Redeemer Counseling Fellows Program
Training Leaders for the Mental Health Realities of Ministry
A 9-month intensive designed to bridge the gap between pastoral care and clinical insight.
The Bridge Between Pastoral Care and Clinical Insight
Over a decade ago, pastors across New York City reached out to Redeemer Counseling with a shared concern. Their congregants were facing rising levels of anxiety, depression, trauma, and marital crisis. These are trends now reflected in a national mental health crisis.
The reality of modern ministry:
1 in 5 U.S. adults lives with a mental health condition.(National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
50% or more of pastors have walked alongside a congregant with a serious mental illness. (Lifeway Research)
The Church is often the first place people turn to in a crisis.
While seminary prepares you to shepherd the soul, it often leaves out the practical relational care skills such as assessing for risk, knowing when to refer, responding to disclosures of abuse, and helping people to heal from trauma.
What is the Fellows Program?
The Fellows Program is a 9 month immersive training experience for pastors, ministry leaders, staff, and high level volunteers.
This is not a degree program. It is an applied, clinical literacy intensive specifically designed to help you serve your community with competence and clarity. Every module is grounded in our unique Gospel-centered framework.
Your Fellows Experience Includes:
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Licensed clinicians who have years of experience both in ministry and as counselors and trainers.
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Real world ministry scenarios to help you think critically about preventing harm in your ministry and be prepared to respond wisely when crises occur.
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A dedicated space to practice new skills with your peers and get personalized feedback to help you grow.
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Recorded content to supplement the classes, downloadable assessment tools, and additional resources organized for easy access.
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Practical counseling tools you can immediately apply in pastoral conversations, leadership settings, and crisis moments.
Hear from a past Fellow:
“It was very meaningful to me to engage with Christians outside of my church and immediate community. My perspective about God’s church can become myopic and limited. I loved interacting with an ethnically diverse group of Christians across the denominational spectrum, and of different ages and stages of life. To see this group of people come together around the hope of the gospel, broadened my sense of God’s church and strengthened my faith in God’s sovereignty over His body." -
— Whitney, Former Fellow
Ministry leaders join the Fellows Program to gain the skills, knowledge, and confidence to shepherd their ministries effectively and compassionately. They want to:
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Integrate Gospel and Counseling
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Understand Mental Health
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Respond Wisely
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Apply Personally and Interpersonally
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Bridge Faith and Healing
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Gain Practical Tools
Meet Your Instructors
Laura Newby
Fellows Program FAQs
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No. This program equips you with skills for your current ministry context. It does not authorize you to practice as a licensed counselor.
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The Fellows Program meets twice a month on Tuesdays for two hours and forty-five minutes, running from September through May. In addition to these live learning opportunities, you can expect to spend approximately 30 minutes to 2 hours of time between classes for reflection questions, videos, and reading assignments.
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Seminary focuses on the "what" of theology. We focus on the "how" of clinical attunement and crisis response within a theological framework.
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At this time, the Fellows Program is offered only to participants located within the United States. We hope to expand access in the future, but enrollment is currently limited to ministry leaders residing in the U.S.
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We recognize that cost can be a barrier, especially for ministry leaders and church staff. Because we believe strongly in the importance of this training, we want to remove unnecessary obstacles to participation.
To help, we provide a editable document that outlines the program’s value and impact, which you can share with your church leadership or board when requesting professional development funding. Many churches view this training as an investment in the long-term health of their congregation and leadership team.
Link to editable document here.
If you have questions, email
rcs.training@redeemer.com