Presuppositions of Biblical Counseling (Priolo)

What counselors presuppose will ultimately dictate their philosophy and methodology of counseling. Historical biblical counselors presuppose only that which the Bible affirms. In Presuppositions of Biblical Counseling, Lou Priolo unpacks twelve presuppositions (originally postulated by Jay E. Adams) to help readers understand what sets biblical counseling apart from other theories (really, theologies) of counseling. It will also help those who are in counseling (or seeking counseling) determine if the counselors from whom they are seeking help are truly biblical.

Author

Lou Priolo is a graduate of Calvary Bible College and Liberty University and holds a Doctor of Divinity from Calvary University. He has been a full-time biblical counselor since 1985. He is the author of several books including The Heart of Anger, The Complete Husband, Teach Them Diligently, Pleasing People and Resolving Conflict. Lou is a member of the International Association of Biblical Counselors, a Fellow in the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors, and is currently Director of Biblical Counseling at Christ Covenant Buckhead in Atlanta. He has started several counseling centers throughout Alabama and Georgia. He travels frequently throughout the United States and abroad training pastors, laymen, and fellow counselors as well as conducts a wide variety of seminars through Competent to Counsel International, the nonprofit organization he founded. Lou and his wife, Kim, have been married since 1987 and are the parents of two grown daughters, Sophia and Gabriella.

Endorsements

This book has a vital “back-to-basics” message for our time. One of Lou Priolo’s goals for this book is to assist those seeking counsel as well as those who refer people to counselors to evaluate if counseling is truly biblical. This is crucial as many Christians have become enamored with the term biblical counseling but are either unaware or unconcerned with the history and foundations of true biblical counseling. The twelve presuppositions indeed take the reader back to the basics of historical biblical counseling.

 – John Babler, PhD, Chairman and Professor, Department of Biblical Counseling, Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, Cordova, TN; Fellow and trustee, Association of Certified Biblical Counselors

Wise markers by which to measure our thinking and practice of biblical counseling. Priolo reminds us that our practice is connected to our thinking, and our methods are driven by our philosophy. He offers healthy parameters anchored in Scripture to ensure that Christian counselors counsel as distinctively Christian. – T. Dale Johnson Jr., PhD, President, Association of Certified Biblical Counselors

In light of his lifelong experience in biblical counseling and long-standing relationship with Jay Adams, Lou Priolo works through twelve important presuppositions of historic biblical counseling. Using Adams’s work as his backdrop for thinking, Lou seeks to anchor the biblical counselor’s practice in a nuanced theology by further developing the lens through which the counselor sees the connection between God, the person, and the circumstance. As a professor of biblical counseling, I know this resource is a great addition to helping students get a well-balanced view of biblical counseling. – Kevin Carson, DMin, Pastor of Sonrise Baptist Church, Ozark, MO, and Professor of Biblical Counseling at Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary, Springfield, MO

Lou Priolo has written a very insightful book on what historical biblical counselors really believe. The twelve presuppositions are clear, easy to understand, and completely backed by Scripture. Many Christian counselors today integrate psychology theory with the Scriptures and, thus, call themselves biblical counselors; they would benefit greatly in reading this book. – Martha Peace, BSN, MABC, Author, The Excellent Wife