MA-CC
M.A. Christian Counselling
Department of Pastoral Ministry · 2 years · 18 courses · 100% online
About this programme
Churches are meeting mental illness, addiction and trauma at close range, and the person sent for is usually a pastor with no clinical training. This degree is for those who intend to become competent counsellors in their own right, working with conditions that goodwill and prayer alone will not resolve. It is the more clinical of the two counselling degrees, and it is built for people who expect to carry a caseload.
The foundation is theological, and the work then turns to the discipline itself: the main theories and techniques of counselling, abnormal psychology, and the honest question of how psychological findings and Christian conviction are held together. The specialisms follow, among them trauma, addiction, young people, family and work conducted online, with professional ethics, law and standards running beside them. Two supervised placements put all of it in front of real clients.
You will leave able to assess a client, form a plan of treatment, recognise what lies outside your competence and hold a caseload with proper records and supervision. Imagine the person in front of you being helped by skill as well as goodwill. If you mean to carry that responsibility properly, this is where to train for it.
18 courses across 4 semesters, about 2 years of study.
Who it is for
Those already trained in theology who want to go deeper, and to be equipped to teach and lead others. It assumes you have studied the subject before.
What you will be able to do
Teach the subject, supervise others, write to a scholarly standard, and lead at a senior level in the church or in theological education.
How you will study
Every course here runs the same way, so you always know where you are.
- Six study modules a course, each with a handout you can read on screen or download.
- Video and audio of the same teaching, for studying while you travel or work.
- A short refresher quiz to open each course. It is not scored, and you may retake it.
- Two tests along the way, then a final examination. The pass mark is 50%.
- Results appear as soon as you submit.
Study is entirely online and at your own pace. Everything works on a phone, and handouts can be downloaded to read without data.
Entry requirements
A theological background is required. If you do not have one, begin with the Postgraduate Diploma, which is designed as the route in.
Fees
Your fees are set out in the admission letter issued to you.
What you will study
18 courses across 4 semesters, drawn from these areas.
- Department of Pastoral Ministry
The full course schedule is issued when you are admitted.