In order to pursue and earn certificate in the following areas, students must be currently enrolled in a licensure-eligible Master’s degree program or have already earned a licensure-eligible Master’s degree from an accredited institution. Students may take certificate coursework, but the certificate will not be awarded without having a licensure-eligible Master’s degree conferred.
Students pursuing certificates must take a minimum of three courses depending on the certificate program, and prerequisite courses may be required.
Graduate Certificate in Addictions Counseling
Dr. Stephanie Keane, Coordinator
The Addictions Counseling Certificate is designed to provide specialized training for students who wish to work with individuals in the broad area of addictions. These students will be trained to work with a wide range of issues but will receive specific training related to human addictions that is grounded in Christian theology.
It is also recommended for students in this certificate program to complete at least one rotation (i.e., three months) of Practicum, Internship I, or Internship II at a site that primarily focuses on addictive disease treatment. For this certificate, the following four courses are required:
Graduate Certificate in Child and Adolescent Counseling
Dr. Charles Allen, Coordinator
The Child and Adolescent Counseling Certificate with an emphasis in play therapy is designed to provide specialized training for those students planning to work with children, teens, and parents. Students receive advanced training in the areas of diagnosis, development, and techniques needed to provide developmentally responsive Christian counseling to children, adolescents, and parents. As Richmont is an Approved Center for Play Therapy Education by the Association of Play Therapy, upon licensure, graduates may apply for the certificate coursework to count toward fulfillment of the educational requirements necessary to become a Registered Play Therapist. The following four courses are required:
Graduate Certificate in Christian Sex Therapy
Dr. Cara Cochran, Coordinator
The Christian Sex Therapy Certificate is designed to provide specialized training for students who wish to work with individuals in the broad area of sexuality. These students will be trained to work with a wide range of issues but will receive specific training related to human sexuality that is grounded in Christian theology. For this certificate, the following four courses are required:
Graduate Certificate in Marriage and Family Therapy
Dr. Emily Oliver, Coordinator
The Marriage and Family Therapy Certificate is designed to provide specialized training for students who desire to work specifically with couples and families, as well as individuals within their context. Using both a systems theory perspective and a Christian theology integrationist perspective, students develop the knowledge and skills to practice marriage and family therapy in a variety of settings. Through a family systems perspective, students are trained to address the whole person and to move the hurting family system toward healthy functioning. This certificate fulfills the academic requirements in most states for licensure in marriage and family therapy (LMFT) and for clinical membership in the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT). This certificate requires the conferral of the Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling or equivalent degree. This certificate requires the following six courses (14 hours):
Graduate Certificate in Spiritual Formation in Counseling
Dr. Preston Hill, Coordinator
Building on the integrative competencies of the MACMHC curriculum, the purpose of the Spiritual Formation in Counseling Certificate is to promote the student’s spiritual formation while developing extensive knowledge in spiritually-focused counseling interventions and historic approaches to spiritual formation, particularly as applied to church-based contexts. Courses are designed to train beyond the competencies outlined by ASERVIC toward the ability to facilitate spiritual formation, which is seen as the goal of Christian counseling. For this certificate, at least four of the following courses are required:
Graduate Certificate in Trauma Counseling
Dr. Laura Land, Coordinator
The Trauma Counseling Certificate is designed to provide specialized training for students who wish to work with individuals who have experienced trauma. Students are trained to work with a wide range of issues but receive specialized training in the biological and developmental impact of trauma and clinical interventions for both children and adults. For this certificate, the following four courses are required:
Thesis Option
Richmont offers students the option of pursuing a thesis while in their programs. Theses can be empirical or theoretical, either conducting an original research study or developing a thesis statement that is theoretically-based on an exhaustive review of the relevant literature. The thesis option is a sequence of four courses, each one hour of credit, beginning in Spring semester, typically after CED7713: Methods of Research is taken in the Fall. Approval of the instructor for the Methods of Research class is required for admission to the thesis option. Once a student has been admitted to the thesis option, the student’s program of study will be updated to reflect the required coursework to complete the thesis.
Students have the option of pursuing a topic of personal interest or participating in ongoing programmatic research at Richmont or the research of individual professors. The range of possible topics is broad, but limited to those that impinge on the program of study (counseling-related issues and topics of faith in practice). Details of the thesis are available in the Thesis Manual which is on the Richmont website and available from the Records Office or the Director of Research. This explains the steps and deadlines of the process in detail, culminating with a presentation of the thesis during a Community Time and also submission to a professional conference for poster or presentation. Questions about the thesis option that are not addressed in the manual may be sent to the Director of Research. Interested students should consult with their advisors or contact the Director of Research.