Counseling and Community: Using Church Relationships to Reinforce Counseling

Traditionally, counseling has focused primarily on the individual--overlooking the interaction between the community and the individual. Wilson has created a biblically-based counseling model that anchors the individual within the community. The result is a perspective that encompasses all aspects of a person's life, where the community becomes a helper in the counseling process. The thesis of this book is tied to the assumption that we need a counseling approach that is community-oriented rather than exclusively focused on the individual. When this is the case, we will be able to appreciate the biblical emphasis on the people of God. While he prizes a relationship with individuals, God's heart is with a body, a fellowship, a community. Both pastors and private counselors need to reaffirm the priority of community and its power in the healing process. Rod Wilson (PhD, York University) is President and Professor of Counselling and Psychology at Regent College in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He is also the author of Exploring Your Anger and Helping Angry People.