First, Understand: The Art of Godly Assessment

Counseling Skills and Tools

Good counseling starts with understanding the person, and that takes discipline. This course teaches the W.A.L.K. method (Watch, Ask, Listen, Know) for first meetings, scoring risk with S.O.S., and holding back advice until you actually understand the situation. Proverbs 18:13 sets the standard: answering before listening is folly.

1 hour

10 units

3 sections

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What You'll Work Through

Each unit is a conversation, not a page to read. The tutor asks you to explain, apply, and work with the material until it holds.

Chapter 1: Why Assess Before You Address

Section 1.1: The Heart Behind the Fruit

The heart as the source of behavior (Luke 6:45)
The Fruit to Root structure: behavior, thoughts, desires
Why addressing fruit alone produces only superficial change

Chapter 2: W.A.L.K. - Learning to Draw Out the Heart

Section 2.1: Watch and Ask

Watch: reading nonverbals before words
Ask: heart-revealing questions over premature advice

Section 2.2: Listen and Know

Listen to understand, not to respond
'Know' in W.A.L.K.: discern root, life story, and next steps

Chapter 3: S.O.S. - Discerning Risk, Pace, and Escalation

Section 3.1: Scoring Severity, Ownership, and Support

The three S.O.S. dimensions: Severity, Ownership, Support
Scoring the Severity dimension along its 1-10 continuum
Scoring Ownership and Support and reading the combined score for pace and escalation