Roots & Shoots

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Roger F. Hurding (2003) Roots & Shoots – “A guide to counselling and psychotherapy” 2nd Ed, Hodder & Stoughton Publisher, Great Britain.

The purpose of this script is to critically examine the book “Roots & Shoots” – a classical guide to counselling and therapeutic practice, an answer to the prayers of many Christian counsellors on earth. Roots & Shoots explains the thorough process and objective analysis of each before considering the Christian response. Complete with guidelines and principles to follow when assessing the worth of a new therapy, an exceptional book to firm counsellors in Christ.

Dr. Roger F. Hurding is a medical practitioner also an experienced counsellor and psychotherapist. He was a visiting lecturer in Pastoral Studies at Trinity College, Bristol, and has pioneered a training programme for Network, a Christian counselling project in Bristol. He is now retired and lives in Somerset.

The book tells about the system of counselling and psychotherapy from Christian perspective using the new methodologies that are within the rootstocks of behaviourism, psychoanalysis, personalism and transpersonalism. It aims to give an objective and sensitive account of secular theories and therapies before moving on to discuss Christian methods of counselling.

The author’s purpose for writing the book is to wrestle with the way Christians view or understand the place of counselling and psychotherapy. Knowing that God’s people have always had a commitment to love one another and to care for neighbour and enemy alike, should the insights of counsellors and psychotherapists be welcomed or rejected by the church? If welcome, should the new perceptions simply enhance traditional pastoral care or be allowed to take over it. If rejected, what is the basis for our dismissal Roger argues.

Roger has more elaborately clarify in the book the origins and growth of the tree of pastoral care, along with the rise of the secular psychologies and their derivative methodologies of psychotherapy and counselling. Roger from this perspective believes there is less different between Christian counselling methodologies to secular approach. As Roger states in several pages and quoting from page (405) it says, Christian methodologies draw from the same repository of wisdom and knowledge within the created order as do the secular systems. However, what differentiate Christian counsellor from secular is a distinctive calling and the ability to respond to that call as describes by Roger.

Roger also uses real life experiences and analogy of forest to illustrate situations where appropriate. An example could be found in page (18) where he uses James to illustrate human nature ideology. Although the book is very informative however, the negative aspects are; the extremely use of terminologies perhaps not appropriate for all counsellors specifically novices.

The message about Christian reaction and response to the rise of secular psychologies i.e. the use of secular systematic approach of counselling and psychotherapy from Christian point of view. I think Roger has successfully delivered the message by revealing the different in both approaches which all depends on human needs the style that ...