• Pastoral Counseling
• Spiritual and Pastoral Care

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Carrie Nickerson
Graduate Programs in Pastoral Counseling

Nurse, mid-wife, educator, spiritual guide—Carrie Nickerson calls herself a “master weaver,” adept ...

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Pastoral Counseling and Spiritual Care at Loyola integrates ministry with contemporary counseling.  These programs combine robust clinical coursework and supervision-intensive internships with a holistic approach to the exploration of human behavior that encompasses body, mind, and spirit. In doing so the Programs define pastoral counseling as a dynamic, therapeutic approach that addresses both the psychological and spiritual dimensions of those in need--with precision and compassion.

The only accredited graduate programs of their kind in the world, Pastoral Counseling at Loyola offers some of the most highly regarded degrees in the field. At the master's level, Loyola offers distinctive programs including the Master of Science in Pastoral Counseling and the Master of Arts in Spiritual and Pastoral Care. At the doctoral level the Ph.D. in Pastoral Counseling and M.S./Ph.D. combination program in Pastoral Counseling provide individuals with the opportunity to pursue research within the context of clinically-oriented skills training. A Certificate of Advanced Study in Pastoral Counseling, a Post-master's LCPC course options offer practitioners a full range of professionally focused enrollment opportunities, including courses for individuals seeking to pursue licensure- and introducing a new 18 credit Post-Masters Certificate in Spirituality and Trauma- The program will have a General Track for counselors, mental health professional, educators, health care professionals, persons in ministry, and the like for whom working with victims of trauma, loss, and violence represents a significant portion of their work. There will also be a Clinical Track with supervision for credentialed mental health professionals who desire to increase their skills in working with this client population.

Practitioner Training: Intensive practice through supervised internships for students is a hallmark of the Programs--as clinically rigorous as any in the nation. Such supervision--ranging from individual and small group to interdisciplinary models--ensures the greatest degree of support and feedback. On average, students complete 1,000-hour clinical internships throughout the Baltimore-Washington area. Such placements cover a wide variety of settings--schools, hospitals, hospices, veterans centers, mental health centers--and involve counseling of both adults and children.

Research: Research proves to be one of the most vital components of the Programs. The on-campus presence of the internationally recognized Institute for Religious and Psychological Research promotes a strong orientation to research-based activities in all aspects of study. For example, abstracts for Pastoral Counseling Research and Review for the Social and Scientific Study of Religion are compiled and edited at the Institute. What's more, as the Programs continue to be at the center of the contemporary counseling movement, Ph.D. candidates are able to make major contributions to groundbreaking research in the field.

Accreditation: Loyola's Master of Science program in Pastoral Counseling has been accredited under C.A.C.R.E.P.'s (Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs) Community Counseling Standards. The Pastoral Counseling programs are also accredited by the American Association of Pastoral Counselors.

Licensure: Graduates are eligible for additional academic work and clinical training in preparation for taking professional licensing examinations such as the Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) with various state professional-licensing boards.

Flexibility in programming allows Pastoral Counseling students to complete a program in one year up to seven years. There are many options. Most pastoral counseling programs may be completed by attending classes one day a week at the Loyola College Graduate Center-Columbia Campus. Most classes are ideally scheduled to permit students to continue outside work