Master's in Counseling

Making a difference in the lives of others can start with a Geneva College Master of Arts Degree in Counseling.

Our Master of Arts (MA) in Counseling degree program opens the door for you to help others through a variety of curriculum, practicums, and internships within our three concentrations: Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling; Clinical Mental Health Counseling; or Professional School Counseling. The Master’s Degree in Counseling offers both online and in-person modes of instruction, allowing you the flexibility you need.

The mission and purpose of our M.A. in Counseling program is to educate, supervise, and mentor students to develop knowledge, skills, and personal awareness necessary for them to function as professional counselors.

Vetted by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs (CACREP), our Master of Arts in Counseling program supports and shapes you to be a positive force of change in the lives of families, communities, and individuals. This Christian master’s in counseling program offers academic training from a Christ-centered perspective for students looking to pursue a career path of professional counseling.

Invest in your future with a Master's In Counseling at Geneva College.

Master's In Counseling Program Concentrations

Geneva College offers three Counseling concentrations that meet CACREP standards. Each concentration allows you to get the most value out of your Master’s in Counseling and specialize in your professional area of interest.

Marriage, Couple and Family Counseling Online or Classroom Delivery
Clinical Mental Health Counseling Online or Classroom Delivery
Professional School Counseling Online/Hybrid Delivery

M.A. in Counseling Program Information

Program Overview
Mission & Philosophy
Outcomes & Objectives

M.A. in Counseling Program Overview

Throughout the Master’s in Counseling, students will understand the core knowledge of the profession, which includes developmental theory, career development, assessment, research, ethics, multicultural awareness, counseling theory, and group work, as well as training in counseling and helping relationships, all from a Christian perspective. Graduates of the master’s degree have found work in a variety of settings, such as schools, clinics, church counseling centers, and public and private agencies.

Students enrolled in Geneva’s Master of Arts in Counseling programs will complete a total of 60 credit hours both on campus and online with their choice of concentration in Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling; Clinical Mental Health Counseling; or online only Professional School Counseling.

Students are taught by industry leaders that are among some of the brightest in the nation, constantly researching, learning and contributing to the counseling field. Their years of unique and eye-opening experiences are shared in the classroom, deepening students’ practical knowledge.

Master of Arts in Counseling Degree Requirements

Review the minimum counseling degree requirements for a full credit breakdown of the Master’s in Counseling degree, and explore concentration course requirements in the program curriculum.

Counseling Practicum and Internships

All students enrolled in the Master of Arts in Counseling program must complete the following:

A 100-hour minimum practicum (conducted weekly through 1 ½ hour weekly group supervision sessions)
40 hours of direct counseling services at a practicum site
A full-time, one-semester internship directed by a supervisor as well as a faculty member within the counseling program. Verify your internship hours by viewing your counseling concentration below:
- Secondary School Counseling Internship: 300 hours
- Elementary School Counseling Internship: 300 hours
- Marriage, Couple, and Family Internship: 600 hours
- Mental Health Internship: 600 hours

Learn more about counseling practicum and internships.

Apply now

Mission and Philosophy

The mission of the Master of Arts in Counseling Programs is to educate, supervise, and mentor students to develop knowledge, skills, and personal awareness necessary for them to function as professional counselors.

Professional counselors use various interventions to facilitate wellness, personal growth, and mental health among those whom they counsel. A multidimensional holistic view of persons examines the interplay of physical, psychological, social, and spiritual aspects of life.

Outcomes & Objectives

Students will demonstrate knowledge and skill-based competencies, personal (inter-and-intra) awareness and growth, and a keen understanding of ethical issues and ethical decision making processes in each of the following core areas: human growth and development, group counseling and group work, social and cultural diversity, counseling and helping relationships, career and lifestyle development, assessment and testing, research and program evaluation, and professional counseling orientation and ethics. These outcomes will be assessed through a variety of means, including, but not limited to, the following: classroom participation and group work, class presentations, written communication (both academic and reflective), role-play activities, capstone projects, and a variety of other assignments, both formative and summative in design.
Students will demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the Christian faith, as well as other roles of spirituality and religion on the change process and demonstrate competencies around integrating these perspectives into the analysis, evaluation, and/or case conceptualization processes in professional counseling settings. This outcome will be assessed through participation in classroom discussions, presentations, writings, and a variety of other assignments, both formative and summative in design.
Students will demonstrate knowledge and skill-based competencies, personal (inter-and-intra) awareness and growth, and a keen understanding of ethical issues and ethical decision-making processes in practicum and internship experiences; this also in the various unique applications specific to their chosen counseling specialization (Clinical Mental Health; Marriage, Couple, and Family; or Professional School Counseling).
1. Students in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program will demonstrate basic mental health counseling skills and mastery of essential mental health knowledge (e.g., diagnosis, treatment planning, evidence-based interventions) during and throughout their internship experience.
2. Students in the Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling program will demonstrate skill and knowledge proficiencies in assessing levels of function/dysfunction among families. Students will practice and demonstrate skill-based competencies in joining with various families/relational systems, and an ability to customize treatment approaches/interventions in order to promote therapeutic change, enhance relationship satisfaction, or any other goal that is congruent with the family/system’s goals for therapy. Specific skills and approaches will be demonstrated regarding ethical decision-making processes, case conceptualization processes congruent with family systems therapy, and multicultural competence/awareness regarding a variety of social, cultural, sexual, and/or religious factors which could be influencing the system.
3. Students in the Professional School Counseling program will demonstrate knowledge and performance competencies required to facilitate academic, occupational/vocational, and personal/emotional development of students; this in addition to demonstrating proficiency in applying ethical and efficacious decisions-making skills, that are data driven and informed, throughout their work in counseling, consulting, coordinating, and/or appraising.
Given the array of personal skills and abilities possessed by diverse individuals, students will select and develop a personal style of practice, engage in supervised fieldwork experiences, and promote the development of a professional identify

Upcoming Start Dates & Recommended Application Deadlines

Term	Start Date	Recommended Application Deadline
Intensive Residency 2025	August 18, 2025	July 21, 2025
Fall 2025	August 25, 2025	August 5, 2024
Spring 2025	January 12, 2026	December 1, 2025

Additional Program Resources

The M.A. in Counseling Program offers the following concentrations: Clinical Mental Health, Marriage, Couple, and Family, and Professional School Counseling. All three programs are accredited under the 2016 CACREP standards.
Counseling Program Student Outcomes Data

State Licensure

Verify that this program meets your state's educational requirements for licensure:

No results found

State	Meets State Requirements?	State Licensure
Alabama	Yes	View Alabama Licensure
Alaska	Yes	View Alaska Licensure
Arizona	Yes	View Arizona Licensure
Arkansas	Yes	View Arkansas Licensure
California	Not included due to NC-SARA restrictions
Colorado	Yes	View Colorado Licensure
Connecticut	Yes	View Connecticut Licensure
Delaware	Yes	View Delaware Licensure
Florida	Caveat - Yes with 300+ more hours of internship and Human Sexuality class	View Florida Licensure
Geneva
Georgia	Yes	View Georgia Licensure
Hawaii	Yes	View Hawaii Licensure
Idaho	Yes	View Idaho Licensure
Illinois	Caveat - Yes with internship and practicum spread out over 3 semesters	View Illinois Licensure
Indiana	Caveat - Yes with 300+ more hours of internship and Contextual Dimensions class	View Indiana Licensure
Iowa	Yes	View Iowa Licensure
Kansas	Yes	View Kansas Licensure
Kentucky	Yes	View Kentucky Licensure
Louisiana	Caveat - Yes, 300+ more internships hours	View Louisiana Licensure
Maine	Yes	View Maine Licensure
Maryland	Yes	View Maryland Licensure
Massachusetts	Caveat - Yes, with Special Treatment Issues class	View Massachusetts Licensure
Michigan	Caveat - Yes, with Consulting class	View Michigan Licensure
Minnesota	Caveat - Yes, with Etiology class	View Minnesota Licensure
Mississippi	Yes	View Mississippi Licensure
Missouri	Yes	View Missouri Licensure
Montana	Yes	View Montana Licensure
Nebraska	Caveat - Yes with internship and practicum spread out over 3 semesters	View Nebraska Licensure
Nevada	Yes	View Nevada Licensure
New Hampshire	Yes	View New Hampshire Licensure
New Jersey	Yes	View New Jersey Licensure
New Mexico	Yes	View New Mexico Licensure
New York	Yes	View New York Licensure
North Carolina	Yes	View North Carolina Licensure
North Dakota	Caveat - Yes, 300+ more internships hours	View North Dakota Licensure
Ohio	Yes	View Ohio Licensure
Oklahoma	Yes	View Oklahoma Licensure
Oregon	Caveat - Yes, with Human Sexuality class	View Oregon Licensure
Pennsylvania	Yes	View Pennsylvania Licensure
Rhode Island	Yes	View Rhode Island Licensure
South Carolina	Yes	View South Carolina Licensure
South Dakota	Yes	View South Dakota Licensure
Tennessee	Yes	View Tennessee Licensure
Texas	Yes	View Texas Licensure
Utah	Yes	View Utah Licensure
Vermont	Yes	View Vermont Licensure
Virginia	Yes	View Virginia Licensure
Washington	Yes	View Washington Licensure
West Virginia	Yes	View West Virginia Licensure
Wisconsin	Yes	View Wisconsin Licensure
Wyoming	Yes	View Wyoming Licensure

Contact a Geneva Graduate Programs admissions counselor for details.

State Authorization

Geneva is an approved SARA institution in Pennsylvania. State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA) is a voluntary, regional approach to state oversight of postsecondary distance education. States and institutions that choose to participate agree to operate under common standards and procedures, providing a more uniform and less costly regulatory environment for institutions and more focused oversight responsibilities for states. Geneva College's participation in SARA allows Geneva's programs to be available to students who are located in member states. At present, California is the only U.S. state to have not yet joined SARA.

Students who begin an online program while located in a state in which Geneva is authorized to offer online programs need to be aware that moving to a state or location in which Geneva is not authorized to offer the program may have negative consequences, such as the loss of eligibility for certain forms of financial aid and/or the ability to complete the academic program.

Please note that SARA membership does not include reciprocity for licensure or certification issues with other states. Please select your home state in the dropdown above to determine whether or not Geneva’s M.A. in Counseling program meets the educational requirements for licensure/certification in your home state. Also be sure to review state licensure requirements.

Student resources are available regarding Withdrawal & Refund Policies and student complaint contact information by state.

Why Geneva?

Students earning their Master's in Counseling degree will benefit from a fully integrated program that combines the foundational tenets of the Christian faith along with the secular viewpoints necessary to provide well-rounded professional counseling guidance to individuals in secular and religious settings.

Students will learn how to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the Christian faith, as well as other roles of spirituality and religion on the change process, and demonstrate competencies around integrating these perspectives into analysis, evaluation, and/or case conceptualization processes in professional counseling settings.

The Clinical Mental Health master of counseling degree equips students with a multidimensional viewpoint that takes into account the relational aspects of an individual’s social, spiritual, psychological and physical health. Professional counselors or therapists with a school counseling master’s degree, a fully online program, will learn the necessary counseling tools and interventions needed to guide an individual toward improved mental health, wellness and personal growth. The Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling Program introduces students to the history, philosophy and etiological premises that define the practice of marriage and family counseling/therapy.

All of Geneva’s Master of Arts in Counseling programs are CACREP (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs) accredited, which opens up a much broader window into career opportunities. Having this accreditation means that our programs have been vetted by the highest training standards, which makes our graduates highly qualified for any career they seek in the counseling field.

Your Career Possibilities

A graduate degree in counseling allows you to pursue a vocation that is founded on nurturing growth, wellness, and mental health among individuals and groups of people. Depending on the concentration you choose within our counseling program, you can find a wide array of job opportunities working as a counselor, clinical therapist, social worker, school counselor, and many other roles in the following work settings:

Community health centers
Group homes
Family service agencies
Education institutions (primary, secondary, post-secondary level)

Adoption agencies
Residential treatment centers
Mental health agencies
Religious centers

Your education — and your career growth — doesn’t have to stop with your master’s in counseling. In fact, many of our students go on to pursue a doctorate degree in counseling. To learn more about pursuing one of these educational paths through Geneva College, please use our request information form.

Experienced & Accomplished Faculty

Jim Matta

Professor, Clinical Mental Health Coordinator, Program Director

David Collins

Assistant Professor, Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling Coordinator

Amy Hayes Siler

Associate Professor, School Counseling Coordinator

Jonathan Watt

Professor of English / Adjunct Faculty of Graduate Counseling

Jill Phillips