Member Spotlight

By Dr. Laura Hart, 

When I was asked to write about my experience as an International Representative with the Sarasota Academy of Christian Counseling, my first thought was, “What could I possibly say that would be meaningful to someone else?” The more I thought about it, the more I realized the answer. I love teaching other prospective counselors.

Teaching has been one of the ways God has shown me how to serve others. I especially enjoy teaching students who have answered God's call to Christian counseling and ministry. I love watching them begin their journey, ask questions, and learn something new. One of the blessings in that process has been teaching Creation Therapy.

I have the privilege of incorporating Creation Therapy into the training I provide for my students alongside the NCCA curriculum because I also have a Certified Academic Institute with the National Christian Counselors Association. Creation Therapy is meaningful to me because it brings together the study temperament in one thorough comprehensive. It gives students an opportunity to understand not only temperament, but also the importance of understanding the person God created them to be. That is where teaching becomes especially exciting for me.

Students often come into my school with questions about the people they hope to help. As they learn about temperament and begin working with the Arno Profile System, I can almost see the light come on. They begin to understand why people respond differently, why certain relationships can be difficult, and why some behaviors that once seemed confusing begin to make sense. They begin to understand that temperament is not an excuse for behavior. It is a window into understanding how God created us and that difference is important.

One of my favorite parts of teaching is when a student asks a question that opens the door to a deeper discussion. It tells me the students are thinking and trying to understand how to apply what they are learning. I also believe strongly in mentoring. Being educated is more than completing courses. Students need someone who will walk beside them as they learn how to take what is on the page and apply it to real people with real struggles. That is one reason I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve. 

SACC and NCCA have given me tools that I can pass along to others, but they have also given me an opportunity to multiply what God has entrusted to me. Paul told Timothy: “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will be qualified to teach others.” – 2 Timothy 2:2 (NKJV) That verse captures much of what I feel about teaching Christian counselors. We are not simply teaching information. We are investing in people who will, in turn, invest in others.

Every student who learns to understand temperament, who learns to use the APS, and learns to see people through a biblical perspective, can potentially take that knowledge into another ministry. That is one reason teaching other prospective counselors is so rewarding to me because that is multiplication.

I am grateful for the Arnos and the work they have done to make temperament education available within a Christian framework and that God has allowed me to use the gift of teaching to encourage and equip others. I consider it a privilege every time I get to walk alongside a student from the beginning of the journey to the end.