Steve wants to be a biblical counselor. He comes to you seeking advice on the best program he can enroll, in order to learn how to counsel. Below is my “advice list” to him. They are in order of priority, with the most desirable option being first.

The Local Church

The best place to learn about and grow in biblical counseling is the local church. I asked him to seek his pastor’s thoughts about his desire to become a biblical counselor and to follow his subsequent guidance. Ultimately, Steve’s pastor is the one responsible for caring for him and guiding him in his walk with God. (See Hebrews 13:17)

I have never counseled anyone to pursue biblical counseling training without first gaining affirmation and direction from their spouse (if married) and their pastor.

Then I asked Steve to inquire regarding the details about how the local church would provide a context for him to be trained in the practice of biblical counseling. If this could happen, then he does not necessarily need to seek out any other organization for his training.

Unless Steve wants to start his own counseling ministry, business, para-Church organization or become a counseling pastor, he does not necessarily need any other training other than what his church offers. I am assuming his local church is skilled, competent, willing and able to train him.

I am aware that many local churches not only don’t value counseling, but aren’t equipped to help those seeking soul care skills to this degree.

Seminary Training

The next best option is a theological degree. I would recommend a theological degree over a counseling degree because counseling is the application of theology (Practical Theology) and if a person is not trained in theology, they will have a difficult time applying (counseling) what they do not know.

A major weakness with many biblical counselors is their limited understanding of the Bible. If God’s Word gives us all we need for life and godliness (See 2 Peter 1:3) then you cannot skip this point and move into methodology (counselor training).

If I had to choose between a theology degree and a counseling degree, I would pursue the theology degree every time.

A simple definition of wisdom is knowledge applied: Wisdom = Knowledge + Application

Biblical Counseling Degree

His third best option would be a degree in biblical counseling. Quite frankly, this is rarely necessary. If he is a student of the Bible and has been trained in theology, he does not need to go to this length to learn how to help people.

However, as noted above, if he is thinking about a counseling business, ministry, counseling pastor position or para-Church organization, then this would be a wise option. His degree will advance him well beyond those he will be leading and training in counseling. As a leader, in a biblical counseling organization, he needs to be well ahead of his students in order to know how and where to guide them.

Christian Counseling Educational Foundation (CCEF)

CCEF offers a “lighter” version of theological and counseling degree training. In my opinion, CCEF is the best para-Church biblical training organization that exists today. If I, for whatever reason could not obtain a theological or counseling degree from an accredited school, but wanted more training than what my church could offer, CCEF would be my first choice.

They have been training counselors for nearly four decades. They also are connected to Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, where some of their counselors teach. And they generally have the best overall training resources, e.g. books, Journal of Biblical Counseling, videos.

National Association of Nouthetic Counselors (NANC)

NANC would be similar to CCEF, but is weaker on resources and education quality. NANC spun-off from CCEF many years ago. They are very successful because they have a good program facilitated by trained counselors.

Their training quality and consistency is more eclectic because there are many Fellows, speakers and trainers who make up the training process. The quality of your overall program would depend on which conferences, seminars and Fellow you had, as well as how many different people spoke into your training process.

Most of the supervisors and seminar speakers serve NANC “on the side” as opposed to this being their primary means of earning a living. For the most part, CCEF’s trainers are employed by CCEF. That does make a difference.

Counseling Solutions Group Distance Education, Self-Paced Study

The advantages of the training you would receive through our program are:

1. All of the training can be accomplished without leaving your home. There are no seminars, conferences or schools you have to attend. The only requirement would be access to the Internet.
2. You only pay for the program and supervision. There are no conference fees or annual dues to maintain.
3. You receive prompt response time. Because our organization is small, you never have to wait more than 48-hours to get a response to your questions or reports.
4. The Counseling Solutions Group Distance Education, Self-Paced Study combines all of the above training: (a) Local Church involvement; (2) Theological richness; (3) MA Biblical Counseling quality; (4) Partial CCEF material; (5) The best of NANC since your supervisor is a NANC Fellow.
5. Our program works for everyday Christians who want to grow in their theology, but are not able to pursue a theological degree. They want to grow in their counseling ability, but don’t have the time to earn a MA level counseling degree. They desire hands-on, personal one-to-one interaction over the course of their program so they can be better soul care providers in the context of the local church and their community.

• If you would like a FREE Informational Packet on our program, Click Here
• Learn more about our Distance Education Training HERE
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Other articles in this series

• Case Study: Counselees and the Local Church
• Case Study: Are You NANC Certified?
• Should I Be NANC Certified?
• To Certify or Not to Certify: That is the Question for Counselors
• Counseling Solutions Training Program to Equip Counselors
• Desire and Burden Do Not Make a Biblical Counselor
• Inherent Liabilities with Biblical Counseling
• Counseling Today: Standing on Jay’s Shoulders, Pt. 1
• Counseling Today: Standing on Jay’s Shoulders, Pt. 2
• Can’t the Local Church Do This?
• Two Ways to Become a Better Counselor
• My Top Choices for Counselor Training
• Do I Need a License to Be a Christian Counselor

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