HOW CAN I BECOME A COUNSELOR?
 Caring for People God's Way is a five-part, 30-lesson training program designed to educate and equip a community of helpers within the church to offer careful, Biblical encouragement, direction, hope and personal growth to hurting people in a hurting world.
- Do you find that family and friends often come to you for help with their problems?
- Do you feel God has gifted you with a heart that desires to help people, care for them and provide encouragement in their time of need?
- Do you wish you had a better understanding of the issues people struggle with in today's complex world?
- Do you wish you were better trained and equipped, more skilled and better able to use God's Word during these times?
- Do you wish you could get the training you desire and need without having to leave home or spend years in study to do so?
The Answer...
Whether you teach a Sunday school class, are a stay-at-home mom counseling a lot of friends and family over the phone or a cup of coffee, or are an attending physician or nurse helping hurting individuals and families who need hope and healing every day whatever your occupation may be, this program might just be for you!
This looks interesting, now what?
You have two choices:
- You could simply choose areas of interest and come for those sessions OR
- If you are interested in becoming a lay counselor in SUMC, you must view all the videos and do the work required by the Center for Biblical Counseling. When you complete the course of study, you will receive a certificate from the Center for Biblical Counseling. This is not college or masters degree level credit. If you cannot attend every video session, the videos will be available for weekly loans to catch up on your own time.
What is the cost involved?
If you come to view the videos, but are not in the "certificate program", there is NO charge. If you want to be in the certificate program, the cost to the Center for Biblical Counseling for your materials is $165. This will be reimbursed by SUMC upon completion of the program if you agree to be a lay counselor resource person for SUMC.
More info and brochures can be found on the bulletin board in the main hallway. Please indicate interest by signing up on the bulletin board. See Sharon Ruff, Linda Kreh, or Debi Rutledge with questions. For more information on the individual sessions being offered, click here.
Course Descriptions
Unit 1 - Introduction to Biblical Counseling |
BICO 101 Becoming a Christian Counselor
God cares deeply for us, calls us to Himself and desires to work through us to offer His message of hope to others. In this course, you’ll be introduced to the tough issues that pain today’s generations, the modern-day search for answers and the Biblical basis of counseling ministry.
BICO 102 Using Your Spiritual Gifts in Counseling
Do you know what your spiritual gift(s) are? If you did, would you know how they affect your method of counseling? This course provides foundational principles for understanding and maximizing your spiritual gift(s) in your ministry for Christ.
BICO 103 Helping others find Significance in Life
How do you point out the meaning and significance of life to someone who is struggling with low self-esteem? In this course, you will learn what is at the heart of the struggle with thoughts and feelings of inferiority and worthlessness. Guidelines to encourage and challenge others to find true significance and personal value in life are also given.
BICO 104 The Power of Truth
From false beliefs, lies can permeate our lives. These false beliefs have the potential to harm marriages, destroy self-confidence, and damage our spiritual walk. We are flooded daily with false beliefs that can cause confusion and leave us searching for direction. Learn practical tips to help others know truth, achieve balance and find new life.
BICO 105 Overcoming Depression
Some of the greatest men and women in history battled depression. Clinical depression saps daily strength and hope. It can come upon an individual gradually or suddenly, and if not properly recognized and dealt with in a timely fashion can render one helpless. What is it? How does it affect the lives of those we minister to? What steps do we take to help people overcome depression? This course offers positive thoughts and encouragement that can be applied toward recovery and well-being.
BICO 106 Surviving Sexual Abuse: On the Threshold of Hope
Untold millions of children have been abused by someone they love or should have been able to trust. The effects are staggering and the healing path is a journey that is possible in Christ. Unfortunately, most suffer in silence their entire lives. This course will help you understand the nature, extent and effects of sexual abuse. Guidelines and steps for healing are presented.
BICO 201 The Effective People Helper (Jan. 10th)
“Know thyself” is a cardinal rule if you are going to offer wise counsel. In this course, you will be challenged to look at your own life, learn the characteristics of effective counselors and find out how to avoid common pitfalls in helping others.
BICO 202 Bringing People into God’s Presence (Jan. 17th)
Before you can effectively provide counseling that has a Biblical and Christ-centered foundation you must first understand who God is and the awesome power He can provide in the life of the counselor and the counselee. In this course you will learn to value and rely on the presence and power of God in counseling ministry.
BICO 203 How to Help People Change (Jan. 24th)
Sometimes no matter how much people desire to change, they just can’t seem to be successful at it. We have all known others who have struggled with addictions, or even good intentions and have wondered why they couldn’t just change. In this course attention is given to the barriers, the process and the agents of lasting change.
BICO 204 Heart Matters: Repentance and Godly Sorrow
No matter what technique you use as a counselor to help people deal with addictions or bad habits that are detrimental to their well-being, there will be no healing until there is repentance and Godly sorrow. In this course you will learn the dynamics and powerful freedom that comes in a true turning of the heart.
BICO 205 Forgiveness: Letting Go of the Past and Pain
Some people are enslaved to their past and pain and burn with anger, resentment, even bitterness. They just can’t seem to let go - can’t forgive. A challenging issue in everyday life, you will learn that forgiveness is essential in the healing process. Problems associated with the lack of forgiveness in our lives will be discussed and steps to let go of the past and pain associated with it will be outlined.
BICO 206 Freedom in Christ: Life in Abba’s Arms
Abba! Daddy God! Some people suffer due to their inability to draw near to God - for them, Father is associated with abuse or indifference, not love and care. One of the miracles of Christ is that He sets us free to know the Father as Abba - to find rest and joy in His arms. In this lesson you will learn what it means to experience this freedom from a relationship with Him who created us.
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Unit 3 - Marriage and Family |
BICO 301 Marriage: Keeping the Love Alive
Marriage should be the most fulfilling human relationship we will ever experience. But what if the relationship threatens to break apart? How do you help couples renew their lives and put their marriage back together? What do you do when couples become trapped in a cycle of disaffection? This course points out the pitfalls of marital drift and dissolutionment and offers beginning solutions to restoring the marriage relationship.
BICO 302 Guilt: Love’s Unseen Enemy (May 2nd)
The effects of guilt in an individual’s life can become an overwhelming obstacle to building relationships. It has physical, emotional and spiritual implications in the life of the one who hasn’t properly dealt with wrongdoing. Issues of denial and effects on relationships are discussed as well as solutions to helping people overcome guilt-ridden lives.
BICO 303 Great Sex: A Biblical Perspective (May 9th)
Sex has always had a sense of taboo in the church. But God doesn’t prevent or pervert sex - man does. What exactly does God say about it? This enthusiastic lesson teaches us that sex is a great and glorious gift that should be revered, not abused in marriage.
BICO 304 Hope-Focused Marriage Counseling (May 16th)
When a marriage is in crisis sometimes it is hard to have any hope that things will ever get better. Some feel so hopeless that they conclude there is no answer except to head to the divorce court. This lesson points these troubled, frustrated people in the direction of seeing the promise and path of restoration. With hope renewed, action and strategies for change are offered to help launch a new marital journey.
BICO 305 Divorce Recovery: Starting Over Again (May 23rd)
Divorce is an epidemic inside and outside the church. A devastating situation for all involved - the effects can last a lifetime. Our challenge is to help those starting over to see through their pain and regain hope for the future. In this course you will learn about the pain of divorce and careful insights for going forward.
BICO 306 Caught in the Middle: Children of Divorce (June 6th)
Probably the people most devastated by divorce are the children. The guilt,confusion and anger of children are often not verbalized but are demonstrated in acts of rebellion or in a quiet state of gradual depression and withdrawal. Helping these young people is important to their future and those with whom they will share their lives. This course provides sensitive and caring counsel to provide healing for children of all ages.
Unit 4 - Challenging Issues in Biblical Counseling |
BICO 401 What Would Jesus Think and Do? Understanding the Way of Christ
WWJD, the popular acronym, is discussed with respect to you as the counselor and the position you take with those whom you are counseling. In various kinds of cases, you are challenged to ask what would Jesus think and do if He were counseling this person?
BICO 402 Ethical and Legal Issues In Lay Ministry
How do you know when you are counseling beyond your competence? When do you maintain confidentiality and when must you break it? When should you refer to a licensed clinical counselor? These and other issues are discussed in this important lesson of managing liability risks for you and your church.
BICO 403 Family Systems: Breaking Unhealthy Patterns
What are dysfunctional families and how do you recognize them? Scripture states that the sins of the fathers are passed down from generation to generation. How do we help people break the pattern of destruction? This teaching helps you understand family systems and gives you steps to overcome the unhealthy patterns in the lives of those you counsel.
BICO 404 Sexual Issues: Affairs, Homosexuality, Intimacy Roadblocks, Dysfunctions
This lesson discusses those sexual issues that cause the most difficulty in the lives of believers. One reason they are so difficult is that people are afraid to openly discuss and confront them - those secret areas that destroy the lives of the believer and those he loves. This will help you understand these issues, recognize them when you are counseling, and how not to get trapped in them when helping others.
BICO 405 Pain & Suffering: Helping People in a Hurting World
How do you counsel when bad things happen to good people? How do you explain pain and suffering to someone who is so engulfed in it? It is inevitable that we will face trials and tribulations in this life (James 1:2). This course helps you help people heal from these times of distress and give timely answers to one of life’s most perplexing issues.
BICO 406 Breaking the Bonds of Sexual Addiction
Likely you know someone who carries the secret shame of being a sexual addict? It is just as powerful and detrimental to a person’s life as a drug or alcohol addiction. Sex and romance addiction can be a bondage like no other. This teaching provides solutions to breaking these bonds, success in providing healing and hope for renewal to those afflicted with this addiction.
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Unit 5 - Emerging Issues in Biblical Counseling |
BICO 501 Managing Stress and Anxiety
Stress and anxiety are the most common emotional problems in America today. How often have you felt stressed and anxious over a situation in your life? This lesson will discuss how these two conditions affect your life and health, both spiritually and physically. It will also provide you with steps to managing stress and reducing anxiety so that you will be able to better help those you are called to help.
BICO 502 Grief and Loss
Years ago, a national Gallup Poll revealed that most Americans thought grief over major loss should be resolved in three weeks to three months at most. No wonder, then, that those grieving commonly for years over the loss of a spouse or a child feel so lost in our society. Grief counseling is a major part of lay helping ministry and this important lesson will guide you in its practice.
BICO 503 Psychiatric Care and Medication
When and how should medication be administered in a counseling situation? For some problems, medication is essential and Christian helpers should not counsel against it. Knowing more about this important subject will help you know when to refer a client to a qualified clinician or medical professional. This accomplished Christian physician will help you to understand the importance of medication in certain counseling situations.
BICO 504 The Helper’s Chair: Special Skills and Practice
Do you have preconceived ideas of what a counselor is and does? Perhaps you are like Dr. Langberg was in her very first counseling session, surprised when things didn’t go the way she perceived them beforehand. This teaching will expose the uniqueness of helping ministry and outline the best skills and the right attitude to take into the counseling session.
BICO 505 Financial Bondage: Strategies for Freedom
Many relationships are torn apart by a misunderstanding and/or misappropriation of financial resources. How do we help people apply Godly principles to important area of their lives? How do we help others get free from the bondage of money? This course provides thought-provoking and timely strategies for establishing victory over our finances.
BICO 506 Anger Management
Anger can destroy not only the people around you but it can eat at the very soul of the individual who harbors anger in their life. Is all anger wrong? How do I know when my anger is justified? How can I help those who seem to be characterized by the bitterness in their lives? This lesson points out the destructive process angers takes in our lives and how we can achieve success by helping others manage this powerful emotion. |