No! You already have one!
A license is a permit from an authority to proceed with a specified activity. The governing authority gives you permission to work within the realm of their sphere of jurisdiction, using the resources they have provided for you.
For the Christian the governing authority is God. And the sphere of jurisdiction is the world. He has given us permission, or better said, he has commanded us to go into all the world to teach the ways of Christ.
Counseling, a synonym for discipleship, is one method in which the believer can influence his world for the sake of Christ.
our Governing Board is fully involved in this process of discipleship
- The Father is the Director of the Board, laying the ground rules, while actively directing all things according to his plans.
- The Savior is the primary point of focus for us to look, learn and model as we are transformed into new beings.
- The Spirit is the Empowering Agent who goes before us. He lays the groundwork for change. He envisions, equips and empowers us in the process of change. And He is the One who ultimately brings change in those we serve.
our Governing Board has given us additional resources for the task of discipleship
- Psychology Book: (Psyche/Logos: the Word concerning, or the study of the Soul) The Father, Son & Spirit collaborated to write the ultimate Psychology Book, which gives us all we need to know about human behavior.
- Illumination: the Spirit gives us special insight, wisdom and discernment to understand human behavior as we interpret that behavior through the lens of our Psychology Book.
- Conscience: our conscience is the moral thermostat hard wired in each human. It acts as a compass to determine right and wrong behavior. The counselor interacts with the conscience of the counselee and the Spirit, while applying the Word to help restore the person back to person God intended them to be.
what about local or civil authority approving our worldview and methods?
A short list of things to consider:
- Our culture would never approve our worldview or methods.
- There are advantages to having secular licenses as long as you don’t compromise your beliefs or sin against your conscience in acquiring them.
- Guard your heart from the temptation of finding your identity in your credentials rather than in Christ.
- In my professional experience I have had only one person ask me about secular credentials as far as my training, qualifications and ability to counsel. Typically a counselee is looking for a good counselor and is not interested in your GPA. If you are a competent counselor, it will become known and your “credentials” will be the souls that God rescues and restores through your Spirit-empowered efforts.
- I am not promoting an anti-education approach through a “trust God is all you need” mentality. Training Christians to counsel is what I do for a living. Unfortunately, in some pockets of Christianity there is a caricatured interpretation of ignorant, ranting Christians, blithely pontificating archaic truths. On one level there may be a legitimate reason for this caricature.
- I’ve recently written about My Top Choices for Counselor Training.
Ultimately, your ability to counsel well will be determined by God’s favor on your life.
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
Checkout some of our training videos on our YouTube Channel
