There is Always a Cost

No Non-Profit Organization provides FREE resources. Somebody, somewhere, somehow is paying for the resources or services rendered. This is typically accomplished either through fundraising or selling products and services. Though we are not opposed to fundraising and do realize the tax benefit for the donor, we have never spent the time, money, or energy to launch an official campaign.

We have developed an alternative to fundraising by providing a super low-cost opportunity for our friends. These alternative supporters can receive something better than a tax benefit. This is why our membership site is ONLY $4.95 per month.*

Our philosophy of supporting non-profits gives more people the opportunity to support us at a very low dollar commitment, while receiving immediate, practical, and relevant sanctification help for their support.

By choosing to support us through our membership site, you not only receive excellent discipleship and training resources, but you help free us up to develop more practical resources for the body of Christ. Here is a short list of some of the sanctification helps we provide for people each day:

• YouTube Training Videos
• Webinars
• Our public website with nearly 1000 resources
• Social Media Communities like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
• Weekly eBlasts through our Tuesday morning Coffee Break
• Featured Articles for Other Christian Organizations

This does not include the hundreds of hours of counseling, church consultations, and leadership training we do, plus our charity work through our weekly bread distribution to local churches and needy families.

This new discipleship-counseling training site is the latest addition in our on-going quest to serve God’s community. I would love for you to join our new site, not only to receive help, but to help us continue this God-glorifying work of training the body of Christ. Also, would you send this link to anyone you think would benefit from our training and programs?

*For $55 you can invest in our ministry and receive access to our resource site for ONE YEAR! Or for $100 you can purchase a two-year subscription. Would you consider supporting us and spreading God’s wisdom in counseling?

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In an effort to make things more feasible for you, I have been working over the past month building a new membership site for The Counseling Solutions Group. It is now ready!

The best news is that the new site has a NEW MONTHLY & REDUCED MEMBERSHIP PRICE OF $4.95

You can access the new site here: Counseling Solution Resources

I think the lower dues will be more doable for people. My thought is that if a larger number of people sign up at the lower fee, that would be better than a smaller number at the higher fee. This would not only allow more people to enjoy the benefits of this site, but it would also free me up to develop more training materials, which is the focus of our ministry.

As you can imagine, fundraising, administration, marketing, accounting, and the scores of questions that come in each month take a large chunk of my time and reduces the amount of time I can spend on writing, developing, coaching, consulting, counseling and training, which is my heartbeat.

If you think this kind of work would encourage others, please ask them to consider joining, even if it is just to “support” the work, though they may not have a specific interest in doing counseling themselves.

A Small Way to Contribute to Our Ministry!

Their support will allow me to do more of the things that are in line with our Mission Statement:

The Counseling Solutions Group is a worldwide non-profit organization helping people who are in situational difficulties. This is accomplished by using Christian principles to train leaders to competently counsel as well as by providing practical and compassionate counseling to individuals in need.

If they knew about our work, I suspect there are many people who would believe in what we are doing, and wouldn’t mind giving 5 bucks a month to support our efforts.

Please let others know about this ministry.

Also know that the site is always a work-in-progress. As you think of things we can offer or any general observations about the new site, please let me know. This site is for you and your friends. Let me serve you by listening and doing what we can to make this an incredible experience for God’s family.

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Bringing in the Dough

Earlier this year we announced our partnership with the Atlanta Bread Company. Part of being a Non-Profit Organization allows us to serve others in biblical counseling as well as non-traditional-counseling ways. The Atlanta Bread Company gives their extra bread and pastries away at the end of each day. However, they only give their “leftovers” to Non-Profit Organizations.

Enter The Counseling Solutions Group!

Earlier this month Panera Bread Company accepted our Non-Profit status and now, in addition to our weekly Atlanta Bread pick-ups, we also make a “bread pick-up” once a week at one of our local Panera Bread restaurants.

The Counseling Solution’s Group, Inc. is now distributing bread and pastries to several churches, unemployed men and women, as well as a few singles and families who are struggling financially.

It has been a joy to encourage those who are currently struggling by giving them food!

The Droids Are Coming!

A local marketing firm asked me if I would give the new Droid cell phone a test drive over the next couple of weeks. Being an avid iPhone enthusiast and general “Mac-head,” I was more than willing to give the Droid a shot.

Our counseling organization is highly dependent on technology as we provide long-distance phone counseling and church consultations around the US and as we communicate God’s truth around the globe daily through LinkedIn, Facebook Groups and Pages and several Twitter accounts.

Therefore, we had more than a passing interest in the redemptive value of such technology. For us it becomes a stewardship issue as we seek the most productive and efficient ways to serve God and others. This week I’ll be blogging each day on the Droid vs. iPhone wars.

I must say that when Lucia and I were at a local Thai Restaurant this week with friends, my AT&T iPhone would not come through for me, but the Droid was ready for action. This was disappointing, but it speaks more to the service provider than the phones.

Verizon carries the Droid, while AT&T provides service for the iPhone.

Will You Join Our Work?

The end of the year is a big opportunity for God’s people to come alongside the many Christian Non-Profit Organizations who have dedicated themselves to helping others. If you believe in what we are doing, would you give financially to this work? Read Let Me Ask You a Favor to learn more. Your gift will be tax deductible.

Other Articles in This Series

• Taking Care of Business
• Droid vs. iPhone 1.0
• Droid: it’s so easy a 6-yr old can do it – 2.0
• Droid: The Final Verdict – 3.0

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The following note is from the comment section on our training membership site. There are over 500 documents, videos, forms, homework assignments and more on this site.

Kim is responding to the audio Q & A section of the site. You ask a question and I respond via audio and post the response on the site for our membership community.

The site is the Christian Counselor Resource Center. You can click the link to learn more about it.

Thank you SO much for your quick and thorough response to my post. It was very helpful. I especially appreciated the unpacking of 2 Cor. 1:8-9. I had used this early on with the women in our church, although not to the extent that you explained it – but now I will!

I agree that total humility is the best response at the time of these rages [angry husbands]. Both women say that this response typically shortens the length of the episode.

I am grateful for this resource. My husband and I have recently moved from a large church with about 20 NANC certified counselors, to a small church where it is just the two of us involved in counseling. We find that we are much busier, and although greatly appreciated, we feel a little less encouraged! This type of venue that you are offering is just what we need to find direction and encouragement when we find ourselves at a loss or an impasse.

And we have shared your resource with many of our previous colleagues.

Thanks again and my the Lord continue to bless,
Kim

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YOUTUBE VIDEO: Does every Timothy need a Paul? This short video seminar will cover two common contexts that we see today in our local churches. The first one is more traditional, over the past 30 years, while the second one has not been completely embraced by our local churches. This second model is tied more into the full-body ministry that we see in the New Testament. The seminar video is just under 10 minutes.

For more quality resources, please checkout our Membership Site at: ChristianCounselorResourceCenter.Com

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Is it OK to post some of your entries on my blog? I would gladly give your name and URL the credit? – Greg

Here is a question I get regularly through my website.

Paul said in 1 Corinthians 4:7, What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?

If there is anything on my site that is worth sharing with another, I assure you that it did not originate with me. God has been very kind to give me topics to write about. God loves people and he uses people to help people. I’m glad to be one of his chosen vessels that he uses to share practically how to help others.

If you want to spread my material around, please feel the freedom to do so. It would be a joy to me to know that God is encouraging his children around the world through these small efforts.

The only thing that I ask is that you link back to my site so folks will know where you found the thoughts. My site is the primary portal to my business and counseling is the means by which I support my family. My wife and kids would be most appreciative if you let others know about what we do!

Also if you are interested in using our logo in your work, you can grab some code at this LINK. If you have any problems with the code, please let me know.

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On July 06, 2009 The Counseling Solutions Group, Inc. was granted a 501(c)(3) determination letter by the IRS, stating that we are a not for profit organization.

In South Carolina insurance companies do not recognize Christian counseling as a viable solution in the psychological counseling field. Therefore, individuals who are seeking help from counselors with a distinctive Christian worldview must pay-out-of-pocket for these Christian counseling services.

Because of the lack of “insurance support” Christian counselors cannot charge industry standard rates for counseling services. Industry standard rates can be $150 or more for a one hour counseling session. Because Christian counselors charge less than these standard rates, it is not possible for them to have a counseling business like their secular counselor counterparts since their client fees cannot sustain the business.

Additionally, at Counseling Solutions we rarely meet with a counselee for less than two hours per session. For us, it is a relational challenge to listen effectively, ask questions and offer hope with practical solutions in a 60-minute truncated counseling session.

People Matter!

The counseling session is not the time to process people through. We are a people-helping-business and to help people takes time.

It also seems incongruent to me to tell a friend that I can help them with their problems while charging them industry rates that they must pay out of pocket. In many cases the counseling fee compounds their other problems as finances are often a component to their other problems.

For us, it became a conscience issue not to charge high rates, but from a bottom line business perspective we cannot stay in business without finances. We are stuck between two priorities:

1. Helping people in situational difficulties vs.
2. Staying in business to help people

Fortunately, the IRS agreed and, therefore, they made it possible for us to help people, lower our rates and stay in business by giving donors, who believe in what we are doing, a tax benefit when they give to Counseling Solutions.

In addition to being able to lower our rates, in some special circumstances we can do limited pro bono work for those who cannot afford any kind of counseling and/or do not have insurance to help subsidize their counseling needs.

This is God’s faith-building kindness to us

If you have been encouraged by our work, benefited from our work and/or believe in what we are doing, would you be willing to help us by giving to this ministry? This is also an excellent opportunity for churches or businesses to partner with us financially.

If so, you can make checks payable to The Counseling Solutions Group, Inc. and mail to 120 Goodridge Court, Greer, SC 29651 or you can click on the PayPal Donate Button on our webpage and donate directly to our PayPal Account. (Please know that PayPal deducts 2.9% from monies that come through their service.)

Thank you for prayerfully considering partnering with us in the Gospel.

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Passive counseling is the counseling I do through my Social Media sites. It is predominantly a one-way conversation designed to encourage, envision and equip in a fast-paced culture.

This type of counseling is not designed for extended two-way, relational conversations and problem solving. Social Media are multi-faceted contexts for passive counseling. Passive counseling is more about a counselor communicating to individuals to encourage them rather than a counselee actively pursuing a counselor for help.

Our Passive Counseling Social Media Network

• Counseling Solutions Blog
• Counseling Solutions Training Site
• Rick Thomas Profile page
• Counseling Solutions FAN Page
• NANC FAN Page
• Friends of NANC Facebook Group
• Twitter: Counseling Solutions
• Twitter: The Gospel Coach
• Twitter: The Savior Says
• LinkedIn: Business Network

Social Media are networks where insights, encouragements and advice can be communicated to reach pockets of people who choose to be part of these various Social Media contexts.

The insights, encouragement and advice have a passive effect on the recipients. The recipients are not seeking counseling for specific challenges, but do desire to be encouraged or equipped in a general way. This type of communication is typically free of charge.

For those seeking counseling, coaching or training, Social Media is not as effective as far as a comprehensive solution. An individual looking for answers actively pursues a two-way dialogue with the counselor or consultant.

Our Active Counseling, Consulting and Training Network

Here is a list of the services we provide for those who are looking for in-depth help. This type of equipping is fee-based.

• Phone counseling or consulting around the world
• One-to-One personal counseling
• One-to-One personal coaching
• Marriage counseling
• Counselor training through our Distance Education Program
• Supervising NANC Counselor Candidates
• Seminars on various counseling topics
• Consultations for counselors seeking advice
• Church consulting regarding counseling issues or counseling programs
• Business counseling, coaching and training

Because of the thousands of people we interact with on a day-to-day basis through our Social Media sites it is impossible to respond appropriately and timely to all the requests we receive.

If you have a situation where you need advice, we suggest you email us and set-up an appointment. You can book a one or two-hour appointment. This way we will be able to set aside dedicated time to listen and respond to your specific situation.

For counseling, counselor, coaching, consulting or church help please email through our Contact link above and request a time for a phone or face-to-face meeting.

We are for People Seeking Solutions!

Also read A Day in the Life of a Counselor to gain insight on the behind the scenes life of a Christian counselor.

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It is 6:30AM and I just came home from my two-day-a-week Boot Camp Exercise Program. I pop open my laptop and there is an instant message on my Facebook Profile Page.

A friend in China is asking for advice regarding a couple, an addict and his wife, that she is counseling.

An hour later I’m getting to my day. You can read the content of that instant messaging consultation session HERE.

I tweet on my Twitter Micro Blog account, which lands simultaneously on my Facebook status update page.

The inbox is full, my social media sites are chumming along and I have to decide where to plunge in. I choose to begin supervising a National Association of Nouthetic Counselors Case Report Form (NANC) from a counselor candidate I am training. You can see that form along with my supervisory observations HERE.

I send out another Tweet to my Social Media Community.

Next up is a counseling session with a lady who is separated from her husband. You can read the session notes from our meeting HERE. The session lasted two hours, which is the length of my normal counseling sessions. I have a NANC Counselor Candidate sitting in on the session as part of her training program.

After the counselee and counselor-in-training leave, I send a follow-up email of the session, to further encourage the counselee and to “extend” the counseling session beyond our two-hour meeting time.

The Magic Hour in Counseling is NOT in the Counseling Session, therefore I seek to extend the session beyond the actual counseling time, to better serve my friend. You can read a sample of follow-up notes HERE.

I send out another 140-character Tweet to my Social Media Community.

Some friends on my Facebook FAN PAGE asked a couple of questions that I need to respond to. My local newspaper blog has a request from a lady who wants to meet to talk about counseling. She stumbled onto my site while looking in the Want Ad section in the local electronic newspaper. I catch up on some of this email.

I send out another Tweet to my Social Media Community.

My inbox has 11 more requests and my noon appointment, which is a four-hour lunch with a NANC Candidate coming in from Tennessee, who wants to get to know me before she commits to our training program, is 20-minutes away from now.

A counselee from Florida calls with a question as we are working through what day I can fly down to meet with her and her husband for a half-day counseling session.

At the traffic light, on the way to my lunch appointment, I send out another Tweet, using my iPhone. Praise God for technology. I also have time to squeeze in another phone call.

After the lunch meeting I have time to make two phone calls while driving home.

I’m home now and dinner is ready. After family and wife time I send tomorrow’s blog post to my editor for his critique. He sends it back and I have it posted before the 12:05 AM launch time.

A few more emails, another Tweet to my friends on the other side of the world and off to bed. It’s been a good, long and full day while living and resting in the good of the Gospel.

Read about Passive and Active Counseling

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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:

1. Our culture would never approve our worldview or methods.
2. There are advantages to having secular licenses as long as you don’t compromise your beliefs or sin against your conscience in acquiring them.
3. Guard your heart from the temptation of finding your identity in your credentials rather than in Christ.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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

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