Questions to Ask When Counselees Have Been Prescribed Medication for Depression

The following list of data gathering questions can be helpful to give the biblical counselor a better understanding of the counselee’s thought processes (Proverbs 20:5). If the counselee has been taking prescription drugs, that provides a great starting point for questions.

1. What difficulties or changes were taking place in your life when you began
taking medication? (difficult or unpleasant circumstances, conflicts, arguments, pressures, personal sins?)

2. What made those situations unpleasant? What would you rather have experienced? What would have made that better?

3. How did you respond to those difficult situations? (Focus on self vs. see God in problem)

• Will it ever let up?
• What will happen?
• How will it affect you?

4. What was the goal of each response? (Learn inner logic)

• What did you want to happen with that response?
• How did you think that response would help?
• Were you willing to violate Biblical principles to get what you wanted, or because you didn’t get what you wanted?

5. How has the medication helped with each of these situations? (if applicable)

• How is life better with the medication?
• How would you have functioned without it? How do you know that’s the
  way?
• Why do you think you wouldn’t be able to be like Christ?