Pastoral Care Specialist Certificate
Are you called to support people in times of need? Do you want to learn to build and strengthen lives, marriages, and families one at a time? Enroll in the PCS Certificate!
Note: This Program is Coming Soon! Contact Dr. Richard Walters (rwalters@vision.edu) to let him know you're interested!
What is the Pastoral Care Specialist Certificate?
Develop skills and knowledge so you can help improve the world. Find the type of caring ministry that is the right one for you, and—with God’s empowerment—you can help people change the quality of their lives. The program has four learning modules. Each module...
- Moves you forward quickly. We support your eagerness to become capable of great servanthood.
- Enhances your knowledge through reading, and audio and video discussion and demonstrations.
- Engages you in experiential/interactive modes of step-by-step learning for all skill competencies.
- Guides you into practical application—under supervision—in the “real world” of your life.
- Coaches you with small group consultation so that learning and growth fits your specific needs.
Here's How You'll Learn in the PCS Program:
A mix of five learning methods helps you soak up information and increase your skills rapidly and, frankly, it makes the process a lot more fun.
- Seminar. Taught by an instructor who has extensive “done that” experience as a professional in the topic. These are seven hours long, usually Friday evening and Saturday morning. They enable learning by presentation and coaching from an expert, and by enjoyable activities with other students.
- Independent study, at your pace and on your schedule. This may include reading, listening to audio lectures, watching DVDs, or interactive learning on the computer using CDs that are part of some texts.
- Application: Using what you learn expands your understanding and locks it in—and you begin to improve the part of the world that you touch during your training! You will choose your style and place of service.
- Personal coaching from a local mentor of your choice. (We’ll help you with that if you want us to.)
- Interaction on the VIU blogsite.
Courses You'll Take for the PCS Certificate...
Here's Why Students Love the Pastoral Care Specialist Certificate!
The certificate attests that you have completed academic coursework and applied experience under qualified instruction and with verifiable standards. It does not license or otherwise approve you for the practice of counseling or similar human services occupations that are under governmental regulation.
Competence to Minister You’ll grow in confidence and enthusiasm as you develop skills of pastoral care by learning the principles through interesting study and interaction with others, and from coaching by a capable mentor in your community. If God is calling you to activities of pastoral care, he will shepherd you and lead you into experiences that benefit people in distress and that reward you with a sense of participation in the work of God’s Kingdom on Earth. What can be better than that?
American Association of Pastoral Counselors Upon completion you will have fulfilled the training requirements at the level of Pastoral Care Specialist of the AAPC and eligible to apply to them for membership. (Pastoral Care Specialists are not qualified to deliver long-term counseling or pastoral psychotherapy.) This recognition is more and more useful in opening doors of opportunity for service in hospitals and other care centers.
Academic Credit You also have the option of earning college credit awarded by Vision International College-Australia, accredited by VETAB (Australia) and commonly accepted for transfer credit in the US.
Continuing Education Credits You may earn 3 Continuing Education Credits for each course by participation in a “live” workshop and completing additional requirements, as described generally above. This option is explained at each seminar and requires an administrative fee.
You're Eligible for the Program If...
You have a high school diploma and a desire to relate to people in distress as Jesus would relate to them.
Here's How to Get Started!
Sign up when a seminar is offered in your community, enter the Vision website, or phone for more details.