Certification

The path to certified biblical counselor.

Three phases — Learning, Training, and Supervised Counseling — that prepare you to serve the local church as a certified biblical counselor.

Home · Certification
At a Glance

Three phases. One calling.

Each phase builds on the last. You may take training and supervised counseling at an Approved Training Center or with a Regional Mentor.

01

Phase One — Learning

Read at least one book from each section of the recommended reading list — minimum 1,000 pages total.

See the reading list →
02

Phase Two — Training

Three levels (Foundations, Process, Theology) plus two exams. A total of 19 two-hour sessions of instruction.

See the levels →
03

Phase Three — Supervised Counseling

50 hours of supervised counseling: observation, participation, and lead counseling under a Regional Mentor or Approved Training Center.

See the structure →
Phase One

Recommended Reading List.

Applicants must read at least one book from each section below — a minimum of 1,000 pages total.

1. Introduction to Biblical Counseling

  • Blame It on the Brain? — Ed Welch
  • Competent to Counsel — Jay Adams
  • Counseling One Another: A Theology of Inter-personal Discipleship — Paul Tautges
  • Counseling: How to Counsel Biblically — John MacArthur
  • Counseling the Hard Cases — Stuart Scott & Heath Lambert (eds.)
  • How to Help People Change — Jay Adams
  • Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands — Paul David Tripp
  • Ready to Restore — Jay Adams
  • Seeing with New Eyes — David Powlison
  • Speaking Truth in Love — David Powlison
  • The Christian Counselor’s Manual — Jay Adams
  • Changed Into His Image — Jim Berg
  • Our Sufficiency in Christ — John MacArthur

2. Theology

  • A Theology of Biblical Counseling — Heath Lambert
  • A Theology of Christian Counseling — Jay Adams
  • Biblical Doctrine: A Systematic Summary of Bible Truth — John MacArthur & Richard Mayhue
  • God’s Kingdom through God’s Covenants — Gentry & Wellum
  • Christian Theology — Millard Erickson
  • Theology — Louis Berkhof
  • The Inspiration and Authority of the Bible — B.B. Warfield
  • Trusting God — Jerry Bridges

3. Counseling & Anger

  • Anger & Stress Management — Wayne Mack
  • The Heart of Anger — Lou Priolo
  • Uprooting Anger — Robert Jones

4. Counseling & Anxiety

  • Anxious for Nothing — John MacArthur
  • Courage: Fighting Fear with Fear — Wayne Mack
  • Triumphing Over Sinful Fear — John Flavel

5. Counseling & Avoidance / Addictions

  • Finally Free: Fighting for Purity with the Power of Grace — Heath Lambert
  • Godliness through Discipline — Jay Adams
  • Passions of the Heart — John Street
  • The Heart of Addictions — Mark Shaw

6. Counseling & Conflict

  • Pursuing Peace — Robert D. Jones
  • Putting Your Past in Its Place — Steve Viars
  • The Peacemaker — Ken Sande
  • Unpacking Forgiveness — Chris Brauns

7. Counseling & Family

  • God, Marriage, and Family — Andreas Köstenberger
  • Men and Women in the Church — Kevin DeYoung
  • Shepherding a Child’s Heart — Ted Tripp
  • Strengthening Your Marriage — Wayne Mack
  • The Exemplary Husband — Stuart Scott
  • The Excellent Wife — Martha Peace
  • The Faithful Parent — Stuart Scott & Martha Peace
  • Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage — Jay Adams

8. Suffering

  • God’s Mercy in Our Suffering: Lamentations for Pastors and Counselors — Kress & Tautges
  • In the Aftermath: Past the Pain of Childhood Sexual Abuse — Gannon & Moore
  • Out of the Blues — Wayne Mack
  • God’s Grace in Your Suffering — David Powlison
Phase Two

Three training levels.

Nineteen two-hour sessions total — eleven Foundations, four Process, four Theology — concluding with two written exams.

  1. Introduction — What is Biblical Counseling? Distinctives. Mandate.
  2. Helping People Change — Salvation, self-confrontation, devotion to God, Scripture memory.
  3. Man’s Way vs. God’s Way — Authority of Scripture, role of the Holy Spirit, necessity of prayer.
  4. Biblical Change Part 1 — Downward spiral, upward path, doers of the Word, three levels of problems (feeling, doing, heart), hope, peace, joy.
  5. Biblical Change Part 2 — Progressive sanctification, sinful habit patterns, renewing the mind, consistency, tests vs. temptations.
  6. Dealing with Self — Self-belittlement, exaltation, pity, envy, jealousy, covetousness, greed; pleasing self or God; stewardship; serving others.
  7. Interpersonal Problems — Anger, bitterness, forgiveness, biblical reconciliation, loving your neighbor, church discipline, biblical communication.
  8. Marriage — Biblical model, marital conflict, showing love, conference table for reconciliation.
  9. Parenting — Man’s way vs. God’s way, training children, provoking to bitterness, biblical instruction, discipling, corrective discipline, family devotions.
  10. Depression & Anxiety — Understanding and overcoming.
  11. Besetting Sin — Recognition, effects, God’s power, the armor of God.
  1. Involvement & Inspiration
  2. Inventory & Interpretation
  3. Instruction & Inducement
  4. Implementation & Integration
  1. Bibliology
  2. Theology Proper (Doctrine of God)
  3. Anthropology
  4. Christology
  5. Soteriology
  6. Pneumatology
  7. Ecclesiology
  • Process of Counseling Exam — covering Levels One and Two.
  • Theology of Counseling Exam — covering Level Three.

Both exams must be passed before moving into Phase Three.

Phase Three

Supervised Counseling — 50 hours.

Counseling is learned in counseling. Phase Three places the applicant alongside experienced biblical counselors at an Approved Training Center or under a Regional Mentor.

1

Observation

Sit in on counseling sessions with an approved counselor — listening, learning the rhythm of involvement, inventory, and instruction.

2

Participation

Step into sessions as a participating counselor under direct supervision, growing in confidence and case judgment.

3

Lead Counselor

Lead counseling sessions yourself while the supervising counselor observes, debriefs, and sharpens your work.

Upon completion, applicants are recommended to the Board for certification as a Certified Member of the Baptist Initiative.

Take the first step.

Talk with us about beginning Phase One. We’ll connect you with an Approved Training Center or Regional Mentor in your area.

Apply & Inquire Training Options