I've been to counselling a few times. Long ago, I went to a secular counsellor for a single issue. I was yelling at referees at my kids at hockey minor games. They were embarrassed, my husband was embarrassed, and so was I!
We didn't get deep into my background. We talked about strategies for dealing with it. She gave me a little maxim, "act, don't react." I wasn't just reacting to the game, but the other parents. They would scream and yell, then I would. I moved to a different part of the rink to sit, took a book with me. It literally never happened again. She was an excellent counsellor and free! Not a Christian, but she did have some tools, and help me deal with the issue.
We went for marriage counselling to a woman registered psychologist who my husband's work paid for. They first thing she told us was that we should get divorced. We both got upset and said we loved each other and were best friends. Then, she said she could work with us. (I have a friend who did this. When the marriage counsellor told her she could divorce her husband, she said, "I can?" And got up and went to see a lawyer!)
Anyway, our counsellor was very knowledgeable. She wouldn't see us again till my husband saw a psychiatrist. He had severe depression, which he had had since his father died in an avalanche they were in skiing when he was 14, and he lived. The doctor put him on a max dose of an antidepressant. For the first time in 2 years, he smiled. He also came home from work and said he could do his job.
When we saw her, she pointed out some general relationship tips, and after 5 sessions, we were done. My husband didn't need wise counselling or scriptures. I was totally faithful, but at a breaking point living with such a depressed, angry person. He really had a disease in his brain, and needed some chemical help. He actually sank back into depression again once, I sent to to our GP, told him to say he wanted an AD which my sister had been on and it helped, and the doctor gave it to him. It was a different class of drugs, and it worked wonderfully, and still does, 15 years later.
We also sent our daughter to a child psychiatrist. We had moved into a new home, the doors had not been hung. We heard her inducing herself to vomit after every meal. She was also a figure skater, and had changed to a high pressure coach. The coach was "encouraging" her to lose weight. She only went 5 or 6 sessions, and she stopped doing it. She recovered from bulimia so quickly, because we got her the help she needed. The psychiatrist gave her the tools to stop, and she was Christian. It cost us a lot, and was worth every penny. She didn't need out of context Bible verses to help her, but someone with training, who was also a Christian and had the same world view and a lot of compassion.
I do agree if someone is having major life issues, a Certified Christian counsellor is best. A lot of pastors, even those with training, do not have tools to help. I know a couple in my church who went to the counselling pastor, and he gave them books to read about God, did not deal with their marriage issues. After 3 sessions he sent them on their way, said they would do fine. Of course, they gave up and got divorced.
The Institute of Theology I go to has a whole counselling section leading to certification, that runs and we take shared courses together. Some of them are pastors, professors, counsellors and they have amazing Biblical insight and also know secular tools, and when to use them. That is the kind of counsellor people need.
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