BJU Counseling from 2012-2013 Student Hanbook

[Historian]

I'm not suggesting that professionals don't need verification or approval. I'm questioning that the state is the one who should be doing it. What makes a paper-pushing petty bureaucrat competent to evaluate the credentials and competence of any professional, from a roofer to a doctor?

When I need any professional, I never look at their state licenscing; it would never even occur to me to do so, because I don't depend on the state to do what common sense is supposed to do. I look at the person's reputation in the community, reputation among other professionals and education or training. I've never once asked to see a doctor's license. I do ask doctors to recommend other doctors in another field whose expertise they have first-hand knowledge of. I don't look to see if a mechanic is licensed by the state. I look for people who've had first-hand experience with a mechanic's abilities and work ethic.

The state licenses all kinds of fools, incompetents and liars in all kinds of areas. That's no guaruntee of anything. The body of professionals in the field are the most competent to examine the credentials and qualifications of anyone else in a field. Their recommendation is much more important than the state's. For counselors or therapists, as I said, very few paper-pushers are competent to evaluate a counselor. That needs to be done by counselors and therapists themselves.

Which doesn't even take on the question of whether the Bible has all the answers for life. Passages like II Peter 1:3 and II Tim 3:16-17 argue for that, and episodes in the life of Jesus argue for it as well: such as when he marveled that Nicodemus, a student of the Old Testament, did not see there the need for a new birth; or when he called the two men on the way to Emmaus foolish and lacking in faith for not recognizing the Messiah, and then patiently teaching them from the Old Testament everything about Himself. Clearly there was much more there for them then they had bothered to search out.

The Bible is sufficient not in the sense that you can turn to page 765 and find written out for you what to do when you air conditioner breaks. In the sense that it has principles that are applicable to whatever comes up. Applying Biblical principles to life is hard work, and is why Proverbs refers to gaining wisdom listening intently, searching hard, digging like a treasure hunter and crying out diligently to God for it. It's why Paul was frustrated with believers who were content to lay back nursing on milk when they should have been strong enough to start tearing through some meat; encouraging them to go on from the elementary things. And because finding wisdom is a life-long calling, only a fool would think that he doesn't need help. The first step in wisdom is recognizing that you don't have it and that you need it. That's why any wise Christian makes room for professionals in every area of life, including counseling.

[dramaturge]

Well, a doctor is not allowed to practice without a medical license, so there isn't really a need to check their credentials. You can be assured that any doctor to whom you are referred has completed his appropriate degrees, internships, and residency, and is guilty of no malfeasance that would cause them to be suspect.

I prefer the same qualifiers for my mental health professionals, as well. Anyone can put the word "counselor" on their business card--it doesn't mean they are qualified to treat you. A license lets you know that a mental health professional has completed the appropriate courses of study and supervised internships. And as licenses must be renewed, it again shows they are competent professionals who continue to pursue learning in their field and are not guilty of therapeutic impropriety or ethics violations. Since I would rather not spend the time, and likely do not have the resources, to pursue researching their education and training on my own, licensing seems like a nice shortcut.

The reason the government is the license-giver of note is because government agency is more likely to be objective and without agenda as well as transparent. The government can insure a uniform standard the all professionals in a field must meet so that quality of service is as consistent as possible. And for what it's worth, licensing requirements and evaluations are typically done based either on the actual work of a body of professionals in that field or on their recommendation. This is also why supervised internships are a part of the licensing process for many fields, including the medical fields.

[lucrezaborgia]

Licensing simply makes sure a professional has at least the basic knowledge that is considered necessary to practice. It doesn't mean they are good at it.