1) CCEF & TCC-SBC Partnership
For the last 50 years, the mission of the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF) has been to “restore Christ to counseling and counseling to the local church.” They train pastors, counselors and ministry leaders to work skillfully in the biblical care of souls. To this end, CCEF’s School of Biblical Counseling (SBC) offers affordable graduate-level distance learning. Online courses are taught by professors at Westminster Theological Seminary from their Master of Arts in Counseling (MAC) program, and cohorts of students are guided and graded by trained instructors. CCEF courses are internationally renowned, and available to anyone; no application or prior educational degrees are required! Courses may be taken either for credit or audit, and up to five courses may be transferred towards Westminster’s MAC degree. The SBC offers two certificate programs: Foundation (2 courses), and Essentials (5 additional courses).
Through the SBC-TCC Partnership, the TCC-Partnership is able to offer CCEF SBC courses (Audit) at a discounted rate ($230, a 50% discount). Class cohorts will meet in person (live or Zoom) 2-3 times throughout the 10-week course. The rest of the course is done online at your own pace on your own. Your instructors will primarily be Kenneth Lo and Delwyn Goh. We also have past female CCEF students who will be involved in guiding you, and marking your assignments.
2) About Dynamics of Biblical Change
What is Dynamics of Biblical Change?
The way that you counsel other people is determined by how you understand God, yourself, other people, life’s pressures, and change. This course addresses the depth, breadth, and balance of your understanding. How does Christ’s past grace, present grace, and future grace speak to our hearts and change how we live our daily lives? This course is about people. It is about how we face the troubles of life. It is about how we deal with our inner struggles. It is about how we change into Jesus’ image. Through case studies, class lectures, assigned readings, and Scripture, you’ll explore these practical questions. Self-counseling projects will help you to make first-hand, practical application of the concepts learned in class.
How has your life been shaped by teaching Dynamics of Biblical Change?
How have you seen your students grow in the Dynamics of Biblical Change class?
Who would you consider “ideal” to take CCEF courses?
Self-Counselling Project
Sample Lecture: Dynamics of Biblical Change
3) A Students’ Testimony (Liz Wee, TCC 12PM)
- What was your impression of DBC? how did it turn out? I wasn’t sure what to expect of DBC when I first signed up as all I knew of it was that it was a self-counselling unit. Intellectually, I was interested to learn a Christian framework for counselling and addressing mental health struggles. However, when it came to having to first apply it to myself, there was equal parts trepidation for what it would uncover, but also anticipation for how God would use it to grow me. DBC turned out far better than I expected, and I have grown so much personally in my walk with God, and relationally in my understanding of others. As a Psychology student, it has also been paradigm shifting seeing how complete and lasting scripture’s response is to mental health struggles, in contrast to secular solutions that are ultimately limited and temporal.
- How has DBC grown you as a Christian? Personally, DBC has grown me in two major ways. First, it has given me a much deeper understanding of suffering, especially in my own life. It’s taught me, how to lament. Particularly that even in knowing and submitting to God and his sovereignty I can come freely before Him because He is close, He loves me dearly, and He invites me to honestly cry out to Him. Second, I’ve been humbled as God has made me more aware of my sin and need for him. The gospel was made so beautifully and practically clear in my life as I was convicted of sin and pride in areas where I thought my main need was God’s help in suffering. I had completely not anticipated this but am so thankful for how God has used DBC to sanctify me. It helped me deal with long-standing resentment and that I struggled with and I knew was sinful but couldn’t get over, which in turn has helped my walk with God. Relationally, it has given me more breadth and nuance in understanding the struggles of those around me and their responses. How outwardly sinful behaviour can stem from many different root causes, and likewise how a single root (e.g., fear of man) might lead to so many possible outward behaviours. I’ve grown in my compassion for others who suffer and are fellow sinners like me.
- Who should consider DBC and why? DBC has been such a blessing to me and I honestly think that everyone would benefit in some way from doing it. However, I would most recommend it to those interested in gaining a better understanding of sin and suffering and how it affect us, and to those who are inadvertently faced with others’ suffering but feel ill equipped for it (e.g., CGLs). It gives such a comprehensive framework for understanding these things, where God fits in the picture, and how scripture both convicts, comforts, and moves us towards Him as he sanctifies us.