What Christian Counseling Services Actually Do—and When You Should Use Them

Christian counseling isn’t about preaching or throwing Bible verses at your problems. That’s the first thing to clear up. It’s not a sermon. It’s counseling that integrates biblical principles with proven psychological methods to help people deal with real-life issues—like anxiety, trauma, grief, addiction, broken relationships, and identity questions—while staying grounded in faith.

It’s for people who want professional help but don’t want to leave God out of it. And there’s a real need for that.

Why It Exists

Traditional therapy, even when effective, might leave out something that matters deeply to a person: their faith. For Christians, beliefs about God, purpose, forgiveness, and grace shape how they understand their life and their struggles. So having a counselor who not only understands that but uses it appropriately in the healing process can make a difference.

That’s what practices like New Vision Counseling & Consulting in Oklahoma City are built on. They take what’s been shown to work in mental health—CBT, trauma-informed care, attachment work—and integrate it with Christian values, scripture, and spiritual direction. It's not two separate approaches smashed together. It's one framework that sees the whole person: emotional, mental, relational, and spiritual.

Who It’s For

Christian counseling is for individuals, couples, or families who:

• Want therapy that aligns with their Christian beliefs

• Are dealing with spiritual or moral confusion

• Need help with anxiety, depression, grief, or trauma

• Are going through life transitions like divorce, job loss, or parenting struggles

• Want premarital or marriage counseling rooted in biblical principles

• Are recovering from abuse, addiction, or betrayal and want faith to be part of that process

At places like New Vision Counseling, the counselors are licensed professionals. That means they’ve been trained clinically—but they also share the client’s Christian worldview. And that combination can help clients feel safer, less judged, and more understood from the start.

What Sessions Are Like

A session with a Christian counselor isn’t dramatically different in structure from other types of therapy. You talk. The counselor listens. There’s a plan, not just a venting session. But here’s what’s different:

• Prayer may be included, either at the beginning or end of sessions, if that’s something the client wants.

• Scripture might be referenced, especially when talking about issues like forgiveness, identity, or purpose.

• Biblical worldview is woven in when discussing morality, relationships, boundaries, or emotional growth.

But it’s not a lecture. If you’re expecting someone to just tell you to “pray more and have faith,” that’s not what this is. Real Christian counselors—like those at Shawn Maguire’s practice—deal with the real mess of people’s lives. They don’t give shallow answers.

Topics That Come Up Often

Christian counselors see a wide range of issues. Some of the most common include:

• Marriage conflict where faith plays a role in how each person sees love, submission, forgiveness, or leadership.

• Sexual brokenness or shame, including past abuse, pornography addiction, or sexual identity issues.

• Depression and anxiety that make people feel distant from God—or question His goodness.

• Church hurt or spiritual abuse, which can shake someone’s trust not just in institutions but in God Himself.

• Parenting guidance rooted in biblical principles.

• Grief counseling that explores eternal hope while also dealing with deep emotional pain.

In many of these situations, people feel stuck between what they believe and what they’re experiencing. A Christian counselor helps navigate that tension.

What Happens When Faith Isn’t Integrated

If someone with a deeply rooted faith goes to a counselor who ignores or dismisses that faith, it creates a disconnect. It might feel like you’re splitting in two: here’s your “therapy self,” and over here is your “church self.” That split can make progress harder.

Also, some secular approaches may encourage solutions or mindsets that clash with biblical values—like focusing entirely on self without accountability, or affirming behaviors that conflict with scripture. Christian counseling holds space for healing without abandoning truth.

It doesn’t mean the counselor will give you rules. A good one will walk with you toward clarity and conviction, not impose their own.

Methods Used in Christian Counseling

Christian counseling doesn’t invent its own techniques. It uses proven ones—but filters them through faith.

Some of the common frameworks include:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – to help clients challenge negative thinking with both logic and scripture.

• Trauma-focused therapy – to address deep emotional wounds, often paired with prayer and spiritual reflection.

• Attachment theory – to explore how early relationships shape our connection with others and even with God.

• Narrative therapy – to help clients reshape the story they tell about themselves in light of God's redemptive plan.

• Forgiveness therapy – not forced forgiveness, but helping people understand biblical forgiveness, which is often misunderstood.

In places like Shawn Maguire’s practice, there’s also an emphasis on identity work—helping clients understand who they are in Christ before trying to fix all the symptoms of dysfunction or pain.

Common Misunderstandings About Christian Counseling

A lot of people think it’s just a religious version of self-help. Or that it’s only for “church problems.” Not true.

Also, not everyone who advertises Christian counseling is licensed or qualified. Some are more like coaches or mentors. That’s fine if that’s what you want, but if you’re dealing with serious issues—trauma, mental illness, abuse—you need someone trained to handle that safely.

New Vision Counseling’s team is made up of licensed therapists who are Christians—not just Christians who decided to give advice.

Another misunderstanding: that Christian counseling is rigid, conservative, or judgmental. But in reality, most trained counselors in this space lead with compassion. They understand that people come in with pain, doubt, brokenness, and mess. That’s where the work begins—not where it ends.

When to Seek It

You don’t have to wait for a crisis. That’s something both Shawn Maguire and other Christian counselors emphasize. If your spiritual life feels dry, your marriage is strained, or you’re struggling with purpose—those are early signs that something’s off. And they’re valid reasons to reach out.

Christian counseling is also great for prevention. Premarital counseling, for instance, helps couples align their expectations, roles, and faith values before conflict sets in.

What If You’re Skeptical?

Plenty of people walk in skeptical. Maybe they’ve had a bad experience with church leaders. Or they’re not sure how counseling fits into a faith-filled life. Maybe they’re afraid of being judged.

That’s where the right counselor makes all the difference. Someone who listens. Who doesn’t rush to fix you. Who understands grace. Who knows how to hold your pain without making you feel like a project.

At New Vision, the team’s approach is described as transformational, not transactional. That’s a fancy way of saying: this isn’t a quick fix. But it’s also not aimless. They want clients to leave different—freer, more whole, more connected to God and to others.

How It’s Different From Secular Counseling

Let’s list it out clearly:

Secular Counseling	Christian Counseling
Values-neutral	Faith-informed
Personal fulfillment is key	Alignment with God’s will is key
Self-defined truth	Scripture-based truth
Therapist may avoid spiritual topics	Therapist integrates faith openly
No prayer or biblical references	May include both if desired