Biblical counseling is not "therapy" as the world thinks of it. Biblical counseling is committed to letting God speak for Himself through His Word. Biblical counseling seeks to minister the love of the true and living God, a love that deals with the heaviness of sin and/or the difficulties of suffering, so that you might genuinely change in the inner person to be pleasing to God.
We believe that the Bible, given by God, is sufficient for life in that, when properly interpreted, it reveals to the believer everything necessary to understand their need for Christ, to know how to please the Lord and live in a God-honoring way (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Biblical counselors counsel from God's true Word, the Bible.
Our experienced counselors will listen to your situation, help you understand what God desires, and walk alongside you as you make progress in living your life in a way that honors God and brings peace and rest to your soul.
We believe that genuine heart change is totally dependent on the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, our view of counseling will include the importance of prayer, dependence on God, a growing knowledge of the Word of God, and a willingness to learn the importance of serving God’s people in the local church. (If you would like to know more about what our church believes and teaches, please see the about section of our church website.)
We are pleased to serve you no matter where you stand spiritually. We believe the Bible is true and is the source for all wisdom in life (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Our counselors use biblical truths to help you overcome your struggles and make sense of life. If you are curious or seeking answers, we would love to talk with you more about how God desires to help you heal and grow. We have had many people begin or renew a relationship with God through the counseling process.
Our counselors have many years of combined experience in counseling and are certified through the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors. We work with hurting marriages, child/adolescent issues, anxiety, depression, and many other issues in life. If you have specific questions, we will help you find the best suitable counselor at Faith Biblical Counseling Center.
We typically begin by meeting weekly for several weeks. Then you would have a conversation with the counselor and discuss the frequency with which you both think you need to be meeting. Each counseling situation is different, but we have seen most of our counselees make good progress with 10-16 sessions over four to five months.
Faith Biblical Counseling Center is a ministry that keeps fees well below national averages for counseling. Members of Faith Bible Church may receive biblical counseling free of charge.
For non-members, we ask for all fees to be paid at the time of the appointment.
The initial interview appointment is one hour long, and the cost is $25.
Counseling sessions are one hour long, and the cost is $50 per session.
A 10-session package (10 one-hour sessions) costs $400. This may be paid in full at Session 1, or it may be paid in two payments, $200 due at Session 1 and $200 due at Session 6.
We work with those who have limited means and don’t turn people away from seeking counseling because of limited ability to pay.
If you need to cancel the initial appointment, please give 48-hour notice so that someone else can have the time slot. If you are a returning counselee, please contact your counselor at least 24 hours prior to the appointment. This gives others the opportunity to use the canceled time slot.
If there is an emergency situation, please contact your counselor first or the office (counseling@fbchurch.org or 509-326-9455, ext. 116). A late cancellation may be granted so that you will not be charged for your missed session. Repeated failure to cancel within 24 hours or failure to show up for appointments will result in suspended counseling. We thank you for understanding this policy.
The next step involves bringing in an advocate to walk alongside you during this time. The addition of a trusted friend, small group member, or mentor has been shown to increase the effectiveness of counseling significantly. They will walk with you through the counseling process and continue to help you after the counseling is over. Ideally the person is part of your day-to-day community, attends your church, and is known and trusted by the leadership.
Simply put, the most helpful advocate is someone who loves God, trusts God's Word, and cares about you. You may have questions or may have few people in your life that meet that description. We have made an allowance of up to three sessions to learn more about this role and to find the right person to join you. After three sessions, counseling will be terminated without an advocate present unless you have agreed to be involved (attend and find a Growth Group) at Faith Bible Church.
Before giving us information on who you will be contacting to serve as your advocate, please take some time to open and read through the information below to gain a better understanding of what we mean by advocacy.
• It's a privilege to be an advocate and stand in the gap for your friend or loved one during their time of need (Proverbs 17:17).
• One does not need extensive counseling training or schooling to be an advocate (2 Corinthians 1:3-5).
• Mutual ministry encourages growth in everyone involved (Hebrews 3:12-13).
• It's God's design to counsel in community (Galatians 6:1-2).
Your advocate will have a variety of opportunities to learn, grow, and serve. Below are some specific ways in which we will ask the advocate to serve:
• Offer intercessory prayer (Romans 12:11-12, Jeremiah 33:3)
• Provide insights and perspective for the counselor (Proverbs 18:17)
• Witness to what God is doing (Mark 2:1-12, 2 Tim 2:24-26)
• Help you apply what you are learning in between sessions (Galatians 6:1-2)
• Become a bridge for you to get connected into community (Hebrews 3:12-13)
• Decrease loneliness and isolation for you (Proverbs 18:1, Hebrews 10:24-25)
• Stand as an ambassador for biblical soul care (2 Corinthians 1:3-5 and 5:14-21)
• Hope and help as a friend who walks through the valley
• Continuity of counseling and help to the counselee throughout the weeks
• Help communicating greater context, to bring to remembrance key issues and/or remind them of truth gained while in counseling
• Gives you freedom to be attentive without the need to capture every detail discussed in your notes
• Deeper insight into the life of a person they love
• Weekly direction for conversation and accountability
• An opportunity to ask questions and receive insight
• An opportunity to fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:1-2)
• A practical way to apply the "one anothers" of Scripture
• An opportunity for further training/equipping
• Personal growth in closing the gaps between knowing Scripture and living it
• Another perspective into the life of the counselee
• Built-in accountability for homework and application
• Validation or clarification of heart issues
• Help assimilating into the regular flow of discipleship at the church
• The advocate is trained to support a body member in a short period of time
• Creates a support network for pastors and ministry leaders
• Built-in accountability for the church's counseling ministry
• A testimony of love and commitment to one another and a watching world
• Creates a culture of obedience to the 40+ "one anothers" of Scripture
Brian is the Pastor of Counseling & Equipping at Faith Bible Church. He is passionate about the local church, and equipping the saints to effectively serve one another. Before coming to Spokane, he spent 14 years serving God's people as a pastor in rural New England (Vermont & New Hampshire).
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Michelle Sayers and her husband, Brian serve in the counseling center at Faith Bible Church. She and Brian have been in ministry for over 20 years, first in rural New England, and now here in Spokane, WA.
From Faith Biblical Counseling Center
In the back corner of the Faith Biblical Counseling Center, there’s a small room with a table, a couple of tiny chairs and several larger ones. It’s easy to see it’s a child-friendly place: There’s a shelf full of plastic toy ...
