Essays on counseling

the long version

This collection of essays, formerly titled The Big Umbrella, is a miscellany of Jay Adams's approach both to specific topics, such as dealing with grief, and to larger issues, such as defining and evaluating "mental illness." The author is not convinced that "mental illness" is the proper term to describe the condition of most people who seek help in dealing with their problems. In these essays the issues will be made clear: "The work of changing men's lives belongs to the Christian ministry in particular and to Christian people in general." The purpose of these essays is to equip Christian people for the role they must play in helping others to change in conformity with scriptural principles. They follow upon the author's classic introduction to counseling, Competent to Counsel. - Back cover.