BBS500 Practice Management Syllabus

LOGOS equivalent course numbers:

Undergraduate: BBS100 Church/Ministry Administration

Graduate: BBS500 Church/Ministry Administration

Course Description: This course provides all the basic information necessary for beginning and managing a church-based counseling center including defining a mission statement, developing a business plan, determining the structure, administration, automation, advertising, technical and legal issues.

Text Book: Building Your Ideal Private Practice: A Guide for Therapists and Other Healing Professionals 2nd Edition by Lynn Grodzki (Secular)

No Graduate Text Book Required. Optional Text Book:

The Clinical Documentation Sourcebook by Donald E. Wiger(Secular)

IN ORDER TO RECEIVE CREDIT FOR THIS COURSE YOU MUST MEET THESE COURSE REQUIREMENTS

1. Read and underline important passages and insights in the textbooks.

2. Watch each video while referencing the books and take any additional notes not covered in the textbook. Prepare for the open book final examination.

3. Assignment #1 Write a 5 page paper providing your vision, mission statement, and business plan for your church-based counseling center. Use the Small Business Plan format provided on www.sba.gov under starting a business. Discuss what you believe God is directing you to do and how, with His help, you will accomplish it.

4. Assignment #2 Write a 3 page paper outlining the entire structure and plans for your center as a proposal to your pastor asking for his support. Make this plans as detailed as possible.

5. Assignment #3 FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS ONLY. Write a 7 page paper developing all the forms, procedures, and advertising necessary to open your center. Make sure you have forms to cover all of the major issues covered in class including your center structure, contacts, administration, security procedure, documentation, intake, advised consent, payments, and advertising brochures.

6. Take the open book test that will be E-mailed to you when have completed the papers. You may use your notes, book, or the videos for reference.

7. Submit your papers and final examination to Word of Life Institute for grading via E-mail to treiner@wolm.org.

Lesson 1: Developing a Vision– Discusses the decision to begin a private practice and teaches you how to define and clarify your vision which is the first step in developing a counseling center.

Lesson 2: Counseling center structure, contracts, and decisions - Helps you make the critical decisions required and take the steps to develop a well-thought out business plan.

Lesson 3: Counseling Center Administration – Discusses the various aspects of center administration including including choosing facilities, selecting an assistant, and good business practices.

Lesson 4: Confidentiality, Security, and HIPAA Requirements--Explains the legal requirements for maintaining confidentiality and secuirty of mental health records and provisions of the Health Insuran

Lesson 5: Counseling Center Automation – Describes how to evaluate billing and accountability software and choose the best programs to meet the needs of your center. (Update: Confidant software is no longer available)

Lesson 6: Developing a Website- Explains how to design and build your own counseling center website as cheaply as possible, do your own search engine optimization, and find a hosting for your website (Update: We now recommend www.Jimdo.com for websites)

Lesson 7: Advertising- Discusses how to market and advertise yourself and your counseling center, and how to build a referral network to attract as many clients as possible to your center.

Lesson 8: Technical issues - Addresses technical issues including online counseling, Facebook, supervision, insurance panels, and spiritual issues.

Lesson 9: Legal Issues - Addresses legal issues including a review of legal requirements in order to counsel, getting on court lists, testifying in court, liability insurance, legal protection when testifying.