2010 Catalog cover - The Athenaeum Of Ohio

Master ter of Arts Degree in Pas
astoral toral Counseling
What is Pastoral Counseling
Pastoral counseling is a form of therapy or
counseling in which a pastoral counselor, as a
representative of a religious tradition or community,
uses the insights and principles of religion, theology
and modern behavioral sciences in working with
individuals, couples, families, groups and institutions
toward the achievement of wholeness and health.
An important ingredient which makes pastoral
counseling different from other forms of counseling
and psychotherapy is the conviction that life’s crises
and transitions, as well as emotional dysfunctions,
are best met by both the wisdom of religious
teachings and the knowledge and skills of the
human behavioral sciences such as psychiatry and
psychology.
Purpose of the Master of Arts in
Pastoral Counseling Degree Program
The goal of this program is to assist individuals in
becoming knowledgeable and competent practitioners
in the counseling ministry. The degree
program is designed to help candidates to achieve
a personal synthesis of theological understandings
of ministry and contemporary counseling theory
and practice.
The degree program is intended for those who
plan to become full-time practitioners of the
counseling ministry. The program has also been
designed for those who intend to do pastoral
counseling as part of a more general pastoral
ministry.
Prerequisites
In order to qualify for admission, an applicant must
have completed a bachelor’s degree with a 3.0
average. It is also expected that the applicant will
already have earned at least 12 quarter credit
hours in the social sciences (e.g., psychology,
sociology, anthropology) and 12 quarter credit
hours in theology or religious studies. The latter
must include at least one course or the equivalent
from the areas of biblical studies and moral
theology. In addition, the applicant must show
evidence of personal qualities requisite for a
professional pastoral counselor.
Application and Admission
In order to apply for admission to the degree
program three things are necessary:
1) submission of an application form, which is
available from the Office of the Registrar
(513-231-2223), to the Dean of the
Athenaeum
2) psychological evaluation (at the applicant's
expense), and
3) an interview by the director of the program
A student who is matriculated in the Master of
Divinity program can apply for admission to the
Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling program at
the completion of his second year of seminarybased
study.
In order to be considered for admission to this
degree program, an application must be submitted
either by May 1 for autumn quarter admission or by
October 1 for winter quarter admission.
Candidacy
At the completion of 24 hours of course work in the
degree program, a student’s work is reviewed.
The director of the program seeks input from the
faculty and conducts an interview with the student.
If all is judged satisfactory (including a 3.0
average), the student is admitted as a candidate for
the degree.
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