The Christian Counselor's Manual is a companion and sequel to the author's influential Competent to Counsel. It takes the approach of nouthetic counseling introduced in the earlier volume and applies it to a wide range of issues, topics, and techniques in counseling:

• Who is qualified to be a counselor?
• How can counselees change?
• How does the Holy Spirit work?
• What role does hope play?
• What is the function of language?
• How do we ask the right questions?
• What often lies behind depression?
• How do we deal with anger?
• What is schizophrenia?

These and hundreds more questions are answered in this comprehensive resource for the Christian counselor. A full set of indexes, a detailed table of contents, and a full complement of diagrams and forms make this an outstanding reference book for Christian counselors.

Table of Contents:

Part One: The Persons

I. The Persons Involved in Counseling

II. The Holy Spirit Is the Principal Person

III. The Human Counselor

IV. The Counselee

Part Two: The Presuppositions and Principles

V. Presuppositions and Principles Basic to Counseling

VI. Hope

VII. Prayer: The Base for Christian Counseling

VIII. The Reconciliation/Discipline Dynamic

IX. Reconciliation

X. Presuppositions and Methodology

XI. Technique

Part Three: The Practice and Process

XII. The Language of Counseling

XIII. The Language of Emotion and Action

XIV. Sin Is the Problem

XV. Love in Counseling

XVI. Support, Sympathy, and Empathy

XVII. The Motivation for Change

XVIII. Effecting Biblical Change

XIX. Elements of Dehabituation and Rehabituation

XX. Getting Started

XXI. Goals and Terminal Dates

XXII. The Commitment of the Counselee

XXIII. Is There a Problem?

XXIV. Two basic Approaches

XXV. Ways of Gathering Data

XXVI. Asking Questions

XXVII. Helping Through Homework

XXVIII. An Analysis of Homework

XXIX. Ways of Using Homework

XXX. Gifts That Differ

XXXI. How to Handle Anger

XXXII. Dealing with Envy, Brooding, Fretting, and Self-Pity

XXXIII. Helping Depressed Persons

XXXIV. Helping the ‘Schizophrenic’

XXXV. Resolving Sexual Difficulties

XXXVI. Helping Those Who Fear

XXXVII. Counseling Those Who Fear That They Have Committed the Unpardonable Sin

XXXVIII. Conclusion

About the Author 

Jay E. Adams (PhD, University of Missouri) is a former director of advanced studies and professor of practical theology at Westminster Theological Seminary, as well as a retired pastor. He has written over fifty books on pastoral ministry, preaching, counseling, Bible study, and Christian living.