We are so glad that you have expressed interest in reaching out for help through biblical counseling. Whether you are struggling under the weight of personal sin or the suffering that comes from living in a broken world, we firmly believe there is hope and help in the person of Jesus Christ and His Word. All biblical counseling offered through the River of Life will be under the ultimate authority of the Word of God and the subsequent authority of the River of Life Elders.

We believe the Bible, God's Word, speaks to and is sufficient for all matters pertaining to life; and when properly interpreted, reveals what is necessary to understand our need for Christ, how to please the Lord and live in a God-honoring way regardless of the circumstances. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful in teaching us what is true, helping us realize what is wrong, correcting us when we are wrong, and teaching us to do what is right (2 Timothy 3:16). Biblical counseling adheres to God's Word as being authoritative, and as such, uses it as the rule by which all truth claims must be evaluated. Biblical counseling seeks to care for people by addressing issues of the heart while ministering to the whole person. It has as its goal to equip the counselee with the ability to apply biblical principles to the issue that brought them to counseling, as well as, to other aspects of life. It holds that genuine heart change is dependent on the Holy Spirit, and thus, its practice at the River of Life will emphasize the importance of prayer, dependence on God, growing in the knowledge of the Word of God and solid connection to the local church.

Biblical counseling provided through this ministry is distinct from licensed professional counseling, psychotherapy, or medical treatment. Our counselors are not acting as licensed mental health professionals unless explicitly stated in writing. Rather, counseling is offered as a ministry of the church, grounded in the teachings of Scripture and focused on spiritual growth, discipleship, and the care of the soul.

As a biblical counseling ministry, it is not within the counselor's scope to recommend the use of or discontinuation of legal medications to the counselee. The River of Life believes if you are making any decisions regarding the use or disuse of any medications that you should not do so without consulting your physician.

Our counselors do not diagnose mental health disorders, prescribe medication, or provide clinical treatment.

Unless otherwise indicated, counselors within this ministry are not licensed by the State of Colorado as professional counselors, psychologists, or social workers. Accordingly, they do not practice under the regulatory authority of state licensing boards.

If a counselor within this ministry holds a professional counseling license, they are not acting in that licensed capacity within this counseling relationship unless a separate written agreement is established. Participation in this ministry does not establish a professional counseling relationship, does not include clinical assessment or diagnosis, and is not subject to the standards governing licensed mental health care in the State of Colorado.

Our counseling is guided by the authority of Scripture, the leadership of the church, and internal standards of biblical faithfulness and pastoral care.

While our counselors are not practicing as licensed mental health professionals, they are committed to providing care with integrity, compassion, and responsibility. Counselors operate under the oversight of church leadership and are expected to adhere to biblical principles, maintain appropriate boundaries, and seek the well-being of those they serve.

Biblical counseling involves two aspects: the counselor providing Scriptural teaching relevant to the counselee's concerns, and the counselee working to make application of those principles in their life. The counselee is fully responsible for how they implement the counsel provided.

According to the Scriptures, God provides for our well-being primarily through preaching, teaching, and fellowship at a local church level. To assist in life application, the counselee will be expected to attend church weekly for the duration of counseling. Counselees who are not currently a part of a Bible-believing, local body will be expected to attend the River of Life. Those who are members of another Bible-believing church may continue regular attendance with that body. Regular attendance will be defined as a minimum of two Sunday services per month.

Homework is a vital part of the biblical counseling process. The counselor may assign homework as they see fit. Completion of homework will be required for counseling to continue. If extenuating circumstances or a learning disability make this difficult, please communicate this to the counselor.

The River of Life is committed, as God provides, to offer biblical counseling free of charge to anyone who wants it. The church does incur a cost for making quality soul care available to you. The counselee's fulfillment of responsibilities (keeping appointments, completing homework, church attendance, etc.) demonstrates their level of commitment to this process. If you are financially able and desire to contribute to this ongoing ministry, you may do so by giving through the riverordway.com website, or by putting a donation marked "Counseling Ministry" into the regular River of Life offering.

If for any reason you are unable to attend a scheduled counseling session, it will be your responsibility to notify the office as soon as you are able. As of January 2022, a $50 fee will be charged per session missed without 24 hr. notification. No further counseling appointments will be scheduled until the fee is paid in full by check or online.

It is our desire that each counselee leave counseling only once they have gained the knowledge and the ability to apply biblical principles to their situation. There may, however, be occasions when it is best for counseling to be terminated prior to reaching that goal. Counseling may be terminated at any time by the counselor or the counselee. Repeatedly canceled appointments, an unwillingness to complete homework or regularly attend church may be cause for such termination. Based on the nature of termination, the pastor or elders of the counselee's church may be notified of the termination and the associated reasons by the counselor. The counselor and counselee will re-evaluate the soul care approach every 10 sessions to determine the best method of moving forward, this may include transitioning out of individual counseling and into another form of soul care if the counselor deems
necessary.

Part of the River of Life counseling ministry includes the role of an advocate. An advocate is a pastor/lead counsel approved person whose job it is to come alongside the counselee during the counseling process. The Advocate is present to assist in prayer, note-taking, helping with homework, and encouraging the counselee between formal sessions. Any counselee age 13-17 will have an advocate of their same gender. Counselees who regularly attend another local church will be required to bring an advocate, their pastor, and the lead counselor approve with them to counseling. ALL individual counselees meeting with a counselor of the opposite gender will be REQUIRED to have an advocate or their spouse present at all counseling sessions. In the absence of such a person, one will be assigned to you.

Due to the significant increase in counseling requests and the River's desire to train others to share the counseling load, lay counselors may be present during counseling sessions. Lay counselors will be observers of the counseling process for training purposes but may also serve as advocates assisting the counselee through prayer and encouragement in their growth process between formal counseling sessions.

The River of Life counseling ministry is committed to confidentiality. When safety is not a concern, confidentiality will be maintained at all times and counseling information will only be shared with those individuals the counselee includes on their Care Team.

However, absolute confidentiality is not scriptural. Our counselors are committed to not expanding the circle of information any larger than is mandated by law or by Scripture. In either of these situations the issue will be up front and talked through with the counselee prior to any other action being taken. There are certain circumstances in which the Bible requires facts to be disclosed to select, appropriate authorities. Essential information may be made available to appropriate parties if the counselor deems necessary for the well-being of the counselee. This would include information necessary for the pastor/church leaders to fulfill their shepherding responsibilities. By Law, certain situations require information gained through counseling to be disclosed to the proper authorities with or without the counselee's permission. This includes, but is not limited to, suspected abuse or neglect of a child or vulnerable adult and credible threats of harm to self or others. In such cases, the counselor or the River of Life elders will disclose the information to those appropriate authorities. Lay counselors are bound by the same confidentiality guidelines as the lead counselors.

Lastly, because this is not a healthcare service, counseling is not subject to the privacy protections of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Believing that confession brings healing, and repentance and faith are the path to real hope, in all of this, the goal is to bring the counselee into the life-giving freedom the Gospel provides.

Unfortunately, suicidal ideations are something which do occur for many struggling individuals. Due to the reality of this difficulty and the necessity for protecting life and ensuring the overall safety of the counselee, River of Life counselors have a specific procedure for how to respond to situations of suicidal ideation when they become aware of its presence in the life of a counselee. Depending on risk level, this process may include some or all of the following actions: asking screening questions to gain more understanding of the extent of the ideations, determining a risk level, creating a safety plan with

the counselee, involving appropriate members of the care team, increasing overall support, informing church eldership of risk situation or lead counselor, calling 988, arranging transportation for hospitalization, and calling 911. If you would like to see more specifics of how these situations are handled you can request to see the entire procedure from your counselor so you know exactly what to expect. In situations where there is a concern for immediate safety, the counselor or church leadership may take necessary action to protect life, including contacting emergency services or members of the care team, with or without the consent of the counselee.

The River of Life follows a model of soul care where, if needed, individual counseling can be accompanied by support from a care team. Care Teams, at minimum, consist of the counselor, the advocate, and the emergency contact of the counselee (a legal guardian if counselee is under 18). Care Teams are highly encouraged to also consist of church eldership. Care Teams are most beneficial when they include other members of the church or small group which the counselee is comfortable with including in their discipleship journey. The Care Team will be utilized in times of crisis when safety of the counselee or others is a concern. The Care Team can also be utilized when needed to support the counseling process of helping the counselee in walking closer with the Lord. We believe that the care team approach improves the overall quality of support provided to the counselee. The Care Team also helps facilitate transition out of counseling into regular church activities, which helps avoid the danger of counseling becoming isolated from the other soul care opportunities in the body. How the Care Team is utilized can be discussed further with your counselor as needed. The counselor may work with the Care Team to best support the counselee's overall wellbeing and improvement.

God, as He is portrayed in the Bible, is the only true and living God, Creator of all things and rightful Ruler of the universe. He eternally exists as one God in three equal, yet distinct persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These are completely equal in all of their attributes and perfection yet carry out distinct tasks in the works of creation and redemption. He is personally involved in the lives and events of mankind. He saves all who come to Him through Jesus Christ. (Genesis 1:1, 26-27; Gen. 3:22; Deuteronomy 6:4; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; John 1:1,3; 4:24; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 1 Peter 1:2)

Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin. He lived a sinless life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a cross. He resurrected from the dead after three days, demonstrating His power and victory over sin and death. He ascended back to Heaven and will return again someday to the earth to gather those who have trusted Him. He will reign forever as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. (Matthew 1:22-23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5; 14:10-30; Hebrews 4:14-15; 1 Timothy 6:14-15)

The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and the Son of God. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He lives in every Christian from the moment they trust Christ and guarantees their salvation. He provides the Christian with power for godly living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance for doing what is right. He gives every believer a gift(s) to be used for the benefit of the Body of Christ. (2 Corinthians 3:17; John 14:16-17, 26; 16:7-13; Acts 1:8; Romans 8:9; Galatians 5:22-25; Ephesians 1:13)

The Bible is God's Word to us. Human authors, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit, wrote it. It is inspired (breathed) by God and is, therefore, completely true and without any error. It is the supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct. (2 Timothy 3:16; Psalm 12:6; 119:105, 160; 2 Peter 1:20-21)

• TWO EXPRESSIONS:
• Universal Church consists of all those who have put their trust in Jesus for salvation and acknowleged Him as their Lord.  Jesus Christ is its only head. 
• Local Church is a group of saved individuals from a particular area who are organized together for the purpose of glorifying God through corporate worship, mutual edification and the propagation of the Gospel.  This body is led by a group of elders under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the directives stated in the books of 1 Timothy and Titus.

• TWO ORDINANCES:
  • Baptism is the immersion of one who has been saved by faith in Jesus
    into water as a public declaration identifying them as a follower of
    Christ. It has no saving power or ability to earn the favor of God;
    however, Jesus set the example and commanded believers to follow His
    example. (Matthew 3:13-17; 28:19-20; Romans 6:3-4)
  • The Lord's Supper was instituted by Jesus as a commemoration of His
    death. The bread and fruit of the vine are symbols and not the actual
    body and blood of Christ. He commanded His followers to continue the
    observance until His return to earth; but the taking of communion has
    no saving power or ability to earn favor with God.  (Matthew 26:17-30;
    1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

We believe man was created by God in His own image; that man sinned and, as a result, suffers physical, spiritual and eternal death - separation from God. As a consequence, all human beings are born with a sinful nature as well as being sinners by choice and are therefore under this condemnation. Those who repent and forsake sin, trusting Jesus as Savior are forgiven and then sealed by the Holy Spirit making them new creatures. As such, they are delivered from condemnation and given eternal life. (Genesis 1:26-31; Genesis 3; Jeremiah 17:9; John 3:16; Romans 3:21-24; 5:12; 6:23; 8:1; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Titus 3:3-7; 1 John 1:9)

As a blood-bought child of God, every believer has direct access to God through prayer and the Bible. Every follower of Christ is called by God to serve Him regardless of his or her paid vocation. (1 Peter 2:4-5; Revelation 1:5-6)

We believe God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God (Genesis 1:26-27). Rejection of one's biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person.

We believe the term "marriage" has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union according to the Scripture (Genesis 2:18-25). We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other (1 Corinthians 6:18; 7:2-5; Hebrews 13:4). We believe that God has commanded no intimate sexual activity is to be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman.

We believe that any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, or the use of pornography) is sin and, therefore, offensive to God (Matthew 15:18-20; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10).

We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of the River of Life as the local body of Christ and to provide a Biblical role model to the River of Life's members and the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by the River of Life Fellowship in any capacity or who serve as volunteers agree to and abide by this statement on marriage, gender and sexuality (Matthew 5: 16; Philippians 2:14-16; 1 Thessalonians 5:22). We believe God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ (Acts 3:19-21; Romans 10:9-10; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11).

We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity (Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31). Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the doctrines of the River of Life Fellowship. We have a Biblical, gracious desire to walk alongside those who struggle with any disordered desires whether they be gender-oriented or sexual in nature and are at the same time seeking to know how Christ can empower them to live in truth and purity.

I have read in its entirety and am in agreement with the River of Life Counseling policies. I am also in agreement with engaging in counseling that aligns with the above Statement of Faith.