Care and Counsel International

Transforming Care for a Hurting World

Care and Counsel International (CCI) is a not-for-profit corporation that brings biblically grounded, psychologically sound, and culturally appropriate care and counsel to individuals and groups worldwide. CCI focuses on the assembling, developing and mobilizing of a global contingent of Christ-following people helpers, including (but not limited to) those who work in counseling, psychology, psychiatry, social work, spiritual direction, pastoral care, marriage and family therapy, coaching, crisis intervention and the treatment of trauma and post-traumatic stress.

Most often working together in teams and in partnerships with community leaders and workers, CCI seeks to bring spiritual and psychological care and counsel to people in need regardless of their skin color, ethnic background, religious beliefs, socioeconomic status, political perspectives. Like Doctors without Borders or Business without Borders, CCI brings transforming care wherever it is needed or wanted. Like Business As Mission, CCI is developing a Care and Counsel As Mission strategy and a large band of coworkers worldwide.

CCI takes seriously the biblical call to work for social justice and respond to human need from a whole person perspective bearing witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in ways that are ethical and respectful.

CCI is striving to achieve the following goals.
Others may be added as needed in the future.

1. Education. CCI works in accordance with the three circle paradigm shown below. Education extends to the general public, the evangelical and broader church communities, the various mental health professions, and academic communities. It includes promulgation of the care and counsel model below. In addition it provides publications, instruction, and technological resources to give practical guidelines for prevention and intervention relating to problem situations.

2. Training. In contrast to the education described above, training involves seminars, conferences, workshops and academic programs for those who are or who want to be involved in giving practical care and counsel. The recipients include Christian workers, candidates preparing for short term international service, students, health care and mental health professionals, and residents of the countries and communities where the help is provided.

3. Consultation. Selected individuals and groups with experience and expertise are mobilized and made available to provide consultation with those who desire assistance as they develop greater competence in planning and providing care and counsel.

4. Mobilization. CCI is active in networking, recruiting workers, connecting caregivers and people with needs, and stimulating partnerships. CCI does not exist to compete with or replace existing organizations that provide care and counsel with values that are consistent with or similar to those of CCI. Instead our goal is to facilitate cooperation and relationships between existing organizations and individuals involved in care and counsel.

5. Affiliation. To further its purposes and to connect those who are interested in international care and counsel, CCI will launch a virtual organization. It is hoped that this will be the core of a movement to bring transforming care for a hurting world. The affiliation-organization will produce resources, provide information (perhaps including an on-line journal), facilitate connecting, and possibly have Care and Counsel conferences on occasion. As an initial project, CCI will partner with the Lausanne Consultation on Care and Counsel As Mission to expand awareness of care and counsel within the Lausanne movement, to bring together a selected group of international leaders including mental health professionals to develop these ideas further, and to have an integral part in the Lausanne Conference on Evangelization scheduled for Cape town in 2010.

6. Standards. CCI will join with likeminded individuals and groups to set standards and recommend guidelines for quality care and counsel. The goal is not to develop accreditation procedures or to create mandatory codes for practice. Instead the emphasis will be on developing best practices to guide practitioners including those involved in training and education.