The purpose of biblical counseling is to help you meet the challenges of life in a manner which is pleasing and honoring to the Lord Jesus Christ. Our counseling is offered free of charge as a ministry of Emmaus Road Church. Counselees are welcome to make a donation to the ministry; however, this is not a required condition for counseling. You have no obligation, express or implied, to pay fees for the counseling you receive through Emmaus Road Church.
Counseling received through Emmaus Road Church is strictly Christian in nature and is conducted under the authority and leadership of Emmaus Road Church. We believe that the Bible, consisting of the Old and New Testaments, provides thorough guidance and instruction for faith and life (cf. 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:3-4). Our counseling is based solely on the principles of Scripture and does not employ the teachings or methods of modern psychology or psychiatry.
If you have significant medical, legal, financial, or other technical questions, you should seek the advice of a competent, independent professional. Our counselors will cooperate with such advisors and will help you consider their counsel in the light of biblical principles.
We urge our counselees to properly care for their physical bodies and to seek medical treatment for all physiological problems. Our counselors will assist you in responding to such problems in a godly manner, but our counsel is not intended to replace the services of a qualified physician in the treatment of organic problems.
Confidentiality is an important part of the counseling process. As Emmaus Road Church differs in some respects from traditional guidelines regarding confidentiality, we have developed a policy which specifically addresses this issue. Said policy is attached to, incorporated in, and subject to the other provisions of this Consent to Counseling Agreement.
On rare occasions, a conflict may develop between a counselor and a counselee. The Bible commands that Christians make every effort to live in peace and to resolve disputes with each other in private or within the Christian Church (cf. Matthew 18:15-20; I Corinthians 6:1-8), without involvement of the secular courts. Therefore, in order to ensure faithfulness to this biblical principle, we require all counselees to agree that any claim or dispute arising under, out of, in connection with, or relating to, the counseling received at Emmaus Road Church or any dispute with a counselor thereof, shall be settled by biblically-based mediation according to the Book of Church Order of the Sovereign Grace Churches, and, if necessary, legally binding arbitration in accordance with the Rules of Procedure for Christian Conciliation of the Institute for Christian Conciliation (a copy of which is available on request).
The arbiters will be the elders of Emmaus Road Church. If one or more elders of Emmaus Road Church is a party to the dispute, then the three arbiters will be selected from the elders of churches in Sovereign Grace Churches (Midwest/Northwest Region), with each party to the dispute choosing one arbiter, and the two arbiters then selecting the third. It is expressly understood that, by consenting in advance to arbitration, the counselee is waiving his right to trial in the civil courts.
Biblical counseling involves homework that will help you to “train yourself for godliness” (1 Tim. 4:7). Homework will include journaling, reading and memorizing Scripture, spending daily time with God, participating in the life of a church, and reading other books or resources. Homework will also outline practical steps of obedient faith in specific areas where you are growing and changing by God’s grace. Most counseling sessions will involve discussing your homework assignments, so it is important that you actually do the homework prior to the session so that you do not waste your time or the counselor’s time. If you do not complete the homework, it would be best for you to reschedule the counseling the session.
The elders and counselors of Emmaus Road Church understand that confidentiality is an important and vital aspect of the counseling relationship. To that end, Emmaus Road Church and its representatives agree to carefully guard the information entrusted to them by counselees to the fullest extent possible.
Staff members and students are expected to protect the information they receive in order to ensure the integrity of the counseling process and the privacy of the counselee. Should a counselor or student fail to protect said information, it may become necessary for them to be dismissed from counseling in connection with Emmaus Road Church.
Under certain circumstances, however, it may be necessary to reveal information obtained in the counseling process in order to uphold the principles of Scripture, the standards of Emmaus Road Church, and/or the laws of the state of South Dakota. Emmaus Road does not hold to the legal concepts of the priest/penitent, doctor/ patient, psychotherapist/patient or counselor/ counselee privileges.
Situations wherein it may become necessary to reveal otherwise confidential information include, but are not limited to:
1. Where a counselee, although encouraged to renounce a particular sin refuses to do so, it may become necessary to seek the assistance of others in the church to encourage repentance and reconciliation in accordance with the Scriptures (cf. Proverbs 15:22, 24:11; Matthew 18:15-20). In said cases, only such information as is necessary to deal with that particular sin will be revealed. Further, said information will only be revealed to those biblically required to be involved. To that end, it may become necessary to contact the pastor and/or other elders of a counselee’s home church.
2. Counselors, uncertain as to how a particular issue should be addressed, may reveal necessary information to and seek assistance from another counselor or pastor.
3. Where a counselee threatens to harm himself/herself or another person, it may become necessary to notify the proper legal authorities, family members, pastor, intended victim or all of the above. If the counselee makes such threats in the context of a counseling session, the Counselor will, upon receiving the information, consult with another Emmaus Road Counselor and/or Elder, if such is available, who will work with them to assess the situation and assist in making the appropriate notifications, if necessary.
4. If a counselor is privy to evidence that abuse or some other crime has been or is about to be committed, it may be necessary to reveal such to the legal authorities.
5. Emmaus Road Church recognizes that in the course of the loving discipline of their children, Christian parents may employ corporal punishment, in accordance with the teachings of Scripture and, in conformity with those Scriptures, Emmaus Road supports a parent’s right to do so. However, if in the course of counseling, the Counselor suspects that a minor child has been physically or sexually abused, the Counselor will immediately consult with another Counselor and/ or Elder who will assist in the assessment of the situation. If it is then suspected that abuse has occurred, the legal authorities will be contacted. If no other counselor is available and a child is in imminent danger of being abused, the Counselor will contact the appropriate legal authorities without employing the above consultation process.
6. Observers, including but not limited to, counseling students, may sit in on counseling sessions, either to assist in the counseling process or for training purposes.
7. All observers and counselors agree to be bound by this confidentiality agreement and should they be found to be in violation of this agreement understand they face expulsion from the Emmaus Road counseling program.
The following information will be treated with confidentiality according to our Confidentiality Policy. Please provide the following information to help us understand your current situation.
