Asbury Seminary’s 75-hour Master of Arts in Mental Health Counseling allows you to pursue an understanding of wholeness, boundaries, ethics and diversity through theory and practice as you train to become a professional counselor. Within the degree, you’ll understand and integrate a biblical and theological understanding with historical and contemporary theories in order to meet the professional standards of accrediting agencies.
The mission of the Department of Counseling and Pastoral Care is to equip students to serve diverse communities by facilitating healing and growth through reflectively integrating Christian values, principles and resources with pastoral or professional counseling competencies and practices.
The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), a specialized accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), has granted accreditation to the following programs in the Counseling Department at Asbury Theological Seminary: M.A. in Mental Health Counseling.
What to expect from the degree
As you complete your degree, you’ll
- Master clinical skills in individual and group settings at an accomplished level, including an ability to articulate the theoretical foundations upon which these skills are built.
- Practice professional behavior that maintains appropriate boundaries, conforms to ethical standards and reflects respect and sensitivity for persons from diverse backgrounds.
- Integrate theology and theory, grounded in a biblically mature understanding of God and persons that will inform your role as a professionally licensed counselor.
*Refer to the Academic Catalog for the exact wording of Program Learning Outcomes.
Advanced Standing
Save time and money with our advanced standing program. Here’s how it works.
If you received a religion major or minor from an accredited college or university, you can receive a maximum of 12 credits toward a Master of Arts degree.
*Transcripts evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Admissions Requirements
- Application (online at asbury.to/apply)
- $50 non-refundable Application Fee
- Accredited baccalaureate degree
- All Counseling programs require a cumulative GPA of 3.0/4.0
- Official transcripts from all schools where classes were taken for more than one semester
- Personal history essay (300 words for each)
- Share your life story, including at what point you began your relationship with Jesus Christ. Talk about your growth since that time and what brings you to apply to Seminary at this season in your life. Include your thoughts on how you would like to see your faith grow during your time in Seminary.
- What draws you to your desired major/area of study? What is your intended outcome upon degree completion? Why is that career or ministry choice meaningful to you?
- Discuss a local, national, and/or international issue and why you are passionate about it.
- Counselors of faith have at least two sources of information that they can draw upon to counsel others. Imagine a continuum where #1 represents the position of “using Bible only” and #5 represents the position of “psychological studies only.” Where would you currently place yourself on this continuum?
- Describe how relating to persons who are different from you (race, gender, age, economic, sexual orientation) has impacted you.
- Four references completed on the Admissions Office form at asburyseminary.edu, including at least one pastoral reference, at least one reference from a professor or academic administrator, and at least one reference from a counseling/mental health professional. References from family members are excluded.
- For applicants whose primary language is not English, a TOEFL score of 550 (79 internet-based) or an IELTS score of 7.
- Background Check
- A personal interview may be required upon request by the Admissions Committee
Application Process
When all your transcripts have been received, and you have a satisfactory GPA, you will be invited to contact the counseling office to set up the Counseling Tests and Inventories. These tests provide information about your social, emotional, and psychological functioning. The information is reviewed by professors in the area of Counseling and Pastoral Care for admissions purposes only. Your test results will be maintained in a secure file and will not be used for any other purposes.
Following the completion of the admissions requirements and the Counseling Tests and Inventories, you will be invited to attend a group interview, in which all counseling applicants will be in attendance. The interview is usually held two to three weeks following the deadline for admissions requirements and Counseling Tests and Inventories.
Once the group interview has been completed, the counseling faculty will communicate their recommendation to the Admissions Office for further processing. The Admissions Office will then notify you of the Admissions Committee’s decision regarding your application.
Vital Statistics
| Number of Graduates in Past Year | 22 |
| CACREP Degree Completion Rate*
* CACREP defines completion rate as graduates who finish their degrees within the published time frames. Degrees completed outside a 3-year time frame are not included in the CACREP completion rate. |
27% |
| Licensure Pass Rate | 100% |
| Job Placement Rate | 100% |
Learn more about what other graduates of Asbury Seminary are doing.
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Jeff ReedStudent, Researcher and Counselor.
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Adena BowenPrimary Health Therapist at Remuda Ranch.
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Molly Ann HalpinCounseling Student at Asbury Theological Seminary.
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Dr. Virginia “Toddy” HolemanProfessor of Counseling and Chair of the Counseling and Pastoral Care Department.
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Casey ColemanCounseling student. Working with women in crisis.
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Scarlett SierraCounselor & psychologist for women’s trauma and immigrant struggles.
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Eddie KaufholzSpeaker for justice.
| Hrs | Course ID | Course Name |
| Early | ||
| 3 | MS501 | Missional Formation (must be taken in initial 21 hrs at ATS) |
| 3 | BT501 | Biblical Narrative |
| 3 | CO526/TH501 | Counseling and Christian Beliefs -or- Basic Christian Doctrine |
| 3 | CO/MF600 | Family Systems Theory |
| 3 | CO601 | Counseling Theories and Techniques –AUG |
| 3 | CO610 | Ethical and Legal Issues in Counseling [PRQ: CO600 or CO601] – JAN |
| 3 | CO/MF618 | Counseling Children [PRQ: CO600 or CO601, CO720 or PC520, CO655] |
| 3 | CO655 | The Counseling Relationship: Process and Skills [PRQ or Concurrently: CO600 or CO601] |
| 3 | CO715 | Assessment Inventories in Counseling [PRQ: CO600 or CO601 & CO720] |
| 3 | CO720 | Psychopathology: Theory and Assessments [PRQ or Concurrently: CO600 or CO601] |
| 3 | CO730 | Advanced Issues in Cross-cultural Counseling [PRQ: CO600 or CO601] |
| Final | ||
| 0 | CO410 | Gate Three: MAMH |
| 3 | CO622 | Theories of Personality Development Across the Life Span [PRQ: CO600 or CO601 and CO720] |
| 3 | CO625 | Recognizing and Treating Addictive Disorders [PRQ: CO600, CO601, PC510, or PC515] |
| 3 | CO660 | Crisis Counseling: Theory and Application [PRQ or Concurrently: CO600 or CO601] |
| 3 | CO675 | Group Counseling [PRQ: CO600 or CO601] |
| 3 | CO680 | Career Counseling [PRQ: CO600 or CO601] |
| 3 | CO700 | Counseling Practicum [PRQ: Gate 2] |
| 3 | CO705 | Counseling Internship—One [PRQ: CO600 or 601, CO610, & CO655, CO700, & CO720] |
| 3 | CO706 | Counseling Internship—Two (PRQ: CO705) |
| 3 | CO725 | Research Seminar: Theory and Design |
| 3 | NT(IBS)510/511 | NT(IBS)510 Matthew -or- NT(IBS)511 Mark |
| 3 | TH601 | Theology of John Wesley |
* Notes:
The MA in Mental Health Counseling has 60 hours of counseling course work (9 of these hours are counseling electives). In addition, there are 15 hours of seminary core classes.
Students who pursue licensure in Florida must take CO611 Dynamics of Human Sexuality.
CO705 and CO706 each require minimum of 300 hours. Students who pursue LPC licensure in Florida need 500 hours per practicum to meet Florida LPC requirements (1000 hours total).
Asbury Seminary is committed to providing you with a quality theological education and practical skills for a lifetime. We offer more than 400 scholarships annually to help you graduate with minimal debt.
Cost of Attendance
|
Degree |
Total Credits |
Cost |
| Master of Arts |
75 credits |
$712/credit hour |
|
Total |
$53,400 |
| Academic Year 2022-2023 | All Campuses Fall/Spring | All Campuses Summer |
| Technology Fee | $225 per semester | $110 per semester |
| Graduation Fee | $200 one-time fee | $200 one-time fee |
| Student Services Fee | $160 per semester | $80 per semester |
Scholarships
Institutional scholarships are available through Asbury Theological Seminary. Scholarships are highly competitive and priority consideration is given to those who have completed their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the Asbury Financial Aid Application, and who have been admitted by the Admissions Office by March 1.
Recipients of scholarships must represent strong promise for Christian ministry and demonstrate a financial need.
Some of the scholarships include:
- Mary Whetstone and Walter J. Knabe Scholarship – average award $10,700
- Windgate Scholarship – average award $10,000
- J.C. McPheeters Scholarship – average award $7,000
- Timothy C. Tennent Church Planting and Cross-Cultural Missionary Service Scholarship – average award $4,500
- Leo H. Naughton Scholarship – average award $3,200
- Asbury Deans Scholarship – average award $1,500