Community Counseling

Northwest Christian University offers a Master of Arts degree in Counseling, training students in the art and science of counseling on a faith-oriented campus. Together with a Christian frame of reference and Christian faculty, our program is distinctive in several important ways.

First, students gain a solid foundation of counseling skills, procedures, and theories based on current research. Building upon that base, students are encouraged to develop a theoretical orientation to counseling that matches their own personality and value system. Students implement and refine their personal approach to counseling in their 2nd semester, scheduling clients and supervision as their schedules allow.

Additionally, students individualize their own program through choices of topics on papers and presentations as they proceed through the required coursework and choice of internship site. By the end of their first year, students focus on a special population, clinical issue, or effective treatment modality. Thus, students gain a balance between a broad perspective of counseling and a "specialization" in an area of interest.

Graduates of the program earn an M.A. in Counseling and meet academic and clinical standards leading to Oregon licensure as a professional counselor (LPC). Program graduates seek employment in counseling agencies, hospitals, community agencies supporting educational settings, and human service agencies. Some graduates pursue further education in doctoral programs.

Our Master of Arts degree in Counseling has board approval from the Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists.