Orangeville Biblical Counseling Solutions

Welcome and Informed Consent Form

We’re so glad that you are taking this important step to seek godly counsel. Jesus promises, “Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). No matter what your situation is, God knows and understands it completely, and therefore, there is great hope! This form will help us get to know you and your situation, and it will help us communicate our foundational convictions. We believe the following commitments are honoring to God and the best way we can truly be of help to you.

Our goal is to help you meet the challenges of life in a way that will please and honor the Lord Jesus Christ, so you can fully enjoy His love for you and His plans for your life.

Our Commitments To You in Biblical Counseling

• As a ministry of Orangeville Baptist Church, our services are free.
• Our counseling is distinctly Christian and our counselors are not certified by the State of Michigan.
• All counseling is conducted in accordance with the counselor’s understanding of the Scriptures. We believe the Scriptures are the final authority in all cases.
• Information disclosed in counseling sessions will be held confidential only if the counselor believes this is required by the Bible and the State of Michigan. Absolute confidentiality is not biblical or healthy. The Bible and the State require facts to be disclosed to select individuals:
  • When there is a clear indication that a person intends to harm him/herself or someone else.
  • When there is evidence or reasonable suspicion of abuse against a minor child, elderly person, or dependent adult.
  • When a counselor is uncertain of how to address a particular problem and needs to seek advice and wisdom from another biblical counselor.
  • When a person persistently refuses to renounce a particular sin and it becomes necessary to seek the assistance of others in the church to encourage repentance and reconciliation (see Proverbs 15:22, 24:11; Matthew 18:15-20).
  • If a subpoena or other court order is received directing the disclosure of information.

In all these situations, we will make every effort to be sensitive to your situation and carefully guard your information. Please be assured that our counselors strongly prefer not to disclose any of this personal information to others. We will strive to help you resolve the difficult situations you are experiencing as discretely as possible.

As part of our mission to train and equip others in biblical counseling, we may have counselor(s)–in–training participate in the counseling with us. These individuals will abide by the same standards as outlined above. However, in highly sensitive situations, we will consider if apprentices should be dismissed for a time.

• At any time during the counseling for reasons sufficient to him/herself, the counselor – as also the counselee – has the option to terminate counseling.
• We are confident that the Bible has everything we need for navigating life’s challenges, therefore, our counseling is based solely on Scriptural principles rather than those of secular psychology or psychiatry. We believe there are no problems between persons, which the Bible fails to address, either in general or in specific principles.
• Our counseling is not infallible. Nor do we pretend to know all there is to know about the Bible and its applications to life. We are well equipped, however, to help you grow and change.
• We do not give medical or legal advice.
• If a conflict should arise between the counselee and the counselor, both parties must agree to resolve the dispute outside the secular court system.

Your Commitments To Christ, To Yourself, and To Us

We ask that you commit to:

• Sharing your hurts and struggles honestly and openly.
• Honestly evaluating your own emotions, actions, motivations, beliefs, and relationships.
• Coming to each meeting prepared to review your progress throughout the last week (including the completion of personalized ‘homework’ assignments) and prepared to share your goals for the present meeting. Note: Consistent failure to do the assigned weekly homework will result in the session not being held.
• Resolving your problems by choosing to obey the Word of God. We want you to understand that Christian counseling consists of us giving Scriptural advice and the practical application of that advice. Yet, the counselee is held fully responsible for how he or she implements that advice.
• Give it some time. Habits are not developed overnight, and new habits will take time to develop. In most cases, we ask individuals to commit to regular counseling appointments for a period of 3-4 months.
• Because the Scriptures teach that true change requires all the resources of the body of Christ, we believe that it is essential that those seeking biblical counseling at our church commit themselves to regular attendance with a doctrinally sound local church.

If you’ve read the above and wish to continue, please complete the intake form below. You will also have the option to print the form and mail or email it to us.

Use this Email link or the following mailing address:

Orangeville Biblical Counseling

If you would like to fill the form out by hand, you can download it here. Download.