One Year Biblical Counselling Course
ONE-YEAR BIBLICAL COUNSELLING COURSE
Introduction
SMTI exists to promote excellence in Biblical Counselling in the local church in Southern Africa by training and equipping pastors and other Christians in the theologically accurate and practical use of Scripture in understanding and solving the problems of people and thus promoting growth in and usefulness for Christ in the Church and the world. Strengthening Ministries Training Institute was founded by Dr. Wayne Mack in 2011, with leadership entrusted to Dr. Sybrand de Swardt in 2022.
A Year in Review: 2026
Considering SMTI One in 2027? Our 2026 guest speakers offer a glimpse of what you can expect. Through monthly sessions, they shared insights and experience to deepen our understanding of biblical counselling and its practical application. Meet some of the speakers who joined us below.
Guest Lecturers
Dr. Joel Beeke
June: The Puritans on Counselling the Spiritually Depressed
Dr. Joel Beeke, a leading scholar on Puritan theology, speaks to us about how the Puritans view spiritual depression as a common trial of faith rather than just a medical ailment. They act as “soul physicians,” prescribing deep Scripture meditation, reliance on God’s sovereignty, and active utilisation of church means of grace to move believers from darkness to joy.
Dr. Joel Beeke is Chancellor and Professor of Homiletics and Systematic Theology at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. Read more.
Dr. Keith Palmer
March: Apples of Gold in Settings of Silver
John Newton is an eighteenth-century Anglican minister, best known as the writer of the hymn Amazing Grace. He is also the leading pastoral counsellor of his generation, maintaining a prolific letter-writing ministry of pastoral care to people from all walks of life who seek his advice. Dr. Palmer explores Newton’s counsel by examining his unique theology of suffering, which forms an essential structure that informs and shapes his model of soul care. Influenced by this doctrine, Newton’s manner and methodology of pastoral care are explored, highlighting key principles of his strategy as he seeks to care for others.
Dr. Keith Palmer has served as Associate Pastor of Grace Bible Church in Granbury, Texas, since 2002. Read more.
Dr. Sean Perron
February: Facing Suffering
Suffering is deeply personal, yet transformed through Christ’s own personal suffering and endured through honest communion with God as we hope in Jesus. In every kind of suffering—even the kind that terrifies us—God is sovereign, wise, and good, and therefore we can submit to His loving will. God uses suffering to sanctify us. Dr. Perron helps us understand how we can overcome our fears through biblical practices and apply these biblical truths both in our own lives and in the lives of those we counsel.
Dr. Sean Perron is an Associate Pastor and an ACBC-certified counsellor specialising in marriage counselling. Read more.
Dr. Glenn Dunn
April: Phantom Guilt
Psalm 32:5 promises that in Christ all our guilt is taken away. Yet, many Christians say that they still struggle with feelings of guilt, even after biblical confession and repentance. This session helps Christians biblically understand the important difference between objective and subjective guilt. The good news is that Christians can be freed from the burden of subjective guilt.
Dr. Glenn Dunn has served as pastor of Cornerstone Bible Fellowship in Ohio since 2004. Read more.
Dr. Matt Rehrer
October: When Sleep Doesn’t Come
Blending medical insight with biblical wisdom, physician and pastor Matt Rehrer explores the physical and spiritual reasons people struggle with sleep. He helps counsellors understand how sleep affects physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being, and how God uses sleep and sleeplessness to reveal His grace and care. Dr. Rehrer also offers practical tools for understanding sleep patterns, managing stress, and finding rest in God.
Dr. Matt Rehrer is an emergency medicine physician, author, and church leader in the San Francisco Bay Area. Read more.
Dr. Julie Ganschow
July: Redeeming the Wounded Heart: Sexual Abuse and Assault
Dr. Ganschow addresses deep heart issues of guilt, shame, distorted identity, and grief, while helping counselees develop a biblical understanding of God and their suffering. She equips us to minister faithfully and compassionately to those who have experienced sexual abuse, pointing sufferers to Christ, who understands their pain and brings true hope, healing, and redemption.
Dr. Julie Ganschow has over 25 years of experience in biblical counselling and discipleship. Read more.
Dr. Bill Hines
August: Leaving Yesterday Behind
Lives grind to a halt when people struggle to relate to their past. Some attempt to suppress their brokenness, while others make the past more important than their present and future. Neither approach leads to healing or hope.
Dr. Bill Hines helps us discover a biblical perspective on our personal history, understanding the role of the past as God intended and how we can leave it behind.
Dr. Bill Hines is President of Covenant Ministries, Inc., a biblical counselling and education ministry in Fort Worth, Texas. Read more.
Pr. David Saxton
January: God’s Battle Plan for the Mind
Pr. David Saxton helps us understand the absolute necessity of personal meditation and motivates Christians to begin this work themselves. Drawing on numerous Puritan works and bringing together the best of their insights on meditation, he teaches us how to meditate on divine truth and provides valuable guidance on how to rightly pattern our thinking throughout the day.
Pr. David Saxton is the pastor of Cambridge Bible Church. He holds Bible degrees from Bob Jones University, Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary, and Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. Read more.
One Year Training
SMTI is an ACBC training centre in Africa that enables individuals to pursue certification with the Association of Certified Biblical Counsellors (ACBC). In fulfilment of the ACBC certification requirements for Phase One, SMTI will now be offering a One-Year Biblical Counselling Training Course (SMTI-ONE). This course has painstakingly curated and streamlined the essential Biblical Counselling principles for their optimal application to a cross-cultural context.
We believe this training will equip students to effectively use Scripture in one another ministries in the church and among family and friends. Students will learn to engage with various counselling issues, working to identify both the causes and biblical solutions to resolve them. It will give students confidence that the Scriptures are sufficient, understandable, and practical in the achievement of their intended goal.
Course Mode
This online course is presented on a rotational basis. Students can enrol at the beginning of each semester. The course can be completed in one year from the start date.
Our Standards of Doctrine
You can access our Standards of Doctrine here.
The Doctrines of the Sufficiency of Scripture and Common Grace
SMTI has recently joined leading scholars, authors, practitioners, and pastors in signing a document that clarifies the confusion surrounding the doctrines of the sufficiency of Scripture and common grace. You can access that document here. Mischaracterizations of these doctrines have threatened to lead many astray within the Biblical Counselling world. Therefore, teaching the essentials of these doctrines will form an integral part of the SMTI-ONE course.
Course Lecturer
Doctor Sybrand de Swardt has been the pastor of Lynnwood Baptist Church since 2009. He is married to his wife, Beth, and they have two children: Carol-Marie and Thomas-Wayne.
Dr. de Swardt is an expositional preacher and also provides extensive counselling and teaching on counselling-related issues. He earned a Master of Arts in Biblical Counselling from The Master’s University and a Doctor of Educational Ministry from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. His doctoral project focused on developing a thirty-hour contextualised Biblical Counselling course. Additionally, he has trained many individuals in counselling-related topics through SMTI and independently in Ireland, the Netherlands, Italy, and Africa.
Dr. de Swardt is a Fellow with the Association of Certified Biblical Counsellors (ACBC) and serves as the director of SMTI which provides advanced training in Biblical Counselling across Africa and Europe. He is a guest lecturer at Mukhanyo Theological College in South Africa and is a professor of Biblical Counselling at Brookes Bible College in St. Louis, Missouri. Additionally, he has been a speaker at the annual conferences hosted by ACBC.
Course Content
A general introduction to the distinctives of Biblical Counselling. The focus will be on:
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- An Introduction to Biblical Counselling,
- Methods of Biblical Change,
- Theology of Biblical Counselling,
- Marriage and Family Counselling and Topics,
- Problems and Procedures and
- Observation and Practicum.
Course Outline
Introduction to Biblical Counselling. This section will introduce the ministry of Biblical Counselling and discipleship by showing its roots in Scripture, its theological support, its historical alternatives, and its philosophical presuppositional departure point. It will also show how the Bible is sufficient to equip the saints for one another ministry in the local church.
Methods of Biblical Change. This section will provide a biblical understanding of change. It will provide an authoritative framework of eight procedures, and it will also demonstrate its practical use in understanding the human experience through several observational videos. It will further show how it is used by the Holy Spirit to motivate, empower, and direct individuals in life and godliness. Students will also be shown how neo-integrationist have changed the doctrines of the sufficiency of Scripture and common grace to justify an unbiblical methodology.
Theology of Biblical Counselling. This section will challenge students to consider the theological realities that form the basis of a proper approach to Biblical Counselling. Specifically, this section will attempt to develop a biblical understanding of the nature of God and man, while giving careful attention to the specific application of these principles to real life issues.
Marriage and Family Counselling. This section will consider the biblical understanding of marriage and the key factors that make up a biblical and harmonious marriage. It will consider different roles, their functions and interrelatedness to one another, the responsibilities, and the privileges in a biblical marriage. It will highlight certain aspects as they relate to an African context.
Marriage and Family Topics. This section will seek to give a biblical perspective on issues that hinder harmonious and biblical marriages. It will further seek to understand the issues biblically, diagnose the problems, and present solutions and procedures for the counselling process.
Problems and Procedures. This section will apply the biblical principles taught in the Methods of Biblical Change section to a range of specific counselling problems that are common to man. Students will also be shown how the neo-integrationist use of secular trauma approaches and clinical theories undermine the doctrines of the sufficiency of Scripture and common grace.
Medical Issues and Biblical Counselling: This section is designed to show how physical illness can affect the human soul. It will also consider the theory undergirding the use of psychotropic drugs and the procedures involved in assisting counsellees.
Observation and Practicum. This section is designed to help students establish a practical and effective counselling model. The professor will use observational videos to help students learn practical skills through observing, evaluating, and critiquing the couselling. These classes are designed to be interactive and generate fruitful dialogue.
Course Dates for 2026
First Semester: 22 January – 9 July
Second Semester: 30 July – 10 December
| CLASS DATES | ||||
| First Semester | ||||
| Jan | 22 | 29 | ||
| Feb | 5 | 12 | 19 | 26 |
| March | 5 | 12 | 19 | 26 |
| Apr | 9 | 16 | 23 | 30 |
| May | 7 | 14 | 21 | 28 |
| June | 4 | 11 | 18 | 25 |
| July | 2 | 9 | ||
| Second Semester | ||||
| July | 30 | |||
| Aug | 13 | 20 | 27 | |
| Sep | 10 | |||
| Oct | 15 | 22 | 29 | |
| Nov | 5 | 12 | 19 | |
| Dec | 3 | 10 | ||
Class Time
Class is from 6 to 9pm
Cost
R1500 | Online per semester
ACBC Certification
PHASE 1:
- Register with ACBC at https://biblicalcounseling.com
- Join the SMTI student platform
- After completing the Practical Theology class, watch the required counselling session on the student platform
- Complete the 1,000 pages of required reading
PHASE 2:
- Download exams at: https://biblicalcounseling.com/training/certification/phase-2-exams-and-evaluations/
- Complete the ACBC theology and counselling exams
- Submit the completed exams to ACBC for grading
PHASE 3:
- Once the exams have been passed, find an ACBC Fellow and complete 50-hours of observed counselling
After successful completion of the 50-hours of observed counselling a letter will be sent to ACBC with recommendations