Robin’s Standard of Conduct as a Biblical Counselor
1. Responsibility to God
A. My Statement of Faith
- I believe that the Bible, consisting of the Old and New Testaments, is the only inspired, infallible, inerrant, and authoritative written Word of God;
- that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;
- in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, His virgin birth, His sinless life, His miracles, His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, His bodily resurrection, His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and His personal return in power and glory;
- that for the salvation of lost and sinful people, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely necessary;
- that a person is justified by grace alone, through faith alone, in the Lord Jesus Christ alone;
- in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life;
- in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost—those who are saved, unto the resurrection of life, and those who are lost, unto the resurrection of damnation; and
- in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ and His church.
B. As a biblical counselor I serve in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, shall strive earnestly to live a godly life and avoid doing anything that would dishonor the Lord or injure His church (1 Cor. 10:31).
C. As a biblical counselor I shall seek unity in the body of Christ and make every effort to live at peace and to be reconciled with others (John 17:23; Rom. 12:18; Eph. 4:3).
D. As a biblical counselor I shall be in continuing fellowship at Community Bible Church and shall support and submit to its teaching, oversight, and discipline, unless there is a clear scriptural reason to do otherwise (1 Thess. 5:12; Heb. 10:25; 13:17; Acts 4:19).
E. I will regularly seek spiritual counsel and support from mature Christians who affirm my counseling ministry (Prov. 11:14; 12:15; 15:22).
F. As a biblical counselor I will encourage and help Christians to obey the biblical mandate to resolve their disputes with the help of the church rather than suing one another in secular courts (1 Cor. 6:1-8).
G. As a biblical counselor I will use appropriate opportunities to encourage others to put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. I will do this with gentleness and respect and shall not attempt to force these views on someone who is not interested in the gospel (Rom. 1:16; 1 Pet. 3:15-16).
H. I will respect the authority of the Christian counselee’s church and shall work in close cooperation with their pastors whenever possible (1 Thess. 5:12; Heb. 13:17). I will not attempt to recruit the counselee to my church. I will encourage the counselee to maintain a strong church involvement (Heb. 10:24-25).
I. At appropriate times and in a gracious manner, I will
- show that in order to find lasting solutions to conflicts and problems, our lives and decisions must conform to the concepts and standards of Scripture (2 Tim. 3:15-17);
- point out clearly the requirements of the Scriptures as applied to everyday life and practice (2 Tim. 4:2);
- help you to make decisions, to take actions, and to change lifestyles, habits, and conduct as God has instructed in the Scriptures, so that you may enjoy life and your relationship with God (Eph. 4:22-24); and
- encourage repentance, confession, forgiveness, and reconciliation whenever sin has occurred or a relationship has been broken (Luke 17:3; Gal. 6:1; 2 Tim. 4:2).
J. I will encourage and support only scripturally sound decisions and actions (Micah 6:8).
2. Responsibility to Civil Authorities and Other Professionals and Organizations
A. I will respect the legitimate jurisdiction of civil authorities and shall cooperate with them as required by law, unless there is a clear scriptural reason to do otherwise (Acts 4:19; Rom. 13:1-7).
B. I will respect the relationships that you have with other professionals, such as pastors, attorneys, and counselors, and shall encourage such professionals to support the counseling process.
C. I will not imply, either directly or indirectly, that I represent or speak on behalf of any organization unless I have received express authorization to do so.
3. Responsibility to the Counselee
A. I will maintain my conduct and relationship with you above reproach and in accord with the highest standards of biblical ministry.
B. I will exercise my influence soberly, carefully, and with the best interests of you in mind.
C. I will obtain informed consent from you before an agreement to commence counseling is reached. I will define and describe the process of biblical counseling, its costs and fees, and my role in the process.
D. I will make every effort to provide you with a fair and clearly defined process, and shall therefore work according to these procedures.
E. I will not serve you as a legal advisor or advocate.
F. To the best of my ability I will disclose all conflicts of interest, including any interest or relationship that is likely to affect impartiality or that might create an appearance of partiality or bias.
G. I will not voluntarily disclose information obtained through the counseling process without your prior consent, unless such disclosure is required by law or is provided to the counselee’s church or to others according to a disclosure agreement reached before counseling begins.
H. I will make every reasonable effort to expedite the counseling process and to overcome unnecessary delays.
I. I will encourage you to frankly evaluate my performance as a counselor.
4. Responsibility to the Public
A. As a biblical counselor I’m an independent counselor applying my understanding of God’s Word and a lifetime of experience to the counseling process. I am not licensed by the state of Oregon or any other organization and I’m free to give counsel without prejudice. I do not represent myself as having qualifications, affiliations, or experience that I do not possess, nor shall I represent myself as being licensed by the state unless I am so licensed.
B. I will not use my knowledge, experience, or position for unfair personal benefit or gain.