Council of Counselors: Scripture & Singles / Insecure Women / Emotional Regulation / Adultery Trail / Quality Rehab

This is a weekly post that highlights resources from other counselors that I have found helpful. The counselors may be from the biblical counseling, Christian psychology, integration, or secular counseling traditions. By linking to a post, I am not giving it my full endorsement, I am merely indicating that I believe it made a unique contribution or raised an important subject for consideration.

Scripture’s View of Singleness by Laura McGee

48.6%. That’s the number of singles currently living in the Triangle (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill), according to the US Census Bureau. Does that surprise you? Shock you? Make you shrug your shoulders?

• The Village Church has put together an excellent resource page on singleness and dating.

Women, Insecurity, and the Self-Help Gospel by Sharon Hodde Miller

I’m concerned we are misdiagnosing insecurity. And as a result, I’m concerned we are mistreating it too. I first stumbled toward this realization after wrestling with insecurity in several areas of my life. I devoured every book and article I could find on the subject of self-esteem. I read verses about God’s delight in me. I self-talked scriptural truths about my identity in Christ. I did this for months, and at the end of it all, I realized something. None of it helped.

• If this post interests you, then you might also benefit from the “Finding Your Confidence, Identity, & Security in Christ” seminar.

Emotion Regulation Activity for Children by Eliza Huie (4 minute video)

This is an adapted exercise used by counselors who work with children. Adding color and creativity can make the chart more personalized and child-friendly.

• A basic question this video might prompt is, “What Is “Emotional Maturity”?“

Where Are You on the Adultery Trail? by Tim Chester

In this extract from the newly released 2 Samuel for You, author Tim Chester reflects on how physical adultery springs out of two other, less recognised adulteries. “Then David sent messengers to get her [Bathsheba]. She came to him, and he slept with her.” (2 Samuel 11:4) Adultery is ugly. But before David thought about the act of adultery with Bathsheba in this famous story, there were two other kinds of adultery he had already committed.

• If you are on this trail (or have been), then you might benefit from “False Love: Overcoming Sexual Sin from Pornography to Adultery” and your spouse from “True Betrayal: Overcoming the Betrayal of Your Spouse’s Sexual Sin.”

What Makes a Good Addiction Treatment Program? by John F. Kelly

There are some important empirically-backed indicators that reflect higher quality treatment that will increase the likelihood of a positive response to treatment. So while we await more empirical research, the list below is a great place to start in evaluating which treatment program would be the best treatment provider for you or your loved one.

• The “Overcoming Addiction and Substance Abuse” seeks to honor the best practices of addiction treatment while be grounded in the gospel.

What I’m Reading

Teaching for Change: Eight Keys for Transformational Bible Study with Teens by Ken Coley. Teaching for Change guides teachers to unravel the mystery of how students absorb and process information. This insight leads to better prepared lessons that will engage the hearts and minds of students.

Coley offers many easily implemented ideas for sharing the truth of God’s Word that will connect with teens on a deeper level. Along with providing eight key concepts of effective teaching essential to real transformation in the lives of students, Coley also includes practical illustrations of how the key concepts look in a typical lesson. Each chapter ends with questions for deeper reflection or group discussion. This book is a vital source for anyone who instructs teens.

Tweets of the Week

Meaningful Meme

On the Lighter Side

Because, “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones,” Proverbs 17:22.