Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation

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Protecting the Vulnerable

Course Description

This course is for all who are interested in better understanding and addressing the need for protecting the vulnerable in church and ministry contexts. Misunderstanding the nature of abuse and those who are abused often leads to a multitude of mistakes: confusion, fear, minimization, misuse of biblical principles, and harm to the individuals involved as well as the church community. We will work to wisely identify the issues of abuse as well as a theological approach to loving and protecting the vulnerable populations in our midst. This course focuses primarily on the group most often seen as vulnerable: children. However, other groups that are increasingly targeted will be addressed such as the elderly, disabled, and disadvantaged.

*Enrollment in this course requires additional approval from SBC Administration. Students who enroll will receive a follow-up email with additional steps and instructions for enrollment within 5 days of registering. Course enrollments will be held as “pending” until the enrollment is approved.

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Meet the Faculty

Julie Lowe

Julie is a faculty member and counselor at CCEF, where she has served since 2000. She is also a licensed professional counselor (LPC) and a registered play therapist supervisor. Julie holds a master of arts in counseling from Biblical Theological Seminary. She has extensive training and experience with marriage, women’s issues, sexual abuse, body image issues, parenting, and child maltreatment issues. She is trained in leading mandated reporter trainings and provides numerous trainings and consultations on child sexual abuse. She has published numerous books, including Child Proof (New Growth Press, 2018), Building Bridges ( New Growth Press, 2020), and Safeguards (New Growth Press, 2022).

FAQs

Who is this class for?
Julie hopes to equip pastors and ministry leaders as they build a safe ministry culture that aims for a proactive and preventative approach to caring for vulnerable populations.

Do I need counseling training in order to take this course? Do I need to take Dynamics of Biblical Change first?
No, there are no prerequisites for this course. Students are not required to take Dynamics of Biblical Change. However, please keep in mind the target audiences for this class are pastors, ministry leaders, and people who work with and are interested in serving vulnerable populations.

Will this course fully prepare me to counsel abusive situations?
No, this course will not fully equip you to counsel those who have suffered abuse. It will help you to understand the nature of abuse, how it occurs, and better recognize the signs. It will help you recognize what makes certain populations vulnerable and open to mistreatment. You will be better equipped to recognize and respond to such events. Our hope is you will also be equipped and prepared to protect against such violations of love.

How much time will I need to devote to the class?
We recommend students have at least 5 hours per week to devote to this course. In addition to the recorded lectures which will be about 1 hour, there is a one hour live meeting for 5 different weeks in the course. During the course students need to read 4 books. How much time the reading will take will vary by student. We do recommend students pre-read who are able to. For assignments, there are two response papers and a research paper.

Is this a good class for me if I have been abused?
Protecting the Vulnerable is designed to train helpers (pastors, elders, counselors, and friends) to care for vulnerable people. Students who are in the process of healing from past or current abusive situations may find the subject matter difficult. As this is a class, course instructors cannot provide personal support to students. If you are currently a victim who desires personal support, please visit ccef.org/counseling to inquire about possible options.

What course overlap is there between Protecting the Vulnerable (PTV), Counseling Abusive Marriages (CAM), and Counseling Children and Adolescents (CCA)?
CAM focuses specifically on domestic abuse, recognizing it in marriage and how to respond to it. This is a vulnerable population that will be acknowledged in the course but will not go as in-depth as CAM does. One lecture will overlap with CCA regarding predatory behavior.

Will I need to meet with someone as part of the course work?
Students are not required to meet with an individual for a case study as part of the coursework. However, there will be weekly live meetings with the class and faculty for discussion. These meetings are required but will be recorded in the event a student needs to miss a meeting.

Details

Protecting the Vulnerable is a course from one of our older certificates. Learn more about our current courses and certificates of completion here.

Course Required Reading

Course required reading is subject to change as courses are updated from time to time. Please check with [email protected] or wait to receive your syllabus for any required reading.

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