The following is the Introduction to Creation Therapy,

Copyright 1993 Richard G. Arno PhD and Phyllis J. Arno PhD

INTRODUCTION
In the early establishment of Christianity, the Church was solely responsible for the counseling
of its people. Because of the perception that the Christian community is not qualified to counsel
its people, the humanists have largely taken over the responsibility of counseling. Humanists
believe that we (the Christian community) do not have any REAL solutions to human
problems—depression, anxiety, abnormal stress, etc. In reality, no one is better qualified to
counsel than those who know and understand man’s unique position in the plan of creation and
realize the place for which God has for man in eternity.

Heretofore, the Christian community has simply taken the therapeutic methods developed by the
secular community, such as Reality Therapy by Glasser or Client-Centered Therapy by Carl
Rogers, and applied them in the biblical approach. You probably already know that in most
seminaries the therapeutic counseling technique taught and most widely used among clergy is
Client-Centered Therapy.

Most seminaries teach this therapeutic method because it is where the pastor can “do the least
amount of damage.” Carl Rogers believed that the greatest and most positive changes that could
take place in the counselee were brought about by allowing the counselee to talk. Seldom did the
counselor or therapist say anything other than to re-focus and re-direct what the counselee just
said, i.e., the counselor might say things like, “uh huh, how do you feel about that?” or “You feel
angry,” or “You feel frustrated.”

Client-Centered Therapy, along with all the other techniques, including Gestalt, Rational
Emotive Therapy and Psychoanalytic Therapy, are all based on one assumption—that man has
evolved and that man is his own god. Therefore, a person has within himself/herself the solutions
to his/her problems.

We feel it is impossible to take therapies built on these assumptions and modify them for use in a
Christian counseling setting. The problems of a counselee are not ALWAYS caused by sin in
their life. Many of today’s problems are a result of the complicated, fast-paced world in which
we live, a world that threatens man’s emotional stability.
The goal of this course is to help God’s children reach their full potential through the counsel of
the godly. The counseling problems of the past remain unresolved and are becoming far worse.
The divorce rate, sexual abuse and violence in the home are skyrocketing. Suicide, alcohol and
drug abuse have become commonplace. High blood pressure and heart disease (due to stress)
have become two of the nation’s biggest killers. Carnality is threatening to destroy the Church,
and the solutions given to us seem to be quite ineffective.
Creation Therapy is based on the theory of temperament (understanding of the inner man) and
uses this knowledge to help us understand ourselves. Therefore, it allows us to be the best that
God has created us to be by meeting the needs of our temperament equally and scripturally.
Although this therapeutic method is a fairly new concept (developed in 1983), it has been
extremely successful. Of course, Creation Therapy is not “the perfect solution for all of man’s
problems” and we do not want to suggest that it is. Nothing can exceed the wisdom that the
counselor receives from being open to hear “the still small voice” of the Lord.

The counselor, no matter how excellent the therapeutic method, must always maintain
spiritual freedom in the counseling setting. This is to say, we cannot hold to a rigid therapeutic
method and be closed to the Lord’s guidance. Ministering salvation to those we counsel must
take precedence over this or any other therapeutic procedure used by the counselor/therapist.

Full and complete change of a human being is an act of God. It is imperative for you to realize
that we do not want to teach, or even imply, that the application of this therapy, even in its
utopia, can change a human being. It is the understanding and acceptance of one’s unique self
through Creation Therapy which causes each individual to allow God to effect change in his/her
life. Creation Therapy is a tool requiring:
• understanding of one’s unique self.
• surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ and His plan for our lives.
• willingness to surrender the ungodly ways of meeting our temperament and replacing
them with methods which are taught in the Holy Scriptures. This is a daily surrender.

.
The theory of temperament teaches that God places our temperament within us while in our
mother’s womb. This temperament will remain with us throughout our lives. We are spiritual
beings created by God with a precise order and balance of body, soul and spirit. The spirit
encompasses our temperament, and our heart is the binding, blending and balancing agent within
our temperament. This overlaps our soul and spirit and provides God’s precise order within each
of us.

The theory continues to teach that every individual has temperament needs of varying degrees.
These temperament needs are met by drawing from the lower soul (humanistic) or from the
higher soul, most commonly referred to as the spirit. Most interpersonal and intra-personal
conflicts are caused by:
a. individuals attempting to meet their temperament needs in an ungodly way (drawing
from the lower soul).
b. temperament needs being out of balance, i.e., all the individual’s energies spent meeting
some needs while other needs are ignored.
c. reactions to unmet temperament needs.
Creation Therapy identifies the temperament needs in counselees and helps them find a
balance in order to relieve the inner stress. This therapeutic procedure will help your counselees
find peace within themselves, within their environment and with the Lord.

Many scholars are of the opinion that any therapy, based on the theory of temperament,
“types” individuals. That is to say, it is narrow in scope and has “little boxes” in which it places
people. Nothing could be further from the truth because there are thousands of different
temperament blends. Creation Therapy focuses on the uniqueness of each individual, not the
reverse.

We want you to learn this material, not just in your mind but deep in your spirit. We want you to
know what you are doing, and we believe that if you understand this therapy and how it works
that you will be able to help nearly every person who turns to you. Learning this therapeutic
method requires more than just simply knowing the material. It requires application on a regular
basis, thereby increasing your knowledge and understanding daily.

Creation Therapy must be used for good. When a counselor learns and understands the
temperaments and how they work, he/she quickly realizes that this knowledge is very deep and
reveals private things about other human beings. This confidential information could be very
dangerous in the hands of the wrong person. We pray that you will use this knowledge and
understanding for the good of mankind and for the advancement of God’s Kingdom.

This introduction to Creation Therapy* has been provided to you by

Pastoral-Counseling-Center.org

*(Copyright 1993 Richard G. Arno PhD and Phyllis J. Arno PhD)