How about bookstore orders?

Bookstores can order small quantities through their Ingram account. For larger orders, we can probably give you a better discount directly. Use the order form under the “Bookstore” tab. Again, we can only help you with titles we publish.

Q: You are answering these questions in the first person. Who are you?

Sorry, I should have said this earlier. Unless clearly indicated otherwise, everything you read on this site, including these Q & A’s, are the thoughts and musings of Donn R. Arms, the General Editor of INS Publishing and the Director of the Institute for Nouthetic Studies. I alone am responsible for the typos and bad grammar you find here. Opinions expressed in book reviews, and on other matters, do not necessarily represent the views of Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary.

Q: Are there any academic prerequisites for enrollment?

No, we do not require any specific training prior to enrollment. We are working hard to strike a balance in our courses. One of our target students is the pastor with good pastoral training who was never exposed to, or was insufficiently trained in, the area of biblical counseling while in college or seminary. On the other hand, we believe any thoughtful and growing layperson, deacon, pastor’s wife, Sunday School teacher, youth worker, Christian School teacher or administrator, elder, or full-time homemaker will be able to profit from our curriculum–not only helping them grow as biblical counselors to others but in their own walk with their Savior!

Q: ACBC requires a "Fundamentals" course. I don't see that course listed. Where do I find it?

We consider our entire curriculum to be our Fundamentals course. Yes, we know it consists of more than ACBC requires as their minimum. The typical INS student wants to do more than meet the minimum requirement and will, instead, desire to be much more thoroughly trained before moving into the testing and supervision phases. Supervising Fellows report to us that there is a pronounced difference in the competency level between students who have merely had a 30-hour "Fundamentals" course and those who have taken a more robust curriculum.

Q: Does the completion of your “Certificate Program in Biblical Counseling” mean I will then be ACBC certified?

No. Our certificate simply indicates you have completed our course of study. ACBC certification is an entirely different issue. Their certification process also involves testing and supervised counseling experience. Check out the ACBC website for more information about their certifying process. We encourage all of our students to seek ACBC certification upon completion of their studies with us. As an ACBC certified training center, our curriculum satisfies (and far surpasses) the training requirement for certification.

Q: Will your training meet the minimum training requirements for ACBC certification?

Yes, but our curriculum goes far beyond the minimum ACBC requires. Most ACBC training centers offer a 30-hour "Fundamentals" course which are designed to satisfy the ACBC minimum requirement. If your only goal is to receive the minimum amount of training ACBC requires so you can check off that box in the application process, this is not the curriculum for you. Our curriculum is much more robust! It is comprised of over 140 hours of instruction plus the reading of over a dozen books. We want our students to complete our entire curriculum before moving forward with the ACBC certification process, and be much better prepared to be a Competent Counselor.

Q: If I have taken courses at other places can I skip some of your courses that cover similar information?

No, we have no way to evaluate what you have taken or whether you slept through the training or took good notes. You will profit greatly even if you hear similar material from several different perspectives. Again, we want you to be as well trained as possible, and what could be better training than studying with Dr. Adams? Of course, the above only applies if you wish to receive a certificate at the end of your studies. You are free to take any course at any time. But each of our courses must be taken to receive our certificate which you can present to ACBC as fulfillment of the training requirement for certification.

Q: I am interested in several of your courses but do not wish to commit to taking the entire curriculum. Can I just take two or three select courses that I am interested in?

Yes, but all of our courses build on information that we assume you have learned from previous courses. We want our students to have a complete and balanced understanding of the issues presented. We urge you to take the courses in the order listed and not skip any course. Please, however, take the Introduction to Nouthetic Counseling first. Do not skip it. Regardless of how much previous counseling training you may have received, it is vital that you study this material with Dr. Adams himself. Many of our courses can be taken individually to satisfy the ACBC continuing education requirement. See the ACBC website for details.

Q: In what order should I take these courses?

We recommend that you take them in the order you see them listed, but it is not required that you do so. It is essential, however, that you begin with the Introduction to Nouthetic Counseling course. All other courses assume a familiarity with that material. If you have a special interest in a course and would like to proceed to it out of sequence, that is fine.

Q: So then, you expect your students to take your entire curriculum. You do not allow students to transfer credits into the program, or take just the courses they want to take.

In order to receive our Certificate, yes. If that is not your goal, please feel free to take any of our courses that interest you. Many of our courses can be studied to satisfy ACBC's continuing education requirements.

We are regularly sending out ministry news so that you can keep updated with the Institute for Nouthetic Studies.

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