Shame and guilt are strong emotions as most of the clients struggle with as they seek counseling when life gets tough for them. We as Chirstian counselors can help them, process those emotions and assist them with understanding such that they are equipped with corrective and rational beliefs and reparative actions. In that weekly journey with us in counseling, they are listened well and encouraged in the sessions as safe therapeutic professional relationship is established for them, for their next steps and healthy beliefs and actions. Shame and guilt first showed up in the Garden of Eden, through Satan, as he questioned Eve of her image of God (Gen 1:26-27), leading her to disbelieve God’s blessing and provision for her in His Sovereign holy goodness (Gen 1:28-29) and disobey Him (Gen 3:6-7). Shame is core emotion, the devaluing of self from the image of God, by the client as they see themselves in all the brokenness of the world and struggles of life. Guilt is the internal emotion within the client’s heart and mind and behavioral action arising from, in rebellion and disobedience toward God and His commandments (Gen 3:8-19). Some of the therapy modalities that assist with high focus on alleviating shame are Person Centered Therapy, Adlerian Theory, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR); and that with guilt are Dialectical Behavior Therapy, CBT, EMDR, and Gestalt Theory. As Christian counselors we recognize that secular therapy modalities are incomplete without the integration from biblical principles that God has prescribed in His word, as we work with our clients in the sessions, helping them to address shame and guilt. Going back to the incident how shame and guilt entered our prefect world created by God, we can understand how God addressed shame and guilt. God moved toward Adam and Eve with compassion as they were struggling with shame and guilt (Gen 3:21) and provided them with a promise (Gen 3:15) that someday the curse from shame and guilt will be completely overcome in Christ (Rom 5). Therefore, all the believers both clients and counselors in our context, as we counsel our clients, in perseverance, faithfully obeying and serving God in Christ and can live in this broken world with no condemnation (Rom 8:1).
