Sarasota Academy of Christian Counseling

What Sarasota Academy of Christian Counseling does

Sarasota Academy of Christian Counseling (SACC) is a Sarasota, Florida-based non-profit founded in 1993 that delivers faith-based temperament training and certification programs to Christian counselors and life coaches. Its core offering is a proprietary methodology built around the Arno Profile System (APS), a temperament assessment tool claimed to measure inborn temperament with over 90% accuracy, and the Creation Therapy therapeutic model, which the organization cites as demonstrating a 93.4% success rate across more than 7,000 counselees over its history.

SACC commercializes this methodology through a curriculum stack that includes Creation Therapy (foundational training), the Certified Temperament Life Coaching (CTLC) certification, a Small Group Temperament Life Coaching program, and supporting texts such as 'The Missing Link' and 'Created In God's Image.' All programs are delivered through a fully online, self-paced e-learning platform (learn.sacc.bz) with optional supervisor support, and the academy issues credentials that ladder into a Master in Temperament Coaching degree (30 credit hours) via a degree-transfer partnership with Northwind Institute. International Representatives extend the credentialing footprint abroad, and a reciprocal membership arrangement with the National Christian Counselors Association (NCCA), including a shared authentication system, links SACC into a broader Christian counseling credentialing ecosystem.

The organization operates with 1-10 employees, no disclosed outside funding or investors, and quote-based (non-public) pricing. Its distribution is a direct-to-consumer online channel supported by organic social (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram) and an owned newsletter ('The Enlightener') published by co-founder Dr. Phyllis Arno. Revenue is generated primarily through certification program tuition and associated book sales, with the degree-program tuition routed through Northwind Institute; no revenue figures are publicly disclosed.

Name

Sarasota Academy of Christian Counseling

Legal name

Sarasota Academy of Christian Counseling

Website

https://sarasotaacademy.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sarasota Academy of Christian Counseling is a Sarasota, Florida non-profit that trains and certifies Christian counselors and life coaches in a proprietary, faith-based temperament methodology via online self-paced programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Christian Counseling Education and Certification

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAAANAM

Education & Training (Teaching/Instructional Design) Certifications

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Professional Certification Programs

SECONDARYEDAKAMAL

Staff Training, Coaching & Professional Development (SEL/Mental Health)

Education/Special Education & Learning Support Services/Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) & Mental Health Supports (School-Based)

Keywords

• Christian counseling training
• Temperament life coaching
• Christian counselor certification
• Faith-based therapy training
• Online certification programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Sarasota

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Certification Programs: The academy generates revenue through certification programs including Certified Temperament Life Coaching, Small Group Life Coaching, and other training certifications. Programs are offered online with varying course requirements and practicum components.
2. Degree Program Partnerships: Through Northwind Institute partnership, students can transfer credits toward a Master in Temperament Coaching degree (30 Credit Hours), with only two additional courses required beyond CTLC certification.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sarasota Academy of Christian Counseling provides faith-based temperament training and certification programs for Christian counselors and life coaches. The academy delivers online certification programs (Creation Therapy, Certified Temperament Life Coaching, Small Group Life Coaching) and a Master in Temperament Coaching degree pathway, supported by its proprietary Arno Profile System assessment tool.

Product overview

Sarasota Academy of Christian Counseling offers a faith-based approach to temperament training through multiple certification and degree programs. The core programs include Creation Therapy (foundational temperament training), the CTLC certification (Certified Temperament Life Coaching), and Small Group Temperament Life Coaching. These programs are supported by key resources including The Missing Link and Created In God's Image books, and the Arno Profile System assessment tool. The Academy partners with Northwind Institute to offer a Degree Transfer Program leading to a Master in Temperament Coaching. All training is available online through their e-learning platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Creation Therapy A foundational temperament training program that teaches accountability for individual actions and helps learners understand who God created them to be. Provides biblical, historic, and scientific background of temperament theory with a proven success rate of 93.4% and serves as a prerequisite for higher-level certification tracks.
• The Missing Link

Quantifiable outcome

• 93.4% therapeutic success rate based on 7,000+ counselees
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• National Christian Counselors Association (NCCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational Representatives can be current members of Sarasota Academy OR NCCA. The organizations share authentication systems (auth.ncca.org) and member resources, indicating a close partnership for member access and credentialing.
• Northwind InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrough Northwind Institute, SACC offers Degree Transfer Programs for those looking for advanced education in Temperament Life Coaching. Students completing the CTLC program are only two courses away from earning a Master's degree (30 Credit Hours).

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Association of Biblical Counselors (ABC): Trains and certifies biblical counselors through structured curricula and mentorship. Directly comparable to SACC as a faith-based counselor training and certification body serving a similar Christian counseling niche.
• Biblical Counseling Coalition: Network and training resource for biblical counseling practitioners, offering conferences, training, and certification-adjacent programs. Comparable to SACC as a fellow faith-based counseling training community serving Christian counselors.
• Institute for Biblical Counseling & Discipleship: Offers biblical counseling training, certification tracks, and discipleship resources for Christian counselors and laypeople. Comparable to SACC in curriculum structure, theological framing, and counselor certification focus.
• Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF): Provides biblical counseling training and certification programs for lay and professional counselors. Closely comparable to SACC in faith-based counseling curriculum, certification offerings, and target audience of Christian counselors and ministry leaders.
• American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC): Largest professional association for Christian counselors and therapists, offering training, certification, and continuing education. Directly comparable to SACC because it serves the same Christian counseling training market with credentialing and educational programs.

Broad incumbents

• Liberty University: Major Christian university offering online counseling, psychology, and divinity degrees. Comparable to SACC as a faith-based education provider, though materially larger and broader in scope, with overlapping demand from Christian learners.
• Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary: Southern Baptist seminary offering degrees in counseling, divinity, and ministry, including online counseling programs. Comparable to SACC for Christian learners seeking counseling credentials, with an academic degree pathway rather than short certification.
• Moody Bible Institute: Long-established evangelical institution offering theological education, ministry training, and counseling-related programs. Comparable to SACC in faith-based training roots and global reach, though broader in scope and much larger in scale.

Emerging players

• iPEC Coaching: Large life and leadership coach training and certification organization. Comparable to SACC in the certification-driven coaching training model, though secular and broader in market reach.
• Christian Coach Institute: Faith-based coach training and certification organization serving Christian life coaches. Closely comparable to SACC's CTLC certification program in niche, audience, and credentialing approach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SACC77
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sarasota-academy-of-christian-counseling
• Instagraminstagram.com/sarasotaacademy/?hl=en
• Xx.com/sacc27

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sarasota Academy of Christian Counseling