Biblical Counseling

We offer free biblical counseling to Christians in our surrounding communities regardless of where their church membership is held. The goal in providing biblical counseling is to help you grow in your sanctification in a way that your life will glorify Jesus Christ. It is our desire to lovingly help anyone who is willing to work towards biblical solutions in their personal lives and in their relationships and it is our hope to help in this way through encouragement, edification, exhortation, equipping, and giving hope.

What is Biblical Counseling?[1]

Biblical Counseling is a process of focused discipleship[2] in which the Bible isn’t utilized as just one resource amongst many nor is the Bible utilized without reference to its own context (i.e., verses in the Bible are not taken out of context during Biblical Counseling), but rather, the Bible is utilized as the primary means to correct wrong thinking and to bring the individual back into a right relationship with God (2 Tim 3:16-17; 2 Pet 1:2-3). Ideally, the person being counseled walks away from a biblical counseling session with their desires reoriented, their affection for God growing, and their sinful behaviors changed. Because of our conviction that the Bible provides everything necessary for life and for faith (Rom 15:4; 2 Pet 1:2-3), our counseling is based on Scriptural principles rather than those of secular psychology or psychiatry.

Essentially, the process of biblical counseling takes the counselee back to the Bible—to learn to think biblically, to apply Scripture to their lives, and to live in a way that glorifies God. As such, biblical counseling shouldn’t be confused with other forms of counseling including, but not limited to integrationist counseling, psychodynamic (Freudian) counseling, cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness counseling, or narrative therapy.

If you decide to seek biblical counseling from Grace Reformed Baptist Church, the Bible will be the authority in all cases. If you’re not sure that you would be interested in biblical counseling, you are more than welcome to attend one or two sessions before committing to longer-term counseling. If you find yourself unwilling to submit to the Bible or unwilling to do the homework assigned by one of our counselors, we will end the sessions.

Note that biblical counseling involves learning what Scripture teaches and then making practical application. The counselee is responsible for how he implements that counseling.

Also note that none of our biblical counselors are licensed through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania though some may hold certification through a national or international biblical counseling organization (e.g., the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors or the Association of Biblical Counselors). In addition, none of our counselors will give you professional advice concerning legal, financial, medical, or civil issues—we will always advise you to seek counsel from someone certified in those fields.

How to Schedule Biblical Counseling

There are two ways that you can schedule a biblical counseling session—(1) you can simply contact us by calling or texting (814) 600-9892 or by emailing nataliearter@grbcpa.org. Our Administrative Assistant will schedule you with the appropriate counselor/counselors; or (2) you can fill out an online counseling form here and we’ll get back to you as quickly as possible.

[1] See “What is Biblical Counseling?” written by Daniel L. Arter for the Grace Reformed Baptist Church blog for more information.

[2] John Henderson, “A Definition for Biblical Counseling,” Association of Biblical Counselors (https://christiancounseling.com/blog/the-gospel/definition-biblical-counseling/#:~:text=Biblical%20counseling%20is%20a%20process,of%20life%20as%20a%20whole.)