CompassPoint Biblical Counseling
INFORMED CONSENT

Welcome - Welcome to CompassPoint Biblical Counseling. We desire to be used by God to speak His truth in love. We know that the path to maturity is often steep and rough and at times filled with pain and confusion. However, there are answers. We believe that the Bible is God's all-sufficient guide for relational living. There is a route to life. Our Lord is that way. Christ is the truth that sets us free to love. He is the life who satisfies the deepest thirsts of our soul. We are grateful to be entrusted with your care, and look forward to assisting you.

Principles and Policies of CompassPoint Biblical Counseling
I)  Our Goal - Our goal in providing biblical counsel is to help you meet the challenges of life in a way that will please and honor the Lord Jesus Christ and allow you to enjoy fully His love for you and His plans for your life. We seek to provide you with counsel regarding spiritual and personal issues; premarital and marital biblical counsel; family/parental biblical counseling; small group discipleship; and a referral network to support you in your spiritual journey.
II)  Biblical Basis - We believe that the Bible provides thorough guidance and instruction for faith and life. (II Peter 1:3 and Romans 15:4) Therefore, our counseling is based on scriptural principles rather than those of secular psychology or psychiatry. By definition, Biblical Counselors are spiritual friends committed to the historic church role of providing soul care and spiritual direction through:

• Sustaining - empathizing with your suffering, helping you to understand that it is normal to hurt.
• Healing - Encouraging you to see life from a biblical perspective, helping you to know that hope is possible.
• Reconciling - Examining and exposing your current responses to life and suggesting new ways of handling problems, helping you to see that it though it is horrible to sin, it is wonderful to be forgiven.
• Guiding - Empowering you to mature through Christ and helping you to grasp that it is supernatural to mature.

Because we care about you, our desire is for you to be drawn closer to Christ and to become more like Christ, which we see as your life increasingly reflecting the life of Christ:

• Relational Maturity - Loving God wholeheartedly and loving others sacrificially.
• Rational Maturity - Wisely living according to the truth of Christ's gospel of grace.
• Volitional Maturity - Courageously choosing to pursue God's purpose in your life through the Spirit's power.
• Emotional Maturity - Deeply and honestly experiencing life with integrity, fully open to God while managing your moods for God's glory and with a ministry focus.

III)  Your Commitment - We ask that you commit to Christ, Yourself, and to Us that you will:

• Be honest and open in sharing your hurts and struggles with us.
• Evaluate your own emotions, actions, motivations, beliefs and relationships.
• Actively participate in the growth of renewed emotions, actions, convictions, and desires.
• Come to each meeting prepared to review your progress throughout the week, including homework assignments, and share your goals for the present meeting.

Growth in Christ requires all the resources of the Body of Christ. Therefore, it is essential that those seeking biblical counseling commit to the following:

• Regular church attendance at your church.
• Actively participate in an Adult Bible Fellowship/Bible Study.
• Participate in a small group or other fellowship ministry.

IV)  Confidentiality - Confidentiality is an important aspect of the biblical counseling relationship, and we will carefully guard the information you entrust to us. All communication between you and CompassPoint Biblical Counseling will be held in the strictest of confidence unless you (or the parent if a minor) give authorization to release this information. Exceptions to this would be: (i) if a person expresses the intention to harm himself/herself or someone else; (ii) if there is evidence or reasonable suspicion of abuse against a minor child, elder person, or dependent adult; (iii) if a subpoena or other court order is received directing the disclosure of information; (iv) when your counselor consults with external resources deemed necessary for the advancement of assistance; or (v) if a person persistently refuses to renounce a particular sin (habitual unrepentant rebellion against God's Word), and it becomes necessary to seek the assistance of others in the church to encourage repentance, restoration, and reconciliation (see Proverbs 15:22, 24:11; Matthew 18:15-20). Please be assured that we strongly prefer not to disclose any personal information to others, and will make every effort to help you find ways to resolve a problem as privately as possible.
V)  Appointments - CompassPoint Biblical Counseling works by scheduled appointments only. In emergencies, exceptions are made. We need your prompt and consistent participation in your scheduled meetings. Please contact 317-804-1864 to cancel any appointment 24-hours in advance as a courtesy, should you need to cancel your appointment. This courtesy allows us to schedule another person who may be in critical need. During your initial appointment, you will define the goals that you would like to work towards. After five sessions, an evaluation will be performed to ensure your progressing toward your goals, and together determine what next steps are appropriate to be taken.
VI)  Services Rendered - Services are fee based. CompassPoint Biblical Counseling does not handle insurance billing. Contact your insurance provider directly about coverage or self-filing options. You will be provided a receipt for services. Limited scholarships may be available.
VII)  Billing - Payment is required at the time of service. Payment may be made by cash, check, or credit/debit via Square payment processing. Returned Checks for non-payment or insufficient funds will incur a $40.00 fee in addition to the original invoice amount of payment for services.
VIII)  Resolution of Conflicts - On rare occasions a conflict may arise between counselor and counselee. In order to make sure that any such conflicts will be resolved in a biblically faithful manner, we require all of our counselees to agree that any dispute that arises with the counselor as a result of counseling will be settled with mediation within the church according to the principles of scripture and the authority of the local church.

Having clarified the principles and policies of CompassPoint Biblical Counseling, please sign below to indicate your understanding of, agreement with, and commitment to Biblical Counsel as described above. We welcome the opportunity to minister to you in the name of Christ and to be used by Him as He helps you to grow in spiritual maturity and prepares you for usefulness in His body.