Informed Consent for Biblical Counseling
Dear Friend,
Welcome to C.L.O.S.E. Biblical Counseling Ministry, a Christ-centered biblical counseling designed to serve and help you find God’s counsel and hope for the personal or relational problems you are facing.
We are grateful that you are inviting us into your life at this time. It is never easy to ask for help. We admire the courage, faith, and humility this first step represents on your part. It is our prayer that God will bless this step and use our time together to build more hope and direction into your life. Our goal is to make the Gospel paramount by connecting you to the life transforming power of Jesus Christ.
We are confident that through the Scriptures and the power of His Spirit, God has given us everything we need for life and godliness (II Peter 1:3-4).
The following information will help you further understand our ministry and will serve as an agreement between us.
In Christ,
Rozette Fleming, Founder
C.L.O.S.E. Ministries
Your Counseling:
Your counseling will only be biblical. The Scriptures are held as the final authority in all matters. If you are not sure that you will be interested in biblical counseling, you will have the option of attending one or two sessions to discover how biblical counseling may help you.
Your Counselor:
Your counselor is a church-trained biblical counselor warranted by the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC). Your counselor is not a licensed psychologist, therapist, or psychiatrist, but offers Christ-centered biblically-based counseling, not psychological counseling. If you have significant legal, financial, medical, or other technical questions, you should seek advice from an independent professional. Your counselor will seek to help you apply God’s Word to your life.
Your Session:
Your session will be 50-60 minutes long. You’ll meet with your counselor once or twice a week. Your counselor may have a church member or leader present in the sessions to assist her, to observe the ministry for training purposes, and to serve you as mentor. This individual will respect the same standards of care and confidentiality as your counselor.
Our Statement of Faith
We believe …
That the Holy Bible, both the Old and the New Testaments, is the only inspired, infallible, inerrant and authoritative inscripturated Word of God. It is written by human authors carried along by the Holy Spirit with complete authority about all matters of faith and life.
II Timothy 3:16-17, II Peter 1:20-21,
That there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is the Creator of all things that exist, He is sovereign over all of His creation. He is omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent. He is infinitely good with no shadow of sin in any part of His Holy being.
Genesis 1-3, Isaiah 46:8-10, Ephesians 1:7-11
In the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ as the second member of the Triune God. He exists as one person with two distinct natures; truly Divine and truly Human. We believe in His virgin birth, His sinless life, His miracles, His shed blood, His bodily death and resurrection, His ascension to the right hand of the Father where He reigns over all creation. He actively upholds and intercedes for His bride, the church who awaits His glorious return.
Matthew 1:18-25, I Corinthians 15:1-8, Ephesians 1:21-23, I Thessalonians 4:13-18,
Hebrews 7:22-25
That the Holy Spirit is the eternal third member of the Trinity. We believe in His present ministry and conviction of sin by indwelling the Christian. He is the sovereign God who regenerates believers and empowers them to live a godly life, to understand the Scriptures, to worship Jesus Christ, and He equips believers with gifts of service to do ministry in the church.
John 16:4-15, Romans 8:9-11, Ephesians 1:13-18
That God created man as sinless and perfect. But man fell from the state of perfection when Adam willfully chose to rebel against God. Since that time, every human; except Jesus Christ, has been born in sin and separated from God. The human race is inherently corrupt and every human heart is sinful. Mankind is in desperate need of God’s grace to be cleansed from sin by the Holy Spirit through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.
Genesis 3:1-7, Psalm 51:5, Psalm 14:1-3, Romans 3:1-21, Romans 5:12-21
That all men everywhere are lost and face the judgment of God, that Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation, and that for the salvation of the lost and sinful man, repentance of sin and faith in Jesus Christ results in regeneration by the Holy Spirit. That God will reward the righteous with eternal life in heaven, and that He will banish the unrighteous to everlasting punishment in hell.
Luke 24:46-47, John 14:6, Acts 4:12, Romans 3:23, II Corinthians 5:10-11, Ephesians 1:7, Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:4-7
That salvation is thoroughly a work of divine grace which before the foundation of the world the Father elected to save a people who would compose the church. Jesus Christ purchased the salvation of those individuals through His life, death, and resurrection. The Holy Spirit applies the work of Christ to all believers creating and keeping the gift of faith in their hearts forever. Ephesians 2:1-10, Romans 3:21-23, Ephesians 1:3-14, Phillippians 1:6
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.
Romans 2:5-11, I Thessalonians 4:13-18, Matthew 25:31-46, Revelation 21
That God created man and woman as unique biological persons made for each other. These two distinct, but complementary sexes together reflect the image and likeness of God. God’s plan for human sexuality is to be expressed only within the context of marriage, a union of one genetic male and one genetic female. Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of God’s merciful design and creative order.
Genesis 1:26-27, Genesis 2:24, Deuteronomy 22:5, Matthew 19:5-6, Mark 10:6-9,
Romans 1:26-27, I Corinthians 6:9
That human life is sacred from conception to its natural end, and that we must have concern for the physical and spiritual needs of our fellowmen.
Psalm 139:13, Isaiah 49:1, Jeremiah 1:5, Matthew 22:37-39, Romans 12:20-21, Galatians 6:10.
In the spiritual unity of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ and that all true believers are members of His body, the church.
I Corinthians 12:12, Ephesians 1:22-23
That sharing and proclaiming the message of salvation only possible by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and that discipleship by helping followers of Christ grow up into the maturity in Christ is a responsibility of all followers of Jesus Christ.
Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8, Romans 10:9-15, I Peter 3:15.
C.L.O.S.E. Commitment to the Biblical Counseling Process:
Thank you for entrusting the personal details of your life with us. We understand that this may be a difficult time for you and we want to come alongside and help you bear your burden.
We commit the following to you:
1) We will pray for you throughout the counseling process, seeking God’s wisdom, grace, mercy, and counsel.
2) We will listen carefully to your story, and strive to understand your situation.
3) We will earnestly and diligently study to determine the most precise and accurate passages of Scriptures and resources that will give you hope, help and guidance.
4) We will respect your time by striving to keep counseling to one hour
5) We will respect your schedule by keeping your appointment on the same day and at the same time each week. We understand that we all experience calendar conflicts and we will work together with you on those occasions.
Because we desire to glorify the Lord in everything we do, we believe it is vital to make the wisest use of our time and resources. You can help us increase the effectiveness of the ministry process by committing to the following:
Confidentiality and Legal Concerns:
Confidentiality is an important aspect of the counseling process. Your counselor will carefully guard the information you entrust to her. Your counselor desires as much as possible to protect your privacy.
At the same time, you must realize that this confidentiality is only within the limits of biblical and civil law. Your counselor cannot guarantee absolute confidentiality in every situation. For example, to ensure that you are receiving consistent counsel and support, your counselor may need to discuss your situation with appropriate leaders/elders of your church, or, in some cases, with your attorney if you have one. Furthermore, she may need to divulge information to appropriate civil authorities if there is indication that you or someone else may otherwise be harmed. In counseling minor children, your counselor needs to divulge information to parents or legal guardians.
Your counselor also asks you to agree not to discuss our communications with people who do not have a necessary interest in the counseling or conciliation process. In addition, where your situation may involve legal issues, you must agree to treat all dealings with your counselor in regard to this counseling process as settlement negotiations; which means they will be inadmissible in a court of law or for legal discovery. Furthermore, you must agree that you will not try to force your counselor to divulge any information acquired during the counseling process or to testify in any legal proceeding related to the process.
In the unlikely event of a conflict between you and your counselor, all parties must seek to resolve it in a biblical manner, through discussion, possibly in the presence of church elders, and, if necessary, through mediation and arbitration.
If you have any questions about the above matters, please talk with your counselor or a church leader. If you agree to these terms, please sign below and return to your counselor before or at the beginning of your first meeting.
Thank you again for your interest in C.L.O.S.E. Biblical Counseling and for giving us an opportunity to serve you.
Fellowship & Counseling 