MA in Pastoral Counseling – Addictions and Recovery Help Break Cycles of Addiction
36
Credit Hours
100% online,* 8-week courses
Transfer in up to 50% of the degree total
Help Others Break the Cycle of Addiction with Our Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling – Addictions and Recovery
We know that part of a healthy church or ministry organization is the strong presence of Christian counseling support. Whether you are a pastor who desires to counsel your flock or you want to minister to those who struggle with addiction and want to help them onto the road of recovery, Liberty University’s 100% online Master of Arts (MA) in Pastoral Counseling is designed to train ministry professionals and church leaders to become Christian counselors in ministry and agency-based, non-licensure settings. If you want to earn a degree in counseling and recovery, our Christian addiction counseling and recovery program is designed to provide training for non-licensure settings.
In your online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling, you will study psychology and the Christian understanding of human nature that informs biblical counseling. By pursuing your online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling, you will study how to help provide a balanced treatment of spiritual and mental health counseling practices. With training like this, you can be better equipped to minister to those who are serving in ministry roles.
The addictions and recovery area of study for the online pastoral counseling master’s degree is designed to 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 can help give you a thorough understanding of the biological and mental aspects of addiction and how the recovery process works so that you can be better prepared to guide clients through their journey to better mental and spiritual health.
*Some exclusions apply. Please refer to our exclusions page for more information.
Accreditation
Liberty Theological Seminary, as part of Liberty University’s John W. Rawlings School of Divinity, is accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools (ATS). Your seminary degree is approved by ATS and has met rigorous accreditation standards, so you can feel confident that your degree is both academically excellent and well-respected among churches, ministries, and nonprofit organizations.
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 Liberty’s master’s in Christian counseling online is designed to 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 offered in this program can help you provide much-needed support and 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 have a desire to reach out and help those in your community, the addictions and recovery area of study in your online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling is designed to equip you with training that is informed by a biblical worldview so you can help others break out of the cycle of addiction.
Many addiction counseling programs and substance abuse counseling programs do not provide training in pastoral care or the biblical concept of “the helping relationship” — but Liberty does. Our professors teach with a biblical worldview, seek to mentor you, and will pray for you. In this way, they continue to fulfill our mission of Training Champions for Christ.
Our Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling – Addictions and Recovery is taught by talented faculty who have years of hands-on experience and advanced degrees in related fields — so you can be confident that you are receiving a world-class education.
What Will You Study with the Online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling?
While pursuing your online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling, you will study a broad set of foundational Christian counseling skills and knowledge along with field-specialized topic courses and hands-on skill areas. You will study elements of biblical counseling in the online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling as well as how the science of psychology reflects biblical principles of personhood and human nature and how mental health treatment benefits spiritual health. Additionally, you can gain hands-on experience in your own community through your pastoral counseling internship.
The addictions and recovery area of study builds on biblical counseling core content to sharpen skills that can help you address drug addiction, chemical dependency, and sexual addiction as well as biblical approaches to mental and spiritual health. You will also dive deep into studying methods of identifying and diagnosing addiction as well as the biological and chemical aspects of addiction and their impact on treatment. With the addictions and recovery area of study, you can be more prepared to bring effective Christian counseling and pastoral care to addiction counseling ministry with evidence-based and field-tested techniques.
*Please note that the online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling is not designed to fulfill clinical counseling licensure requirements. If you are interested in counseling licensure, please view the Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.
Potential Career Opportunities
- Associate pastor
- Church counselor
- Non-licensed counselor
- Rehabilitation specialist
- Substance abuse counselor
Featured Courses
Degree Information
- This program falls under the Liberty Theological Seminary.
- View the Graduate Divinity Course Guides (login required).
Degree Completion Plan
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Speak to one of our admissions specialists to help you choose the program that best fits your needs.
Tuition & Aid
Your success is our success, which is why we are committed to providing quality academics at an affordable tuition rate. While other colleges are increasing their tuition, we have frozen tuition rates for the majority of our undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs for the past 9 years – and counting.
Grad & Postgrad Divinity Block Rate (9-15 credit hours) | $2,750 |
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Grad & Postgrad Divinity Part Time (0-8.99 or over 15 credit hours) | $395/Credit |
Military Grad & Postgrad Divinity Block Rate (9-15 credit hours) | $2,475 |
Military Grad & Postgrad Divinity Part Time (0-8.99 or over 15 credit hours) | $275/Credit |
Tuition rates may change annually. For the most current information, please visit our LU Tuition Cost page.
All Tuition & Fees
Financial Aid & Scholarships
Admission Information for Our MA in Pastoral Counseling – Addictions and Recovery Degree
Admission Requirements
- Apply online or over the phone with an admissions counselor by calling (800) 424-9596.
- A non-refundable, non-transferable $50 application fee will be posted on the current application upon enrollment (waived for qualifying service members, veterans, and military spouses – documentation verifying military status is required).
- Send official college transcripts (mailed as sealed, unopened copies or sent via a direct electronic transcript system). A regionally or nationally accredited bachelor’s degree with at least a 2.0 GPA is required for admission in good standing. Applicants who have earned a master’s degree or at least 12 graduate credits from an accredited institution will be assessed on the basis of the master’s-level degree work.
- Unofficial transcripts can be used for acceptance purposes with the submission of a Transcript Request Form.
- Admission to this program also requires:
- The School of Divinity Questionnaire (login required).
- Submission of contact information (login required) for 1 pastoral recommender.
- Applicants whose native language is other than English must submit official scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or an approved alternative assessment. For information on alternative assessments or TOEFL waivers, please call Admissions or view the official International Admissions policy.
Preliminary Acceptance
If you are sending in a preliminary transcript for acceptance, you must:
- Be in your final term and planning to start your master’s degree after the last day of class for your bachelor’s degree.
- Complete a Bachelor’s Self-Certification Form confirming your completion date. You may download the form from the Forms and Downloads page or contact an admissions counselor to submit the form on your behalf.
- Submit an official/unofficial transcript to confirm that you are in your final term. The preliminary transcript must show a minimum of 105 completed credit hours.
- If you are a current Liberty University student completing your undergraduate degree, you will need to submit a Degree/Certificate Completion Application.
- Send in an additional, final official transcript with a conferral date on it by the end of your first semester of enrollment in the new master’s degree.
Dual Enrollment
Please see the Online Dual Enrollment page for information about starting graduate courses while finishing your bachelor’s degree.
Transcript Policies
Unofficial College Transcript Policy
Unofficial transcripts combined with a Transcript Request Form can be used for admission. Official transcripts are required within 60 days of the admissions decision or before non-attendance drops for the first set of matriculated classes, whichever comes first, and will prevent enrollment into future terms until all official transcripts have been received.
Before sending unofficial college transcripts, please make sure they include the following:
- Your previous school’s name or logo printed on the document
- Cumulative GPA
- A list of completed courses and earned credit broken down by semester
- Degree and date conferred (if applicable)
Official College Transcript Policy
An acceptable official college transcript is one that has been issued directly from the institution and is in a sealed envelope. If you have one in your possession, it must meet the same requirements. If your previous institution offers electronic official transcript processing, they can send the document directly to luoverify@liberty.edu.
If the student uses unofficial transcripts with a Transcript Request Form to gain acceptance, all official transcripts must be received within 60 days of the admissions decision or before non-attendance drops for the first set of matriculated classes, whichever comes first. Failure to send all official transcripts within the 60-day period will prevent enrollment into future terms until all official transcripts have been received.
Admissions Office Contact Information
Liberty University Online Admissions Verification
1971 University Blvd.
Lynchburg, VA 24515
Ready to Apply?
Submit your application online or over the phone.
Military
Liberty University is dedicated to providing world-class educational experiences to military students across the globe.
Who May Qualify?
- Active Duty
- Reserve/National Guard
- Veterans/Retirees
- Spouses of Service Members and Veterans/Retirees
- Current Department of Defense Employees
Available Benefits:
- Tuition discounts – $275 per credit hour for part-time graduate and postgraduate divinity courses
- Discounted divinity block rate – $2,475 per semester*
- Additional discount for veterans who service in a civilian capacity as a First Responder (less than $625 per course)**
- 8-week courses, 8 different start dates each year, and no set login times (may exclude certain courses such as practicums, internships, or field experiences)
*Credits taken below 9 and above 15 credit hours per semester are charged at the part-time rate.
**Not applicable to certificates.
Tuition rates may change annually. For the most current information, please visit our LU Tuition Cost page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the benefits of Liberty’s online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling?
- Unlike many online Bible colleges or 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.
- Gain marketable real-world experience in addiction and recovery care by helping people in your community through the pastoral counseling internship.
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