EXPECTATIONS
Clients are provided a maximum of eight (8) sessions unless arrangements have been made with the lay counselor and approved by the Director. Sessions will last approximately 50 minutes. If the issues presented indicate a need for intensive clinical counseling or psychotherapy; then, in accordance with church policy, appropriate referrals will be made to Christian mental health professionals. Lay counselors may terminate the counseling relationship with the client if the lay counselor determines that the client is not actively participating in achieving goals.
COST
The Cove Care & Counseling Ministry provides counseling free of charge. Donations of any amount can be made to the Fruit Cove Baptist Church/Cove Ministry.
CHILDREN
While the counseling is offered to you free of charge, we do not provide childcare. You are responsible to secure childcare arrangements prior to the time of your appointment. If childcare arrangements that you have planned fall through, we understand and would be glad to reschedule a time for you. Bringing young children, (9yrs. and younger) is not permissible.
APPOINTMENTS (CANCELLATION AND RESCHEDULING OF…)
We believe that your time is important. We ask all participants seeking lay counseling to be seen by appointment only. Our lay counselors volunteer their time to assist clients seeking counseling. Therefore, clients who are 30 or more minutes late will need to reschedule their appointment for another time, unless they have called ahead and notified the church office of the delay. If you have scheduled an appointment and cannot attend, please notify us 24 hours in advance so that someone else who is in crisis may be scheduled for that appointment time.
CONFIDENTIALITY
Confidentiality is an important aspect of the counseling process. The Cove Care & Counseling Ministry and its counselors are ethically bound under the AACC Code of Ethics to protect your personal information and all records of your counseling session(s). The following are examples if/when it may be necessary for us to share information with others:
- If a counselor is uncertain how to address a particular problem and needs to seek advice from another minister/supervisory counselor in this church;
- It is determined by the counselor that church authority has a need to know;
- If content shared demands that we must comply with any and all applicable state and/or federal laws, such as those dealing with:
- Threat to harm self
- Threat to harm others
- Child abuse
COMMUNICATION
We request that all counseling contacts with the Cove Care & Counseling Ministry staff be made through the office at 904-287-0996.
TRAINING MINISTRY
The Cove Counseling Ministry includes training and equipping lay counselor interns to serve Fruit Cove Baptist Church and the community. Lay Counselor Interns may attend sessions in order to observe the lead counselor in live sessions to develop and cultivate healthy practices for the future. Upon successful completion, Lay Counselor Interns will be commissioned as lay counselors to serve in the Cove Care & Counseling Ministry.
Each Lay Counselor Intern is bound by all the agreements contained in this document, especially the statements of confidentiality.
RESOLUTION OF DIFFICULTIES
On rare occasions a conflict may develop between an individual and our Cove Care & Counseling Ministry. To ensure the conflict will be resolved in a Biblically faithful manner, we require all individuals to agree that any dispute will be settled by mediation and, if necessary, legally binding arbitration.