Psychology/Theology Counseling Models Critique

Running Head : Anderson 's Counseling Technique

Neil Anderson 's Counseling Technique

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Abstract

Neil Anderson advances the cause of Christian counseling and advances the idea that not only the natural world affects the mental health of people . Rather , the activities of demons also have important effect on people , especially on Christians . This expounds on the main ideas of Anderson and provides a critique of his clinical approach . He berates the false dichotomy between what is spiritual and what is psychological The seven

steps to freedom that he provided are also outline in this . Lastly , this looks at the contribution of Anderson to the field of Christian counseling

Keywords : Christian counseling , Neil Anderson , demonization

Introduction

When people behave very strangely , they are usually thought to be deranged , mentally disturbed or demon-possessed . Although secular psychiatry and psychology tend to discredit demon possession as an explanation for very strange behaviors of people , Neil Anderson (2000 advanced the idea of demon possession and developed counseling methods based on this foundation . He also drew upon the major tenets of Christian doctrines in to develop his theory

Main Ideas of Anderson 's Counseling Technique

Dr . Anderson (2000 ,

. 22 ) believes that people or Christians may be possessed by demons . These demons then , prevent them from taking control of their lives and from breaking fee from bad habits even if the intention to do so were great . When believers commit sins or unwittingly make an entrance for demons to enter their lives , they become enslaved and they cannot live the good life as intended by God . He postulates that the battle for control is in the mind of persons . The demons also attack the believers with lies and other temptations through their minds . Believers are then cautioned to stand firm in the truth in not to create an opening for the demons to enter . Because of human frailty , however , and patterns of thinking and other external influences , the demons may still find their way to the believer

He also expounded on the dangers of losing control over one 's mind and it is then where the demons enter . In addition to this , he points out to the lack of mental discipline of Christians , the recurrence of practices that empowers the flesh instead of the spirit , and deception from the enemy (Anderson , 2000 ,

. 19 . He also argues that demons are very much active in the world today by citing biblical passages and in spite of the claims of psychologists and psychiatrists about mental illnesses Furthermore , he claims that there is no dichotomy between spiritual and psychological matters . More controversially , he claims that Christians may be possessed by demons (Anderson , 2000 ,

. 21

Truth Encounter and Steps to Freedom

In response to demonization , Anderson (2000 ,

. 199 ) developed a clinical approach which espouses a truth encounter in the person being demonized . He built up this counseling technique by first expounding on several truths which are based on the...