Denver Seminary > M.A. in Counseling Ministries with a Chaplaincy Concentration

M.A. in Counseling Ministries with a Chaplaincy Concentration

What is a Master of Arts in Counseling Ministries with a Concentration in Chaplaincy?

Chaplaincy ministries have expanded dramatically in recent years and now exist in a variety of settings. Chaplains provide spiritual leadership through many of the same rites, ceremonies, and services that pastors provide, but in environments and institutions outside the Church. Chaplains often serve a group of people who are not organized as a church or mission or who are otherwise unable to attend a church for various reasons such as health, confinement or military or civil duties.

The M.A. in Counseling Ministries with a Chaplaincy concentration will prepare you for ministry in most informal chaplaincy settings where ordination is not required (such as federal chaplaincy) and more counseling skills are necessary. With this degree you also earn a unit toward Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) which allows you to participate in clinical settings where ministry is being practiced. Has God given you a heart to serve people who are not organized as a church or are otherwise unable to attend a church? This could be just the degree you need. (Be sure to check with your church or denominational Chaplain Endorsing Agent to be sure this degree meets their particular endorsement requirements.)

Short video about chaplaincy:

Watch a video from the Division of Counseling

The M.A. in Counseling Ministries with a Chaplaincy concentration is excellent preparation for chaplaincy settings not requiring ordination, such as:

Crisis and disaster teams and first-provider units (police/fire/EMT)
Crisis counseling centers
High school/graduate school educational institutions
Hospice, eldercare, and teen residential centers
Business organizations and entrepreneur settings
Rescue missions and other parachurch organizations
Sports and leisure organizations and teams

Structure

In addition to the M.A. core (29 hours), the Master of Arts in Counseling Ministries with a concentration in Chaplaincy includes 18 hours of required counseling classes and
12 hours of electives specific to chaplaincy:

M.A. in Counseling Ministries, Chaplaincy	Course #	Sem Hrs.
Modified M.A. Core		29
Community-Based CPE¹	CPH 650	3
Counseling Theories	CO 502	3
Human Development and Counseling	CO 503	3
Therapeutic Communication	CO 526	2
Group Experience	CO 539	0
Counseling Issues in Ministry	CO 540	3
Brief Counseling	CO 560	2
Social and Cultural Foundations of Counseling²	CO 621	3
Integration of Counseling and Theology	CO 631	2
The Many Faces of Chaplaincy	CHP 550	2
Officiating Worship and Religious Services	CHP 750	2
Brief Counseling Practicum	CO 570	1
Select one (three hours):		3
- Defending the Christian Faith	AE 501
- Religious Pluralism	AE 664
Select four hours:		4
- Crisis Counseling	CO 551	(2)
- Marriage and Family Counseling (enroll for two hours)	CO 552	(3)
- Addictions and Counseling (enroll for two hours)	CO 555	(3)
- Grief and Loss Counseling	CO 647	(2)
- Counseling Responses in Crises and Disasters	CO 657	(2)
Total Degree Hours:		62

¹Students must enroll in one hour in mentored ministry experience and one hour in mentored spiritual formation while enrolled in CHP 650.

²Includes components that meet the globalization awareness requirement.

Department Faculty

Dr. Fred Gingrich, Division Chair; Professor of Counseling
Dr. Heather J. Gingrich, Associate Professor of Counseling
Dr. Monte Hasz, Assistant Professor of Counseling
Dr. Janet R. McCormack, Director of Chaplaincy and Pastoral Counseling
Dr. Elizabeth Nesbit, Assistant Professor of Counseling
Dr. Ronald D. Welch, Associate Professor of Counseling
Mr. Reggie Moore, Instructor of Counseling

Faculty Highlight

JMcCormack Dr. Janet R. McCormack is Director and Assistant Professor of Chaplaincy and Pastoral Counseling. Dr. McCormack is ordained by the American Baptist Churches, USA and is a retired Air Force chaplain with 22 years of experience in military chaplaincy. She is an Association of Professional Chaplains board certified chaplain with experience in hospital, police, prison, NASCAR, drag racing, crisis and trauma. She served on the boards of the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC), the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education and the Military Chaplains Association.