The guiding foundation for Southeastern’s counseling program is that the Scriptures are sufficient for understanding people as spiritual, moral, relational and psychological beings. As such the program intends to prepare students to counsel from within the framework of a biblical anthropology, developing a biblical, God-related understanding of human problems, and implementing truthful, graceful, timely, relevant, and Christ-centered methods of problem solving and change (Ps. 1:1–2; Heb. 4:12–13).

For those students who seek a counseling track within their M.Div., or for those students (pastors, student pastors, etc.) who would benefit from several courses in counseling, Southeastern has three professors of counseling:

Robert Jones (D.Min., Westminster Theological Seminary; D.Theol. candidate, University of South Africa) is Assistant Professor of Biblical Counseling and is a member of the National Association of Nouthetic Counselors. He is the author of Uprooting Anger: Biblical Help for a Common Problem (P&R, 2005), Bad Memories: Getting Past Your Past (P&R, 2004), and other books.  He has served as a pastor in West Virginia and interim pastor for churches in North Carolina and Iowa. Dr. Jones is known as a thorough researcher with impeccable notes, and as a trusted counselor for churches in need of conflict resolution.

Steven Wade (Ph.D., Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) is Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology and Director of the Great Commission Equipping Network and Student Field Ministry. He has served since 1999 as Senior Pastor of Poplar Spring Baptist Church in Zebulon, NC. Dr. Wade did his Ph.D. work in theological studies, and therefore brings a strong theological mind to the discipline of biblical counseling and pastoral care. He wears the finest “five o’clock shadow” beard on faculty.

Sam Williams (Ph.D., California School of Professional Psychology) is Associate Professor of Counseling at Southeastern. Dr. Williams practiced psychology for years in Baton Rouge before moving to Southeastern to take up the professorate as a biblical counselor. He is known as a voracious learner who reads widely in theology, epistemology, psychology, and other fields related to counseling.

Furthermore, Southeastern features a number of degrees designed to equip graduate and post-graduate students for pastoral care and counseling in and for the church.

The Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling is designed to equip students for vocational counseling ministries in the context of the local church.  Students take courses leadership, team ministry, and discipleship as part of this program. The M.A. in Christian Education and Biblical Counseling weds Christian education courses with courses in biblical counseling to prepare students for a broad ministry in education and counseling in the local church or parachurch ministries.

The M.Div. with Biblical Counseling is designed to further prepare those who seek to minister long-term in the local church. In addition to the M.Div. core, students take 33 hours concentrated in the counseling curriculum. Part of this curriculum includes three skills implementation course in which students complete at lest 30 hours of supervised counseling to give them hands-on experience in this ministry. Furthermore, students can take courses to prepare them to seek professional licensure beyond the M.A. or M.Div. if they so desire (licensure requirements vary by state). In addition to this specific track, the M.Div. with Pastoral Ministry track requires a course in biblical counseling to prepare pastors for local church ministry.

The Th.M. in Applied Theology with a specialization in Biblical Counseling concentrates 12 of 15 course hours in counseling courses. The purpose of the Th.M. is to further equip students who may go on to doctoral study in the field, or to serve as a terminal post-graduate degree for those seeking to minister in the local church.

The Ph.D. in Applied Theology with a concentration in Counseling is a recent addition to the Ph.D. programs at Southeastern, one we are excited to offer. The purpose of this program is to prepare ministers and teachers for long-term counseling ministries in the church or academy. Students will be prepared to write and teach on counseling issues for and in the church and academy upon successful completion of this program.

We invite you to study with our Pastoral Care and Counseling faculty in the M.A., M.Div., Th.M., or Ph.D. programs of Southeastern. For more info visit our website (http://www.sebts.edu/ or http://www.sebts.edu/college/) and check out the Admissions and Academics links.