FAQs

No. State licensing of any kind is not included. The licensing is with the National Christian Counselor’s Association only.

Yes. The N.C.C.A. is totally devoted to the Lord and the training is all biblically-based.

A degree and licensing opens many doors of opportunity. Many who enter the program already are involved with their church leadership in a Christian counseling ministry there and wish to better trained and credentialled.

Others may wish to operate an independent ministry in affiliation with a number of area churches who are willing to commission their services. Still others, desire to open an independent counseling ministry in their community under the authority of a church ministry/ordination covering.

The honest answer is that it is basically up to you! The courses are self-paced and we have seen motivated students complete the Masters program in less than a year and PhD students do it in 15 months or sooner! Are you disciplined? Are you good at scheduling your time to study? If so, you can do it quickly!

If you are an ordained, licensed or commissioned minister, you probably can accept remuneration for counseling since most states exempt clergy from having to be state-licensed. However, you need to check your state’s statutes. The N.C.C.A.’s license includes no provision for state recognition. Like ministerial licensing or ordination, it is a “Sacred” office.

Above & Beyond Counseling Academy operates under the auspices of the NCCA program and we are bound by their rules. The NCCA does not issue 1098-T tax forms as they are not a school and do not have an official designation to do so.

The NCCA is a membership and training organization, and not an educational organization as they do not issue degrees. 

They also do not accept federal financial aid. These are just two of the criteria that preclude NCCA (and Above & Beyond Counseling Academy). from issuing form 1098-T.

You can obtain professional liability insurance as a pastoral counselor. You should do your own research. These are reasonably priced options, compared to medical professionals.

Our counselors are insured at https://hpso.com.  The rate is based upon your hours of counseling per week so this can be an inexpensive option.

Complete the online application. We’ll be back to you in less than two business days with your acceptance and instructions on how to get started.

You do not need state licensing to function as an NCCA-licensed pastoral counselor. Each state has different licensing and certification requirements if you want to be state-licensed (as a Mental Health Counselor, for example) and this program is best suited to those who want to function in a church/ministry environment.

Yes! However, you will be required to be a licensed, commissioned, or ordained minister prior to completion of Phase II of the program (Module D).

You can explore commissioning/licensing options on your own however the NCCA provides some options for you to consider. More info can be found here: Ministerial Credential.

This program provides an entry level option for someone who wants to be recognized as a Christian Counselor but may not desire to pursue a degree. The licensing level upon completion is dependent upon the student’s highest level of education. The course credits are 100% applicable to the degree program if the student chooses to continue studies at a later date.

Yes, the courses build upon one another and your studies in the License only program are 100% transferable to one of the degree programs.

In order to earn a Bachelors degree, you must be a High School graduate or have a GED equivalent. We will request a photocopy of your diploma/certificate. International students must provide equivalent documentation of completing secondary education.

Yes! We have a very attractive “Bachelors to Masters” Upgrade program that will allow you to continue. You can choose to have your Masters from the same institution as your Bachelors Degree or you may select a different one.

If you have earned a Bachelors degree from an accredited institution in any discipline, you should be eligible to pursue a Masters Degree in Clinical Christian Counseling through our Academy. 

Yes! We have a very attractive “Masters to PhD” Upgrade program that will allow you to continue. You can choose to have your PhD from the same institution as your Masters or you may select a different one.

If you have earned a Master’s degree from an accredited institution in any discipline, you should be eligible to pursue a Doctoral Degree in Clinical Christian Counseling through our Academy. 

If you hold a doctorate degree from an accredited institution, you should be able to qualify for our “Second Doctorate” program which has fewer course and APS report requirements than the primary program. Your degree and seminary choices are identical.

Depending upon whether you are in the Bachelors, Masters or Doctoral programs, you will select your degree school from the list of available seminaries. You do not attend classes or have to visit these schools; we handle all of the paperwork for you. All of your course work and clinical supervision happens through Above & Beyond Counseling Academy. Depending upon the institution you select, you are normally able to take part in onsite graduation ceremonies if you choose to do so. See the list of NCCA Seminaries.

All of the course study is done in the comfort and privacy of your own home. There is no requirement for onsite classes. The courses will be shipped to you, and some are available online if you choose to study in that format.

All testing is administered online, whether the course is shipped or done online. You will receive a log on for two sites where the courses and tests are located.

Yes! We have many international students in the program. The tuition prices shown include shipping to domestic U.S. locations. The best option is to take online courses – all of the Basic Courses are available online and many of the advanced courses. We can ship internationally for an additional cost.

The NCCA has made most of the courses available for online study and testing. You can always have courses shipped to you (U.S., plus an uplift for international) and you can both online and shipped courses for an additional $50 per course.

We recognize that while the module payments are very affordable compared to other institution’s pricing, some will find it difficult to pay for three courses initially. We have a special “Easy Go” program that will allow you to start with and pay for one course only.

We do not offer a monthly payment plan. Most of our students are not on a regular study schedule so they would end up making payments while not doing the courses.

Rather, we have provision in many modules to order one course at a time using the “Easy Go” option. This will be a superior option to monthly payments.

Additionally, at checkout, Paypal offers an option to pay the course/module costs in monthly installments.

The NCCA will not grant a counseling license to those who have been CONVICTED of a felony or have been CONVICTED of MULTIPLE misdemeanors. The NCCA conducts a background check on every applicant prior to licensing. Charges only are not an issue.