Counseling in the Image of God: Why the Imago Dei Matters

Categories: AACC BLOG

by Dr. Margy Hill

The foundation of Christian counseling rests not only on clinical skill but on theological clarity. Genesis 1:26–27 tells us humanity is made in the Imago Dei, the Image of God. This truth is more than doctrine—it is a clinical lens. Every client carries both the dignity of the Image and the wounds of its distortion.

To practice Christian counseling faithfully is to engage clients as image-bearers who are worthy of respect, capable of agency, and in need of restoration. The doctrine of the Image of God—Imago Dei—does not simply inform our worldview; it shapes the counseling encounter itself, from assessment to intervention.

The Imago Dei affirms that every client, regardless of diagnosis, background, or presenting problem, possesses intrinsic worth. This doctrine shapes assessment and treatment planning. The addict, for example, is not reducible to substance use; the anxious teenager is more than her symptoms. The couple in conflict is not simply a “case,” but two image-bearers whose relational capacity reflects God’s design for connection, cooperation, and love. Clinically, this doctrine prevents reductionism by reminding the counselor that each person’s story participates in a divine purpose greater than pathology or performance.

Where secular models may categorize clients primarily through pathology, the Imago Dei grounds us in personhood. Every intervention must respect dignity and identity—never treating people as problems to solve but as persons to understand and walk with. Considering this doctrine, counseling becomes less about “fixing” and more about facilitating growth consistent with the client’s God-given identity.

At the same time, the counselor must acknowledge the distortion of sin. Sin corrupts desires, distorts cognition, and fractures relationships. It is the clinical reality behind trauma, abuse, addiction, and despair.

Recognizing the Fall both prevents unrealistic expectations of human capacity apart from grace and guards the counselor against cynicism. For clinicians, this tension is essential: clients are both broken and valuable. A shame-entrenched client may see only failure; counselors grounded in the Imago Dei can affirm both brokenness and dignity, creating an environment where accountability and grace coexist.

The biblical storyline does not leave humanity with a marred image. The New Testament identifies Christ as “the image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:15). Where Adam failed, Christ succeeds. He is the true Image, the one who perfectly reflects the Father. For Christian clinicians, this redefines therapeutic goals. Our work is not merely symptom reduction but participation in God’s redemptive work of conforming people to Christ’s likeness (Rom. 8:29).

Practically, this means defining treatment success not only in terms of alleviating distress but also in cultivating resilience, relational repair, and spiritual maturity.

For Christian clients, counseling can explicitly support sanctification—helping them move toward Christlikeness in thought, behavior, and relationships. For non-believing clients, the counselor’s posture is still shaped by this truth: every act of care honors the Image in them and opens space for God’s truth to break in.

This theological grounding has direct implications across practice:

Identity: Counselors help clients reframe self-understanding. Identity is not contingent on performance, appearance, or approval but rooted in creation and redemption. The image of God in each person means all humans have intrinsic worth that cannot be lost through failure or diminished by others’ opinions. This grounding in creation means that even the unredeemed possess dignity and value, though the fullness of identity’s purpose is realized only through redemption in Christ—in whom the Imago Dei is renewed and restored. Clinically, this doctrine reframes struggles with body image, performance anxiety, or codependency—which are not merely psychological problems, but distortions of how one understands their God-given identity and worth.

Ethics: The Image demands respect for client autonomy and forbids exploitation. It requires counselors to advocate for justice, protect the vulnerable, and speak truth in love. When counseling survivors of abuse, clinicians are not only providing treatment but defending the inherent dignity of the client.

Relationships: The doctrine of the Imago Dei reminds us that every person has value, so we approach relationships—especially strained ones—with patience, honesty, and a commitment to what is good. The goal is always to honor the image of God in every person; yet, the expression of that goal differs depending on the circumstances. While reconciliation and restoration are the desired ends of biblical care, they are not always possible or wise. In cases involving unrepentant sin, manipulation, or danger, maintaining clear and consistent boundaries may be necessary to ensure safety and integrity. Even when reconciliation cannot occur, counselors still act redemptively by upholding the dignity of client personhood, speaking truth in love, and seeking the highest good of all involved without enabling harm.

Suffering: Bearing God’s Image does not remove suffering; it reorients it. Counselors can help clients see that their pain is not meaningless by pointing them to a God who entered human suffering in the person of Christ. This truth is especially powerful in grief counseling or trauma care.

Sanctification: For Christian counselees, the counseling room can become a space for spiritual formation. Growth is measured not merely by reduced anxiety or reconciled relationships, but by increasing Christ-likeness.

Ultimately, the doctrine of the Imago Dei pushes clinicians to hold together realism and hope. The reality is that every client presents with brokenness that runs deeper than behavior. The hope is that every client bears the Image of God, and that in Christ, the Image can be renewed. Even when faith is not explicitly integrated in the counseling room, the clinician’s approach remains shaped by the Imago Dei. Clients are treated with dignity because they bear the Image; interventions respect personhood because the Image demands it. We pursue genuine wholeness, which is found only in Christ, while acknowledging that unbelievers can experience real relief, behavioral change, and improved functioning—but not the deeper restoration that comes only through Christ’s redeeming work.

In a culture that often devalues or discards, the Christian counseling office can become a sanctuary where image-bearers are honored, sin is addressed, and restoration is sought. To counsel considering the Imago Dei is to honor the God who makes every person in His image, redeems those who come to Him through Christ, and will one day restore His image fully in the redeemed. Even as we care for those who have not yet received that redemption, we do so with compassion, prayer, and hope—remembering that every person bears the marks of divine design and stands daily before the ongoing call of grace to be made new in Christ.

Dr. Margaret Hill serves as the Director for the Master of Arts in Christian Counseling Program. She has served as the Assistant to the Dean of Bible and Theology at Southern California Seminary since 2017. Dr. Hill is responsible for assisting in the oversight of ten unique degree programs and advising undergraduate and graduate students in the Bible and Theology Department. She has 18 years of experience teaching and training in various church and academic settings throughout the United States. She is actively involved in Christian counseling within the local church and parachurch ministries.