Soul Care

Initial meetings with counsellors are a time to share concerns and needs, and for counsellors to prayerfully discern some next steps for you. You can expect to be listened to and prayed for during your initial meeting. Counsellors may also ask follow up questions based on the pre-meeting form that you completed online. We work in teams of two so there will always be at least one counsellor and a staff member, or a counsellor-in-training in each counselling meeting. 

* Please note that during this time, due to government restrictions and health considerations we are conducting all of our initial meetings and counselling meetings using Zoom

After your initial meeting our team will prayerfully consider next steps for you. You will be provided with a personalized care plan that contains immediate steps and some longer term steps and suggestions. Often we share resources and videos as part of the first step and sometimes follow up meetings are recommended. We usually refer counsellees either to other ministries within the church, or to a Soul Care group (see below to learn more about Soul Care Groups). 

The care plan is usually shared with you 10-14 days after your initial appointment. If you have not received your care plan within this timeframe please contact SoulCare@HopeOakville.ca 

Our Soul Care Ministry is very much a team-based approach. The counsellor you meet with for your initial meeting might be different than the counsellor you are placed with for a Soul Care group. All of our counsellors follow the same common Soul Care curriculum and bring their own approach to counselling as well. We are grateful for the diversity within our team, and the way that the Lord has equipped each counsellor to serve Him and love others. We have five counsellors who serve on staff, and we have a growing non-vocational team of counsellors who also serve in our Soul Care ministry. 

We always place men with male counsellors and women with female counsellors. For couples counselling we usually provide a male and female counsellor.

We do not charge a fee for counselling or initial appointments. If you join a Hope Soul Care group you will be asked to help cover some of the costs associated with materials and resources (approximately $100). If you need help with these fees we are happy to provide assistance. 

If you are able to be flexible with your availability for appointments we are usually able to accommodate appointment requests in a timely manner. If you are only available to meet certain times and days there can sometimes be more of a wait. 

Depending on the time of year, you may need to wait to start a Soul Care Group. Our groups run from October - January and March-June. If you need to wait to start a group, our counsellors provide you with some care options until you can begin the group (e.g. resources, follow up meetings, connecting with other ministries in the church). 

We always meet with anyone who reaches out for an initial appointment but our ongoing care and counselling (and Soul Care Groups) are for people who attend Hope Bible Church on a regular basis. 

Yes, we do offer biblical counselling for youth in our church. Please fill out the youth application to request an initial meeting. 

No, we do not typically offer biblical counselling for children, but rather, we focus on better equipping parents and caregivers.