Help Others Break the Cycle with the Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling – Addictions and Recovery
Liberty University’s 100% online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling is designed to train ministry professionals and church leaders to become Christian counselors in ministry and agency-based, non-licensure settings. Students in the online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling will study psychology and the Christian understanding of human nature that informs biblical counseling. The online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling provides a balanced treatment of spiritual and mental health counseling practices that will equip ministry professionals already in the field or students who want to move into a Christian counseling role.
The addictions and recovery area of study for the online pastoral counseling master’s degree will train you in specialized diagnosis and treatment for clients who want to break out of the cycle of addiction to harmful substances or sexual behaviors. This training gives you a thorough understanding of the biological and mental aspects of addiction and how the recovery process works so that you can help guide clients through their journey to better mental and spiritual health.
Why Choose Liberty’s Online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling – Addictions and Recovery?
If you are already a ministry professional and find that you need the training to help people struggling with spiritual and mental health crises, completing an online Christian counseling degree like the Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling will help fill in the gaps and build on your ministry experience. If you want to branch out into a Christian counseling role, the field-specific training and biblical counseling techniques will provide much-needed support for providing guidance on a variety of issues.
As a pastor or ministry leader, you may find that you encounter a need for substance abuse counseling or sexual addiction counseling in your congregation and need specialized training to give biblical and professional guidance. If you want your ministry to reach out and help those in your community struggling with addictions, the addictions and recovery area of study for the online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling will give you training with a biblical worldview so you can help others break out of the cycle of addiction.
What Are the Benefits of Liberty’s Online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling?
- Unlike many online bible colleges or online seminaries, Liberty University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
- Study a balanced perspective on the theological principles that underlie psychology, giving you effective Christian counseling techniques with a firm biblical worldview.
- If you choose to take advantage of the optional on-campus intensives, you will have additional hands-on training and meet directly with your peers and professors.
- Gain marketable real-world experience in addiction and recovery care by helping people in your community with the pastoral counseling internship.
- The online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling is overseen by the School of Behavioral Sciences but still receives the School of Divinity’s discounted graduate tuition of $395 per credit for part-time, as well as the online seminary’s block rate. Students attending full time or higher (9-15 credit hours) are eligible for a block rate of $2,750 per semester!*
*Credits taken above 15 credit hours for the Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling online are charged at the part-time rate.
What Will You Learn in the Online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling?
The online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling provides a broad set of foundational Christian counseling skills and knowledge along with field-specialized topic courses and hands-on skill areas. Students who pursue biblical counseling training in the online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling will learn how the science of psychology reflects biblical principles of personhood and human nature, and how mental health treatment benefits spiritual health. Students in the online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling will have the opportunity to pursue hands-on training on campus during two optional intensives, and all pastoral counseling students will gain experience in their communities through the pastoral counseling internship.
The addictions and recovery area of study builds on biblical counseling core content to teach you how to address drug addiction, chemical dependency, and sexual addiction, as well as biblical approaches to mental and spiritual health. Students will work to identify and diagnose addiction and learn about the biological and chemical aspects of addiction and their impact on treatment. With the addictions and recovery area of study, students will be able to bring effective Christian counseling and pastoral care to addiction counseling ministry with evidence-based and field-tested techniques.
Featured Courses
- SUBS 505 – Addictions and the Recovery Process
- SUBS 606 – Biological Aspects of Addiction and Recovery
- SUBS 607 – Treatment and the Recovery Process
- SUBS 608 – Diagnosis and Treatment of Sexual Addiction
*Please note that the online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling is not designed to fulfill all clinical counseling requirements. You can view Liberty University’s licensure-track Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree below for more information about counseling licensure.
Program Highlights
Liberty is ranked in the top 1% of more than 2,100 online colleges and universities for academic quality, affordability, and accessibility by BestColleges.com — and one of the top 10 online schools in America by Niche.com. Earning your online degree from a nonprofit university with this kind of recognition will set you apart from others in your field.
- Tuition for all undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs has not increased in 6 years. While many other online colleges have raised tuition, Liberty has been able to keep costs low as a nonprofit university.
- You can complete this online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling – Addiction and Recovery in as little as 1 year.
- Liberty University’s seminary, the John W. Rawlings School of Divinity, is made up of experienced pastoral counselors and ministry professionals who teach practical ministry skills while imparting deep theological teaching.
- Learn from content developed by renowned biblical studies scholars in Liberty University’s John W. Rawlings School of Divinity, such as Dr. Elmer L. Towns and Dr. Gary R. Habermas.
- Develop broad experience in Christian counseling and pastoral care to address mental and spiritual health issues in your ministry or biblical counseling practice.
M.A. in Pastoral Counseling Degree Information
- This program falls under the John W. Rawlings School of Divinity.
- Download and review the Degree Completion Plan for this program.
- View the Graduate Behavioral Sciences Course Guides (login required).
Military Benefits
Liberty University is dedicated to providing world-class educational experiences to military students across the globe. Whether you are a current service member, discharged or retired from service, or the spouse of a service member or veteran, we are here to support you every step of the journey.
As a thank-you for your dedication and service to our country, Liberty is honored to serve and support you in your pursuit of online education by offering the following benefits:
- Tuition discounts – $275 per credit hour for graduate courses
- Additional discount for veterans who serve in a civilian capacity as a First Responder (less than $625 per course)
- Discounted divinity block rate: $2,475 per semester – only $165/credit at 15 credit hours*
- 8-week courses, 8 different start dates each year, and no set login times
*Credits taken above 15 credit hours for the online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling are charged at the part-time rate.
Potential Career Options with a Pastoral Counseling Degree
Students who complete a degree in Christian counseling like the online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling will be equipped for ministry-based, non-licensure counseling roles in many areas including marriage and family counseling, crisis counseling, and counseling women.
With the addiction and recovery area of study, students will be trained for a role in substance abuse counseling and addiction recovery care.
- Associate pastor
- Church counselor
- Non-licensed counselor
- Substance abuse counselor
- Rehabilitation specialist
Admission Requirements for Pastoral Counseling
A regionally or nationally accredited bachelor’s degree with a 2.0 or above cumulative combined GPA is required for admission in good standing. Please visit our admission requirements page for more detailed admissions related information.
All applicants must submit the following:
- Admission application
- Application fee*
- Official college transcripts
- Unofficial college transcripts may be accepted with a completed official transcript request form**
- Proof of English proficiency
*There is no upfront application fee; however, a deferred $50 application fee will be assessed during financial check-in. This fee is waived for qualifying service members, veterans, and military spouses – documentation verifying military status is required.
**An official transcript is needed within 60 days of acceptance or before non-attendance drops for the first set of matriculated classes, whichever comes first.
