Christian Counseling Areas of Specialization & Advanced Course Offerings – (Phase III)
Reality Counseling Center in cooperation with the NCCA offers a broad selection of advanced courses for those students working toward a Master’s or a Doctoral degree. Detailed course descriptions are available if you’d like further information to help you decide which courses to undertake, and we are happy to advise you on the best courses to take for your background or with your particular career goals in mind.
Integrated Marriage and Family Therapy
Many counselors choose to focus on the area of Marriage and Family Therapy. Expertise in this area is well needed in our society today to help couples prepare for marriage as well as to help those with marriages that are presenting challenges.
Some suitable advanced elective courses to take are:
- Marriage and Family Counseling – An Integrated Approach
- Integrated Temperament Couple Therapy
- Pre-Marriage Counseling With Temperament
- The Father-Daughter Connection
Advanced Child and Adolescent Therapy
Christian counseling ministries that specialize in helping children are always in demand as our world is a difficult place to grow up. To hone in on counseling for the developing mind, some suitable advanced elective courses to take are:
- Counseling Families
- Counseling and Children
- Counseling Youth
- Counseling and The Search for Meaning
Substance Abuse and Addiction Therapy
Substances abuse and addictions are rampant in our culture, leaving virtually no one untouched by the fall-out. Highly-trained Counselors are desperately needed not only for substance abusers and addicts themselves, but for their family members and loved ones who live with the far-reaching repercussions.
The best advanced elective courses to take for specialization in this subject are:
- Counseling for Substance Abuse and Addiction
- Counseling Adult Children of Alcoholics
- Counseling for Problems of Self-Control
- Counseling Those With Eating Disorders
Sexual Therapy
The pervading culture has a very broken view of and relationship to sex. For a board certification in sexual therapy, the following courses are required.
- Counseling for Sexual Disorders
- Counseling and Homosexuality
- Counseling for Problems of Self-Control
- Counseling for Unplanned Pregnancy & Infertility
Death and Grief Therapy
In a broken world, there will always be a dire need for counselors with expertise in counseling the sick and terminally ill, and the family and loved ones affected by one’s illness. This area of study is also very valuable for helping people through bereavement and loss.
Some advanced elective courses to take to further your skills as a grief counselor are:
- Counseling for Anger
- Joy — In The Midst of Mourning
- Counseling Families of Children With Disabilities
Cognitive Therapy and Ethics
Cognitive therapy is a well-used model of counseling to help people reset harmful thinking patterns. Some advanced elective courses to take to better practice Cognitive Therapy are:
- Cognitive Therapy Techniques
- Life’s Answers Through Counseling With God
- Quality, Ethics, and Legal Issues In Christian Counseling
- Making Life Healing Changes Through Counseling with God
Crisis and Abuse Therapy
As a counselor, you will be confronted with crisis situations on a daily basis, whether those crises are caused by domestic abuse, trauma, Depression, or other difficult situations, a counselor must be well-prepared to address their client’s needs. Some great advanced elective courses to that end are:
- Counseling for Family Violence/Abuse
- Counseling in Times of Crisis
- Counseling for Anger
- Counseling the Depressed
Temperament Therapy
Understanding a client’s temperament can allow for a counselor to more effectively engage with their client and guide them out of the patterns that are keeping them stuck. For the student wanting to further research the Temperaments, the best advanced elective courses to take are:
- Temperament Case Studies
- Life’s Answers Through Counseling With God
- Living in the Spirit—Utilizing Temperament
- Counseling the Codependent: A Christian Perspective Utilizing Temperament
Domestic Violence and Intervention Therapy
There is great need for counselors today with expertise in the area of helping clients who are caught up in relationships of domestic abuse, or well-versed in the methods of intervention therapy. Applicants for this course must hold a Masters degree or higher, be licensed by the N.C.C.A., and be Advanced Certified in Crisis and Abuse Therapy as well as completing the following five advanced elective courses:
- Temperament Case Studies
- Counseling for Substance Abuse and Addiction
- Counseling for Problems of Self-Control
- Counseling Families
- Counseling and Self-Esteem
Group Therapy
Applicant must hold a Master’s degree or higher, be licensed by the N.C.C.A., and be Advanced Certified in Integrated Marriage & Family Therapy in order to qualify for this specialty area of Advanced Certification. Then, the candidate must complete one additional course entitled Group Therapy:
- Group Therapy Course
Reality Counseling Center 