerns with a counselor, this is often when God will send you the words and signals that you need to hear.
Whether that is through recommended books, podcasts, or other resources, you may find that you get the answers you seek from Him.
You Can Feel Your Emotions Without Illiciting a Response
We've all been there. Someone is trying to comfort us in our turmoil, and they want to cheer us up. The intention is pure and comes from the heart, they don't want to see us suffer, but that isn't necessarily what you need. When you are in a Christian counseling session and your emotions are raw, your counselor won't try to immediately cheer you up.
As counselors, we know humans have a tendency to bottle our emotions and feelings up until we explode. So we understand that sometimes the best thing to do is let your emotions go out with no other goal in mind. Sometimes, in therapy, the best response is to admit that we have no response.
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As Christians, we often need more guidance in our spiritual journey. But, while you may have felt invalidated in the past, you don't have to continue to feel this way. Christian counseling is a powerful way to strengthen your soul and spiritual journey, no matter what you have gone through.