MA in Counseling graduate MA in Counseling graduate Helen Benoit, professor of counseling in the EMU MA in Counseling program

MA in Counseling Distinctives

EMU’s master of arts in counseling is a 60 semester hour CACREP-accredited Clinical Community Mental Health Counseling program designed for men and women with busy lives. Our students are working individuals who need to balance work or family while returning to school. Some commute from Roanoke, Charlottesville and Washington, D.C., to participate in our program’s psychologically and spiritually grounded experiential training.

The two-day back-to-back course schedule (usually Tuesday/Wednesday or Wednesday/Thursday) during the academic year was designed to accommodate even the busiest schedule. Program highlights include:

  • Practical skills and training
  • Emotionally focused therapy (EFT)
  • CACREP accreditation
  • Continuing education (CE) series each spring for regional clinicians and practitioners

Two degree tracks

  • Clinical Mental Health Counseling: a 60-credit, CACREP-accredited track that prepares students for clinical practice and meets educational requirements for Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the state of Virginia.
  • Dual seminary and counseling degree: a dual degree program that helps students earn both the MDiv and an MA in Counseling in approximately one year less and at less cost than if the degrees were pursued separately.

CACREP accreditation

EMU MA in Counseling graduate Christian Haase
“The time I spent as a graduate student at EMU was the most enriching, inspiring, and enjoyable time in my life. As I set off into the world, confident in my abilities to help others, I am thankful for the diverse training I received that has prepared me to succeed.”

Christian Haase, MA in Counseling graduate

EMU offers one of the only Christian CACREP-accredited programs. (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) is the national accrediting body for professional counseling.) Why is this accreditation important to students?

  • CACREP graduates perform better on the National Counselor Examination for licensure and certification (NCE).
  • CACREP programs have been reviewed against the highest professionally approved standards.
  • Attending a CACREP program streamlines the licensure application process since most states recognize what a CACREP degree contains.
  • All faculty of CACREP programs must have matriculated from a CACREP institution.

The Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at Eastern Mennonite University is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). The accreditation runs through October 31, 2017. (Note: The Clinical Mental Health Counseling program is currently accredited under the 2001 standards for Community Counseling programs as a Community Counseling program. The CACREP 2009 standards combine the Community Counseling and Mental Health Counseling standards into standards for Clinical Mental Health Counseling programs. The counseling program intends to seek accreditation for this program as a Clinical Mental Health Counseling program when it comes up for reaccreditation, per CACREP guidelines.)

Convenient continuing education and networking

As a licensed clinician and practitioner you’ll need to participate in up to 20 hours of continuing education each year. Each February, EMU offers an annual continuing education series on topics like attachment and neurobiology with seven weeks of workshops resulting in 20 CE contact hours. Most workshops are offered on campus on Friday mornings from 8:30 a.m. to noon at a cost of about $60 per workshop (3 CEs).

Alumni say EMU is their “go-to” for continuing educational opportunities, as well as an excellent networking resource for collaborating with other practitioners.

Focus on relationships and ethics

We strive to achieve the highest standards of professional excellence in providing psychologically and spiritually grounded training for counselors. We seek to create a community atmosphere within the program, a community bold with creative ideas and open with honesty, partnering in the inner work counselor training requires. We are committed to creating an educational environment that values relationships and promotes growth and maturity in individuals, churches, and communities.

Our students learn about the ethical standards of the counseling profession and the American Counseling Association (ACA). Mentors encourage and guide students in the formation of their professional counselor identity. Ethics workshops are offered during the continuing education series each spring.