Human Development and Christian Counselling

The Human Development and Christian Counselling Course is designed to help the caregiver (pastor, lay-counsellor, and professional counsellor) understand the biophysical, intellectual, social, psychological, and spiritual changes that people undergo throughout their life span: from conception until death. It will practically guide you through all the phases of development and equip Christian Counsellors with the necessary skills to use human-development-theory as an explanatory model in coming alongside people. By the end of this course you should be able to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of human development and life-span issues in Christian counselling
• Differentiate between the types of life events (phases and transitions) 
• Understand social learning and the influence of core beliefs in counselling praxis
• Demonstrate an understanding of the neuropsychological basis of mental disorders
• Relate the basic developmental theories to Christian ministry and counselling
• Apply developmental-theory as an explanatory model in assessing care-giving needs

You will be required to purchase the following textbooks in order to complete all counselling courses:

• Collins, G. 2007. Christian Counseling - a Comprehensive Guide (Third Edition). Thomas Nelson.
• Meier, Minirth, Wichern & Ratcliff. 1999. Introduction to Psychology and Counseling: Christian Perspectives and Applications. 2nd Baker Books.
• Tan, S. & Scalise, E.T. 2016. Lay Counseling: Equipping Christians for a Helping Ministry (Revised and Updated).
• Tan, Siang-Yang, 2011. Counseling and Psychotherapy: A Christian Perspective. Baker Publishing