Rod and Staff Ministries is passionate about equipping the churches to counsel by equipping the saints with the hope giving, joy producing, God honoring, living Word. We want to help you become ACBC certified and to become a lifelong resource for you. From the day you sign up for your first course until the day you receive your official certification, our program is uniquely designed to be with you at every step.
This video from ACBC provides a great overview of the ACBC certification process:
As a certified ACBC training center here’s how Rod and Staff Ministries can help…
Phase 1: Training (Basic Training Course, Assigned Reading, Counseling Observation)
Our Phase 1 is designed to prepare you for competency and to streamline your certification process.
While ACBC’s basic training course offers 30 hours of instruction over the course of three weekends, the basic training course at Rod and Staff Ministries helps you by providing 48 hours of instruction over the course of two, twelve-week semesters. All of our assigned reading comes from ACBC’s approved reading list. We ask for two book reports and one, ten-page paper. These reading and writing assignments are instrumental in not only preparing you for the exam but also for lifelong growth in counseling. While ACBC requires ten hours of counseling observation via DVDs, we require a total of twelve hours of counseling observation that can be completed with live counselors or DVDs.
Phase 2: Exams & Application (Write theology and counselors exams, Compile an application)
Rod and Staff helps your transition from Phase 1 to Phase 2 by requiring a third semester. This class prepares you for writing the exam by offering around twenty hours of cohort discussion over the course of four or five Saturdays. You will get to answer some of the questions on the exam, receive feedback from the instructor and other classmates, and complete a reading assignment (which is also on the ACBC approved reading list). We help with the exams and application process by grading all of our students’ exams and submitting all of the components of your application to ACBC on your behalf.
Phase 3: Supervision (Personal supervision, Coaching by ACBC Fellow)
Many students in supervision receive long-distance feedback from their fellows. After you have submitted your application and passed your exams, however, we have the blessing of helping you by offering in-person supervision and face-to-face coaching for ten out of the fifty hours of supervised counseling. This feedback is invaluable in honing your counseling skills.
We would love to have the privilege of helping you or one of your friends become a certified ACBC counselor. If we can help you finish your course of study toward ACBC certification, or if you would simply like to refresh and re-sharpen your competency in biblical counseling, our courses would be a great aid to you. Registration is available now. Our website provides much more detail about our training and the certification process. Please don’t hesitate to ask us how we can help you. May God continue to use us for His glory and the good of His saints—that we may live a life above circumstance, pleasing to Him, and satisfying to the soul.
10,000 Blessings in The Wonderful Counselor,
Rod and Staff Ministries