What is Expected of the Counselee?

       

The counselee must be willing to agree to the following:

1. •  Sign the Consent to Biblical Counseling form provided in the initial forms that are sent, or downloaded as well as complete the intake forms (personal data inventory).
   

2. •   Weekly attendance at an agreed upon Bible believing Church, and an agreement to place yourself under the authority of the Pastor/Elders at your church of attendance.
   

3. •   Complete any assigned homework prior to the counseling appointment (assignments may include reading materials, listening to CDs, worksheets, and Scripture memory & meditation, etc.).  The counselor reserves the right to discontinue any counseling if the counselee consistently refuses to complete homework assignments.
   

4. •   Arrive on time for each appointment and/or call ahead to reschedule when necessary.

What will the appointments be like?

    As a safe-guard, male counselors will not meet alone with women for counseling.  A female counselee will either be counseled by two counselors or, a female counselee who has an appointment with a male counselor may be accompanied by one other person willing to sit in during the counseling session (a spouse, parent, or friend).  Please bring a Bible, notebook and pen or pencil for the counseling session.

How often will appointments be scheduled?

    Typically, counselors will meet with a counselee(s) once a week to allow the counselee(s) adequate time to complete the homework assignments and have sufficient amount of time to reflect and consider the counselor’s admonition and counsel.

What is the length of each counseling session?

Counseling sessions are typically 50-60 minutes long, but in some cases may go longer if needed.

How long does the counseling process usually last?

    Typically, the counselor and counselee will meet for several sessions spread out over a period of 2-3 months.  Although this is normal, when the truths of Scripture are rightly understood and correctly applied to the life of the counselee, it is not unusual for a quicker and more radical change to take place in which fewer counseling sessions may be needed.  The sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit is not bound by the schedule of man, therefore we trust and believe in His sovereign timeframe for the growth and sanctification of a believer.  It is not our goal to prolong counseling sessions for the sake of prolonging them.

No Set Counseling Fees

    There are no set fees associated with our Biblical counseling ministry.  We offer our counseling with no financial obligation to you, but welcome and encourage donations.  Covenant Reformed Baptist Church is a non-profit ministry, and as such, if you feel led to make a donation, that is between you and the Lord.

No Telephone Counseling

    Often in counseling, there is a tendency to get an abbreviated “quick fix” of telephone counseling, which ultimately will not help the counselee in the process of sanctification.  Therefore, no telephone counseling will be done in place of counseling by appointment.

How can an appointment be made?

    Inquiries can be made by calling Kevin Lewis at (352) 989-0009 or by sending an e-mail (kevin@sdgmail.com) and submitting the inquiry.  Forms for counseling can either be downloaded from the resources section, or will be sent to you (via e-mail or standard mail) and will need to be completed and returned prior to the initial appointment.  Once the forms are received, a counselor will contact you to set up an initial session.  At this session, the counselor will explain the counseling process and offer some initial thoughts about what the Word of God says about your situation.