Expert: Joel Simon - 1/19/2012

Question
I'm the mother of a high school sophomore at a Christian school.    Part of her dream is to play college soccer and of course, she's hoping there may be some sort of scholarship funds available.     She's not sure what career she wants to pursue however, she has expressed an interest in possibly Christian counseling.   With that in mind, can you recommend any good colleges or websites that we could use as a starting point for our college search; I really don't have a clue where or how to begin?   (We live in the Eastern part of the U.S.).

Answer
Hi.  Let me start by saying that I am not a Christian counselor and therefore have little expertise in that specific orientation.  Having said that, I will try to do my best in directing you to some possible resources.  One suggestion is going to www.psychologytoday.com and doing a search for a therapist.  On the top menu, the first item is "Find a Therapist."  Click that and then put in your zipcode.  On the left hand side, you'll see several options.  One of them is religion.  Click on Christian and you should get a list of therapists who have identified themselves in that category.  I would have your daughter call some of those and ask how they got training.  I do have a general comment; no matter what the orientation, the primary purpose is to get good training in general counseling techniques.  Most schools have a course of study that would lead to a degree in counseling.  At the very least, your daughter will want to go beyond the BA for an advanced degree.  That can be in social work, counseling, or marital and family therapy.  Most states license masters level counselors in the above categories.  Check with your state schools and see what they have to offer in the way of counseling programs.  You can usually find catalogs online and specifics regarding what the requirements are for the various degrees.  You might want to check with your state's education department to find out about licensing requirements.  Take a look at the following website: http://www.christiancounselingdegree.org/state-licensing-christian-certification   I think that might be a good starting point for you.  You can contact the various licensing bodies to find out what the requirements are and what schools offer degree programs.  Hope this is useful.  Joel