Privacy and Terms
If you are a church or organization desiring to learn more about our privacy terms and conditions for our partnership program, please contact us for our partnership agreement for your viewing.
INFORMED CONSENT COUNSELEE RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
In an effort to make informed decisions about your counseling experience, the following paragraphs are provided in order to discuss pertinent information regarding your counselor’s background and qualifications as well as your rights and responsibilities as a client. If you have any questions or concerns as it relates to the following information, please feel free to contact us.
LICENSURE:
YOUR COUNSELOR IS NOT A LICENSED PROFESSIONAL. IT IS UP TO HIM OR HER TO MAKE SURE HE/SHE IS OPERATING ACCORDING TO THE LAWS OF HIS/HER STATE AS IT PERTAINS TO COUNSELING.
MEMBERSHIP TO THE ASSOCIATION OF BIBLICAL COUNSELORS
Your counselor may be a member of the Association of Biblical Counselors. While such membership provides opportunity for training and exposes members to quality biblical counseling resources, membership in the
Association of Biblical Counselors alone does not necessarily qualify a person to provide sound biblical counseling. Do not hesitate to ask your counselor about his or her training and education in the realm of counseling prior to
entering counseling with him or her.
METHOD OF COUNSELING:
Your counselor’s method of counseling is based on biblical principles. He/she is a Christian counselor, which means that he/she believes Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that by trusting in His atoning death, anyone may
have life in his name (John 5:24). Your counselor’s beliefs impact and shape the counseling process significantly, and if you are willing he/she is eager to work with you even if you do not share his/her faith.
GOALS, RISKS, AND BENEFITS:
There is often a risk of emotional of relational turmoil that may stem from counseling. Sometimes feelings and situations worsen before they get better. Often counseling brings up painful emotions or memories, or exposes sinful and hurtful patterns (of self and/or others). Our goal is to biblically address these issues and emotions together in order to work through them in a timely manner. Other types of counseling, such as life groups or discipleship groups may also be appropriate in your situation. Together we will determine if one or more types of counseling are indicated and/or appropriate.
LENGTH OF COUNSELING:
Length of counseling is very difficult to predict. Each individual and marriage has unique strengths and weaknesses, and each problem is different from the next. The goal is that each counselee will finish counseling in
a timely manner, without unnecessary waste of time and money.
FEES:
Counseling sessions will be at minimum 50 minutes. Max 2 hours for first time clients and an hour and a half for recurring/returning clients. Together with your counselor, decisions concerning how often and how long you should come will be discussed. Each session will cost $90 for first session and $75 after. Personal checks or cash are acceptable for payment if in person. In many cases insurance will reimburse you for all or part of this fee. We do not file insurance claims for you. You must do this on your own. However, appropriate documentation for you to give your insurance company will be provided at your request. Payment is due in full the day of service.
I understand Brown Biblical Counseling has the right to withhold further counseling if I do not financially meet the obligation payment as cited above.
RIGHT TO PRIVACY and COUNSELOR ACCOUNTABILITY:
Since your counselor is not licensed, he or she is not responsible to the ethics outlined by the state board in which he or she ministers. However, he or she is responsible to the authority of the Bible and his or her church community. Therefore, conduct that would be deemed inappropriate or sinful in the Bible should be reported to the local pastor under which the counselor operates. It is recommended that you consult the counselor prior to beginning the counseling process, and gather the name and number of his or her pastor in the event you encounter inappropriate or abusive behavior from your counselor. Such behavior includes, by is not limited to, sexual contact, sexual innuendo, and inappropriate disclosure of personal information to others. If you have
questions about the methods of counsel you are receiving, do not hesitate to contact his or her pastor. If the conduct of your counselor is considered illegal by law, do not hesitate to contact the proper authorities.
Content of your counseling sessions is confidential. However, legally and biblically there are several conditions under which your counselor may break confidentiality. They are listed as follows:
1. If you threaten to hurt yourself of someone else.
2. If you disclose any involvement in child-abuse.
3. If your conduct merits church discipline as outlined in the by-laws of the church of which you are a member.
REFERRALS:
Should the counselee and/or counselor believe that a referral is needed, alternatives will be provided. A verbal exploration of alternatives to counseling will also be made available upon request. The counselee will be
responsible for contacting and evaluating those referrals and/or alternatives.
CONSENT FOR COUNSELING MINORS:
I, Brown Biblical Counseling, represent that I have legal authority to obtain counseling for any minor child/children.
EMERGENCIES:
During office hours, the counselee can contact Brown Biblical Counselors at 619-796-3290. If the
counselee is unable to reach his/her counselor in a timely manner, he/she should contact , his/her pastor, accountability partner, his/her physician, a local
emergency room or the local police department when necessary and appropriate. It is the counselee’s responsibility to seek the appropriate resources in emergency situations.