Doctoral Degree in Christian Counseling

Individuals who hold a Masters degree in any discipline (MA, Masters, MBA) from an accredited institution prior to enrollment may elect to complete their requirements for licensure and qualify for a Doctoral degree in Clinical Christian Counseling.

If you already hold a Doctoral Degree in counseling or a related/accepted field, you may qualify for our “2nd Doctoral Degree Program“. Click here for details.

Key Benefits of our Doctoral Degree Program:

• • Affordable, modular tuition payments (compare to state/private colleges). See the schedule below. Need a lower cost option? You can start with our “Easy Go” program which lets you order one course at at time in Module A.
  • Online or shipped courses (U.S. students only). Note that not all courses are available online – Online Courses.
  • You receive courses on a “pay-as-you-go” basis
  • Self-paced home study lets you proceed at your own pace!
  • Tests are taken online when you are ready.
  • Personal Clinical Supervisor assigned to help you with every phase of the program. Dr. Donald J. Ibbitson will be your Clinical Supervisor
  • Curriculum includes concurrent licensing with the National Christian Counselors Association.
  • Ministerial licensing credentials are required prior to submission of Phase II paperwork to the NCCA. Note: this is not a requirement to apply for the program. We have a program available for those students who need help with that later.
  • Accredited program
  • Choice of seminaries from approved list.

The doctoral program requires successful completion of six (6) Core Courses (three in Phase I & three in Phase II) and eight (8) Advanced Courses (Phase III) selected by the student, plus additional requirements below.

Course Requirements

Complete Phase I

• Basic Christian Counseling
• Creation Therapy
• Christian Counseling: Integrating Temperament and Psychology

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Complete Phase II

• Mastering Pastoral Counseling
• Temperament Case Studies
• Counseling the Codependent: A Christian Perspective Using Temperament

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Complete Phase III

• Eight (8) Advanced Courses (selected by student).

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Additional Requirements

1. Complete a practicum. This consists of administering the Arno Profile System to 35 persons in the student’s community.
2. Respond in writing to 50 ethical questions posed by NCCA’s National Licensing Board of examiners.
3. Submit annual dues of $50 (included in tuition, first year only). The student will also become a member of the Sarasota Academy of Christian Counseling (Creation Therapy course) and the $75 first year fee is included in the student tuition.
4. Provide required documentation.
5.  Submit a written thesis. This normally consists of thirty-five (35) individual reports (case studies) developed from the candidate’s work with 35 persons using the Arno Profile System reports. Format provided upon request.
6. Pay required matriculation and transfer fees (included in tuition).
7. Provide a letter authorizing the transfer of academic records to the approved institution.
8. The NCCA will conduct a background check (fee included in the tuition) to determine if there are any issues in a person’s past to preclude them from being licensed as a counselor.
9. Ministerial licensing / ordination credentials are required. We have a program available for those students who require that.
10.  Licensing level upon graduation:  NCCA Licensed Clinical Pastoral Counselor-Advanced Certification

Tuition Schedule

Application Fee: $75 (non-refundable)

The table below shows tuition for online courses. Additional cost for shipped materials (U.S. only).

* Note: “Easy Go” option per course ($297) will cost $891 total for the module.

Have questions? See our FAQ page

Complete the Student Application

Pay tuition at the Online Store