Earn a Master of Arts in Counseling – 100% Online

3 Specializations

100% Online

3 Start Dates Per Year

25% Job Growth1

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Programs Curriculum Careers

Master the Skills You Need to Develop Your Counseling Career

Help students navigate the emotional terrain of getting an education, empower people of all ages to overcome mental health hurdles, or support someone recovering from drug addiction as they obtain or maintain a job, with the Master of Arts in Counseling from OLLU. Choose from three impactful specializations — School Counseling, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, or Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling — and tailor your learning to your goals, as well as the specific care you want to provide to your clients.

Help students navigate the emotional terrain of getting an education, empower people of all ages to overcome mental health hurdles, or support someone recovering from drug addiction as they obtain or maintain a job, with the Master of Arts in Counseling from OLLU. Choose from three impactful specializations — School Counseling, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, or Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling — and tailor your learning to your goals, as well as the specific care you want to provide to your clients.

There are no on-campus residencies and with a convenient online format, this degree is perfect for you, the working professional, to elevate your career from the comfort of your home. Our Lady of the Lake University offers small class sizes and dedicated faculty who share their experiences and knowledge working with various client groups.

Start your educational journey at Our Lady of the Lake University where you’ll become part of a close-knit community that fosters your academic, spiritual, personal, and professional growth to prepare you for success and service. Become part of the next generation of leaders with a convenient online format that presents unique, hands-on learning experiences.

  • LPC and CRC Exam Preparation
  • Listed among “America’s Best Colleges” by U.S. News & World Report1
  • #19 Best College Offering a Master’s in School Counseling
  • Lively discussion groups, interaction with peers from 40+ states

Specialize and Make a Difference in Others’ Lives

Take your counseling career to the next level with OLLU’s online MA in Counseling. You’ll gain a mix of both foundational knowledge and real-world skills you can put to practice as a counselor. Three specializations provide options for a tailored degree that meets your personal interests and career objectives.

60 Credit Hours

Help students of all ages get the most out of their education by assessing and finding solutions to common behavioral and learning problems, promoting psychological health, and implementing effective career development planning. Graduate ready to complete the TEXES (Texas Examinations for Educator Standards) examination and earn School Counselor Certification in Texas and many other states.*

60 Credit Hours

Help clients of all ages and cultures overcome their emotional health challenges as a clinical mental health counselor in government and non-government facilities, private practice, inpatient or outpatient agencies, or community organizations. Upon graduating, you’ll be ready to sit for the Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) examination.

60 Credit Hours

Serve individuals with disabilities facing physical, mental, emotional, or social challenges. The counseling skills and rehabilitation techniques learned in the program are practiced and evaluated in the field at rehabilitation agencies. The rehabilitation counselor serves as a source of expertise, personal support, and guidance to individuals with disabilities and their families to enhance their quality of life and empowering their independence. Upon graduating, you’ll be ready to sit for the Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) examination. This program also prepares you to become a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC).

“[Faculty] always stayed connected, either via phone video conferencing, email, or even text messages.”

– Rebecca Rebstock, Online Graduate

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Join a 125-year legacy from the comfort of home

Since 1895, Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) has provided students with the high-quality education and individual support they need to find success and transform their communities, families and professions. Today, our accredited online programs continue that tradition and serve ambitious students across Texas and more than 40 other states.

At OLLU, you’re well-supported from application to graduation. Your online experience utilizes the online platform Engage, where you’ll work side-by-side with professors who share real-world experience and wisdom. You’ll make meaningful connections with peers from diverse backgrounds, a program manager will support you throughout your educational journey, and you’ll have 24/7 access to technical support.

Three Choices for a Rewarding, Specialized Career Path

You may want to run your own private clinical practice, work with vulnerable populations, or address the common issues facing our youth as they grow and develop in a complex world. With OLLU’s rigorous coursework, you’ll graduate with specialized skills that prepare you to care for the people who need you most. All three specializations include practicum and internship requirements, ensuring you learn in real-world environments. You’ll experience the same rigorous curricula and support as our on-campus students, but with the enhanced flexibility of an online format and 14-week sessions.

Highlighted core and specialization courses:

Counseling Theories

Explore major theories and techniques of professional counseling. Evidence-based counseling strategies and techniques will be stressed as you develop your own personal model of counseling.

Research Methods and Program Evaluation

Examine counseling-related research techniques, methodologies, and practices including basic statistical and qualitative analysis, outcome measures, program evaluation, data analysis, application, and evidence-based practices.

Clinical Diagnosis

Gain an understanding of dysfunction in human behavior or social disorganization, including etiology, nomenclature, treatment, referral, and prevention of mental and emotional disorders.

Explore characteristics, risk factors, and warning signs of clients at risk for mental health and behavioral disorders, including suicide risk assessment, and the impacts of crisis, trauma, and abuse.

Human Development Across the Lifespan

Explore the process and stages of human intellectual, physical, social, and emotional development from prenatal origins through geriatric maturity including theories of individual and family development, learning, and personality development.

You’ll learn impacts on human development, such as systemic, environmental, crisis, trauma, or differing abilities, as well as ethical and culturally relevant strategies for promoting resilience and optimum development and wellness across the lifespan.

Professional Orientation: School Counseling

School Counseling Specialization

An introduction to the field of professional school counseling and the role and responsibilities of school counselors regarding comprehensive school counseling programs including: the history and emergence of school counseling, approaches to school counseling, current issues, advocacy, consultation, collaboration, certification, and ethical and legal standards.

Child and Adolescent Counseling

School Counseling Specialization

Learn counseling approaches and skills appropriate to children and adolescents, including strategies to help children and adolescent clients clarify problems, set goals, explore options, and implement change. You’ll also explore the characteristics of youth impacted by familial substance abuse.

Professional Orientation and Ethics

Clinical Mental Health Counseling Specialization

Be introduced to the history and development of the counseling profession, including its professional standards, codes of ethics, credentials, professional organizations, areas of specialization, and program evaluation. You’ll also review the counselor’s consultative role and identity in multidisciplinary teams and advocacy.

Addictions in Counseling

Clinical Mental Health Counseling Specialization

Understand physiological, emotional, social, and physical factors related to addictions, while exploring counseling treatment strategies and biopsychosocial interventions applicable to the issues related to addictions such as gambling, sex, eating, alcohol, or drugs.

Introduction to Rehabilitation Counseling

Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling Specialization

Explore the legislative, historical, and philosophical roots of rehabilitation counseling including professional organizations, preparation standards, credentials, roles, and settings of rehabilitation counselors.

You’ll learn the etiology and terminology relevant to rehabilitation, screening, and assessment instruments for individuals with disabilities, the relationship between clinical rehab counseling and medical professionals including interdisciplinary treatment teams, and more.

Rehabilitation Service Delivery and Case Management

Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling Specialization

Address the delivery of rehabilitation services across settings such as state/federal vocational rehabilitation, psychiatric rehabilitation, transition from school to work, private for-profit rehabilitation, forensic rehabilitation, substance abuse rehabilitation, and veterans’ rehabilitation. You’ll also learn the roles and functions of rehabilitation counselors in each of the different settings.

Become a Beacon of Hope and a Leader in Your Field

The need for qualified and skilled counselors to address issues and provide access to care for vulnerable populations is at a critical high. The BLS projects a 25% job growth for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors from 2019-2029.1 For that same period, school and career counselors are growing at a much faster-than-average rate of 8%.2 Rehabilitation counselors are also experiencing rapid job growth, expected to increase 10% from 2019-2029.3

OLLU’s online Master of Arts in Counseling degree will prepare you to apply appropriate counseling theories, methods, and techniques to various counseling situations so you can enter specialized roles in myriad settings. You’ll be ready to promote healthy changes that make a positive impact on our world.

Top 10 Jobs for Counselors

  1. Mental Health Counselor
  2. Clinical Case Manager
  3. School Counselor
  4. College Counselor
  5. Spiritual Counselor
  6. Junior College Instructor
  7. Rehabilitation Counselor
  8. Correctional Counselor
  9. Therapist
  10. Vocational Case Manager

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Sources and Disclaimer

  1. “Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors: Occupational Outlook Handbook.” BLS. Retrieved on July 1, 2021 from https://www.bls.gov/.
  2. “School and Career Counselors and Advisors: Occupational Outlook Handbook.” BLS. Retrieved on July 1, 2021 from https://www.bls.gov/.
  3. “Rehabilitation Counselors: Occupational Outlook Handbook.” BLS. Retrieved on July 1, 2021 from https://www.bls.gov/.

*Applicants seeking licensure are encouraged to review all applicable eligibility requirements related to the respective occupational license per the Texas occupations code HB 1508.