YOU DECIDE...Biblical Counseling Intake Forms
(from PAL V4N5)

Many biblical counselors use intake forms for prospective recipients of their services. Books and manuals on biblical counseling contain sample intake forms and recommend their use. For example, in Supplement 6 of the Biblical Counseling Foundation’s Self Confrontation Manual there is an intake form. The form contains items such as:

"Have you ever felt people were watching you? Yes___ No___ When?___"

"Have you ever had hallucinations? Yes___ No___ When?___"

"Each night, when do you: go to bed?___ fall asleep?___ wake up?___ get out of bed?___"

"Do you drink alcoholic beverages? Yes__ No__When?__ How Much?___"

"Are you presently taking medication? Yes___ No___ What?___ Dosage?___"

"Have you used drugs for other than medical purposes? Yes__ No__ When?__What?___amounts/ Dosages?"

"Have you ever had a severe emotional upset? Yes___ No___ When?___ If yes, please describe briefly:___"

"Have you ever been arrested? Yes___ No___ Outcome:___"

"Are you willing to sign a release of information form so that your counselor may write for social, psychiatric, or medical reports? Yes___ No___"

Under "Personality Information," There is also a list of adjectives for people to circle to describe themselves with such possibilities as "Introvert," "Extrovert," "Impatient," "Impulsive," and "Moody."

These are the very kinds of items included in professional, psychological counseling intake forms. The question for this column is, "Should biblical counselors use intake forms with questions such as those quoted above?"

Readers' Responses to "You Decide" (from PAL V4N6)

In the September-October issue of PsychoHeresy Awareness Letter, we listed some sample questions from intake forms used by biblical counselors. These are the very kinds of items included in professional, psychological counseling intake forms. The question was, "Should biblical counselors use intake forms with questions such as those quoted above?" We received the following answers:

From Washington:

Biblical counselors should NOT use "intake forms." By so doing, they are yielding to the psychological concept that we can all be "categorized for Counseling" based on things that make us suspicious of others; our personal habits, medical history, etc.

God has just two categories: we are either sinners, or sinners saved by Grace. If either type comes to us for help, we should minister to them from the Bible while seeking direction from the Holy Spirit.

From Maryland:

In the YOU DECIDE Biblical Counseling column of your newsletter, page three, you asked whether such a questionnaire should be used. . . . NEVER!

From California:

"Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called ‘Today,’ lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin."

It would take a lot of twisting to fit the use of an intake form into the above Scripture (Hebrews 3:12,13). While there are plenty of other verses I could have quoted, "exhort one another daily" stood out. The whole Biblical counseling movement is so impersonal. Couldn’t questions that needed to be answered come up in a caring conversation amongst brethren? Don’t concern and love go hand in hand? There needs to be care to care for souls. . . . The more I look at the questions you printed, the more I think of how much is this counseling going to cost me and how many visits? This is certainly not a daily exhortation of brotherly love. It is more of a hardened worldly attempt through the deceitfulness of sin.