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How to set up a biblical counseling ministry
 

In this article, you'll learn how to answer every process-related question that you'll need to think through...

1. What’s the best way for our new counselees to request counseling?

• Should they request counseling online, through email, word of mouth, over the phone, or through a combination of these means?
• How do we know when someone has requested counseling? Who is alerted and how? How would we track a wait list? How would we know how long counselees are waiting to have their first appointment scheduled?
  • If you’re using BibliCare, this is all taken care of for you automatically.

2. What kind of pre-counseling forms should we use? (See Ideas)

• When do we assign pre-counseling forms (See Ideas)? Remember, timing matters.

3. How could/should counselees fill out pre-counseling forms?

• How can these forms be securely filled out and organized? (See Ideas)
• How can these forms be confidentially shared with their assigned counselor?

4. How should our administrator assign a counselor? (See Ideas)

• Do we assign based on availability, case load (how many cases a counselor can take at one time), credentials (skill level, life experience, etc.), gender, age, or a combination of these?
• How does the counselor know when they’re assigned to a case?

5. How can counselors and counselees securely communicate outside the counseling session? (See Ideas)

• Is email, texting, phone calls, etc. a secure way to communicate?

6. How do we schedule appointments well? (See Ideas)

• Will the counselee schedule their own appointments?
• Will the counselor schedule their own appointments?
• Will administrators schedule all appointments on behalf of counselors?
• Will administrators schedule the first appointment, and counselors schedule all their subsequent appointments?
• Will we do a hybrid approach?
• How will the counselor/administrator know which rooms are available to use?
• Is the ministry calendar shared? Are there privacy concerns?
• How do we remind counselees of upcoming appointments?

7. What’s the best way for counselors to record session notes, and to have their notes reviewed?

• What are the pros and cons of typed vs handwritten notes? (See Ideas)
• Should counselors free-write notes or use a template?
• How do administrators know if counselors have completed the notes on their session? (See Ideas)
• How do administrators provide helpful comments, feedback, and encouragement in a counselor’s session notes? (See Ideas)

8. How should counselors assign homework, and how can our counselees securely turn in homework?

• Is email a secure way to share homework?

9. How do we get oversight over what’s happening in our ministry? (See Ideas)

• How do we know who is meeting with who? What primary issues have we counseled this month/year?
• Does our church/practice/center require specific reports every quarter/year? If so, how will we get these reports without pulling our hair out?

10: Should we request donations? (See Article)

• Should we ask for donations? If so, should it be before, during, or after a session?
• How do we track who has donated this month or year, or how many donations a particular counselee has given?

If you need help answering any of these questions, please feel free to click here to schedule a free, one-on-one conversation with us. We’re always happy to help!