Dr. Charles Solomon pioneered a strategic, short term counseling model that applies deeper life  sanctification to the heart of the counselee’s psychological problems. While understanding the counselee’s inner conflicts in the light of human development, the ultimate answer to remedy dysfunctional symptoms is the provision and appropriation of Christ as Savior, Lord, and Life. The Holy Spirit is the ultimate Counselor. The Bible is the all-sufficient source of truth, wisdom, and revelation to resolve non-organic counseling problems.

Solomon noted, “It is possible for counseling to be Bible-centered without being Christ-centered or Cross-centered. Christ-centered counseling (grace) will always be biblical, but biblical counseling is not always Christ-centered as we have defined it [in Handbook to Happiness]. Any approach that does not make the experience of the Cross or the exchanged life [Galatians 2:20] central to its method and goal might be categorized under the heading of “Bibliotherapy”, while those that inculcate the message of the life in Christ are here called Spirituotherapy. (See  Handbook to Happiness and Handbook for Christ-Centered Counseling.)

Biblical Basis
Identification truth is based on the doctrine of sanctification as summarized in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me.”

Most Christians have been taught that Christ died for their sins; few have been taught the truth that they died with Christ. Consequently, few Christians find victory in their lives. Although they know that they have been set free from the penalty for their sins, they have not been taught that they have been set free from the power of sin in their lives. Romans 6:6,7 states, “Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.”

Abiding in Christ is the essence of discipleship. Christ declared, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). To cooperate with the indwelling Christ, the believer must appropriate the deeper work of the Cross (Luke 9:23).

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Usually the appropriation of one’s identification with Christ by faith should be followed by a freedom in Christ process. Strongholds such as a wrong concept of God, unforgiveness, and other areas of deception need to be replaced with truth. Christ declared, “…you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free” (John 8:32). After the counselee has the power and freedom to live out of his/her new identity in Christ, residual problem areas can be addressed through topical grace discipleship. We advocate, therefore, a four phase ministry process as illustrated by the following diagram:

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Audio message: Determining a Counseling Model  gfiworld.sermon.net/main/main/10549614

Distinctives of An Exchanged Life Counseling Model – lecture notes: GFI_ELC_Distinctives