Biblical Counselor Training

Family Soulcare
* The Personal  ministry of God's Word
---- one to another ----

To equip a network of "discipleship counselors" for biblical guidance in your local church.
© 1997 . . . . 
Sid Galloway, B.S., M.Div.
(?Ph.D.? = Dads, please work toward a Doctor of Phatherhood ??)
email = sidjr@soulcare.org       website = Biblical Family Soulcare www.soulcare.org
(Updated June 2003) 

An Introductory Word about:  "Speaking the Truth in Love":

Many of the animals I once cared for, back when I was a zookeeper, had destructively distorted self-perceptions.  I remember a huge and powerful male gorilla, Scottie, who would duck down and cover his head, whenever a male zookeeper picked up a broom.   Yet, in all the years Scottie was at that particular zoo, no man had ever hit him with a broom.  So, why did Scottie believe that men were likely to hit him?  He believed it, and reacted to his belief as if it were truth, because he had been hit by male zookeepers way back when he was a young gorilla at another zoo.  Decades later, Scottie, still had difficulty trusting male keepers.

I also remember one of my leopards, a black panther, named Ali, who hated people with a vicious rage.  Whenever a person came near his cage, Ali would charge the bars, crashing into the hard metal, growling and spitting with bitterness.  Why?  All of us loved him, fed him, cleaned up after him, but had never abused him.  Then I found out how he had been raised at a different zoo.  He was pushed, poked, shocked, shot with BB guns, and hosed with water to make him move from cage to cage.  He learned and deeply believed that all humans were cruel and dangerous creatures. 

So, I determined to prove to Ali, that at least one human was his friend.  It took me over a year of patient, step by step efforts, but he eventually came to trust me.  In fact, he trusted me so much that he would come into the cage and lean his body gently against the bars, so I could rub his stomach!  His perception of me, life, and himself had been changed, yet the process took many months of sensitive, loving, often frustrating work.

These examples help to explain some of why it has been so easy for Lucifer to slip age-old, new age errors about self-esteem and self-love into the Church?  Part of the reason has been the failure of conservative pastors and teachers to present a biblically balanced message.  This left a partial vacuum of knowledge into which Satan's extreme alternatives to reality very easily flowed.  Conservative pastors over emphasized the truth, that our past hurts and traumas don't have to force our futures.  They focused on the good news, that repenting from our "natural", sinful responses to life's hurts is the primary key to overcoming them and living a victorious life.  But, they neglected to also emphasize the other side of reality.  It is also truth that deeply hurtful experiences leave lasting memories and distorted beliefs about God, others, and self, which are extremely difficult to unlearn.  And these twisted beliefs about reality are a part of the roots, which produce much of the dysfunctional fruit in our lives, families, churches, and the world, to the dishonor of God's image.

Truly "biblical" counselors don't just tell people to suck it up and glorify God.  We, through the actions of a whole church family, must prove to our new brothers and sisters that they are loved, in spite of their sin.  We are the face of our Father to the lost and lonely in this painfully dangerous world.  We are the arms that our Lord Jesus wants to use to touch and hug the ones who come for help.  We must speak the truth in love.  This means that truth must be wrapped in obvious, self-sacrificial care, or it can hurt instead of heal.

Our 5-Level program is available at this point to local residents only.  Our training is not for "certification", nor do we offer degrees.  For certification in biblical counseling, we recommend either:
NANC (National Association of Nouthetic Counselors)  http://www.nanc.org/
5526 State Road 26 East Lafayette, IN 47905  Office Phone 765-448-9100;  Fax 765-448-9199
E-Mail for the NANC office NANCcslg@aol.com 

IABC (International Association of Biblical Counselors) http://iabc.net/home.html
11500 Sheridan Boulevard - Denver, CO 80020, 303-469-IABC 

After ten years of teaching this 5-level apprenticeship process, I decided to switch the first two courses from levels one and two. Now we start at level one with: "The Relationship of Counseling: Learning to Listen & How to Speak the Truth in Love". The reason is because far too often when students learn the principles before they learn the process of speaking the truth in love, they then go out and ineffectively attempt to deliver God's counsel to those in need. So we've chosen to put the course on process first and open it up to everyone, even those who have never taken the principles course. If you are timid and want to learn how to speak the truth more boldly, or if you are naturally bold and need to learn to be more loving and gentle, this course will be very helpful for you.

    The following model for training is the process we developed and used while I served as director of a church based Biblical counseling and counselor training center for ten years. Then in 1998, I resigned and eventually planted a new church, which would balance our Father's personal ministry of His Word (counseling) along with the public ministry of His Word (preaching). In addition, I had become convicted by Scripture, that a counseling ministry apart from the loving practice of church accountability and discipline is anemic at best and at worst impotent when sin must be confronted for our Father's reputation. In fact, Jesus said that such accountability (Mat 18:15-20) is a necessary prerequisite for a true church.

     A "Church" is not a Biblical church family until those believers are committed to one another so that they obey our Lord by practicing the essential, discipleship ingredients that -

These are the ingredients of true discipleship, the personal ministry of the Word adapted to the unique needs of each individual and family (Col 4:6). This is the full scope of Biblical counseling - assisting one another toward maturity in Christ, the fruit of the Spirit, through disciplined discipleship.

   Our model emphasizes not only the biblical principles, but especially counseling the truth  in humble love (Eph 4:14; 2 Tim 2:23-26; Col 4:6) .  A gentle and sensitive Christ-like character and countenance during the counseling relationship is crucial to the message being received.  Colossians 4:6 commands that we "season" the meat of the Word, uncompromisingly adapting it to each unique person and situation, so the counselee will be eager to swallow it.   Think about it.  Everyone needs essential proteins, but if you cook it up with Cajun spices and the person isn't used to it, then you very likely wasted your time and his.

If your church is interested in developing a similar "soulcare" ministry,
Sid is available to come and present a "How To" seminar
or week long condensed course for your leadership, congregation, and city.

This training is not intended as a replacement for formal academic biblical studies. There are many excellent institutions offering academic degrees in Biblical Counseling, centered around a thorough knowledge of the biblical languages of Hebrew & Greek (such as the Master's College in California, and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC).

Our apprenticeship plan is simply structured around the practical, discipleship process of personal, hands-on mentoring. Our prayer is that this New Testament model of apprenticeship training will spread to many other local churches, in order to equip their members to minister God's Word, one to another. Too often, churches view the "pastor" as the only minister, instead of an equipper. It is the rank and file believers who are the true ministers. (Ephesians 4:11-15)

Additionally, the following steps for discipleship training bring God's sufficient counsel down to earth, producing a systematic, "practical" theology that should be lived out in the hearts, lives, and family relationships of God's people - soli deo gloria.
Practical theology, # 6, is the focal point of Biblical Counseling.

Practical, Down to Earth Theology
"Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done,
on Earth as it is in Heaven"

1. Biblical Authority -           (The Canon of Scripture and God's "convincing proofs". Isa 41-48; Act 1:3)
  2. Hermeneutics -                      (How to interpret God's Word as He delivered it: normally & simply. Mat 18:1)
    3. Exegetical Exposition -       (Drawing out God's principles in context, without injecting our own. 2 Ti 2:15)
      4. Topical/Doctrinal Studies - (Understanding major subjects from God's viewpoint. Joh 5:39; 14:6)
        5. Systematic Theology -       (Fitting related topics together into the Big Picture: His/story. 1 Co 15:27-28.)
   **  6. Practical Theology -            (Biblical Counseling - How to live God's image in relationships. Heb 5:12-14)
            7. Glorifying Our Father -       (and His Son, our Lord & Savior . . . to the World. Eph 3:10)

To accomplish this vital "ekklesia" responsibility, believers must all work hard to support one another. God's design is for elders to train each of the heads of household, who in turn will train/ disciple/ counsel their own wife and children personally and individually. The older women are to train the younger women, especially single mothers (Titus 2). Additionally, homes should be used for evangelistic and disciple-making hospitality for friends, neighbors, co-workers, and extended relatives. God's biblical design emphasizes intimate personal relationships, over even good things like activities, buildings, business, and entertainment. We must not let the "good" swallow up God's Biblical "best".

LEVEL 1 - THE RELATIONSHIP  
OF COUNSELING:
Learning to Listen & Speak the Truth in Love

Discipleship Counseling's PROCESS in its Family Context

Proverbs 18:13 & 17 
"He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame to him." . . . .
...."The first one to plead his cause seems right, until his neighbor comes and examines him."

Colossians 4:5-6
"Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.
⁶Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt,
that you may know how you ought to answer each one."

Class meets 2hrs/ week. The textbook is BIBLICAL COUNSELING: A BASIC GUIDE TO THE PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF COUNSELING, by the faculty of THE MASTER'S COLLEGE. Part III of the text is the primary section used, and is written by Dr. Wayne Mack.

Our focus is on the practical process & methods of biblical counseling. This is not a "Christianized" version of secular techniques. It is instead, an effort to learn from the example of our Lord Jesus Christ and the apostles, as they made disciples, through the Spirit-led process of practical apprenticeship training (Mat 4:19; 10:5; Luk 10:1-20; John 1:39, 43; Act 20: 20, 27, 31; Eph 4:11 ff; Philip 4:9; 2Tim 2:2; Titus 2:3-5; etc.). Biblical principles are then applied to composite case examples. BC 101 is a prerequisite for LEVEL-2. Those who have diligently completed all homework & reading requirements receive a certificate of completion.

REQUIRED READING: In order to complete each separate level of our 5-Level program, you must read two books from the Resource list, for each level. Read those two books carefully and prayerfully. When you have finished reading the two books, then write on a piece of paper the names of the books you read, state that you read them completely, and sign the paper. Remember, you are accountable to the Lord. Also, briefly answer the following questions as they pertain to each book you read:

1. List at least ten principles you learned from this book.
2. List at least five ways in which the book encouraged you to change personally.
3. List any areas of the book in which you believe the author's teaching is not in harmony with Scripture. Use Scripture to support why you disagree.
     * These books must be purchased by the student. See  Reading Lists  

Click here to register:  BDC 101 Registration

LEVEL 2 - THE PRINCIPLES OF BIBLICAL COUNSELING:
(Click here for BDC-201 class times, place, etc.)

Completion of level one is a prerequisite for taking this second level course. This second 6 month, intensive, concentrated course, involves 40 hours of class lecture, weekly homework, & Scripture memory (50 verses). Class meets 2hrs/week for either 12, 16, or 24 weeks depending on the format.  The core textbook, by Dr. John Broger, is SELF-CONFRONTATION: A Manual For In-Depth Discipleship, from the BIBLICAL COUNSELING FOUNDATION. Personal application is the best foundation before learning to counsel others. This text is a 480 pp overview of the Bible's sufficient model for counseling issues. It has been translated into many languages & is used all over the world. It's for everyone, not just pastors!

Click here to see the Homework Progress Chart for the 24 week format.

The primary focus of this course is the content of biblical counseling. It covers what the Bible teaches about the symptoms, causes, influences, and dynamics of non-physical mental, emotional, behavioral, and relational problems. As the title of the textbook implies, the course is designed to help the student learn to apply God's counsel to his or her own life and relationships. It is a prerequisite for LEVEL 3. Those who have diligently completed all homework & reading requirements receive a certificate of completion.

REQUIRED READING: [To complete this level, two additional books from our reading list must be carefully read and critiqued. These books must be purchased by the student. See Reading Lists]

Click here to register:  BDC 201 Registration

OBSERVATION. The student may sit-in with a level five counselor to silently observe actual counseling sessions. Both the student and the counselor take notes, and later confidentially discuss the content and process of the session dynamics.

BC 105: Christ in You: The Hope of Counseling. This one-day workshop is required to complete this level. It examines the differences between man's psychological counseling systems verses God's purely biblical counseling provision. It emphasizes the destructive error of integrating these two diametrically opposed models.

BRIEF PAPER. A brief writing assignment is required on this subject: What Did God Do Before Psychotherapy? The paper must reveal a clear biblical understanding of the differences between sufficiency vs. integration, and the student must demonstrate a solid commitment to the doctrine of sufficiency, before proceeding to LEVEL 4. [Length = 5-10pp.]

This level prayerfully continues until the director believes the student is ready for LEVEL 4.

REQUIRED READING: [To complete this level, two additional books from our reading list must be carefully read and critiqued. These books must be purchased by the student. See Reading Lists]
 

TEAM COUNSELING. By the time the student has been selected to this level of training, he or she has demonstrated both theological as well as methodological agreement with the beliefs and practices of the local church. At this level, selective students are allowed to participate in a limited manner as assistant counselors with a level five counselor (under the supervisory authority of that level five counselor and the local church). As the student progresses, he or she is allowed more and more independent control over counseling sessions, and cases. The goal is for the student to be able to ultimately lead a formal counseling relationship from beginning to successful completion.

REQUIRED READING: [To complete this level, two additional books from our reading list must be carefully read and critiqued. These books must be purchased by the student.  See Reading Lists]
 

SERVANT LEADERSHIP. Those selected to LEVEL 5 training have demonstrated the knowledge, character, and practical proficiency necessary to serve as lead counselors in a counseling team. LEVEL 5 provides the opportunity to learn and grow as a counselor, as well as an active leader equipping others in a ministry team.

REQUIRED READING: [To complete this level, two additional books from our reading list must be carefully read and critiqued. These books must be purchased by the student.  See Reading Lists]