Crabb's Summary Integration

According to Crabb (1977), there are four different approaches Christian counselors utilize to approach integration (p.33). These approaches include; separate but equal, tossed salad, nothing buttery and spoiling the Egyptians. According to Crabb (1977), Christian counselors who utilize the separate but equal approach believe that the scripture only deals with problems involving Christian beliefs and therefore is irrelevant to psychological problems (p.34). Counselors who utilize the tossed salad approach utilize bible verses and concepts alongside psychological concepts during a therapeutic process, thus “the counselor who is a Christian will want to add to his therapeutic arsenal a working knowledge of relevant biblical concepts and supporting verses” (p.35). Furthermore, Crabb (1977) states that Christian counselors who apply the nothing buttery utilize only biblical concepts while disregarding psychology entirely (p.40). Finally, Crabb (1977) states that a counselor utilizing the spoiling the Egyptians approach carefully eliminates elements that stand in opposition to scriptural commitment (p. 52). However, among these views proposed by Crabb, I hold the tossed Salad view. This is because; the tossed salad approach allows a Christian counselor to utilize both psychological and scriptural concepts in therapy. According to Crabb (1977), the tossed salad “combine the insights and resources of scripture with the wisdom of psychology and a truly effective and sophisticated Christian psychotherapy will emerge” (p.36). For instance, a counselor whose client is a sex addict and makes the client understand that his or her body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and should not be defiled based on biblical verses during a therapeutic session has added scriptural concepts to psychological thinking.

Reference

Crabb, L. J. (1977). Effective biblical counseling: A model for helping caring Christians become capable counselors. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing