TOPIC 1 : GOING ALONG SIDE ANOTHER
Key Outcomes
The first session of Lay Counseling Training Batch 8 launched with participants from across the Philippines, Korea, and India. The session covered the foundational definition of counseling, class rules, and a case-study exercise designed to highlight the dangers of jumping to conclusions. Participants were introduced to breakout room protocols and confidentiality requirements before closing in prayer.
Participants & Locations
- Facilitator: Norma Gaston ("Mommy Norms"), psychotherapist and counselor, based in Davao City; holds doctorate in counseling from GSP and a Ph.D. in Counseling from Covenant Theological Seminary, Oklahoma, USA 1
- Co-facilitator/Admin: Jessa (Bohol); Arrows (logistics/coordination)
- Couples enrolled: Pastor RC & Josie Manzano (Bataan); Armar & Jessa (Bohol); Eva Rica & Arnel Morales (Zamboanga City) 2
- Twins: Lara Mae and Lyra Mae (Davao City, from Davao Oriental), required to use separate devices and placed in separate breakout groups 34
- International participants: Elle Shimte (Manipur, Northeast India); Sarah Kim (Korea) 25
- Church group (Sea Gentles for Christ Ministry, Zamboanga): Eva Rica Morales, Arnel Morales, Krista Nea Elnas, Rowelyn Lamata, Laikah — approximately 6 members from the same church 67
- Others: Jennifer (Davao City, USEP faculty); Riz Mirafuentes (Katalunan Grande, Davao); Michelle (Metro Manila); Joy/Floresol (missionary in Thailand); James Aaron (Bohol, BS Psychology student); Rose Ann Prado (Bacoor, Cavite); Lara Mae (Tiboc Children's Hospital, Davao) 789
Class Rules & Structure
- New schedule: Classes held every Tuesday and Saturday (changed from previous full-week-once-a-month format) 10
- Cameras must remain on during all sessions to ensure active attendance 11
- Language: English preferred for the benefit of international classmates (Elle from India, Sarah from Korea); facilitator will translate when needed 1213
- Powerpoints not distributed — admin policy; participants must take their own notes and create their own materials 1415
- Handouts provided via email by the admin (Ma'am Chinky) 14
- Certification: Completers receive certification from Arrows & Quivers (Philippines) and Restoration Ministries, Cozad, Nebraska, USA 1617
- Preferred address: "Mommy Norms" or "Tita Norms" — not "Doctor" — to reduce relational distance 111
Breakout Room Protocol
- Groups of maximum 3 participants; arranged as 3-3-2 if 8 participants 3
- Spouses and twins separated into different groups 418
- Participants from the same church also separated to encourage broader interaction 18
- Groups are permanent throughout the course to build familiarity and practice tolerating discomfort 1920
- Strict confidentiality required: Nothing shared in breakout rooms may be discussed outside the group 18
- First breakout session: 15 minutes — get acquainted, share about yourselves, give feedback on Session 1 19
Core Teaching: What Is Counseling?
- Defined as "going alongside another" — walking beside someone burdened, not ahead or behind 1721
- Follows a formal helping agreement between counselor and counselee to apply special skills toward resolving personal or interpersonal problems 21
What counseling is NOT: 222324
- Fixing the counselee (the Holy Spirit does the fixing)
- Making the counselee dependent on the counselor
- Prescribing what to do — instead, offer 3 options, with the desired choice listed last, preserving the counselee's decision-making 2325
- Carrying the counselee's burden (leads to counselor burnout — facilitator shared personal health consequences from carrying 60 counselees during the pandemic) 26
Key counselor tasks: 2728
- Accept, understand, and care for counselees regardless of lifestyle or background
- Hold the light — you are not the light; the Lord Jesus Christ is 2729
- Counseling is not a one-session deal; real issues often emerge only in the 3rd or 4th session 30
Case Study Exercise: Parking Lot Scenario
- Participants role-played escalating frustrations (blocked parking, bumped shopping cart, drunk-driving accident) — all revealed at the end to involve the same group of Boy Scout leaders responding to an emergency caused by an elderly drunk driver 173132
- Lesson: Appearances deceive; behaviors have unknown causes; never jump to conclusions 33
- Counselors must approach every session with a clean slate and wait for the full story to unfold 3033
Counseling Tools & Inner Resources Mentioned
- Gratitude therapy (3 things to be thankful for daily) — rooted in "In everything give thanks" (Scripture); shifts negative outlook 34
- Scripture writing — copying Psalms (emotions, struggles, resolution) then Proverbs (practical living); personal reflection more effective than pre-written devotionals 3536
- Talk therapy / venting — emotional issues are like toxins; talking is the way to release them; some sessions require the counselor to mostly listen 3738
- Listening skills identified as the most critical skill to develop — to be practiced in breakout rooms 38
Action Items
- Jessa: Assign breakout room groups (separated by church, marital status, and twins); manage 15-minute breakout for Session 1 1938
- Lara & Lyra: Use two separate devices in all future sessions 3
- All participants: Keep cameras on; use English when possible; maintain strict confidentiality on all shared content 111318
- All participants: Review biblical basis of counseling verses in handouts; submit additional relevant verses to the group chat (GC) 2728
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