Biblical Counseling
What is Biblical Counseling?
Biblical Counseling is counseling with the Bible as our sure and unshakeable foundation. We believe that God’s Word is more than facts and ancient stories- God’s Word is active and living and speaks into our lives today (Heb 4:12). Whatever is going on in life- our joys, our sorrows, our heartaches, our fears, our messy relationships, our temptations- the Bible points us to a God who is not absent or aloof or far away from us. The Bible points us to a Father who loved us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to experience the ultimate suffering on our behalf and die for our sins, so that we can approach a holy God in our times of need and experience His amazing and immense mercy towards us.
Biblical Counseling is about a relationship. God has not left us to figure things out or fix things on our own. He has given us Christ, the Word of God made flesh, to minister to us. In Christ, we are a new creation. When we are in a living relationship with Jesus, we bring our struggles and problems before Him, knowing that real change happens through His unlimited power and mighty work, not our own limited efforts.
This life is hard. We live in a broken world, and our lives experience this brokenness in multi-faceted ways. Biblical Counseling is about coming alongside of someone and offering them hope in Christ when they are struggling and need reminders of God’s promises.
“Biblical Counseling is about coming alongside of someone and offering them hope in Christ.”
Who is Biblical Counseling For?
No one was meant to walk this life alone. Biblical Counseling is available for anyone who is going through something hard and needs someone to come walk alongside of them, encourage them, pray with them, and help bring insight from God’s word into their situation. Our struggles can look very different from our neighbour’s. Some Christians feel paralyzed by their anxiety while others are despairing from loneliness. Some believers are in a place of grief and need someone to help them process a loss, while others might feel like they are drowning in sexual temptation. While there are various struggles and sins that we face, none of these are a mystery or a surprise to our loving God. Jesus suffered and died for all of the brokenness in our lives, and His words of truth speak hope and life into all situations and struggles.
How Do I Get Counseling?
If you are struggling with something and want more information on the Biblical Counseling ministry at St George’s, including rates, please contact Elizabeth at [email protected].
Elizabeth Chen: Biblical Counselor
Elizabeth is currently interning as a Biblical Counselor at St George’s. She brings over 15 years of combined experience in medical care, counseling, and urban ministry. She is currently completing her Masters in Counseling at Westminster Theological Seminary. Before pursuing counseling, Elizabeth worked as an ER nurse in downtown Toronto, where she was daily confronted with suffering and pain. She also served overseas with World Harvest Missions in London, England, where she focused on discipleship care among youth and young adults. Elizabeth is originally from the States but spent most of her childhood on the mission field, where her family focused on urban ministry and church-planting. Through these opportunities and ministries, as well as in her own challenges, Elizabeth has come to a deeper understanding that God mercifully meets us in suffering and hardship, and that His Gospel message of hope through Jesus Christ is unshakeable and firm through all of life. She has a deep love and desire to see Gospel-centred theology be practical and understandable for the body of Christ. Elizabeth is married to a wonderful man named Jan, and they have 3 life-loving kids who are a great joy to her. She loves hiking, baking, a really good cup of tea, and jumping on the trampoline.
