Biblical Counselor John Newsom provides services at David’s Courage
Counseling sessions available for individuals and couples
MARSHALL COUNTY — association of Certified Biblical Counselors ( ACBC) Biblical Counselor John Newsom has been providing counseling services to individuals at David’s Courage; and is making his services available to the public as well.
Newsom completed three phases of counseling training over a period of fourteen months. He learned the basics of Biblical Counseling through a series of seminars, he was required to successfully complete a 105 page Counseling and Theology examination covering
the assigned reading and literature topics, and 50 hours of supervised counseling.
Though he completed the “extensive” training provided through ACBC; Newsom emphasized that working in ministry at the jail and practicing the spiritual discipline of reading the Bible himself for years is what he draws on for wisdom in ministry to individuals at David’s Courage and to individuals seeking his services.
Newsom served under the Marshall County Correctional Facility Chaplain Pastor Pat Puglisi for fifteen years. “I have gone in to the county jail for the last fifteen years every Sunday. I got to work with the men there. We would hand out bibles and pray with them. We tried to figure out where they were at and what they knew of the Bible; and then try to help them see some things in God’s word that they could apply to their life.”
Over time Newsom began to feel that he was being directed to serve in ministry as part of an incarceration prevention strategy as opposed to after they were already behind bars. “God really laid in my heart that it was a shame that I couldn’t work with these guys before they were in there.”
The same week that Newsom was scheduled to begin his rigorous ministry training; he was laid off from his employer of 22 years. “I knew God’s hand was in it, even though I was shocked.”
Newsom provides counseling to couples and individuals. If he has a woman seeking counseling services, his wife assists. “We pray with her and study God’s word with her.” His passion is ministry to young men. “If you get a young man turned around, not only is it a benefit to his family; but it’s generational.”
According to Newsom counseling individuals who want to recover from addiction poses an additional challenge. “One of the biggest challenges in counseling with addiction is; not only are you dealing with a spiritual issue but you are dealing with a physical issue. That’s one of the great things about David’s Courage. There is a facility there that is able to deal with the physical aspect of it by bringing them in and providing them with a residence that separates them from all those things that contribute to the temptation that is too strong and overwhelming them.”
A consultation to determine the individual or the couple’s needs is provided at no-cost. “I need to see if they are an authentic Christian. If they aren’t; biblical counseling makes no sense at all.”
Newsom made it clear that he would not charge for sharing the gospel. “I don’t ever want to be in a situation where I’m charging somebody to share with them the good news of what Jesus Christ has done for our salvation.”
During the consultation, Newsom can then determine what their needs are to develop a plan for moving forward. If they are comfortable with that approach the next counseling will be scheduled. Prepayment is required and the cost is $80 a session. “The great thing about prepaying, I’ve learned, is that people are much more likely to show up.”
Newsom can be reached by calling 574-274-6144 or by email at john@biblicalcounselingonline.com.