Counselor Training
When people face sin and suffering of every kind, the church of Jesus Christ is called to provide hope and direction of Scripture. That’s why we partner with the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC), an organization that trains and certifies individuals in biblical counseling. We are an ACBC Certified Training Center, which means that our biblical counseling training counts toward requirements in the ACBC certification process.
The entire ACBC certification process includes four phases:
Phase 1: Heart Wise – Fundamentals Training Course
Heart Wise Fundamentals is a 40-hour seminar, presented in 10 sessions. It is designed to meet the requirements of the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC) and satisfies the basic training of Phase 1 of certification. Completion of the Fundamentals will position the participant to continue to the next elements of ACBC certification, i.e. observation and reading. Heart Wise Fundamentals is offered as part of an 18-month program that culminates in completion of the ACBC certification process.
Phase 2: Counseling Observations and Required Reading
Following completion of HWF, participants move into an interactive component of training which involves the following:
- 10 hours of counseling observation led by an ACBC Certified Counselor.
- Completion of the ACBC required reading component which is composed of a minimum of 1000 pages of approved reading as follows:
- Theological Basics
(700 pages minimum) - Biblical Counseling Basics
(300 pages minimum).
- Theological Basics
Phase 3: Examination Workshop
The comprehensive written examination provides the opportunity to demonstrate core competency in foundational principles essential to the practice of biblical counseling. The workshop setting provides an opportunity to complete the essay-structured examination with confidence and accuracy.
Phase 4: Counseling Supervision
The final phase of certification includes a review of fifty (50) sessions of actual counseling, led by the participants under the supervision of an ACBC Fellow. This rigorous process provides timely and critical feedback to build the perspective counselor’s execution of both philosophy and practice of biblical counseling principles through engagement with a counselee.