CCEF certificates represent that a student has completed a comprehensive course of study. The School of Biblical Counseling awards three different certificates: Foundations of Biblical Counseling, Topics in Biblical Counseling and Counseling Skills and Practice (details below). Please note that CCEF is not a certifying agency or a degree-granting institution. We are not able to “certify” or “endorse” counselors who have completed one of our educational programs. A significant part of any professional certification process is supervised counseling under a trained counselor to observe if a student is appropriately applying what has been learned in a classroom setting, along with periodic recertification requirements. At this time, CCEF is only able to award a certificate of completion from our organization, representing that students have completed coursework within that certificate.
If you wish to refer to yourself as a “certified counselor” or “certified biblical counselor,” you should pursue certification through a professional counseling organization that provides certification. Some organizations will accept CCEF courses as part of their training requirement. Licensure as a professional counselor is offered through state agencies and typically requires a graduate degree from an accredited institution.
Time Required for Completion
Students must complete all courses towards a particular certificate in a five-year period. All three certificates can be completed in one calendar year, through a combination of online and onsite courses. For students who wish to study onsite for one year, some online courses will still be required as not all courses are offered onsite every academic year.
Order of Study
We strongly recommend that students begin their studies with Dynamics of Biblical Change, as it is foundational to all other courses (this is required for SBC Online students). Students are permitted to take any CCEF courses without having completed a Foundations Certificate.
Students must complete a Foundations certificate before they can receive a Topics or Counseling Skills certificate - except under special circumstances. After completing the Foundations certificate, students may choose to complete either the Topics or Counseling Skills and Practice certificates in whatever order they prefer.
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