Rick Walton, Biblical Counsellor | ABC Certified | CCTCP L2 | ISSA CPT
I am an ABC Certified Biblical Counsellor and the Co-Founder of Gospel Care Canada. I provide Christ-centred biblical counselling for individuals, couples, pastors, and church leaders across Canada. My work is rooted in a desire to help people slow down, make sense of what they are experiencing, and grow in wise, faithful dependence on Jesus Christ during seasons of suffering, confusion, or sustained pressure.
In addition to counselling, I also lead biblical counselling intensives, train counsellors, and consult with churches seeking to strengthen their care ministries.
People often reach out when life has become heavy over time rather than suddenly overwhelming. Some feel stuck in patterns of anxiety, discouragement, or inner turmoil. Others come as couples who find themselves repeating the same conflicts or slowly growing distant. Pastors and church leaders also seek care when they are carrying long-term responsibility with
little space to pause, reflect, or rest.
My counselling posture is unhurried and attentive. I seek to listen carefully and take suffering seriously. Together we explore not only what someone is experiencing, but how their beliefs, desires, fears, and responses are shaping their life and relationships. I do not offer quick fixes. Instead, I walk patiently with people as they learn to respond with wisdom, humility, and faith rooted in the gospel.
Areas of Focus
My counselling commonly includes:
• Individuals facing anxiety, discouragement, shame, or spiritual confusion
• Couples navigating recurring conflict, emotional distance, or seasons of discernment
• Pastors and ministry leaders experiencing fatigue, loss of clarity, or sustained
pressure
• Athletes, coaches, and highly disciplined individuals navigating identity, performance pressure, injury, aging, burnout, or questions of purpose
• Individuals in significant life transitions who would benefit from careful, focused care
Calling and Journey
My path into biblical counselling developed through many years of pastoral ministry and close engagement with people in pain. Walking with individuals, couples, and leaders through suffering, sin, and disappointment gradually clarified the need for care that is both theologically grounded and relationally patient.
Over time, the Lord deepened my conviction that Scripture speaks with clarity and compassion into the real complexities of human life. Meaningful change often unfolds slowly through careful attention, prayer, and faithful practice. This conviction eventually led to the founding of Gospel Care Canada, with a vision to provide accessible biblical counselling and to strengthen the long-
term health of individuals, families, and churches.
Training and Formation
My counselling is shaped by more than fifteen years of pastoral ministry and biblical counselling experience. My formal education includes a Master of Divinity with a Graduate Certificate in Biblical Care and Counselling, a Bachelor of Arts in Religion and Ministry, and a Diploma in Advanced Biblical and Theological Studies.
I have also received additional biblical counselling training through organizations such as the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (CCEF) and the Institute for Biblical Counseling and Discipleship (IBCD). Alongside counselling, I remain committed to continued learning and collaboration with other counsellors and church leaders.
This posture of ongoing formation helps ensure that my work is not isolated or improvised. Instead, I seek to serve with wisdom, humility, and shared discernment within the body of Christ.
My Approach to Biblical Counselling
I understand biblical counselling as a relational process that brings God’s Word to bear on real lives with both truth and tenderness. Scripture is not used as a technique or formula, but as God’s living revelation that searches the heart, comforts the weary, and guides us toward faithful living.
In counselling sessions, we often slow down and reflect on what is shaping a person’s inner world and outward responses. This may involve identifying patterns, naming underlying fears or desires, and considering how the gospel speaks into these struggles with clarity and hope. Change is approached patiently, with attention to both spiritual and embodied realities. Throughout the process, we trust that God is at work even when progress feels gradual.
Rather than fitting people into categories, I seek to understand the particular season they are in and what kind of care would be most wise and helpful at that time.
Counselling Intensives, Training, and Church Consultation
In addition to ongoing counselling, I offer Biblical Counselling Intensives for individuals and married couples who need extended, unhurried space to address complex or long-standing concerns. These intensives provide focused time to explore patterns, clarify next steps, and begin moving toward meaningful change.
I also provide sabbatical care and leadership support for pastors and church leaders during seasons of fatigue, transition, or discernment. Alongside this work, I consult with churches that are seeking to strengthen their biblical counselling and care ministries.
Part of this work includes teaching and supervising counsellors in Association of Biblical Counselors (ABC) Level 1 and 2 training, helping equip the next generation of biblical counsellors to care for people wisely and faithfully.
These forms of care are not replacements for ongoing counselling, but wise options for particular seasons. Discernment around next steps is always approached carefully and without pressure.
Life Beyond Counselling
Outside of counselling, I seek to maintain ordinary rhythms of rest and embodied life. Time with family, engagement in church life, physical training, and space for reflection all play an important role in sustaining me personally and vocationally.
Over the years, I have been shaped by disciplined physical training, including CrossFit and Olympic lifting. These practices have deepened my appreciation for the stewardship of the body, respect for personal limits, and the formative power of consistent, faithful practice over time.
They serve as regular reminders that strength, endurance, and growth (both physical and spiritual) develop patiently and are ultimately received as gifts rather than achievements.
An Invitation
Many people who reach out for counselling feel uncertain about where to begin or whether their struggles are significant enough to seek help. Reaching out for care is not a sign of failure, but often an act of humility and faith.
God is patient, attentive, and near to those who come to Him honestly. If you are discerning next steps, you are welcome to take that step slowly and thoughtfully here. I do offer a 30 minute Initial Consultation, you can select this option when requesting an appointment.
Please “Click Here” to contact Rick to inquire about counselling, services, and availability.