Human and Social Studies Religious and Ethical Foundations of Society

Christian Pastoral Counselling Skills And Application Training

SAQA US 116744 | NQF 4 | Credits 10 | Duration 7 Days
From $1,523 per delegate

Description

This course equips learners with the skills and knowledge to provide Christian pastoral counselling within a South African context. It focuses on integrating biblical principles with counselling techniques to address personal, relational, and spiritual issues. Learners will develop the ability to apply ethical guidelines and facilitate healing and growth in individuals and communities.

Learning Outcomes

  • Apply biblical principles and psychological insights to pastoral counselling situations.
  • Demonstrate effective listening and communication skills in a counselling context.
  • Analyze the ethical and legal boundaries relevant to Christian pastoral counselling.
  • Implement appropriate counselling interventions for common personal and relational issues.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of counselling sessions and adjust approaches as needed.
  • Design a pastoral counselling plan that respects the client's spiritual and cultural background.

Target Audience

This course is designed for pastors, church leaders, lay counsellors, and anyone involved in Christian ministry who wishes to enhance their counselling skills. It is also suitable for individuals seeking to integrate their faith with professional counselling practice.

Prerequisites

None — open enrollment. However, learners should have a basic understanding of Christian faith and practice.

Course Outline

Day 1: Foundations of Christian Pastoral Counselling

Objectives:
• Understand the biblical basis for pastoral counselling
• Differentiate pastoral counselling from secular approaches
• Identify the roles and ethical responsibilities of a pastoral counsellor
• Explore the integration of theology and psychology

Topics:
• Biblical foundations for counselling (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
• The pastoral counsellor as a healing presence
• Ethical guidelines and boundaries in pastoral care
• Overview of major counselling theories from a Christian perspective
• The role of prayer and Scripture in counselling

Day 2: The Counselling Relationship and Communication Skills

Objectives:
• Develop active listening and empathetic responding skills
• Build trust and rapport with counselees
• Apply basic counselling micro-skills in role-plays
• Understand the importance of self-awareness and supervision

Topics:
• Core communication skills: listening, paraphrasing, reflecting
• Empathy vs. sympathy in pastoral care
• Building therapeutic alliance from a faith perspective
• Non-verbal communication and cultural sensitivity
• Self-care and the need for supervision

Day 3: Assessment and Case Conceptualisation

Objectives:
• Conduct a pastoral assessment using a holistic framework
• Identify common mental health issues and when to refer
• Formulate a case conceptualisation integrating spiritual factors
• Develop a counselling plan with measurable goals

Topics:
• Holistic assessment: spiritual, emotional, relational, physical
• Recognising signs of depression, anxiety, and trauma
• The role of spiritual history and faith struggles
• Referral pathways and collaboration with professionals
• Structuring a session and goal setting

Day 4: Grief, Loss, and Crisis Counselling

Objectives:
• Apply biblical principles to grief and loss counselling
• Provide immediate care in crisis situations
• Understand the stages of grief and spiritual responses
• Develop skills for suicide prevention and intervention

Topics:
• Models of grief (Kübler-Ross, Worden) and Christian hope
• Pastoral care in bereavement, divorce, and job loss
• Crisis intervention: assessment, safety planning
• Suicide risk assessment and prevention
• Spiritual struggles: lament, doubt, and meaning-making

Day 5: Marriage, Family, and Relationship Counselling

Objectives:
• Apply biblical principles to couple and family dynamics
• Address common marital issues from a Christian worldview
• Facilitate communication and conflict resolution
• Understand family systems theory in a faith context

Topics:
• Biblical foundations for marriage and family
• Communication patterns and conflict resolution skills
• Premarital counselling and enrichment
• Parenting challenges and family life cycles
• Addressing infidelity, addiction, and domestic violence

Day 6: Trauma, Abuse, and Healing

Objectives:
• Understand the impact of trauma from a Christian perspective
• Provide trauma-informed pastoral care
• Address spiritual abuse and theodicy questions
• Facilitate pathways to healing and restoration

Topics:
• Types of trauma: physical, emotional, sexual, spiritual
• Trauma responses and neurobiology basics
• Pastoral care for survivors of abuse
• Theodicy: helping clients wrestle with suffering
• Rituals of lament and healing prayer

Day 7: Integration, Ethics, and Practical Application

Objectives:
• Synthesise learning into a personal counselling model
• Apply ethical decision-making in complex cases
• Develop a plan for ongoing professional development
• Demonstrate competence through case study presentations

Topics:
• Creating a personal integrative counselling framework
• Ethical dilemmas: confidentiality, dual relationships, boundaries
• Cultural competence in diverse South African contexts
• Case study presentations and peer feedback
• Resources for continued learning and supervision

Practicals

No practicals for this training.

This course is made up of exercises and case studies delivered alongside the theory — no separate practical sessions are required to complete it.

Summatives

Each delegate is assessed continuously throughout the course and a final summative test at the end.

Daily Exercises — 30%

Every training day ends with a multiple-choice exercise scored out of 100%. The scores from each daily exercise are averaged across the duration of the course to produce a Daily Average mark, which contributes 30% to the final total.

Final Test — 70%

On the last day a final summative test is written. It is a multiple-choice paper with multiple-answer questions: each question may have more than one correct option, and a single wrong selection on a question marks the entire question wrong — no partial credit. The final test is scored out of 100% and contributes 70% to the overall mark.

Final Total
Component Out of Weight
Daily Average (multiple choice) 100% 30%
Final Test (multi-answer multiple choice) 100% 70%
Final Total 100%

All marks are recorded on the AATICD LMS and visible to each learner under their account.

Certificate

Certificate of Completion

Awarded to delegates who achieve an overall mark of 50% or higher on the Final Total (Daily Average 30% + Final Test 70%).

How it works
  • Certificates are auto-generated on the AATICD LMS as soon as the marks pass the 50% threshold.
  • Each certificate is a branded PDF with the delegate's name, the course title, the unit standard ID, NQF level, credits, and the date of issue.
  • You can download or print your certificate from your LMS dashboard at any time after issue — there's no reissue fee and no expiry date.
  • If you scored under 50% you can sit the final test again at the next scheduled session at no extra cost.
Where to find it

Sign in to the LMS, open your dashboard, and your certificates appear under My Certificates. Each entry has a View / Download button and a print option.

Training Discounts

Group discounts apply automatically — the more delegates you enrol, the greater the saving. Discounts are calculated at 3% per 5 delegates, scaling up to 40% off for 100+ delegates.

Delegates Discount
5 3% off
10 6% off
15 9% off
20 12% off
25 15% off
30 18% off
50 30% off
75 35% off
100 40% off

3% discount per 5 delegates, up to 40% off for 100+ delegates. Contact us for a custom group quote.

Upcoming Training Sessions
Online training — attend live sessions from anywhere via our virtual classroom.
Start End Delivery Season Price Action
Tue 08 Sep 2026 Wed 16 Sep 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $1,523 Register
Mon 28 Sep 2026 Tue 06 Oct 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $1,523 Register
Fri 23 Oct 2026 Mon 02 Nov 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $1,523 Register
Fri 11 Dec 2026 Mon 21 Dec 2026 Virtual Summer 2026 $1,523 Register
Thu 14 Jan 2027 Fri 22 Jan 2027 Virtual Summer 2026 $1,523 Register
Wed 17 Feb 2027 Thu 25 Feb 2027 Virtual Summer 2026 $1,523 Register
Tue 02 Mar 2027 Wed 10 Mar 2027 Virtual Autumn 2027 $1,523 Register
Mon 08 Mar 2027 Tue 16 Mar 2027 Virtual Autumn 2027 $1,523 Register
Fri 19 Mar 2027 Mon 29 Mar 2027 Virtual Autumn 2027 $1,523 Register
Thu 10 Jun 2027 Fri 18 Jun 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $1,523 Register
Wed 30 Jun 2027 Thu 08 Jul 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $1,523 Register
Tue 20 Jul 2027 Wed 28 Jul 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $1,523 Register
Mon 06 Sep 2027 Tue 14 Sep 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $1,523 Register
Fri 01 Oct 2027 Mon 11 Oct 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $1,523 Register
Thu 21 Oct 2027 Fri 29 Oct 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $1,523 Register
Fri 10 Dec 2027 Mon 20 Dec 2027 Virtual Summer 2027 $1,523 Register
Thu 30 Dec 2027 Fri 07 Jan 2028 Virtual Summer 2027 $1,523 Register
Wed 19 Jan 2028 Thu 27 Jan 2028 Virtual Summer 2027 $1,523 Register
On-Campus training — face-to-face sessions at our training venues across Africa and beyond.
Showing all 493 sessions across 26 venues
Start End Venue Season Price Action
Fri 07 Aug 2026 Mon 17 Aug 2026 Johannesburg, South Africa Winter 2026 $3,283 Register
Mon 10 Aug 2026 Tue 18 Aug 2026 Cape Town, South Africa Winter 2026 $3,769 Register
Tue 11 Aug 2026 Wed 19 Aug 2026 Dubai, UAE Winter 2026 $5,929 Register
Wed 12 Aug 2026 Thu 20 Aug 2026 Pretoria, South Africa Winter 2026 $2,284 Register
Thu 13 Aug 2026 Fri 21 Aug 2026 Abu Dhabi, UAE Winter 2026 $5,929 Register
In-House training — we bring the trainer to your organisation, tailored to your team.
Start End Delivery Season Price Action
Wed 16 Sep 2026 Thu 24 Sep 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,982 Register
Tue 06 Oct 2026 Wed 14 Oct 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,982 Register
Mon 26 Oct 2026 Tue 03 Nov 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,982 Register
Mon 14 Dec 2026 Tue 22 Dec 2026 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,982 Register
Fri 22 Jan 2027 Mon 01 Feb 2027 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,982 Register
Thu 25 Feb 2027 Fri 05 Mar 2027 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,982 Register
Wed 10 Mar 2027 Thu 18 Mar 2027 Your Premises Autumn 2027 $1,982 Register
Tue 16 Mar 2027 Wed 24 Mar 2027 Your Premises Autumn 2027 $1,982 Register
Mon 22 Mar 2027 Tue 30 Mar 2027 Your Premises Autumn 2027 $1,982 Register
Fri 18 Jun 2027 Mon 28 Jun 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,982 Register
Thu 08 Jul 2027 Fri 16 Jul 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,982 Register
Wed 28 Jul 2027 Thu 05 Aug 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,982 Register
Tue 14 Sep 2027 Wed 22 Sep 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,982 Register
Mon 04 Oct 2027 Tue 12 Oct 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,982 Register
Fri 29 Oct 2027 Mon 08 Nov 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,982 Register
Mon 13 Dec 2027 Tue 21 Dec 2027 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,982 Register
Fri 07 Jan 2028 Mon 17 Jan 2028 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,982 Register
Thu 27 Jan 2028 Fri 04 Feb 2028 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,982 Register
Training Discounts
Delegates Discount
5 3% off
10 6% off
15 9% off
20 12% off
25 15% off
30 18% off
50 30% off
75 35% off
100 40% off

3% off per 5 delegates, up to 40% for 100+

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