The Christian Counselor’s Medical Desk Reference

The Christian Counselor’s Medical Desk Reference (2nd ed). Charles D. Hodges Jr. (Ed.) (New Growth Press, 2023)
This book is intended to be a reference guide for counselling individuals with medical problems, and as such it is a helpful and well researched resource. Its stated goal is to be a tool for those helping those who struggle and are looking for hope. The opening chapters consider general principles when counselling those with a medical or psychiatric (DSM-5) diagnosis. Then it moves to detailed chapters on a wide range of medical and psychological challenges. There is a stronger emphasis on psychological challenges, from anxiety & depression, ADHD & ASD, PTSD, schizophrenia, OCD, post-partum depression, and bipolar disorder. There is information about medications, psychotropic drugs & alternative medicines, and how they impact the body and brain. Chapters that address more medical diagnoses include PMS, dementia, sleep disorders and rheumatological conditions.

There were numerous authors of different chapters, each addressing their areas of expertise. However, it resulted in various tones. Some authors were gentler, more compassionate, and more client-focussed. Others seemed harsher, and quick to call certain challenges sin, and I was left wondering about their compassion with a client struggling with such challenges. It was this variety of language usage that highlighted the range of interpretation amongst biblical counsellors. While titled for “Christian counselors”, actually it’s intended for biblical counsellors, which depending on your definition can be a different thing.

I would have liked to see more consideration of the impact of trauma in people’s lives (this was only touched in with PTSD), and how it can impact both medically and psychologically. But I can see why it was structured around DSM labels, as that is how many medical professionals operate, and how funding is allocated.

I appreciated this comment from Jocelyn Wallace (in a very helpful chapter on postpartum depression):

“My job as a counselor is to love my counselees, to sacrifice to serve them at the most terrible times of their lives, and to suffer with them while they grow in their understanding of God, themselves, and this world we live in.”

Despite my concerns with some aspects, overall this is a helpful resource. A counsellor’s awareness of medical challenges that clients face can only further enable their understanding of their client, and their ability to helpfully work alongside them.


I was given an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Note: as per usual, if quoting a resource I use their spelling (e.g., counselor), but for general usage I follow the Australian convention - counsellor.