Foundations of Biblical Counseling

Course Syllabus

Course Description

This course lays the foundation for walking alongside others with Scripture, compassion, and wise questions. You will learn what lay biblical counseling is and what it is not, why the helper's own walk with God comes first, and how Scripture describes the person: made in God's image, shaped by the heart, affected by both sin and suffering, and never beyond hope. You will practice listening before speaking, using Scripture and prayer with care, sitting with people in suffering and lament, and responding at a lay level to common struggles such as anxiety, grief, shame, anger, and broken relationships. You will learn a simple five-step care conversation and, just as important, clear signs that mean it is time to refer someone to a pastor, doctor, or licensed professional. You will finish with a case-study care plan and a personal reflection on why you serve. This is a lay ministry credential, not a clinical license. Every activity can be completed on paper.

Faith Integration

Galatians 6:2 calls believers to bear one another's burdens. God has given His people His Word, His Spirit, and one another, and Romans 15:14 says ordinary believers can be able also to admonish one another. In this course we honor both Scripture and wise professional care: faith and counseling or medication are not opposed, and a humble helper knows when a burden is heavier than she should carry alone. We serve with meekness, remembering that we too need grace (Galatians 6:1).

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

1. Explain from Romans 15:14, Galatians 6:1–2, and Colossians 3:16 what lay biblical counseling is, and state clearly what it is not.
2. Describe why the helper's own walk with God, humility, and self-care come before helping others (Matthew 7:3–5).
3. Summarize a biblical view of the person: image of God, the heart, sin and suffering, and hope.
4. Practice listening before speaking (Proverbs 18:13, James 1:19) and ask open, caring questions.
5. Use Scripture and prayer in context, gently and without using verses as quick fixes.
6. Respond to suffering with compassion and lament, avoiding the mistakes of Job's friends.
7. Recognize common struggles at a lay level and identify referral cues and emergencies that require immediate help.
8. Lead a simple care conversation: Listen, Understand, Hope from Scripture, Next step, Pray or refer.

Course Materials

• This student workbook
• A Bible (King James Version)
• A notebook or lined paper and a folder
• Pen or pencil (no devices are required; every activity has a paper version)
• A printed copy of the When to Get Help card (provided in Module 1)

Weekly Schedule

How You Will Be Graded

To pass this course: earn 70% or higher overall and attend at least 80% of sessions.

Classroom Covenant

• We begin and end each session in prayer. Participation in prayer is always welcome, never required.
• What is shared in class stays in class. We protect one another's stories.
• We speak with respect, listen without interrupting, and disagree with grace.
• We come prepared, do our own work, and ask for help when we need it.
• We follow all facility rules. Safety and security come first.
• We believe the best about one another and about what God can do.

Support & Accommodations

If reading, writing, vision, hearing, or any other need makes a part of this course harder, tell your instructor privately. Materials can be read aloud, enlarged, or completed orally. Missed sessions can be made up using the module pages. If you are transferred or released, your completed work stays on record and you can finish online.

Welcome

Welcome to the first course of the Biblical Lay Counseling & Christian Life Coaching Certificate. This companion walks beside you with a weekly reading, five devotions for the days between sessions, and a Quick Guide you can keep long after the course ends. Remember as you read: this is a lay ministry credential, not a clinical license. You are learning to walk alongside others with Scripture, compassion, and wise questions, and to know when to bring in more help.

How to Use This Companion

• Read the weekly reading after each class session. It takes about 10 minutes.
• Reflect on the questions. These are for you; you do not have to turn them in.
• Meet with God through the five daily devotions between sessions.
• Keep the Quick Guide at the end to carry home after release.

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.— Psalm 119:105 (KJV)