Elohim Theological University President / JCCAE Director
Elohim Theological and Bible Institute President
Elohim Theological University Chancellor
ETU- JCCAE Executive Secretary
Board Member
Academic Dean
Board member Faculty
JCCAE/Trinity Bible College and Seminary President
Dean of the Department of Clinical Pastoral Counseling- Chaplaincy Board member
Faculty ETU Old Testament - New Testament -Pastoral Counseling and Chaplain Professor
Florida Central Office Director Board member
Faculty ETU Chaplaincy, Bible and Pastoral Counseling Lead Professor
Puerto Rico Director Board member
Trinity Bible College and Seminary / JCCAE Senior Vice President
Board member
ETU Board member
Faculty
ETU Board member
ETU Board member/ Pastoral/Spiritual Advisor
Faculty
Universidad Teologica y Consejeria Biblica de PR - President
UTCB and ETU ministerial agreements
Executive Director PR Certification Board - IRBO - COSOC
ETU is authorized to provide continuing education in the area of drug and alcohol addiction through the collaborative agreement with IRBO/ COSOC
Faculty
Bible, Pastoral Counseling, Chaplancy
Elohim Theological University 392617 Corporation Non-Profit ACTIVE
ELOHIM THEOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY INC. N17000003657 FEI/EIN Number 82-1015451 Date Filed 04/05/2017 Effective Date 03/30/2017 State FL Status ACTIVE
Elohim Theological and Bible Institute, Inc (4180137)
Pastoral counseling is a specialized type of mental health counseling that combines psychotherapy and theological concepts. It is intended to provide spiritual guidance, healing, and growth for people seeking help. People may choose to see a pastoral counselor instead of a licensed therapist due to the unique religious perspective provided by the pastor, as well as the additional resources such as prayer, scripture study, and participation in community activities that can help guide them on their journey. Pastoral counselors are often hired by churches and interfaith families due to their cultural and religious awareness. They provide services such as counseling families or individuals facing mental health problems or spiritual issues. If the Pastor is a licensed therapist, they are trained to diagnose mental health disorders and intervene in substance abuse cases or other interpersonal issues to bring about healing. Unlicensed pastors cannot diagnose individuals and may only provide spiritual guidance.
Christian and pastoral counseling are both forms of therapy that use biblical teachings and principles as the basis for their approach. However, there are some key differences between these two types of counseling. Christian counseling is a broad term that refers to any counseling based on Christian beliefs and values. This can include a range of approaches, such as cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic, or solution-focused therapy. Christian counselors may work in various settings, such as churches, private practice, or community organizations, and may have a background in theology or a related field. On the other hand, pastoral counseling is a specific type of counseling that pastors or other religious leaders provide. Pastoral counselors often work in church settings and may use their knowledge of theology and religious traditions to help individuals understand and overcome their challenges. Pastoral counseling can also include spiritual guidance, support, practical advice, and support for everyday life issues. The main difference between Christian counseling and pastoral counseling is the specific role and background of the individual providing the counseling. Most Pastors are simply a person who is not licensed to practice mental health services but rather offer spiritual guidance. Both can be valuable sources of support and guidance for individuals seeking help from a Christian perspective.
Many spiritual leaders provide guidance to people in crises. This could include individuals experiencing marriage problems or dealing with the death of a loved one, drugs addiction and spiritual confusion. As a clinical pastoral counselor, you might work in a church or other setting where ministry happens, but you typically won't be employed as a pastor or other clergy member. Instead, this is a separate christian counseling position.In certain settings, you might be referred to as a chaplain. Chaplains provide counseling services to people of all different faiths, whereas counselors working in ministry settings may primarily counsel people of their own congregation or faith. In addition to completing a formal training program, you need a mixture of skills to excel as a clinical pastoral counselor. In order to get people to open up and feel consoled, it's important that you have good supportive listening skills and are able to build rapport with others. For this particular type of counseling, you'll also need a thorough knowledge and understanding of Christianity and other faiths. You may reference the Bible or other religious sources in providing consolation or inspiration.
ETU/JCCAE does not offer any type of licensing in the areas of psychology, mental health, family counseling or professional counseling. Our programs are not intended to supplant any academic program accredited by national or regional organizations such as CHEA, Middle State, or other agencies engaged in this type of activity. However, our programs are designed to give our students understanding in the area of pastoral counseling and chaplaincy within a clinical approach based on what the Bible defines as behavior problems and with the purpose of assisting members of the faith community in establishing a criterion of behavior and biblical analysis according to biblical ethics and morality. Leaving this clarified, we define our programs as clinical pastoral counseling based on the ethics of behavior and morals that emerge from the Bible.
As a Christian, each individual must decide if he or she wants to provide counsel as an agent of the state or as a servant of the Church (Body of Christ). If you have a Divine call on your life to counsel and minister to the hurting, then a state license may not provide the best option to fulfill God’s calling on your life. ETU or JCCAE is not a state license, not the equivalent of a state licensure, nor a substitute for a state license, rather something distinctly different. Most states have regulatory laws governing the practice of psychology. Many of them also legislate the practice of general counseling. The laws vary from state to state. For example, some states have a counselor category called “Licensed Professional Counselor.” Therefore, ETU and JCCAE requires its pastoral counselors to clearly identify their degrees as religious nature not academic” . This helps to ensure that the ETU-JCCAE trained counselor is operating within legal and ethical standards, and maintaining the public’s trust and confidence as a pastoral counselor, chaplains and clergy member. State regulatory laws help to protect the public and ensure professionalism within the counseling profession for very good reasons. ETU and JCCAE strives also to attain a similar goal within the Christian community and, at the same time, operate within compliance with state laws. Most states still recognize that counseling is one of the responsibilities of the Church and its’ clergy.
The major difference between state-licensed professional counselors and Pastoral or Christian counselors, who graduates from ETU or JCCAE are basically under the authority of the Church (Body of Christ), is clear and well-defined. Counselors who have been licensed by the state are held to strict ethical standards which mandate an individual’s right to be free from religious influence. The state licensed professional counselor in certain states is forbidden to pray, read or refer to the Holy Scriptures, counsel against things such as homosexuality, abortion, etc. Initiating such counsel could be considered unethical by the state. In most states in the U.S., state licensed counselors “must not promote their personal religious beliefs” according to the code of ethics in each respective state. The only time a state licensed counselor can involve religious (Christian) principles, morals, activities, instruction, etc., is if the counselee initiates or requests counsel in this area. The state-licensed counselor may not have the education, experience and knowledge of Scripture that ETU and JCCAE provides. Opposite from that, Pastoral counselors are required to pray, share their faith, read the Holy Scriptures, etc. The fact that Pastoral and Christian counselors do these things creates a clear distinction. We are two distinct professions and govern ourselves accordingly. As you can readily see, the state governs secular counselors and the Church is responsible to set standards and govern ministers who have devoted their lives to the ministry and to Pastoral counseling. None of this is to say that the Christian counselor, minister or priest is not permitted to request fees and receive remuneration for the services they render, as long as they remain adherent to the state laws governing such procedures.
There are only six states in the United States that actually license individuals with the title of Licensed Pastoral Counselor (LPC), which are Arkansas, Kentucky, Maine, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Important Ministers who engage in counseling should be familiar with the conditions that apply to the pastoral counseling exemption under state law.
All the programs offered by our educational ministry (ETU-JCCAE) are for the purpose of training ministers, pastors, leaders and members of faith communities in the counseling -biblical-theological foundation for the service of their congregations and people who seek help in the Christian community.
ETU-JCCAE does not guarantee that our programs will be accepted by any secular or Christian university except those that have educational agreements with ETU or JCCAE. ETU does not claim to be accredited by any of the state or national accrediting agencies in the United States of America. However, we continue to provide Christian education in accordance with what our faith statutes dictate. For programs leading to academic degrees, we suggest you see the list of accredited universities or colleges in your state or country.
None of our programs is intended to present itself as professional or academic studies of any kind. Our pastoral (religious) counseling programs are based on biblical ethics and morals clearly outlined in the scriptures
ETU-JCCAE does not manage any accommodation with religious, professional or private organizations. Every student graduated from our programs, when searching for a job or ministerial position, must clarify with his interviewer the religious nature of his degree. It will be up to your employer to contact us to verify the authenticity of your documentation in order to clarify the nature of the program completed.
Because of the ETU-JCCAE Board of Directors’ convictions in support of religious freedom, Christian liberty, and the separation of church and state, ETU-JCCAE has never applied for affiliation with any federal government agency. ETU-JCCAE, therefore, is not recognized by the United States Department of Education. Credits earned at ETU-JCCAE are accepted by of schools that participate in our ministerial and educational agreement , but these credits are not automatically transferable to other colleges or seminaries.