Private Life/Family & Education
I am Dr. Arllen Ade and I have been married to my precious wife Winnie for 16 years. We have three children and I have been trained both as a pastoral and professional counselor and educator. Before proceeding to earning a Ph.D. in Professional Counseling in 2014, I previously completed a Master’s Degree in Pastoral Counseling and worked on a Master’s Degree in Human Services Counseling. Upon completing my doctorate, I worked as a counselor and have since taught 8 graduate and undergraduate counseling and psychology courses, both residentially and online for 7 years in two American universities. Winnie holds a Master’s Degree in Nursing Admin., works part-time at Mary Washington Hospital, and serves as an Adjunct Instructor for George Mason University. We live about 45 minutes south of Washington, DC, and I enjoy playing table tennis.
Professional Counseling & Pastoral Experience
I worked for Liberty University as a full-time professional counselor for a couple of years. I also served among students at several different levels, including in financial aid advising, guidance counseling, and as Chaplain for International Students on a university campus. Alongside doing itinerant preaching and teaching in Churches in a wide spectrum of denominations across the U.S, Canada and the continent of Africa during the past 15 years, I have also been actively involved in Biblical counseling for the past three years. As a regional pastor for Mclean Bible Church – where I currently provide shepherding oversight for 2,500 members and attendees – a significant part of my responsibility is the practice of Biblical counseling. My primary counseling areas of focus have been on helping distressed marriages, treating process and behavioral addictions and emotional disorders such as anxiety and depression.
Private Practice in Counseling Experience
A year following my transition from a full-time position as a clinical counselor, my wife and I took a step of faith and started the GEM counseling and coaching private practice in Biblical Counseling in Lynchburg, VA. It was launched at the Thomas Road Baptist Church, in July 2015. GEM was later renamed Dr. Arllen Ade & Associates Counseling and Coaching, LLC. (DAACC), due to a change in focus. The decision to move from a purely clinical approach to a “clinically-informed Biblical focus” has been both fulfilling and fruitful. I now see God being glorified in my practice as more people are changing from the heart – not just an alteration of their undesired symptoms.
Proliferating Our Vision through our Nonprofit
In 2019, we proceeded to founding the Ambassador Biblical Counseling and Care Services, Inc. (ABCs). ABCs is a nonprofit that seeks to encourage the Church to unashamedly use the Bible in providing lay counseling and focuses on equipping many Christians with the basics on how to skillfully do biblical soul care. We believe that the local church is “the” place for counsel and care because we have the Word of God, the Spirit of God and the people of God working in unity. There is no other place on earth or model of care as effective at reaching the heart and bringing about transformational change. By God’s grace and through the leadership of her founding Board Chair (Bob Berdelle), within its first six months of existence ABCs has already trained over 900 leaders in 4 different countries.
Professor/Teaching Experience
Formerly an Adjunct Professor for Liberty University teaching psychology and counseling online and residentially, I currently serve on my side job as a Resident Adjunct Professor who teaches counseling in seminary at the Washington University of Virginia. In my 7-year teaching career, here are some of the courses I have taught: Multicultural Counseling and Research Issues; Introduction to Christian Counseling; Theories in Counseling and Psychotherapy; Psychology of Personality; a Psychology Internship Course; etc. I have also worked as a Teaching Assistant for Liberty University’s Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. While serving in that office, I was involved in administrative duties such as course development, course edits, and the vetting and hiring of professors.