Standards of Care: Advanced Issues 2026

As you make your way through the twelve lecture videos, there will be four quarterly calls where instructor Jonathan Holmes will engage with the content and answer questions. The live Zoom calls will primarily cover the content that has been covered for that quarter. All Zoom calls will take place from 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST.

• March 19, 2026 (Classes 1-3)

• June 18, 2026 (Classes 4-6)

• September 17, 2026 (Classes 7-9)

• December 10, 2026 (Classes 10-12)

What if you are unable to attend at that time?
The live Zoom calls will be recorded and available to view for one month post-call.

Please use this Zoom link for each of the four calls: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8318922060

In this opening session, a broad paradigm of interacting and engaging with advanced issues in counseling will be discussed. As biblical counselors, we want to deal with complexity in a way that befits the reality that we live with broken bodies in a sin-curse, broken world. Avoiding simplistic answers to complex issues is something we must endeavor to do. Additionally, attention will be given to how we deal with dead ends in counseling, resistance from our counselees, and knowing when to refer.

Depression and anxiety are two of the most common issues biblical counselors will face in the counseling room. Whether they are the presenting issue or not, depression and anxiety are often lurking in the background somewhere. Understanding the social-physical-emotional-spiritual components of these issues will be important for wise counseling. We will also work through a passage of Scripture that speaks to these issues.

There are disappointing marriages, difficult marriages, and destructive marriages. One of the hallmarks of the middle category of difficult marriages are couples who cannot seem to work through conflict in constructive, God-honoring, personally edifying ways. A framework for understanding the root of marital conflict will be discussed alongside a practical exercise adapted from John & Julie Gottman on navigating chronic conflict in marriage.

There are disappointing marriages, difficult marriages, and destructive marriages. In the previous session, discussion was given to the middle category. One of the hallmarks of destructive marriages is when abuse is present—a “me over you” mentality. However, identifying abusive and oppressive behaviors from husbands can often be elusive. In this session, several characteristics of abusive husbands will be discussed so that abuse can better be identified and handled.

Understanding cross-cultural dynamics in counseling is crucial for any biblical counselor. Counselors, as they seek to build relationships of trust with their counselees, will be keen to acknowledge, consider, and be mindful of the impact of counselees whose ethnic and cultural background is different than theirs. Attention will be given to understanding some basic difference between various cultures and how it relates to counseling.

Issues related to gender identity and gender dysphoria are slowly making their way into the counseling room. Whether children and adolescents or parents seeking to understand gender dysphoria, educating and preparing ourselves for this discussion is absolutely critical. Before conversation can take place a proper foundation of identity formation must be in place. We will seek to understand modern identity and how it is formed; as well as understanding how this connects to the current transgender phenomenon we find ourselves in.

A surprising issue that many counselees struggle with is some form of what is known as religious scrupulosity or religious OCD. Counselees who struggle with this issue often report intrusive thoughts, obsessive thoughts, and even blasphemous thoughts. Strugglers will experience pronounced seasons of discouragement and weariness as they seek to understand what is happening cognitively. Many of the things biblical counselors will utilize in counseling—prayer, Scripture reading, etc—end up producing more intrusive thinking, not less. How can we minister to this person in the midst of their predicament?

Should biblical counselors follow or adhere to a set of ethics in the practice of biblical counseling? If so, where do our ethical guidelines and frameworks come from? How do we ethically navigate the calling of the counselor, the context in which they counsel, and the counselee in the counseling room? Answering these questions will be important because they will inform how we treat and minister to our counselees. Ensuring the ethical practice of biblical counseling is something we all should aspire to.

Should biblical counselors follow or adhere to a set of ethics in the practice of biblical counseling? If so, where do our ethical guidelines and frameworks come from? How do we ethically navigate the calling of the counselor, the context in which they counsel, and the counselee in the counseling room? Answering these questions will be important because they will inform how we treat and minister to our counselees. Ensuring the ethical practice of biblical counseling is something we all should aspire to.

Sexuality is a gift to us from God, so it should not surprise us that one of the results of our fallen, broken world is that God’s good plan for sexuality is warped through pornography and other related sexual sins. Counselors need to be aware of the process of sexual temptation, how to avoid behavioristic solutions, and how to apply the truth of the gospel to these areas. Counselors will learn the 4A model from counselors Jonathan Holmes and Deepak Reju in their book, "Rescue Plan: Charting a Course to Restore Prisoners of Pornography."

In part 2 of this lecture, the final 3 A's of the paradigm will be introduced and discussed, along with further conversation on how to navigate conversations about sexuality with children and adolescents. Often, parents are seeking help and counsel on how to navigate complex conversations with children around sex and physical safety. Conversations about what to do when your child or teen is exposed to or engages with pornography can be equally difficult and challenging. Handling them with grace and wisdom will help prevent the potential shame and isolation that can come when children and sexual issues are discussed.

In recent years, there’s been a flurry of discussion about spiritual abuse. What is it? Who is guilty of it? How do we distinguish it from the reality of living in a fallen world where churches will never be perfect? Spiritual abuse is a particular form of disorienting pain because of the subtle undercurrents, theological implications, and relational brokenness that typically accompany it. In this class, participants will consider how to speak into this topic with humility, truth, and wise compassionate help.