Philosophy of Our Ministry

MRCA Philosophy and Values

Our philosophy of ministry centers on the understanding that the ultimate purpose of everyone is to serve God and love Him forever. Jesus begins by quoting Deuteronomy 6:5 and then adds social relationships. “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.” (Luke 10:27) When we align ourselves around our purpose and God’s design for us, we regain a proper since of our significance, security and satisfaction. We are called to find the necessary tools to guide students to a better sense of themselves, their families and being a productive member of a community regardless of their personal faith decisions.

Pillars of program (our values)

Pillar One: A Season of Life Unplugged 

• Fostering creative and explorative play.
• Providing tactile, non-digital play and work.
• Pausing from a saturation in mainstream culture. 
• Emphasizing the physical – connection of mind and body through rigorous exercise, outdoor activities, interaction on a rural ranch.
• Resetting of baseline dopamine production.
• Exhilaration through interaction with the natural environment.
• Organizing a well-placed freedom and release from modern artificial constraints.

Pillar Two: Helping Boys Grow Into Men (Modeling Godly Masculinity)

• Organizing so boys are working alongside men.   
• Enjoying the benefits of a strong work ethic.
• Focusing on productivity – the ability to develop personal outcomes (self-efficacy and self-confidence). 
• Celebrating a strength that is expressive without being reckless.. 
• Exploring career opportunities connected to God given purposes  

Pillar Three: Thriving in a Structured Life

• Adjusting our attitudes to principles for living (Counsel Cards) 
• Honoring, yielding and leading within a public ranking system. (respect, deferring, progressive growth, patience) Acknowledging that they will always be under some and over others.   
• Valuing others and their feedback (humility). 
• Practicing the ability to follow and lead.
• Having confidence in your social position.
• Standing your ground among your peers. 

Pillar Four: Having a Spiritual Impact

• Finding a personal and practiced relationship with Jesus.
• Nurturing a love for the Bible and objective truth.
• Engaging in big celebrations and a vibrant life that is not dependent on external circumstances.
• Having care and compassion for others.
• Seeing the connection of a Godly life in every aspect of life.       

Pillar Five: Restoring the Body, Brain and heart 

• Applying integrated therapies (Individual Counseling, Moral Reconation Therapy, addiction counseling groups, Interactive Metronome, animal therapy, etc.)   
• Supporting a modified academic approach that allows individualized progress and maximizes academic time.
• Training emotional regulation through healthy use of words and coping skills.
• Addressing trauma history from a development perspective.
• Employing a multi-disciplinary team (our Focus Care Team).
• Expressing health in relationships.
• Elevating moral development alongside emotional intelligence.
• Valuing the connection between mental health and physical health.  

Pillar Six: Generational Change  

• Investing in generational change by linking heritage to future hope.
• Fostering family reunification as a priority.
• Focusing on growing a healthy adult more than a happy teenager.
• Ability to interact with adults respectfully and meaningfully.

Integrated Counseling

MRCA Counselors use an integrated approach to psychotherapy which is rooted in a bio/psycho/social/spiritual model of humanity.  This model affirms both, the dignity and depravity of all humans.   

Our integrated model relies on sound empirical behavioral science, evidence-based practices, and a clearly articulated Christian theology.  The Integrated Psychotherapist provides treatment in one or all the bio/psycho/social/spiritual domains.  Our goal is wholistic wellness. 

We affirm the autonomy and self-determination of the client and see this as a coinciding pillar of the biblical understanding of free will and personal responsibility.  From a “field of study” perspective, we see psychology in constant conversation with theology.  Both have a focus on the care of the soul.  Psychology from the observable perspective of mankind; theology from the perspective of God revealing Himself to mankind. While theories in either field of study may discredit the other, the greater voice affirms both.    

Integration goes beyond having a therapist that is a Christian and allows the therapist to rely on a Christian worldview for a definition of what is healthy and to utilize Evidence-based psychological modalities and Christian practices as interventions for treatment goals.   It is our understanding that we provide something distinctively different from advice, pastoral care, or Christian education, even though we will call upon these at times.  We utilize professional clinical practices, competencies, ethics, language, and relationships.  We affirm the American Association of Christian Counselor’s (AACC) Code of ethics.                

See our therapy page under each program type for specific therapeutic modalities utilized.