Biblical counseling uses the timeless principles of God’s Word to address the real problems people face in life. As counselees apply the relevant biblical principles to their lives, they become more like Christ in the way they think, act, and feel.

Biblical counseling does not attempt to employ a medical, psychological, or behavioral modification model. It is a biblical model first and foremost that works with these other professional disciplines to get to the root of the problem and help the counselee return to healthy well-balanced life.

All our counselors have the minimum of a bachelor’s degree and are required to have special counseling certification through the National Association of Biblical Counselors (NANC). See NANC.org for more information about this certifying organization. Several counselors have advanced degrees specifically in biblical counseling and also have years of experience in biblical counseling. A few additional counselors are pastors and have years of experience in helping people with their spiritual, emotional, and personal problems.

The hourly fee for counseling is $35. We are able to offer this greatly reduced rate for a number of reasons. Unlike some other counseling centers, we are a non-profit organization so we do not have the burden of making a profit through our counseling services. Additionally, a large part of the operational costs are covered by donations and contributions from churches and individuals. This allows us to make our primary goal to focus on ministering to our counselees with genuine care and compassion. In light of this, we are pleased to provide this valuable service to our community at a greatly reduced rate.

Counselees are asked to cancel appointments at least 24 hours prior to the appointment. This gives others the opportunity to use the canceled time slot. If no cancellation is made, or if less than 24 hours’ notice is received, except for absolute emergencies, there will be a 50% cancellation charge for the appointment that you are expected to pay.

Because we are a ministry based organization we have chosen to remain independent from state requirements for licensure of our counselors. This allows us to avoid the encumbrances of governmental policies and procedures that may impose certain restrictions upon our counseling philosophy as a biblical counseling center. Unfortunately, health care plans require state licensure of counselors and their respective centers in order to approve them as an official outlet for reimbursement for counseling sessions.

Of course all of our counseling sessions are private and confidential between counselor and counselee. However, in rare instances, information disclosed in a counseling session may not be confidential. This would occur when the information presented by the counselee may involve criminal or illegal practices. In these instances, most state laws require reporting to local police or government agencies. Additionally, on occasion, it may be necessary to involve a second counselor in a particular case. In this case, permission would first be obtained from the counselee to share pertinent information with this counselor to assist with the counseling process.

The VFBCC is an extension ministry of Valley Forge Baptist but operates as an independent organization with its own EIN (Employer Identification Number) and Board of Directors. The VFBCC is located on the campus of Valley Forge Baptist and the counselors are also members of the church but the Center is primarily an outreach to the community and will eventually have its own office complex.