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Ready to Restore: A Layman's Guide to Christian Counseling

Product Overview

You don’t have to be a professional counselor to help people solve problems. But you do have to understand the principles and practices of biblical counseling.

Here is a guide to Christian counseling written specifically for laypeople. Jay E. Adams, a pioneer in the field of counseling, has taken the most essential elements of counseling and packaged them in this thorough but non-technical volume. The result is neither simplistic nor superficial, but a complete, systematic course, useful for study groups, Bible colleges, church leaders, and individual study.

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About the Author

Jay E. Adams

Jay E. Adams is best known for his many books, including Competent to Counsel, The Christian Counselor’s Manual, Christian Living in the Home, and Solving Marriage Problems. He served for many years on the faculties of Westminster Theological Seminary (Philadelphia) and Westminster Theological Seminary in California, and founded the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation in Glenside, Pennsylvania. Retired from the pastorate, Dr. Adams continues to write and speak on counseling and Christian living issues.

Loving Truth Books & Gifts Review

This book, as the subtitle indicates is The Layman's Guide to Christian Counseling, and, while brief, it is jam-packed with valuable information. I am not a "trained" counselor but often find myself in situations where I am called upon to "counsel"/ advise others.

This book is laid out in 16 brief chapters, the final chapter containing a somewhat dated list of resources to help one grow as a counselor. Do not let that stop you, however, from heeding Dr. Adam's poignant admonition in the opening of chapter 16 that to be truly competent to counsel others one must first grow as a Christian and second grow as a biblical student and practitioner.

Much of the material presented gives one a great overview and framework for counsel. Dr. Adams writes in a clear thorough manner. I found Chapter 9 to be particularly helpful in his discussion and suggestive list for extensive questioning with sample forms for providing structure. Also, time and again, Dr. Adams stresses that Biblical counseling is NOT psychology and he wants the lay counselor to be clear about this as well as to be using Biblical language rather than "pop-psychology."

Another nugget of great information that one might miss if reading quickly is found on page 64 where Dr. Adams points out the differences between Transcendental Mediation (T.M.) versus Biblical meditation, where he states "Christian meditation is not a trance; it is thought--deep thought--about truth, it's implications, and its implementation." Meditation, therefore, is a process of thought rather than feeling.

Review By:  Angela Zaev

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