How do psychology and biblical counseling work together?

from the old testament

• Genesis 1:26–27 establishes humanity being made in God’s image, with humans having a spiritual nature. Biblical counseling prioritizes this in addressing problems.
• Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick. Because our issue is internal, in our hearts, secular psychology has limitations in addressing the true problem of our hearts. A deep internal, spiritual problem cannot have secular, external fixes.
• Biblical counseling relies on God’s wisdom, rather than human theories. Proverbs 3:5–6 says, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding."

from the new testament

• Scripture is sufficient in guiding, correcting, and equipping believers (2 Timothy 3:16–17).
• James 3:17: "The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable…" God’s wisdom, not human reasoning, is the foundation for addressing life’s difficulties and our hearts.
• Second Peter 1:3–4 tells us that God’s Word and His Spirit are able to give us all we need for life and godliness.

implications for today

Biblical counseling and secular psychology fundamentally differ in their foundations and goals. Secular psychology often focuses on humanistic theories, seeking self-fulfillment and happiness through human effort. It often uses behavior modification or a focus on externals, rather than addressing the root cause. In contrast, biblical counseling prioritizes spiritual growth and sanctification, addressing the root cause of human struggles—sin and our hearts. It does not assume that all your feelings are valid. It does not assume that you should get what you want. Instead, it assumes that you need God’s Word and Spirit to help you find out what is actually true and that He will give you all you need for life and godliness. While some Christian counselors incorporate secular psychology, biblical counseling emphasizes the Word of God as the sole source of truth and transformation. God’s Word, through the power of the Spirit, exposes what it is in our hearts while also providing practical solutions to deal with whatever brings us to counseling.

Counseling can be helpful in providing an outside person to bring understanding or clarity to situations, emotions, trauma, and other difficult situations, but we also need to be careful in who we allow to have this voice in our lives. It is important that we find a biblical counselor when we seek counseling, also recognizing that this person is fallible and does not have the only solution available in a situation. However, finding a biblical counselor is the best place to start. The goal of counseling is not to have this person tell you exactly what to do but to listen, to help expose what is going on in your heart, and to point you back to Scripture and to God with options and tools of how to respond, both now and moving forward.