AZBCS Online

As Pastoral Counselors/Chaplains we bring to our role as counselors our own particular Christian philosophy and world view, our recognition of the importance of the spiritual dimension in people's lives and willingness to work with the spiritual issues they present, and our desire to integrate our Christian faith with our practice in a meaningful way. Our courses are of interest to those wishing to train as pastoral counselors, chaplains, or pastoral care givers. Students will develop their listening, counseling or supervisory skills for use in their roles and can be extended into settings such as nursing or teaching. The ethos and core values of the courses are Christian counseling centered and our particular interest as a training organization lies in the integration of Christian faith and counseling practice.

Pastoral Counseling/Chaplaincy program trains competent ministers in pastoral counseling or the chaplaincy field, thus enabling graduates to provide ministerial services from a faith based and spiritual perspective through clinical pastoral education. The Pastoral Counseling/Chaplaincy Program is divided into two parts. The first segment of the program is a 12 month course of study which trains a person in ministry leadership and Christian counseling. Additionally, students in this program will receive 400 hours of clinical training from a CPSP Clinical Supervisor and be qualified for ordination. Students may graduate will a certificate or an AA degree, depending on previous credits.

Students may elect to continue on for a second year and receive an AA or Bachelors in Pastoral Counseling or Chaplaincy. This is an additional a 12 month (4 semester) program in which students attend year round. Studies involve didactic study and 1600 hours of clinical training.

This program is also an excellent program for those on the pastorate track. We seek first the integration of theory and practice as ministers and then to provide opportunities for students to integrate counseling practice, chaplaincy and theory with clinical opportunities. The program provides a holistic approach to training, including training in academic, clinical, faith and spiritual based counseling services. Graduates of this program provide therapeutic services in a wide variety of settings including churches, pastoral counseling centers, hospitals/hospice, outreach centers and numerous other settings. Students will also obtain their ordination upon graduation with the General Conference of the Evangelical Baptist Church.

• Called to counsel, assessment - first impressions, persona, diagnosis, listening techniques
• Crisis Counseling: theory and practice of interventions; the minister as a crisis counselor, need for referral resources, boundaries concerning when to refer.
• Consultation, collaboration and referral.
• The mechanics of when and how to refer to mental health professionals.
• Counseling issues, families and counseling; faith settings and presuppositions
• Spiritual healing and growth.
• Addictions: all types, alcohol and drug addiction, intervention, including 12-step programs and spiritual resources. Families; family systems; understanding and working with families.
• Exploring the neglected person, knowing who you are in Christ. Typical issues in people's lives as they come into counseling. Problems and their effect on marriages, work, families and friends.
• Psychopathology: how mental illness can be handled within the ministry setting to minimize problems and develop support systems.
• Anxiety and stress in today's culture, it's impact in the ministry setting; facing stress; contemporary research on the effects of stress and methods of stress reduction (relaxation and prayer); spiritual resources in addressing anxiety.
• Typology (Introversion, Extroversion, Thinking, Feeling, Perceiving, Sensation) Myers-Briggs Type Inventory. How to understand and use typology, knowing your spiritual gifts. Spiritual approach to depression; Use of spiritual interventions (prayer, scripture, support groups, worship services, mentoring).
• Transference / Counter transference; The "battle for structure" in a counseling situation (time, commitment, setting, continuity).
• Couples counseling; when to see both, when to see one person.
• Projection: How is the 'minister' seen by members? What are common projections, how does one address projections, avoid projections?
• Mandated reporting laws
• Confidentiality; Ethics and Counseling guidelines
• Termination of counseling

The Pastoral Counseling Program combines theology with clinical education to help students use their pastoral role to provide spiritual care to persons in crisis. The curriculum incorporates American Association of Christian Counselors classes, Moody Bible Institute courses plus classes based on textbooks, materials and classroom training.
All students are required to purchase the Logos Bible Study Software.

Text Books: Called To Counsel - John Cheydleur,Stress and the Family: Normative Transitions - Charles R. Figley PhD, Hamilton McCubbin PhD, The Spiritual Work of Marriage - David C. Olsen, How to Counsel a Couple in Six Sessions - H. Norman Wright, Stress and the Family: Coping with Catastrophe - Charles R. Figley PhD, Hamilton McCubbin PhD.

 CURRICULUM - Year One

Additionally, students will complete 400 CPE hours the first year and if they attend the second year, they will complete 1200 CPE supervised clinical training hours in a hospital, church or pastoral counseling center, for a total of 1600 CPE hours for the two years.