Abuse and Domestic Violence Christian Counselling

This course equips lay-Christian counsellors to respond biblically, ethically, and practically to abuse and domestic violence within African church and community contexts. Beginning with theological grounding in God’s design for human dignity and justice, students will explore the many forms of abuse—domestic, sexual, emotional, spiritual, and digital—through biblical, cultural, psychological, and legal lenses. Building on this foundation, they will apply the 5E Model of Christian Counselling to both victims and perpetrators, discerning what lies within the scope of lay ministry and what requires referral. Through case studies, assessments, and Scripture-based reflection, students will develop the ability to facilitate healing conversations, promote accountability, and design structured support groups. By integrating evangelical theology, African cultural realities, and South African law, the course empowers students to counsel with wisdom, compassion, and Spirit-led transformation.

By the end of this course you should be able to:

• Articulate why abuse is both a social sin and a violation of God's design, and know your role as a lay-counsellor.
• Define, identify, and differentiate between abuse types in Christian and community contexts.
• Apply the 5E Model to real-life abuse scenarios, facilitating safe, biblically-grounded, and ethically responsible counselling for victims within the scope of lay Christian counselling practice.
• Apply the 5E Model to counsel perpetrators of abuse—particularly emotional abuse—by guiding them from denial and minimisation towards Spirit-led responsibility, repentance, and Christlike transformation, with principles adaptable to other forms of abuse.
• Design and facilitate a structured 8-week support group intervention using the 5E Model, demonstrating the ability to integrate foundational biblical truth, ethical safeguards, and basic counselling principles appropriate to lay Christian counsellor's role.

The following textbook prescribed for this course is used in all the counselling courses and must be purchased.

Hint: the Kindle/eBook options are cheaper and available to be downloaded immediately however you are free to source them from other providers as you wish (Amazon, Google Books, Loot, Exclusive Books, Cum Books, Takealot, Christian Book Discounters, etc). Keep in mind that you will need the textbooks from the first module.

• Collins, Gary. 2019. Christian Counseling: A Comprehensive Guide, 3rd ed. Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (The 2007 hard copy of Collin’s text is also acceptable.)