Frequently asked questions
Answers to the questions people ask us most often. If yours is not here, please ask us.
About JBCA
The Japan Biblical Counseling Association (JBCA) equips churches in Japan with biblical counseling training and Japanese-language resources. We offer in-person seminars and online workshops, support people pursuing counselor certification, and translate practical materials to help churches care for people.
Related pages: About Us
JBCA was previously known as OIC Japan. OIC (Overseas Instruction in Counseling) began in 2006 to train pastors and lay people around the world in biblical counseling. OIC Japan was founded in 2020 and held seminars and translated materials in Japan. That work now continues as JBCA.
Related pages: About Us
Biblical counseling is a ministry that applies the truth of Scripture, with the rich grace of God, to the difficulties and challenges we meet every day. General counseling mainly aims to relieve visible symptoms, within a relationship between a professional and a client. Biblical counseling relies on God, his Word and the Holy Spirit, and looks beyond relief of symptoms to change at the root of the heart (sanctification). We think of counseling as a limited period of intensive discipleship for an urgent or complicated need.
Related pages: What is Biblical Counseling?
JBCA is not a church or a denomination. We serve local churches and respect the oversight of pastors, and we see the local church as the place where care belongs. Our statement of faith is on the About page.
Related pages: Beliefs
Training and courses
There are in-person seminars (the training modules), small-group online workshops, and a self-paced online course. The online workshops are for personal growth and serving in your church; you do not need to pursue certification, but Modules 1–2 are required. If you are working toward certification, the certification page explains the three phases.
Related pages: Events · Online workshops · Certification
Small-group online training for personal growth and serving others in your church. You do not need to commit to formal counselor certification. Groups currently meet once a month (not in December) and finish in March. Completion of Modules 1–2 is required. Groups are formed after the sign-up deadline, so joining later can be difficult. Places are very limited, so please register your interest on the Online workshops page.
Related pages: Online workshops
Yes, you are welcome to learn. The training is aimed mainly at pastors, church leaders and believers who already know the Bible well, so it may feel demanding at first. Module 1 is open to everyone and is a good place to start.
Related pages: Events
Online course
Yes. The online course is about 30 hours of recorded teaching, based on a Phase 1 seminar held at a church in the U.S., with simultaneous interpretation and translated lecture notes, in English and Japanese. It is self-paced and costs ¥15,000 for six months’ access. You can try sessions 1 and 2 free first; ask through the contact form.
Related pages: Certification · Contact form
It is a self-study course. The 27 sessions (about 30 hours of video) and a Q&A are sent to you in sets. When you have finished a set, let us know and we send the next one. At the end you choose three of five additional study pieces.
Related pages: Certification
Yes. You can choose Japanese (interpreted video and translated lecture notes), English (English video and notes), or both.
Related pages: Certification
After registration, you have six months’ access to about 30 hours of recorded video. If you cannot finish in that time, please contact us.
Related pages: Contact form
The materials are shared through Google Drive, which may ask you to sign in with a Google account or request access. If you still cannot open them, let us know through the contact form and we will send them another way.
Related pages: Contact form
No. You receive a completion certificate (PDF), but it does not show that you are a certified counselor, and it is not an official qualification. Phase 1 alone does not qualify for full JBCA certification.
Related pages: Certification
By bank transfer. We send you the account details after you apply. We send the materials once your payment is confirmed, which can take a few days.
Related pages: Contact form
No. Signing up for the online course does not mean we contact your pastor. If you work toward certification, Phase 2 does require an evaluation from a pastor or elder.
Related pages: Certification
Previous training
Yes, please register the same way as everyone else; attending again is encouraged. To ask how earlier training relates to certification, please contact us with details of what you completed.
Related pages: Events · Contact form
Seminar registration and fees
Fees are set for each seminar and shown in its listing on the Events page and on its flyer. Please check the latest fee on the flyer, or ask us. Any discounts, such as early registration, are offered to everyone on the same terms. For cancellations, please contact us.
Related pages: Events · Contact form
We offer the same discounts to everyone, such as early registration. There are currently no separate discounts for overseas or repeat participants.
Related pages: Events
No. The modules are taken in order, and Module 1 comes before Modules 2–4. Recordings of earlier modules cannot be watched in place of attending them.
Related pages: Events
Yes, you are welcome. Please register the same way as everyone else.
Related pages: Events
Seminar dates and details
Upcoming seminars are listed on the Events page, with dates, venue and how to register. Module 1 is open to everyone, from church members to pastors, and comes before Modules 2–4.
Related pages: Events
There are four modules, each held in person over two days, Friday and Saturday. Lectures come with interpretation and translated notes. Between modules there is homework to hand in before the next one.
Related pages: Events
No, the module seminars are in person only. If you would like to study from home, there is a self-paced online course.
Related pages: Events · Certification
A seminar needs a host church and enough people wanting to attend. We announce new seminars on the Events page as soon as they are confirmed. If your church might host one, please tell us through the contact form.
Related pages: Events · Contact form
Yes. When you have completed all four modules, you receive a certificate of completion. It is not counselor certification.
Related pages: Certification
Certification
General Certification Questions
• Fundamentals Training Course: varies, depending on where you complete it
• Books & Resources: ¥5,000 (approximately)
• Grader Fee: ¥10,000
• Supervision Fee: ¥80,000 (maximum)
• Membership Dues: ¥10,000 (annual)
Total: Approximately ¥130,000
Costs and fees will be due over the course of time. It will depend on how you pace yourself. The first three listed above are part of Phase 1. The grading fee is due at the end of Phase 2, and the supervision fee is due during Phase 3. The membership fees will occur once you have completed all three phases.
Yes. You must complete Phases 1 and 2 within four years of taking your Fundamentals Training Course. For example, if an individual finishes the Fundamentals Training Course in 2024, they will need to submit their Phase 2 exams by December 31, 2028. Separately, you have one year to complete the supervised counseling requirements for Phase 3.
Time varies depending on how much time you have and how much training you've had. Many people complete the certification process within a year after completing the Fundamentals Training Course, but this may also depend upon which training center you choose to receive that training.
No. JBCA does see great wisdom in team counseling, but for the purpose of certification, your Fellow supervisor must determine that you can bear the entire load of preparing for and conducting the counseling session. For the counseling case you submit for supervision, you should be the only counselor participating in the session. You may have an individual sit in on the sessions with you to gather data, but you must be leading and directing the session.
We are thrilled to have people pursue certification who have prior education and experience in counseling, as well as those with no prior education and experience. However, our certification standards require that each applicant must complete all three phases of the JBCA Certification process. Additionally, the Fundamentals Training Course required for JBCA certification must be completed through a JBCA Certified Training Center or other JBCA Certified Training source.
Phase 1 Questions
Yes, but… The reading is meant to help give you a good biblical counseling and theological foundation, which you will also use to help you work through the exams in Phase 2. Having a physical or e-book copy that you can highlight and look up page numbers in will be helpful since you must footnote any citations you may use in your answers on the exams. Keep in mind that you will need to provide page numbers in your certification dashboard when you log your reading requirement.
Phase 2 Questions
We recommend completing the Theology Exam first, and then the Counseling Exam. It is wise to complete the theology exam first. Good theology leads to good counseling.
On the Theology Exam, the grader will be noting the applicant's understanding of theological truth in line with JBCA's Standards and his ability to communicate it clearly. On the Counseling Exam, the grader will be observing how the applicant applies the Scriptures to a variety of counseling issues in line with JBCA's Standards.
The graders will send back any exams for rewrites that are too short or too long based on the requirements. The goal is to be sure you are able to explain your answers well enough (at least 1 page) and yet to be able to answer them succinctly (less than 1.5). The graders have 44 – 66 pages to grade based on this range. With this in mind, it is best to stick to the instructions.
You will be required to have 3 evaluations submitted on your behalf:
• Colleague Evaluation – This is an evaluation of you from someone close to you. It can be a friend, co-worker, ministry partner, etc.
• Pastor/Elder Evaluation – This is an evaluation of you from a male Pastor/Elder of the church where you are a member.
• Church Membership & Authority Letter – This is a letter from a representative of your church (secretary, Pastor, etc.), on church letterhead and submitted digitally, showing that you are both a member in good standing and under the authority of the church.
Phase 3 Questions
Step-by-step instructions are provided in Phase 3. Working from a list of Fellows, you will begin to email them one at a time asking them to supervise you. You will be able to reach out to them through the contact information provided. Once you have connected and communicated with your supervisor through the proper steps, you may begin working on those hours.
While we can't give you any specifics because every context is different, we know that some have gone to some creative lengths to reach out for counselees. Some have posted on facebook that they are working on become a certified counselor, and that they are offering free counseling to locals. Others have emailed people, some have contacted other local churches to offer counseling, and surely there are many more that have tried other things. Fellows may also have other recommendations for getting counselees and will likely be your best source for ideas since they are working with you individually.
Yes! You may complete this process remotely. In fact, it is usually completed remotely even for those in Japan. You will be in contact with your supervisor through email, video-conferencing, and possibly by phone.
Certification has three phases. Phase 1 is training: the Fundamentals Training Course, the required reading and the observation videos. Phase 2 is written exams in theology and counseling, and three evaluations. Phase 3 is supervised counseling. The certification page explains each phase.
Related pages: Certification
JBCA training and certification are for ministry, helping people in and through the church. They are not an official qualification in Japan, or a qualification for counseling as a profession.
Related pages: Certification
Recommended books available in Japanese include Crosstalk, Motives, Christ and Your Problems, How People Change and Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands. For the full reading list required for certification, please contact us.
Related pages: Shop · Contact form
Certified counselors become members of JBCA and agree to its bylaws, code of conduct and statement of faith. The certification page lists annual membership dues of ¥10,000, due once all three phases are complete.
Related pages: Certification
Seminar recordings
Some seminars and workshops are recorded. Recordings of Module 1 can be watched on this site by signed-in members who have been given access. For other recordings, please ask us.
Related pages: Contact form
Account and login
Use “Forgot your password?” on the sign-in page to reset it. If you have not yet verified your email address, look for the verification email, including in your spam folder. If it still does not work, contact us with the email address you signed up with.
Related pages: Log in · Contact form
Books and booklets
Yes. Some titles are sold in the shop as digital (PDF) books, at US$9.99 each. You need an account, and your purchase is added to My Books in your account. Online payment is currently in beta.
Related pages: Shop
Ordering books and booklets
The Motives and Christ and Your Problems booklets are free, with shipping paid on delivery within Japan only. Send the titles, quantities and your delivery address through the contact form. Crosstalk is currently ¥1,000 a copy, plus shipping on delivery; we will confirm availability. Where there is a charge, we post the books once payment is confirmed.
Related pages: Shop · Contact form
Yes. Send the titles, quantities and delivery address through the contact form. Because shipping is paid on delivery, ordering together is a good idea.
Related pages: Contact form
Payment
Shipping and delivery
Shipping is paid on delivery and depends on the number of copies and how they are sent. For a few booklets it is usually under ¥500.
Related pages: Shop
Printed books and booklets are sent within Japan only. Digital books in the shop can be bought and downloaded from anywhere.
Related pages: Shop
We post your order once payment is confirmed, and email you when it has been sent. It can take a little time. If you have not heard from us, please contact us with your name and the titles you ordered.
Related pages: Contact form
Donations
Thank you. You can give online or by bank transfer from the Donate page.
Related pages: Donate
Volunteering
Thank you for your interest. Please get in touch through the Volunteer page. To join the translation team, for example, you send a short testimony, a note about your church involvement and a trial translation, talk online with team members, and receive your pastor’s approval; then we introduce you to the team. Serving as a counselor requires training first.
Related pages: Volunteer
Counseling
JBCA does not currently provide individual counseling; our work is training. We have a small partner network and try to make private introductions where possible, but capacity is very limited and we cannot guarantee a connection. If you would like us to try, please write to us through the Request counseling page. If anyone is in immediate danger, call 110 (police) or 119 (ambulance).
Related pages: Request counseling
A member of the team reads your message and replies by email. If someone in our partner network may be able to help, we ask them and let you know. We cannot guarantee an introduction.
Related pages: Request counseling
It depends on the person. In one certified counselor’s experience, shorter cases take about 10 sessions and longer ones about 20, sometimes with follow-up afterwards.
Related pages: Request counseling
JBCA cannot respond to emergencies. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 110 (police) or 119 (ambulance) in Japan, or your local emergency number outside Japan. If you are thinking about ending your life or need someone to talk to, please contact a helpline such as Inochi no Denwa, or a doctor.
We recognise that the fall affects people both physically and spiritually. Biblical counseling cares for people as embodied souls; it does not replace medical care. Please talk to your doctor about any medication.
Partnerships and media
Please send a short description through the contact form. Our work is at an early stage and our capacity is limited, so we cannot take part in every proposal, but our leadership reads each one.
Related pages: Contact form