On my heart is one of the facets of Biblical Counselling I find most difficult to do. Because I have struggled with it and because others have struggled with it, I have made a study of this facet of the process of counselling in conjunction with my course work of the Grace School of Ministry (www.gracefellowship.co.za). I would like, first of all, to explain what interpretation in counselling is, and then to present some biblical helps for you that will help you in your own counselling.

By the time you come to the point in the counselling process where you need to interpret, you will already have considered a number of other things. You will have established involvement with the person you are counselling, developing a helping relationship with them. You will have begun to create a relationship and environment in which your counselee begins to desire to change. You will have gathered both extensive and intensive information about this person so that you have enough data to enable you to understand exactly what they are struggling with.

Now comes the tricky bit. After you have interpreted all of this information biblically, you have to move on with teaching and other facets of the counselling process. Interpretation is pivotal. It is the point at which you set the course of the counselling sessions toward a real solution to the counselee’s problem. It is the activity you engage in, once you have all of the information about the counselee, that will enable you to move forward in an appropriate manner and with the appropriate material for the specific person you are speaking to.

Interpretation involves asking the question, “Ok, now I understand the struggle this person is going through. Now where do I find this same struggle spoken of in Scripture, and then what does Scripture say is the solution to this particular struggle?”

Before continuing, I would like to add that although I will be dealing with this issue of interpretation as a separate facet of counselling, it will seldom be done alone. At any given time in counselling, you are likely to be focusing on one facet of counselling more than the others, yet you will find you will be carrying out a number of the parts of the process at the same time, most of the time. For example, while you are gathering data, you will also be gaining involvement and possibly giving hope. While interpreting you will find it necessary to gather more data and gain more involvement.

While there is plenty that can be said on all of the other facets of Biblical Counselling, I would like to give some time to this specific facet; interpretation.