Master of Arts in Pastoral Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Prepare to Treat the Whole Person as a Pastoral Clinical Mental Health Counselor

The M.A. in Pastoral Clinical Mental Health Counseling (PCMHC)is accredited by CACREP as a Clinical Mental Health Counseling program and follows closely the CMHC curriculum with additional specialized courses in religion and spirituality. The PCMHC program prepares students to treat the whole person and to provide counseling services to individuals and groups with an emphasis on the client’s religious/faith-based and/or spiritual perspective. Students often seek the same job opportunities as CMHC students but also seek positions in faith-based agencies and institutions.

Marymount’s CACREP, licensure-track counseling program provides an opportunity to earn a degree and complete coursework needed for licensure as a professional counselor (LPC) in 60 credit hours. Individuals are eligible to sit for the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) examination at Marymount toward the end of their program of study and begin the supervised experience necessary to become a licensed professional counselor upon completion of this degree program.

Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to display a command of the knowledge base required for professional counselors, including foundations of the counseling field, individual and group counseling skills, tests and measurements, research methods and designs, human growth and development, career development, counseling theory, diagnosis and treatment, multicultural counseling, and ethical issues in counseling; effectively conduct individual and group counseling sessions; apply American Counseling Association (ACA) ethical and professional standards; demonstrate an understanding of current trends in the job market, self-marketing strategies, and professional, legal, and ethical compliance; and demonstrate how they have met or will meet the competencies for addressing spiritual and religious issues in counseling as put forth by the Association for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling (ASERVIC).

Required Courses:

60 credits

  • CE 500 Research and Evaluation
  • CE 501 Bases of Psychopathology
  • CE 502 Foundations, Ethics, and Professional Issues in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  • CE 503 Advanced Human Growth and Development
  • CE 508 Crisis Intervention
  • CE 509 Substance Abuse Assessment and Intervention
  • CE 510 Survey of Testing and Assessment
  • CE 520 Theories of Counseling
  • CE 522C Counseling for Individuals
  • CE 523P or CE 523C Group Counseling Techniques
  • CE 524 Theories and Techniques of Family Counseling
  • CE 530C Career Development Counseling
  • CE 540 Contemporary and Historical Religious Perspectives
  • CE 541 Pastoral Counseling Integration
  • CE 542 Grief and Loss
  • CE 549 Moral and Spiritual Development and Ethical Issues in Counseling
  • CE 551 Multicultural Counseling
  • CE 597C Clinical Mental Health Counseling Practicum
  • CE 599C Internship in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (6 credits)

Program Awards

  • 2015 Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program ranked #4 out of 25 Mental Health Counseling Programs across the nation
  • 2014 Association for Counselor Education and Supervision award for outstanding master’s counseling program
  • 2014 Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision award for outstanding master’s counseling program
  • 2014 European branch of the American Counseling Association award for outstanding Counselor Education Program
  • 2011 National Board for Certified Counselors award for Professional Identity

News and Announcements


Counseling students transition to telehealth while providing mental health services during COVID-19. Read more

CE599C Internship in Clinical Mental Health Counseling Students advocate for the Mental Health Access Improvement Act (H.R.945). See more