About Christian Counseling Degrees, Licenses, Certification
Christian
Counseling is a ministry. Christian counselors are
members of the clergy. They equip themselves with knowledge and
experience that enables them, in agreement with the Holy Spirit, to help
troubled Christians discover the truth about themselves. Christian
counselors play an important role in helping people understand just who
God created them to be. They learn how to use this information to help
people become the Christians God had in mind when He created them.
The
urgent problems that face humanity, problems that include unprecedented
drug abuse, fragmented family structures, suicide and so forth, find
their solutions in the realm of the spirit. Recovering
addicts learn to find a spiritual solution if they are to stay
recovered. State licensed Marriage and Family Therapists often seem in
reality to be Divorce Counselors. How many people actually find recovery
through secular paths?
Spiritual problems require spiritual solutions. Most states prevent state licensed counselors from offering spiritual solutions to their clients. Consequently, the role of the pastoral counselor is expanding, becoming fundamentally important to our society.
Counseling
others is an occupation full of responsibility. Counselors have the
potential to cause significant harm as well as wonderful benefits.
It is therefore necessary to hold those who undertake to counsel others
to high standards.
Would you want a surgeon operating on you whose only medical instruction came from watching TV? If you were going to share your problems with another, wouldn't you want them to be qualified to help you?
Those who are called to counsel others, whether in a secular or a religious setting, need to be properly trained, having both knowledge and experience before beginning their practice.
Coursework without hands-on experience cannot make one a properly trained counselor. Understanding comes from instruction, feedback, interaction.
Wherever you decide to receive your training from, be sure to evaluate the supervision, feedback and mentoring you will receive. The value of having a personal guide who has already been where you want to go cannot be over-estimated. The Art and Science of Counseling is learned as much from experience as from texts and workbooks.
Most practicing Christian Counselors will attain at least a Master's Degree in Christian Counseling or similar field. It is difficult to find an appropriate covering authority, insurance, and so forth with anything less than the right credentials.
After
earning a your degree, it is appropriate for a counselor to become
licensed. The NCCA., who issues licenses for Christian Counselors,
is a nationally recognized organization who has been licensing Christian
Counselors for over twenty years. One of our jobs is to get you properly
licensed with the NCCA. The NCCA will then become an authority for
you. You will periodically report your activities and meet the
standards for continuing education. Christian counselors are held
accountable.
Again, Christian Counseling is a ministry. Therefore, Christian Counselors need to be(come) ordained ministers. Pastoral Counseling Center can provide you the recommendations you will need to ordained by the NCCC, or you may prefer to be ordained by a church of your choosing. To operate as a minister, you need to be ordained.
Next: Learn about establishing your ministry with proper credentials.
Apply to Pastoral Counseling Center