Liberty University is Christian university located in Lynchburg, Va. Accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Liberty offers online associate of arts and bachelor of science degrees in Christian counseling. The associate degree program prepares those who intend to work in the ministry. The bachelor's degree program offers a prerequisite degree to graduate school with a specialization in Christian counseling.
Vision International's main campus is located in Ramona, Calif., but this institution also offers online education and a master's degree in Christian counseling. It is a 12-course program. After completion, graduates can either work within a ministry or apply for licensure as an independent therapist with a focus on faith-based counseling. The school's focus is to prepare church workers to strengthen couples and families and empower them to meet life's challenges through faith.
The Faith Fellowship Ministries School is also an online program, but with a twist. It offers virtual classrooms and interaction between students and professors. Graduates earn licensure by the National Christian Counselors Association for work with their congregation. It is not a state licensure program, and completion of the degree does not allow graduates to go into private practice as counselors. The school's goal is to provide clergy with the credentials to serve the community through their churches.
Marymount University is located in Arlington, Va. It offers two pastoral counseling programs, one on a licensure track and the other on a non-licensure track. Both concentrate on holistic, faith-based healing and counseling. The pastoral counseling program is a 60-credit program accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and allows a student to train for postgraduate education and careers in professional marriage counseling. The pastoral and spiritual counseling program is designed for those with existing degrees in the fields of marital counseling and other therapies to train them in spiritual and faith-based counseling.