Where do you send your sheep to get outside help? Who can be trusted? It’s normal to feel nervous and wonder if the advice they receive will be biblically sound.
In a past episode, we shared some behind-the-scenes of what intensive counseling was like from the perspective of the counselees and their advocate couple. Today, we are going to show you what it’s like from the counselor’s perspective.
I have the privilege of welcoming Mark Schuitema. Mark is the Executive Director of Faithful Shepherds, which specializes in providing coaching, counseling, and care for the people who are pouring their lives out in the service of others. He is also a counselor at Twelve Stones, a non-profit Biblical Counseling Ministry.
In this episode, we discuss what happens in intensive counseling, the value of intensive counseling alongside your church’s biblical counseling ministry, some of the characteristics of a biblically based program, and much more.
Listen in!
Resources:
- Twelve Stones
- Episode 50: Partnerships that Strengthen (with Counsel Advocate Couple)
- Faithful Shepherds
- Learn more about our 5-Project Biblical Counseling Blueprint Model™
- Explore the rest of our website – bcmnational.org
Key Takeaways
- God is at work in each of us. There are times when you will get just as much out of it as the counselee. God is at work in our lives just as much as He is at work in the lives of our sheep. Our job is to merely lead them to the one who can heal their wounds.
- Discover what is going on at the heart level. In certain situations, it will take longer than a one-hour counseling session to be able to get to the heart level. This is the benefit of intensive counseling. The deep work and time allow the counselor to see the reality of what is going on, understand the person’s story, and how all of that may contribute to the current situation.
- Send people home well. A good counseling program will send your sheep home with actionable steps to continue to progress forward. They will feel more connected with God, connected with their spouse, and equipped to glorify God.
Meet Mark
Mark Schuitema is the Executive Director of Faithful Shepherds, which specializes in providing coaching, counseling, and care for the people who are pouring their lives out in the service of others. He has a Bachelor’s in Religion, Theology, and Philosophy as well as a Master’s in Student Affairs Administration. Mark is in the process of completing a counseling certificate from the CCEF School of Biblical Counseling. He and his wife, Emily, have been married since 1999 and have 4 children.
