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Care & Discipleship Training

About the Course

The Care & Discipleship Course is designed as a entry-level biblical counseling program. Many churches and individuals use it as a standalone course for equipping in one-another care. Through the course, participants can expect to learn basic methodology and fundamentals of biblical counseling, as well as biblical strategies for dealing with common difficulties, like anxiety, depression, marriage conflicts, and more. The course is also approved as an ACBC Fundamentals Training Course and can be used to fulfill the requirements for ACBC Certification. If you are planning to use this material for ACBC Certification, please read our ACBC Information Page first. You will be required to fill out a registration form. 

 

Learn About the Process

LEVEL 1 | Basic

LEVEL 2 | Intermediate 

LEVEL 3 | Observation & Reading

Level 1

Level 1 teaches people how the sufficiency of Scripture shapes the way we view all of life’s struggles. It begins by laying the foundation of general principles involved in biblical counseling and then applies these principles to situations involving anger, conflict, depression, fear, worry, temptation and trial.

These materials will help believers learn to handle common issues of sin and sanctification in a biblical way.

Level 1 of the Care & Discipleship Course entails the following 5 steps:

1. Instruction

The training consists of 15 hours of instruction from the Care & Discipleship Course. This instruction can be watched by purchasing an individual subscription ($55/yr) to stream the videos or buying a physical DVD. Please visit our online store for more information about our training products.

If you’re studying as a group –– the best choice may be to purchase a Supporting Church group subscription.

2. Exam

Once you have taken the 15 hours of instruction, you can take the Level 1 Exam. It consists of 10 questions and is open notes, open Bible. Please do not directly copy the notes as you write this exam. It is important that you use your own thoughts and words for this exam. 

To submit, email the completed exam to cdc@ibcd.org. You can download the exam below. Please attach all answers in one file.

Download Exam Doc

3. Electives

The general material in the Care & Discipleship Course is supplemented by the opportunity to listen to 3 electives from IBCD’s messages on specific counseling issues. Any message on the website (other than those in the Care & Discipleship Course) count as electives. Hearing messages live at a Spring Seminar or Summer Institute counts as well. Indicate these three message titles on the Level 1 Application Form.

View IBCD Messages

4. Interview

The Care & Discipleship course is meant to instill a love for intentional, one-another care. It’s important for our participants to be connected to a local church. In order to receive a certificate of completion one must have an interview with a church leader who deals with pastoral care. The interview is simply discussing the provided questions. You do not need to fill out the form, but the church leader must sign and date the CDC Interview form indicating that this interview has taken place.

To submit, email this form to cdc@ibcd.org. Please scan the signed form and send as one email attachment.

Download CDC Interview Form

5. Application

Once you have fulfilled all of the requirements, please complete the application form below. An application fee of $75 is also required. While we prefer the digital method of payment, you may also mail it to us at IBCD, PO Box 1334, Matthews, NC 28105

Digital Application Form
Pay Application Fee

Level 2

Level 2 continues with a wealth of practical wisdom for helping people seek true gospel change in the areas of marriage and family, parenting and biblical decision-making. Participants will explore the interplay of body and soul in relation to medicine and mental disorders.

Anyone with a heart for discipleship or leadership will find these materials a valuable tool.

Level 2 of the Care & Discipleship Course entails the following 5 steps:

1. Instruction

The training consists of another 15 hours of instruction from the Care & Discipleship Course. Participants can watch the instruction by purchasing an individual subscription ($55/yr) to stream the videos or buying a physical DVD. Please visit our online store for more information about our training products.

If you’re studying as a group –– the best choice may be to purchase a Supporting Church group subscription.

2. Exam

Once you have taken the 15 hours of instruction, you can take the Level 2 Exam. It consists of 10 questions and is open notes, open Bible. Please do not directly copy the notes as you write this exam. It is important that you use your own thoughts and words for this exam. 

To submit, email the completed exam to cdc@ibcd.org. You can download the exam below. Please attach all answers in one file.

Download Exam Doc

3. Electives

The general material in the Care & Discipleship Course is supplemented by the opportunity to listen to 3 electives from IBCD’s messages on specific counseling issues. Any message on the website other than those in the Care & Discipleship Course course count as electives. Hearing messages live at a Spring Seminar or Summer Institute counts as well. Indicate these three message titles on the Level 2 Application.

View IBCD Messages

4. Interview

The Care & Discipleship course is meant to instill a love for intentional, one-another care. It’s important for our participants to be connected to a local church. In order to receive a certificate of completion one must have an interview with a church leader who deals with pastoral care. The interview is simply discussing the provided questions. You do not need to fill out the form, but the church leader must sign and date the CDC Interview form indicating that this interview has taken place.

To submit, email this form to cdc@ibcd.org. Please scan the signed form and send as one email attachment.

Download CDC Interview Form

5. Application

Once you have fulfilled all of the requirements, please complete the application form. An application fee of $75 is also required. While we prefer the digital method of payment, you may also mail it to us at IBCD, PO Box 1334, Matthews, NC 28105.

Digital Application Form
Pay Application Fee

Level 3

This final level of the course is aimed at the integration and development of all that has been covered in Levels 1 & 2. Applicants are required to observe 10 hours of counseling with an ACBC Certified biblical counselor. While we believe that live observation is best, we also understand that this can be difficult for many people to complete. That’s why we’ve created IBCD Observation Videos to satisfy this requirement. Some required reading of essential counseling texts are the final part of this training process.

Level 3 of the Care & Discipleship Certification process entails the following 4 steps:

1. Required Reading and Response Papers

Level 3 requires interacting with biblical counseling texts which will be helpful in the care and discipleship of people within the local church. The applicant is required to read the following two books and submit a response paper for each one.

Ken Sande, The Peacemaker.

Paul David Tripp, Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands.

Download Reading Response Form (To submit, email this form to cdc@ibcd.org.)

Looking for more Biblical Counseling Books?
Please visit our friends at BiblicalCounselingBooks.com.

2. Counseling Observation and Reflection Paper

Level 3 requires at least 10 hours of observing an ACBC certified biblical counselor to see biblical counseling principles in practice. There are 2 ways that the 10-hour requirement can be accomplished. One may choose do either of the following or a combination thereof.

  1. Find an ACBC certified counselor in your area by searching the ACBC website and arrange to observe their counseling sessions.
  2. If live observation isn’t available to you, you may meet this requirement by watching the IBCD Observation Videos via a subscription or DVD.
    1. To meet the 10 hour requirement please plan on watching 4 different cases.
    2. Please visit our online store to review options for watching IBCD Observation Videos

Once you have completed the 10 hours of counseling observation, write a 2½ – 3 page response which includes the following subjects:

  1. What was your overall impression of the biblical counseling process?
  2. Was there anything about the counseling that was surprising to you?
  3. What did you observe that you think will really benefit you in your counseling interactions with others?
  4. When you think about helping others in your church, in what areas do you feel you still need to be better equipped?

Download Observation Form (for Observation Videos)

Download Observation Form (for Live Observation)

To submit, email these forms to cdc@ibcd.org.

3. Interview

The Care & Discipleship course is meant to instill a love for intentional, one-another care. It’s important for our participants to be connected to a local church. In order to receive a certificate of completion one must have an interview with a church leader who deals with pastoral care. The interview is simply discussing the provided questions. You do not need to fill out the form, but the church leader must sign and date the CDC Interview form indicating that this interview has taken place.

To submit, email this form to cdc@ibcd.org. Please scan the signed form and send as one email attachment.

Download CDC Interview Form

4. Application

Once you’ve completed all of the requirements, please complete the application form. An application fee of $75 is also required. While we prefer the digital method of payment, you may also mail it to us at IBCD, PO Box 1334, Matthews, NC 28105.

Digital Application Form
Pay Application Fee

 

More Questions? Browse our FAQ:

How do I start?

The best way to start training is through an Individual Subscription ($55/year). This subscription grants you access to you stream our video content at the lowest cost. If you prefer physical DVD sets and handbooks, you can purchase those individually. Each these options is available in our online store.

Can I use your materials for ACBC Certification?

Yes! IBCD is an ACBC Certified Training Center. Our Care & Discipleship Course are approved as an ACBC Fundamentals Training Course. You can use the Level 1 and 2 lectures to fulfill the 30 hours of required Fundamentals Training. You can use our observation videos to satisfy the 10 hours of required observation. You can access the observation videos either through an Individual Subscription or through physical DVDs found in our online store. To understand more about how our materials fulfill some of the requirements for ACBC, please visit our ACBC page. Be sure to fill out this form if you plan to use our materials to pursue ACBC Certification.

I tried to reset my password but didn't receive and email. What do I do?

Sometimes the password reset emails go to the spam or junk folder. Please check there first! If you are still in need of help, please email us at info@ibcd.org.  

How do I change my password?

When you are logged into your account, you should see “Account Details” on the left hand side of the “My Account” page. Click on “Account Details”, follow the prompts, and click “Save Changes”. Next time you log in, you will use your new password. 

What is the difference between ACBC and IBCD?

ACBC is the biblical counseling certifying agency. IBCD is an ACBC Certified Training Center. ACBC has approved our material for training purposes. We offer a certificate of completion program that may help prepare you for ACBC Certification, but we do not offer a full certification. In addition to training for ACBC, IBCD seeks to bring one-another care to the local church through excellent, easily accessible resources.

How long does it take to go through your training?

Our Care & Discipleship Course is designed to be flexible. If you are using the material as a way to pursue ACBC Certification, the requirements include approximately 40 hours of content (30 hours of basic training and 10 hours of observation). Depending on a participants availability, it’s possible to complete these requirements in about a month and a half. If you choose to pursue a certificate of completion through our CDC course, you will have additional time commitments and assignments. Depending on availability, students can finish these requirements in 3-6 months. Some churches go through the material as a group. We estimate that usually requires 64 classes. Depending on your meeting schedule, this may take 1-1.5 years. The following is a list of what is considered the minimum time required to complete the CDC course and assignments:

  • Level 1
    • Level 1 instruction – 15 hours
    • Level 1 electives – 3 hours
    • Level 1 leader interview 1 hour
    • Level 1 exam – 7 hours
    • Level 1 total: 28 hours
  • Level 2
    • Level 2 instruction – 15 hours
    • Level 2 electives – 3 hours
    • Level 2 leader interview 1 hour
    • Level 2 exam – 7 hours
    • Level 2 total: 28 hours
  • Level 3
    • Reading, The Peacemaker – approx 5 hours (1 page/min)
    • Reading, Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands – approx 6 hours (1 page/min)
    • Watching Observation Videos – 10 hours
    • Writing Peacemaker response paper – 1 hour
    • Writing Instruments response paper – 1 hour
    • Writing Observation reflection paper – 1 hour
    • Level 3 leader interview – 1 hour
    • Level 3 Total: 25 hours
  • Care & Discipleship Course & Assignment Total: 81 hours

Is there a time limit for my training?

IBCD does not have a specific timeframe in which you must finish your training. If you plan to go onto ACBC Certification, after you complete a Fundamentals Training Course, you will have 4 years to complete the rest of Phases 1 and 2. For example, if an individual finishes the Fundamentals Training Course in 2020, they will need to submit their Phase 2 exams and evaluations by December 31, 2024. 

How long are the Observation Videos? What are the names of the biblical counselors I observed?

The lengths of the Observation Videos are listed below. The “counseling duration” section notes the length of time that counts for ACBC’s required 10 hours of observation.

ACBC Certified Counselor & Counselee “Name” Counseling Duration Video Total
Jim Newheiser – Jesse – Session 1 63 min 70 min
Jim Newheiser – Jesse – Session 2 52 min 57 min
Jim Newheiser – Jesse & Sarah – Session 3 51 min 56 min
Caroline Newheiser – Danielle – Session 1 40 min 46 min
Caroline Newheiser – Danielle – Session 2 44 min 48 min
Caroline Newheiser – Danielle – Session 3 38 min 40 min
Tom Maxham – Richard – Session 1 53 min 58 min
Tom Maxham – Richard – Session 2 54 min 60 min
Tom Maxham – Richard – Session 3 50 min 54 min
Jim & Caroline Newheiser – Dan & Debbie – Session 1 54 min 60 min
Jim & Caroline Newheiser – Dan & Debbie – Session 2 55 min 61 min
Jim & Caroline Newheiser – Dan & Debbie – Session 3 54 min 62 min
Heath Lambert – Jeremy & Crystal – Session 1 53 min 57 min
Heath Lambert – Jeremy & Crystal – Session 2 49 min 52 min
Heath Lambert – Jeremy & Crystal – Session 3 39 min 41 min
Dr. Charles Hodges – Aaron & Ellie – Session 1 52 min 55 min
Dr. Charles Hodges – Aaron & Ellie – Session 2 52 min 55 min
Dr. Charles Hodges – Aaron & Ellie – Session 3 13 min 15 min
Dr. Charles Hodges – Aaron & Ellie – Session 4 48 min 51 min
Dr. Charles Hodges – Aaron & Ellie – Session 5 50 min 55 min
Chris Moles – Domestic Abuse – Session 1 0 min 19 min
Chris Moles – Domestic Abuse – Session 2 43 min 48 min
Chris Moles – Domestic Abuse – Session 3 0 min 44 min
Chris Moles – Domestic Abuse – Session 4 0 min 20 min
Chris Moles – Domestic Abuse – Session 5 60 min 66 min
Chris Moles – Domestic Abuse – Session 6 0 min 19 min
Chris Moles – Domestic Abuse – Session 7 47 min 48 min
     
Total 1,005 min  1,317 min

How do I access a digital download that I purchased?

When you make a purchase on our website an account is created for you. Your digital downloads will instantly be accessible on your account page when you are signed in.  Additionally, your purchase will prompt our system to automatically send you an email with the download link attached. The link in the email is uniquely keyed to your account. Upon clicking you may be asked to log in.

What are the Legacy CDC resources?

In June of 2018, several lectures were updated and modernized in Level 2.  If you own a handbook from before June 2018 the corresponding lectures can be found in the Legacy section of this course. If your handbook is labeled “2.5”, your lectures will correspond with the audios found in the Level 2 section. These legacy sessions are not required for the CDC exam. These legacy session do still fulfill the training requirements for ACBC Certification. You can review the changes below:

What are the differences between the new Care & Discipleship DVDs and the older (2011) Basics DVDs?

Besides the restructuring of the overall order to match the CDC Course, bug fixes, and revised graphics, the overall DVD course has changed in the following ways:

Revised sessions

  • What is Biblical Counseling? 1
  • What is Biblical Counseling? 2
  • What is Biblical Counseling? 3
  • Anger/Abuse
  • Depression

New sessions

  • Grace When Things Are Hard
  • Understanding Nature and Nurture in Biblical Counseling
  • From Idol to Blessing 1
  • From Idol to Blessing 2
  • Counseling in Situations of Separation, Divorce & Remarriage

Sessions Not Included

  • Solving Marriage Problems: When Husbands Won’t Lead
  • Solving Marriage Problems: Sex

Each DVD has been “tracked” with chapter breaks to correspond with the discussion sections in the Leader Handbook in order to be able to quickly resume where you left off for discussion.

What are the differences between the new Care & Discipleship Handbooks and the older (2011) Basics of Biblical Counseling Syllabus?

As of 2021, the 2011 Basics of Biblical Counseling material will no longer be approved for use towards the ACBC Certification requirements. Please reach out to info@ibcd.org with questions. 

The Care & Discipleship Handbooks have undergone major changes from the previous Basics of Biblical Counseling Syllabus.

  • The Care & Discipleship Handbooks have all of the same content changes as the CDC DVDs (listed above).
  • All of the outlines have been placed in the proper CDC order and the content has been updated to exactly match the DVDs and audios.
  • The outlines have been reformatted for taking notes.
  • The Supplemental Resources sections have all been updated to more accurately match what is mentioned in the course, and they correspond with the supplemental resources found on each session page
  • The Leader Handbook also has discussion sections throughout each lesson, which are convenient places for pausing the DVD and having group interaction.  The DVDs are “tracked” to correspond with these discussion sections in order to be able to quickly resume where you left off.
  • The Basics Syllabus contained the outlines for most of the content of Levels 1 and 2.  The Handbooks have now been split – one for each Level.

Are the older (2011) Basics of Biblical Counseling materials still a viable option for ACBC Certification?

As of 2021, the 2011 Basics of Biblical Counseling material will no longer be approved for use towards the ACBC Certification requirements. Please reach out to info@ibcd.org with questions.