How Christian Counselors Work and Get Paid

A recent email asking how Christian Counselors work inspired this post. It’s been a long time since I wrote on a topic directed at becoming a Christian Counselor so this was a great opportunity to address an important topic. Have you considered becoming a Christian Counselor but need information on how you can work for remuneration?

Many people who feel called to help others, do not possess a Master’s degree and are skeptical about state licensing because that limits one’s ability to discuss God and faith aspects. You'll be glad to know that today, I have a solution for you.

It’s important to understand that the goal of Christian counseling is to aid others in regaining hope for their life and situations, and learn to solve matters in a way that is consistent with the teaching of Jesus.

A Christian counselor believes the path to healing one’s heart must include a faith component as well as achieving a better understanding of themselves and those with who they are in relationship, in the counseling process.

As we pray and seek answers from God, we need to allow the Holy Spirit (described in the Bible as a helper and counselor) to lead us. We achieve better and more lasting results when we allow God to take His place in the process.

There are two paths to working as a counselor for remuneration.

The FIRST obviously, is to meet a state's criteria for licensing. (But then you are severely limited because in most cases you are not permitted to bring up God and faith, which we can agree is CENTRAL to one’s healing.)

The SECOND, and little known path, (because few people are aware of it and the state generally does not tell you) is by becoming certified as a Christian or pastoral counselor, then obtaining a faith organization's oversight by way of ordination, commissioning or similar.

Each state has its own laws and in them you can find an exclusion in the state reg.s or code, excluding faith-based counselors from licensing. Similar to licensing by the state, that provides oversight to the activities of a licensed counselor, faith-based counselors must have a faith organization’s oversight. This might be a church, ministry or organization established for the purpose of ordaining Kingdom workers.

We have numerous examples of this state code shown on our counseling course page, from Ohio, Texas, Washington, Florida, Georgia. Other states have this also. If you dig deep / research online, you can find something similar published for each state. Some people who enter our counseling program already are ordained by their church but if not, faith oversight is easy to obtain and we will teach you how in our training.

For your convenience, here is a link to the Counseling course description and enrollment page: https://pccca.org/counseling/

We have trained and certified thousands of Christian Counselors globally since 2003. Many of them are to this day, helping others live the lives God intended for them. Will you be joining them?  Enrollment is now open. (We now offer a credit option for tuition with no payments and no interest for 6 months if you qualify. Just select to pay with Paypal and select the credit option.)

© Leelo Bush, PhD, All rights reserved.