MA in Pastoral Counseling – Addictions and Recovery Help Break Cycles of Addiction

36

Credit Hours

View Courses

100% online,* 8-week courses

Transfer in up to 50% of the degree total

We know that part of a healthy church or ministry organization is the strong presence of Christian counseling support. Whether you are a pastor who desires to counsel your flock or you want to minister to those who struggle with addiction and want to help them onto the road of recovery, Liberty University’s 100% online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling is designed to train ministry professionals and church leaders to become Christian counselors in ministry and agency-based, non-licensure settings. If you want to earn a degree in counseling and recovery, our Christian addiction counseling and recovery program is designed to provide training for non-licensure settings.

In your online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling, you will study psychology and the Christian understanding of human nature that informs biblical counseling. By pursuing your online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling, you will study how to help provide a balanced treatment of spiritual and mental health counseling practices. With training like this, you can be better equipped to minister to those who are serving in ministry roles.

The addictions and recovery area of study for the online pastoral counseling master’s degree is designed to train you in specialized diagnosis and treatment for clients who want to break out of the cycle of addiction to harmful substances or sexual behaviors. This training can help give you a thorough understanding of the biological and mental aspects of addiction and how the recovery process works so that you can be better prepared to guide clients through their journey to better mental and spiritual health.

*Some exclusions apply. Please refer to our exclusions page for more information.


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What Sets Us Apart?

  • Private Nonprofit University
  • 600+ Online Degrees
  • No Standardized Testing for Admission
  • Transfer in up to 75% of an Undergrad Degree
  • Transfer in up to 50% of a Grad/Doctoral Degree

If you are already a ministry professional and find that you need the training to help people struggling with spiritual and mental health crises, completing an online Christian counseling degree like Liberty’s master’s in Christian counseling online is designed to help fill in the gaps and build on your ministry experience. If you want to branch out into a Christian counseling role, the field-specific training and biblical counseling techniques offered in this program can help you provide much-needed support and guidance on a variety of issues.

As a pastor or ministry leader, you may find that you encounter a need for substance abuse counseling or sexual addiction counseling in your congregation and need specialized training to give biblical and professional guidance. If you have a desire to reach out and help those in your community, the addictions and recovery area of study in your online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling is designed to equip you with training that is informed by a biblical worldview so you can help others break out of the cycle of addiction.

Many addiction counseling programs and substance abuse counseling programs do not provide training in pastoral care or the biblical concept of “the helping relationship” — but Liberty does. Our professors teach with a biblical worldview, seek to mentor you, and will pray for you. In this way, they continue to fulfill our mission of Training Champions for Christ.

Our Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling – Addictions and Recovery is taught by talented faculty who have years of hands-on experience and advanced degrees in related fields — so you can be confident that you are receiving a world-class education.


While pursuing your online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling, you will study a broad set of foundational Christian counseling skills and knowledge along with field-specialized topic courses and hands-on skill areas. You will study elements of biblical counseling in the online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling as well as how the science of psychology reflects biblical principles of personhood and human nature and how mental health treatment benefits spiritual health. Additionally, you can gain hands-on experience in your own community through your pastoral counseling internship.

The addictions and recovery area of study builds on biblical counseling core content to sharpen skills that can help you address drug addiction, chemical dependency, and sexual addiction as well as biblical approaches to mental and spiritual health. You will also dive deep into studying methods of identifying and diagnosing addiction as well as the biological and chemical aspects of addiction and their impact on treatment. With the addictions and recovery area of study, you can be more prepared to bring effective Christian counseling and pastoral care to addiction counseling ministry with evidence-based and field-tested techniques.

*Please note that the online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling is not designed to fulfill clinical counseling licensure requirements. If you are interested in counseling licensure, please view the Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.

Degree Completion Plan (PDF)


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Speak to one of our admissions specialists to help you choose the program that best fits your needs.

Your success is our success, which is why we are committed to providing quality academics at an affordable tuition rate. While other colleges are increasing their tuition, we have frozen tuition rates for the majority of our undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs for the past 9 years – and counting.

Grad & Postgrad Divinity Block Rate (9-15 credit hours) $2,750
Grad & Postgrad Divinity Part Time (0-8.99 or over 15 credit hours) $395/Credit
Military Grad & Postgrad Divinity Block Rate (9-15 credit hours) $2,475
Military Grad & Postgrad Divinity Part Time (0-8.99 or over 15 credit hours) $275/Credit

These rates also apply to the MA in Pastoral Counseling, which falls under the School of Behavioral Sciences.

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Military

Liberty University is dedicated to providing world-class educational experiences to military students across the globe.

Who May Qualify?

  • Active Duty
  • Reserve/National Guard
  • Veterans/Retirees
  • Spouses of Service Members and Veterans/Retirees
  • Current Department of Defense Employees

Available Benefits:

  • Tuition discounts – $275 per credit hour for part-time graduate and postgraduate divinity courses
  • Discounted divinity block rate – $2,475 per semester*
  • Additional discount for veterans who service in a civilian capacity as a First Responder (less than $625 per course)**
  • 8-week courses, 8 different start dates each year, and no set login times (may exclude certain courses such as practicums, internships, or field experiences)

These benefits also apply to the MA in Pastoral Counseling, which falls under the School of Behavioral Sciences.

*Credits taken below 9 and above 15 credit hours per semester are charged at the part-time rate.

**Not applicable to certificates.