Counseling

Martial Counseling

Thompson Ministries offers Marital Counselors who Possess Greater Wisdom: Proverbs 11:14 says, “Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.” Spiritual counselors complement each other’s skills. When one spiritual counselor speaks, the other can observe the body language and reactions of the counselees. At times I notice behaviors that my husband misses because he’s busy composing his words and speaking.

Sometimes I bring a Scripture passage into the discussion that directly applies because I have the advantage of thinking while the conversation flows around me. When I speak up, my husband can collect his thoughts and think of additional verses he wants to use. This give-and-take lets the counseling take advantage of our different personalities and genders.

I offer a woman’s perspective, which the husband in the other couple can hear more easily from me than from his wife. It is less threatening and not fraught with emotion for him to listen to my thoughts. Sometimes I can better relate to the man’s personality and offer my point of view. Most importantly, when I am listening, I have the freedom to pray during the session. I pray for understanding on all sides and for the Holy Spirit to illumine the Scriptures. My prayer might be “that…God…may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him” (Eph. 1:17).

Women Benefit from the Presence of Another Woman:

Titus 2:3-4 says, “Women are to…teach what is good…that the word of God may not be reviled.” This verse mandates the participation of women in teaching what is good and describes the result of that high calling, respect for the Word of God. A woman could be invited to join her pastor or husband in marriage counseling because she is called to help other women.

Another advantage of including a woman in a joint meeting is that the female spiritual counselor can advocate for the wife and explain the woman’s perspective. It is hard for a quiet, emotional person to speak up when necessary. Her advocate can speak for her. This also avoids the reality of the female counselor being in a room where she is the only woman with two men while experiencing an emotionally charged situation.

When my husband and I counsel as a team, it shows the couples what Love is in the eyes of the Lord. We can manifest the love of the Lord, who is “near to the brokenhearted” (Ps. 34:18). Physical expressions of compassion are essential to counseling. Still, they are limited to people of the opposite sex. A woman is best suited to offer warm words of understanding and love to another woman.

A Married Counseling Team Can Serve as a Role Model:

First Corinthians 11:1 says, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” Many couples have not seen a good example of Christian marriage in the lives of their parents or peers. That can lead to the repetition of unhelpful patterns of speech or dealing with conflict. Spending time with a God-honoring couple can be an influence toward change. Even though my husband and I are just being ourselves, couples have told us that they have watched us interact and have noticed how different we are from unbelievers.

Sometimes my husband and I describe our experience dealing with a disagreement or a trial. Like the spiritual counselees, we sin against one another and must work out conflicts. We have modeled how to solve a problem based on our experience. The Lord uses our afflictions and trials to comfort others (2 Cor. 1:3-5).

Spiritual Counseling as a Couple Benefits the Counselors’ Marriage:

First Corinthians 1:4 says, “I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus.” After meeting with a couple in conflict, I am often thankful when reflecting on our marriage.

We are sinners, but the Lord has helped us avoid the painful and challenging scenes we witness. My husband and I frequently thank the Lord for how He has changed us over our marriage.

Counseling as a couple brings built-in accountability to our marriage. We need to work out our problems and be in a good relationship with one another before we can help others. If we have figurative logs in our eyes, we aren’t equipped to help others remove their specks (Matt. 7:3-5). We work on keeping “short accounts” between us and eliminating any opportunity for the devil to work (Eph. 4:27). We have an unspoken agreement that things need to be resolved before we meet with the next couple. We have even actively pursued needed reconciliation because we knew that a troubled couple was on their way. We rejoice together when the Lord brings repentance, healing, and hope to hurt couples.

Thompson Ministries’ goal is to provide spiritual counseling to married couples to move forward biblical what the Word of God says about marriage. The Lord will work to bring tremendous spiritual blessings to those who will be obedient to His word.