I went to a good lunch time service near work yesterday. It was looking at a man Jesus healed and highlighted the difference between our felt need and our real need. A man came wanting physical healing, but Jesus told him that his sins were forgiven. It got me thinking about how this applies to my counselling. So many people come and want a specific issue solved/healed/fixed. Sometimes though it seems that this is not the point. It leaves me with a quandry because I try and stick with what my clients want to talk about but when do I challenge them on something that is behind the scenes?

In the sort of counselling training I received there would have always been the question, “what makes you think you know more/better than your client?”. I think though this stems from the belief that there is no absolute truth. I don’t agree with this and I do believe there are things I can teach my clients, I do believe God can reveal things to both of us that we do not know. I do wonder whether mainline counselling is for me or whether pastoral work is more my thing.