I have had the privilege of being involved in training biblical counselors for nearly thirty-five years now, much of that time as a Fellow with the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC). The ACBC certification process is rigorous, including meeting the academic requirements, passing qualifying exams in both counseling and theology, and then establishing a relationship with a fellow in the organization who supervises 50 of your counseling hours.
Over the years I have enjoyed meeting people from many walks of life and have found serving as supervisor to be mutually beneficial in multiple ways. I have learned new skills and principles during the supervision calls and am thankful for my trainees’ numerous strengths and giftings.
However, one common weakness I have observed is the tendency on the part of inexperienced counselors to attempt to script the counseling session out in advance. It is almost like a one-person Sunday School lesson. Since ACBC requires that five of the fifty supervised hours are also recorded, listening to such sessions often reveals a one-sided lecture where the counselor is seeking to disseminate biblical information to a passive and speechless counselee.
As I reflect on the thousands of hours of my own counseling,
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