Competent Caring Courses

Learn counselling skills based on a biblical perspective

Program Description:

This three-part course has been developed to equip pastors, lay leaders and others with a greater understanding of the inner challenges faced by those that are hurting.  It then provides basic counselling skills to support people through those difficult times with a simple effective model.  Each of the three parts highlights a different narrative from the Bible that allows the students to learn elements of care.  It is taught in a way that brings the dynamics of psychotherapy into everyday language and personal understanding.  This course is not limited to those in formalized roles, but rather it assists all of us by improving how we exist in community.

• Part 1

  • Nehemiah – being an agent of change in a wounded world
  • Biblical Model for Healing and Restoration
  • Fundamental Components of Caring
  • Skills Training: worth, belonging, competence, common core belief statements, core counselling principles
  • Building therapeutic relationships, empathy, listening skills, etc.

• Part 2

  • Joseph – being an agent of change in a wounding family
  • Restoring God’s design
  • Four levels of development
  • Skills training: stabilizing people in crisis; family systems, genograms, forgiveness model, listening skills, counselling cycle

• Part 3

  • David – being an agent of change when we have personally caused the wounds
  • Assault, Abuse and Suicide prevention
  • Trauma Recovery
  • Professional boundaries
  • Dual relationships
  • Ethical principles

Course Dates:

• To Be Announced

Responses:

I recently attended a day long workshop with Bonita on providing competent care and have to say it was fantastic. To be honest, I was hesitant at first because most day-long workshops lose steam by early afternoon but this definitely was not the case with Bonita. She was energetic, engaging, and so knowledgeable. She kept things interesting with various hands on activities and she deployed them at just the right time. Bonita is evidently a “sensy” – which is perfect for the position she’s in. Her willingness to be vulnerable and upfront with her own experiences and issues made her so accessible and much easier for me as a student to learn from. I’m very much looking forward to the Part 2 of the Competent Caring workshop series and would recommend these workshops to anyone – whether a lay-person or leader in church contexts. – Steven Bill