Why Community is an Important Piece of Your Counseling Journey

Sometimes people operate from the position that counseling is an entirely personal, private matter. They won't tell people they are close to that they're even in counseling, much less share details about what they're learning and how they're wanting to change. But this attitude toward counseling eliminates an important element from the process: community. So why is it important to consider sharing this intimate journey with your community?

The counseling relationship is limited and temporary.

At best, you may see your counselor for an hour each week. Your counselor can't walk through daily life with you. There are certain limitations in your counselor's insight and impact that are inherent in the nature of the relationship. While some people may need a longer period of counseling care than others, it's generally a temporary situation that concludes or becomes less frequent once its purposes are met. As counselors, our goal is to help you address the current issues and struggles, give you tools for growth and change, and then launch you back out to continue the journey in the context of a gospel-centered, discipling community. You shouldn't rely on your counselor as your sole source of encouragement or nourishment.

Sanctification happens in the context of relationships, and within the local church body specifically.

Biblical counseling is all about sanctification—pursuing heart change as we walk with God and are shaped by His Word. And that kind of change doesn't happen in isolation; we're designed to live and grow in community. The church has been united into a family, and we need one another. It's in relationships that we are sharpened and challenged, and where we learn to love and forgive.

You need other people to help you remember truth, to hold you accountable, and to encourage you.

I've found that counseling is so much more effective when the people you live life with are aware of the content and progress of the counseling. This allows them to be involved and supportive in specific, tangible ways. And you never know how God will use your story to impact their lives as well.

Counseling can be a painful process, and it's intensely personal. But sharing it with your community will be invaluable. What's holding you back from opening up and including others in your journey?