Counseling Center Operated by Bethany (Dothan) Ph.D.'s

Saint Matthews Institute for Healing and Intentional Growth
Winston-Salem, NC
www.sexcounselors.org/page2.html

Dr.'s Michael/Kathleen Rivest earned their Ph.D.'s in Christian Counseling from Bethany Theological Seminary (Dothan, AL), and have operated St. Matthews Institute for several years. While the website doesn't state the source of the doctorates, both Ph.D.'s and the DST were earned at Bethany. The Rivest's have a weekly 1-hour radio program which focuses on counseling issues, and both are Licensed Clinical Pastoral Counselors.

 

The DTS (don't know where DST came from) at Bethany is 96 hours or about the length of my MDiv. First one spends 32 hours to get the BD. Then another 32(total 64) for the ThM (my ThM was 126 hrs...not that I'm complaining you understand) then another 32 for the doc in Theological studies. At least Michael doesn't call himself "Dr, Dr."

 

The DST is a Doctor of Sacred Theology.

 

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yes, I know that, I don't see, though, that degree offered on the Bethany site. What I do see there is the DTS not the DST. So perhaps Michael was enrolled in a program no longer offered or perhaps someone is confused. But it certainly is not me who is confused as I can count to six

 

The last time I checked (maybe 15 or 20 years ago) it was legal in Massachusetts to hang out your shingle and refer to yourself as a "Therapist" regardless of your education/training. You'd be in BIG trouble, however, if you referred to yourself as a "Psychotherapist," as this requires specific sorts of education as well as a valid license to practice.
Jack

 

Here in CA the rules are rather more hard nosed, at least on paper. The law prohibits unlicensed individuals from using psychological principles in a professional relationship for a fee. What's being regulated is the act, not what it's called.

But there's a large loophole snuck in there that allows "duly ordained clergy" and "duly ordained religious practitioners" (along with other licensed professions) to do their thing within the scope of their own profession, so long as they don't hold themselves out to be "psychologists" (or some variant on the word). So when provision is made for other professions' use of psychological principles, it's the use of the word that's being regulated.

The problem is that the courts have interpreted the Constitutional establishement clause very strongly, finding that purchasers of Universal Life Church ordinations are in fact "duly ordained clergy".

So "pastoral counseling" in effect has a religious exemption in California, so long as the clergyman doesn't try to call it "psychology".

As far as I know, there's no such thing as a licensed pastoral counselor in this state. The establishment clause would probaby make any such regulation problematic.

http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=bpc&group=02001-03000&file=2900-2918