Counseling Programs
You’ve determined counseling is the career for you, but perhaps you’re unsure of what that could look like – or even what discipline within the profession you wish to pursue.
It can be a difficult process to navigate, but here we provide an overview of each of the counseling programs we offer, along with information on what to expect for each career path.
Collectively, we prepare you to serve individuals, couples, families and communities through clinically grounded, relationally focused programs designed to help you care for the whole person.
MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Help individuals navigate anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, relationship challenges, and life transitions through evidence-based clinical counseling.
The Clinical Mental Health Counseling program prepares you to work in a wide range of settings, including community mental health agencies, hospitals, schools, private practices, nonprofits, and integrated healthcare environments. Coursework emphasizes counseling theory, diagnosis, assessment, ethics, multicultural responsiveness, and experiential skill development.
You will participate in supervised practicum and internship experiences while developing the self-awareness and clinical competence needed for professional counseling practice. The program is CACREP accredited and designed to meet educational requirements for professional counseling licensure in many states.
Program Highlights
- CACREP-accredited master’s degree
- Cohort-based learning model
- Experiential and relationally focused coursework
- Supervised clinical practicum and internship
- Hybrid learning with live online classes and Portland residencies
The program takes less than three years to complete and is designed to prepare you to sit for the national licensure exam to become a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Oregon.
Classes for our online-synchronous cohort are available via Zoom, while our hybrid cohort will take classes via Zoom and in person at our Portland Center.
MA in Marriage, Couple and Family Counseling
Develop the skills to help couples and families strengthen relationships, navigate conflict and experience healing across generations.
The Marriage, Couple and Family Counseling program trains you to understand people within the context of relationships and systems. You’ll learn family systems theory, couples counseling approaches, relational dynamics, and interventions that support healthy communication and emotional connection.
Through hands-on clinical training and faculty mentorship, you’ll develop the confidence and competence to work with couples, families, children and individuals in a variety of clinical settings. The program integrates systemic thinking, cultural awareness, ethics, and personal growth throughout the curriculum.
The program takes less than three years to complete and will prepare you to sit for dual licensure to become an LPC and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT).
Classes for our online-synchronous cohort are available via Zoom, while our hybrid cohort will take classes via Zoom and in person at our Portland Center.
Program Highlights
- CACREP-accredited master’s degree
- Systems-oriented counseling approach
- Clinical training with couples and families
- Cohort-based hybrid format
- Preparation for marriage and family counseling licensure pathways
Postgraduate Certificate in Trauma-Informed Care
In this program, you’ll gain advanced training in trauma-informed counseling practices that support individuals and communities during some of life’s most difficult experiences.
Offered through our Trauma Response Institute, the Trauma-Informed Care Certificate equips graduate students and professionals with practical tools for trauma prevention, intervention and recovery support. The curriculum combines academic study with experiential learning focused on trauma-responsive care, resilience and ethical clinical practice.
Designed for professionals in counseling, education, healthcare, ministry and related fields, the certificate can typically be completed in as little as one year and is offered primarily in a flexible online format.
Program Highlights
- Seven-credit-hour postgraduate certificate
- 100% online synchronous format
- Trauma-informed clinical training
- Designed for working professionals and graduate students
- Coursework focused on PTSD prevention and intervention strategies
Postgraduate Certificate in Play Therapy
Learn developmentally responsive approaches that help children express emotions, process experiences, and build resilience through play.
The Play Therapy Certificate provides specialized training for counselors and mental health professionals who work with children and families. You’ll explore therapeutic play techniques, child development, attachment, family systems, and expressive interventions that support emotional healing and growth.
This specialty training helps clinicians build confidence in working with children while deepening their understanding of how play supports communication, connection and therapeutic change.
Program Highlights
- Specialized child-centered counseling training
- Developmentally informed therapeutic approaches
- Experiential learning opportunities
- Training applicable across clinical and school settings
- Integrates theory with practical intervention skills
Postgraduate Certificate in Spiritual Integration
Explore how religion, spirituality, worldview and faith shape the counseling process while learning to engage these conversations ethically and professionally in clinical settings.
The Postgraduate Certificate in Spiritual Integration reflects the university’s commitment to caring for the whole person — psychologically, relationally, physically and spiritually. Designed for current graduate students and practicing professionals in mental health fields, this multicultural specialty program equips counselors to thoughtfully integrate spirituality and faith into counseling practice without imposing beliefs on clients.
You’ll examine the role of spirituality in mental health, spiritual and religious assessment, theological perspectives, ethical integration practices, and the influence of personal worldview on clinical work. Coursework also addresses spiritual trauma, resilience, meaning-making, and culturally responsive approaches to faith and counseling.
The flexible seven-credit certificate can be completed fully online or in a hybrid format, allowing you to progress at a pace that fits your professional and academic goals.
Program Highlights
- Seven-credit postgraduate certificate
- Online or hybrid learning options
- Courses accredited through CACREP-aligned counseling curriculum
- Focus on ethical and multicultural spiritual integration
- Designed for current counseling students and practicing professionals