How a Biblical Counselor Thinks about Panic Attacks

by Ed Welch at CCEF

If someone tells you she has panic attacks, how do you begin to use Scripture as your guide? (I am choosing panic attacks almost randomly. It is one of a dozen or so psychiatric diagnoses that is relatively common and not clearly identified in Scripture.)

Get a description

First you have to know the basic description of a panic attack. You can get this from two sources: the person, or the more formal criteria in American Psychiatric Associations Manual, the DSM-IV. The two descriptions will usually be similar but not identical. You might as well get both.

Here is the DSM-IV criteria. Let’s say that many of them match the person’s experience. The symptoms start abruptly and reach a peak in around ten minutes. They include at least four of the following: accelerated heart rate, sweating, trembling, feeling of being short of breath or choking, chest discomfort, nausea, feeling light-headed, feeling detached from the rest of the world, fear of losing control, fear of dying, numbness, chills, or hot flashes.

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When Does Counseling End?

with Mike Emlet at Christian Counseling & Education Foundation

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Tedder’s Top Ten: Counseling Websites

Intensive Discipleship. That’s how I once heard counseling… at least “biblical or Christian counseling”… described. The idea is that every now and then folks in the church battle with particular sins, temptations, and various other struggles that require more focused attention than what can be received in a typical group Bible study. For those times there’s the need for one-on-one counseling, or, intensive discipleship.

The thinking behind this is that very often these issues are spiritual in nature. God’s Word is sufficient to diagnose what’s going on in that person’s life as well as to offer the solution to the problem at hand. Hey, it worked for 1,800 years or so before Freud came on the scene. Believe it or not, the Church actually cared for such needs. That’s why pastors were quite often referred to as physicians or shepherds of souls (and that wasn’t just talking about salvation issues). (I refer you to Richard Baxter’s Christian Directory.)

The list below is made up of ministries that are doing a great job, not only of actually “doing” such counseling ministry, but also equipping, encouraging, and educating folks in the Church to do the same.

Remember my rule of thumb with how I choose which websites make my Top Ten list: “Online usefulness.” In other words, there are many ministries that are doing great things for Christ, but their websites may not be that helpful. With these Top Ten lists I’m trying to share the websites that will be the most useful to you – via articles, newsletters, blogs, video, audio and podcasting, training events, curricula, books, etc.

Here’s my list. As usual, these are in no particular order (after the first two… which I visit all the time)…

Grace and Truth,
Dale

1.) CCEF – Christian Counseling & Education Foundation - These guys have been around a long time and are getting better with age. They are keeping their website fresh and relevant and the content is second to none. Great stuff here.

2.) Counseling Solutions - Rick Thomas is one of the most prolific guys I know. And, full disclosure, he got me up and running with my wordpress blogging. But I sought him out only because of the great job he was doing with his counseling ministry online. More resources here than you’ll even know what to do with. Great site! Great ministry!

3.) American Association of Christian Counselors - Their strength is in their training programs, conferences, and their magazine, “Christian Counseling Today.” They are working on becoming more user-friendly, but for now, you may have to “work” a little to find what you’re looking for. But your effort will be well worth it.

4.) National Association of Nouthetic Counselors (NANC) – They are primarily an equipping ministry, though their online usefulness is growing. I have been a part of their training programs and they are excellent.

5.) Faith Biblical Counseling - These folks have an incredible church counseling ministry. And their website is getting exponentially better and better. They have an awesome webstore where you can get great books and audio/video resources to help you learn more about how to counsel or particular issues Christians face. Great stuff.

6.) Association of Biblical Counselors - Great website with a growing list of resources – blogging, articles, audio, video, etc. You can also become a member and get access to some resources that are very helpful in counseling or teaching.

7.) Brad Hambrick’s blog is very helpful on subjects related to counseling. Brad does a great job of keeping it up to date.

8.) Institute for Biblical Counseling and Discipleship (IBCD) – This is another example of a ministry that has been around for years doing great things for the Kingdom. But now their website is improving quickly and become a great resource center. Love it.

9.) Peacemaker Ministries - Ken Sande and company are great on the topics of peacemaking, reconciliation, etc., for couples, families, churches, etc. They have a wide ranging ministry that you really ought to check out.

10.) Biblical Counseling Center - I already loved these folks. But even since I last stopped by their site they have “super-improved” their website. Fantastic! Lots of great resources. Easy to get around and find what you’re looking for. You need to check them out.

Well, I have had to force myself to stop at listing only ten. Frankly, there are several others that absolutely deserve to be on this list. But, I have to draw the line somewhere, so I want to encourage you to also check out other great counseling websites by clicking here.

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This Week’s BoMI Awards

The Best of My Inbox…

for Mother’s Day

• A Tribute to Our Mothers by Jerry Vines at Sermon Search.com
• Here’s a great and funny list to celebrate Mother’s Day…

1. The later you stay up, the earlier your child will wake up the next morning.
2. The gooier the food, the more likely it is to end up on the carpet.
3. The longer it takes you to make a meal, the less your child will like it.
4. A sure way to get something done is to tell a child not to do it.
5. For a child to become clean, something else must become dirty.
6. Toys multiply to fill any space available.
7. Yours is always the only child who doesn’t behave.
8. If the shoe fits . . . it’s expensive.
9. Backing the car out of the driveway causes your child to have to go to the bathroom.

National Day of Prayer

• What’s the big deal about the National Day of Prayer? Kyle Barthelson at the Manhattan Declaration offers an answer.

Parenting

• The folks at All Pro Dad offer some good tips on how to argue with your child(ren).
• Tim Kimmel shares a very thoughtful and balanced perspective on the issue of kids’ sports on Sunday.
• John Maxwell is offering some of his great books to young readers. Perhaps you can find the perfect graduation gift for someone. While it’s still a few years away, my kids will be reading these books before they graduate from high school.

The Persecuted Church

• Pray specifically about our brothers and sisters in other lands that are being persecuted for following Jesus.

Theology and Doctrine

• Is God Glad That Osama bin Laden is Dead? John Piper answers this question.

Christian Living

• Some helpful thoughts about forgiveness at Tim Challies blog
• I love this post by Ed Welch at CCEF on Good People Who Do Bad Things.

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Best of My Inbox

I get a lot of stuff (probably way too much) in my inbox. It’s a self-inflicted problem because I subscribe to almost everything… whether it’s via email, Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube. I think I live with the fear that I may miss something if I don’t stay up-to-date with everything I possibly can. Of course, this poor philosophy of life is fraught with problems and perils.

However, every now and then I find some gold in the gravel. Occasionally something will come into my inbox that makes the whole effort worth it. It’s usually something that adds value to my life or helps me add value to someone else’s life.

Therefore, I thought it would be an interesting experiment to share some of the highlights of what I get in my inbox throughout the week (Best of My Inbox). Obviously, these BoMI contenders, will not include private correspondence… so don’t start worrying that anything personal and private you send me is going to appear on my blog (unless you make me mad. But then I’ll probably just save it for a sermon illustration). What I will be posting, of course, is the stuff that’s out there for public consumption.

My hope is that perhaps one thing that I pass on to you will be a help to you… or, at the very least, be interesting to you.

Cheers,
Dale

So, without any further ado, here’s the recent Best of My Inbox…

Raising Sons

• I got something neat from JM Cremp’s Adventures which bills itself as a great resource for everything boy. As a father of three, this looks pretty interesting.
• Here’s a great piece at All Pro Dad, entitled, 10 Things to Teach Your Son About True Manhood

For Pastors

• Ten Preaching Questions with Matt Chandler at Sermon Central
• How Shall They Hear Without A Preacher? at Worldview Church
• Five Characteristics to Model in Your Congregation Rick Warren

Discipleship

• Some great new things happening at Biblical Training.org. Check it out!
• Ever had a Walk Thru The Bible event at your church? Well worth it.
• Do you have a healthy or unhealthy small group? Small Groups.com offers these seven hallmarks to help you figure that out.

The Church

• Over at the Christian Post, Al Mohler offers his thoughts on why conservative churches are growing.

Biblical Counseling

• Interesting article on depression from Counseling Solutions
• The Secret to Dealing with Fear and Anxiety by Ed Welch at CCEF (ht: Justin Taylor)
• Resolving Everyday Conflict – a review of the book at Gospel Coalition

Personal Development

• The last post of three articles on making presentations from Darren Hardy. He has links to the first two at the beginning of his post.
• Here are some helpful thoughts on reading by Ron White.
• What Motivates the Motivator? by Chris Widener
• How do you work one day less a week… and still get everything done? Here’s Lorraine Pirihi’s answer.

Biography

• Steve Lawson has some helpful and inspiring insights into Justin Martyr at byFaith
• Augustine of Hippo Raised to New Life at Christianity.com

Worldview and Culture

• Check out the Kuyper Common Grace Translation Project from the Acton Institute. Who is Abraham Kuyper?

Odds & Ends

• Will Orlando Bloom be in the Hobbit? Here’s what he thinks.

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Spiritual Life Checkup (Part 4: Attitudes and Motivations)

Click here to read Part 1: Introduction 
Click here to read Part 2: Devotional Life
Click here to read Part 3: Intellectual Life

The recommended article to go along with these questions is a review with Paul Tripp and Timothy Lane about their book, How People Change at CCEF. 

1.      Do you feel you are a more accepting, forgiving, and loving person than you have been? ________ Expand:

2.      Do you feel you are stronger against temptations than you used to be (to be impatient, angry, greedy, lustful, etc.)? ________  Expand:

3.      How do you usually respond to sin in your life?

4.      Do you understand what it means to repent?________ Explain:

5.      What are the primary temptations and sins you find yourself struggling with?  Would you like help in fighting these as you seek to be obedient to God?

6.      Do you understand what it means to become Christlike and find your identity in Christ alone? ________ Expand:

7.      Is there anything in your life that you are putting before God? (your family, your comfort, your job, etc.)?

8.      When you fail, what happens within you?

9.      When you succeed, what happens within you?

10.  Do you worry or experience fear and anxiety often? ________ How do you respond?

Grace and Truth,
Dale

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Dr. David Powlison: Suffering – A Personal Story

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