Learning to Listen offers counselors the biblical principles and core skills necessary to become the active, compassionate listeners counselees need.
Counselors have a high calling to love and care for people who are struggling in a fallen world. A wise biblical counselor draws out the deep attitudes of the heart and encourages their counselees toward growth into the image of Christ. Learning about specific problems, sharing Scripture, and sitting with suffering people are all important parts of counseling. While all of these elements are essential to the counseling task, counseling will ultimately fail without the simple yet vital skill of listening well.
In Learning to Listen, biblical counselor Joseph Hussung gives readers a theology of listening and explains the purpose, posture, and practice of this essential counseling skill. If counselors do not truly hear the hearts of their counselees, they won’t understand the nuanced struggles at play nor how to apply biblical principles. Listening well enables counselors to love well and understand with empathy.
Joseph Hussung, MDiv, DMin, is the Director of Recruitment and a Senior Counseling Supervisor at Fieldstone Counseling, where he counsels regularly, supervises the remote counseling team, and directs Fieldstone’s residency program. He previously spent over fifteen years on staff at churches in various discipleship and pastoral roles. He is the author of Learning to Listen and is a regular contributor to the Biblical Counseling Coalition blog. Joe and his wife, Sarah, have three children and live in Hopkinsville, KY.
“Listening seems like such a simple act; most humans live as though everyone has this skill. However, everyone who trains counselors will testify that not listening well is one of the most common pitfalls of new counselors. Listening is vital to caring well, so how do we bridge this gap? Learning to Listen provides an excellent solution. Joe Hussung draws from Scripture, theology, and case studies to provide counselors with a primer on this essential but often overlooked component of loving care.”
Curtis Solomon, Executive Director, the Biblical Counseling Coalition; program coordinator, Biblical Counseling, Boyce College
“Like many, I need stirred up by way of reminder, and that is exactly what this brief but powerful book provided. Listening well—often relegated as a skill for beginning counselors and caregivers—is elevated in Dr. Hussung’s book as an essential component of the counseling process by which both beginners and longtime practitioners will be sharpened. I trust that his book will become a staple for training a new generation of biblically wise and faithful counselors.”
Jonathan D. Holmes, Executive Director, Fieldstone Counseling
“Listening well in counseling is not as straightforward as it might seem. This book offers an extended reflection on listening that is both welcomed and needed. Hussung provides theological grounding for our listening and then offers practical skills to help counselors fulfill their intentions to love people well in ways that reflect the heart of Christ.”
Lauren Whitman, Counselor and faculty member, Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (CCEF)
“Joe helps us to better understand why listening well is a key component to loving people well. Not only does he offer a biblical framework for the purpose, posture, and practice of listening, but he also shows how embracing such a framework can impact our counseling conversations. If you care for souls in any capacity, you will benefit from reading this resource!”
Christine Chappell, Certified Biblical Counselor; author of Midnight Mercies and Postpartum Depression; Hope + Help Podcast host, Institute for Biblical Counseling & Discipleship
“In our modern biblical counseling world, we have many wonderful books on the theory and theology of counseling. Increasingly we have many excellent books on how to counsel for specific issues. However, our movement is still somewhat thin on practical, biblical skill-based training. Enter Joe Hussung and Learning to Listen. Listening is a relational competency necessary for every counselor with every counselee with every counseling issue. Learning to Listen adroitly directs us first to the God who hears and sees us, then walks us through the purpose, posture, and practice of Christlike, compassionate, skillful listening.”
Robert W. Kellemen, Author of Gospel Conversations: How to Care Like Christ
“Effective counselors are masters of understanding their clients, seamlessly weaving together active listening and asking skillful questions. But how do you develop these skills? In Learning to Listen, Joe Hussung has written a helpful guide to the why and the how of listening. Read it, follow it, and watch your counseling conversations flourish.”
Nate Brooks, Associate Professor of Counseling, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary; director, Courage Christian Counseling
“Learning to Listen is a helpful resource for biblical counselors. Joseph Hussung wisely brings together theology and practical skills, showing how truly listening to counselees unlocks deeper understanding and Christ-centered transformation. If you want to become a more compassionate, effective counselor, this book will elevate your approach to caring for others.”
Eliza Huie, Director of Counseling, McLean Bible Church; author of Trauma Aware and I’m Stressed
“Counseling skills books abound, but none quite like Learning to Listen. In this book, Joe expertly interweaves love for neighbor through listening with practical, tangible skills that every counselor needs to know. Just as God listens to his people and attends to their needs, so too must Christian counselors attend well to their counselees. This book is deeply theological yet immensely practical. I'm excited to use this as I train new counselors!”
Kristin L. Kellen, Associate Professor of Biblical Counseling, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
“Biblical wisdom is reflected in the humble practice of careful listening, which is something we as counselors don't always do well. In this book, Joe Hussung provides more than admonition—he gives practical counsel and examples to help us grow in this essential skill.”
Paul Tautges, Pastor; author of Remade: Embracing Your Complete Identity in Christ and A Small Book for the Hurting Heart
“Learning to Listen reminds us of an essential skill for gaining clarity in the stories of those we love. As we seek to care like Jesus, let us all ask the Spirit to help us become careful, compassionate listeners to rightly apply the gospel and stir affections to Christ within every conversation.”
Shauna Van Dyke, Care and Leadership Development Minister, The Mount Church; strategic advisor, The Association of Biblical Counselors (ABC); founder and biblical counselor, Truth Renewed
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