PC 251 Course at a Glance (2025)
Marriage Counseling in the Local Church
Lectures By: Dr. Alfred Poirier
2 Credits
Course Description
This course introduces marriage counseling within the context of pastoral ministry in the local church. It sets forth a Reformed, biblical, and confessional understanding of marriage, divorce and remarriage vis-à-vis contemporary culture. Then, it provides a basic biblical methodology for counseling married couples, including: pre/re-marriage counseling, relational dynamics (conflict, communication, roles, intimacy, family worship), as well as address special issues like headship/submission, sexual intimacy, abuse and adultery, and the appeal to church courts.
Books to Purchase
The books listed below are required readings which students should acquire by the start of the term. Additional required readings will be listed in the course syllabus and available electronically in Canvas.
by John M. Gottman & Nan Silver
Harmony Books, 2015
ISBN: 978-0553447712
by Winston T. Smith
New Growth Press, 2010
ISBN: 978-1935273615
Estimated Workload
The estimated workload is still being calculated for this course. This will be made available shortly.
| Lectures | Readings | Assignments |
| 1 | 51 | 1.5 |
| Hours Per Week | Pages Per Week | Hours Per Week |
Course Assignments
The assignments listed below are provided for general guidance for students to reference as they plan and register. Please reach out to support@wts.edu if you have any questions.
- My Family Reflection Paper (15%)
- Live Class Meetings (20%)
- Gottman-Smith Paper (20%)
- Marital Interview Paper (30%)
- Relational Comm. Paper (15%)
Synchronous Meeting Times
This course offers optional synchronous class meeting(s) through Zoom which will be scheduled during the term based on everyone's availability (a poll will be taken by the instructor for these meetings and they will be recorded for students who are unable to attend live). These meetings will be helpful for the formation your understanding of apologetics as well as provide an opportunity to practice the method live with your instructor.