“How to Help People Change”

Comparing Adams with Backus and Chapian
Karen Bryant
COUNS 507
Liberty University

“How to Help People Change” And “Telling Yourself the Truth” are theories that both use biblical principles to help people solve problems. Adams gives counselors a four step process for helping people to change. Adams advocates that any good and lasting change will come from the bible. The four step process is derived from Timothy 3:14, which consist of teaching, conviction, correction and training. Backus and Chapian gives counselors a solution for common problems by applying principles of misbelief therapy. Both books give different approaches for solving problems through using the bible as the mail tool.
Adams four steps for change is centered on changing people heart. Christian counselors want to help people to change into believers so that they can be led by the Holy Spirit and be free. Scriptures are used to help people change by teaching, convicting, correction and discipline training. The first step is to teach. Teaching is informing people to submit to the word of God which gives the truth. Then there is conviction, which is the laws and for people to acknowledge sin. Correction then leads the person into repentance of sin. People can then follow biblical principles to rethink their actions. The last step is discipline training is when people put away old thoughts and actions and began thinking Christ like. As a result, people are changed. After following these four steps learning the right way, repenting, understanding wrong doing and thinking, then begin to live in truth by continuing to study the word of God. Ultimately Dr. Adams four step processes for helping people is to convert people to Christianity, so they can be free.
Backus and Chapian principles of misbelief theory consist of helping people by helping them understand the truth. There are three steps to become who God wants us to be, we must locate misbeliefs, remove the misbelief and replace the misbelief with the truth. Most problems come from beliefs that are untrue as a result from hurt in relationships or in the body. Feelings come from misbelief talk where we tell ourselves bad feelings and thoughts over and over. By reading the bible it will reveal the truth and will help with identifying misbelief. The next step is to remove the misbelief by counseling out all feelings that do not agree with the truth found in the bible. And the last step is to replace the misbelief with what the bible states as the truth. As a result the client will be set free from negative and untrue thoughts.
I understand that solutions for any problems come through God. Both approaches uses biblical principles to help counselors with helping clients work through problems. Each theory involved teaching the client to overcome problems by reading the bible. Adams encourages the counselor to convert the client to Christianity and through repentance and following biblical principles on how to live will alleviate problems. Backus and Champion has a slightly different approach using the bible, their suggestion for using the bible to confront problems is to replace negative and untrue thoughts with positive thoughts that the bible teaches us. Both theories give simple solutions for helping clients solve problems. I believe all problems derive from sin, in this profession every client may not be a Christian. The disagreement I have with Dr. Adams theory is that it can only be applied to Christian clients or people willing to convert to Christianity. What about the person that is opposed to converting or opposed to seek biblical solutions? As a Christian, I have looked to god through prayer and study to relieve problems in my life. I understand the principles of misbelief and the four steps biblical process will help clients. The bible reveals the truth and teaches us how to live. When biblical principles do not help clients there may be other factors to consider such as relationship and environmental factors. Sometimes there are medical issues.

Reference
Chapian, W. B. (2000). Telling Yourself the Truth. Minneapolis: Bethany House Publishers.
E.Adams, J. (1986). How to Help People Change. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.