Master of Science in Christian Counseling of Substance Use and Addictive Disorders

Degree Overview
Course List
Program Location

GCU's transformative Christian Counseling programs create an opportunity to integrate Christian principles within a professional counseling practice. A career as a licensed addiction counselor begins with the Master of Science in Christian Counseling of Substance Use and Addictive Disorders.

The program offers a strong foundation in biblical knowledge and theological wisdom, to serve clients who are searching for treatments that instill Christian faith. Learners develop a deep understanding of the gospel to discuss relevant issues from a Christian perspective. This includes an exploration of spiritual health, growth and character development for the counselor in life and practice.

The program concludes with a supervised practicum or internship experience, to create an avenue for learners to further nurture and develop their counseling skills. Interns will have an opportunity to provide substance abuse disorder services under clinical supervision.

Graduates of this degree are open to the possibilities to own and operate their own counseling clinic or work in a variety of settings, such as:

Private practices
Substance abuse clinics
Group practices
Hospitals

Licensed substance abuse counselors are expected to be in heavier demand in both the public and private sector for the forseeable future. A master's degree is needed to achieve the highest level of licensing and certification in many states.

Learners are provided with comprehensive training and academic preparation to achieve national certification and licensure in Arizona as an addiction counselor. Graduates from other states may have the academic preparation to begin the process to seek certification and licensure in their respective states. But, additional requirements may vary from state to state.

Christian faith components:

Biblical Foundations for Counselors
Spiritual Formation
Biblical Concepts of Healthy Relationships
Integration of Scripture with Counseling Theory

Topics of interest:

Psychopharmacology and Addictions
Family Issues and Addictive Disorders
Group Counseling Theory and Practice
Diagnostics, Assessment and Treatment

Course List

Course #	Course Title	Course Description	Credits
UNV-502	Introduction to Graduate Studies in the Health Sciences	This course is designed to prepare students for the graduate learning experience at Grand Canyon University. Students have opportunities to develop and strengthen the skills necessary to succeed as graduate students in the health sciences. Emphasis is placed on utilizing the tools for graduate success.	2
PCN-501	Introduction to Addictions and Substance Use Disorders	This course provides a broad understanding of the stages, processes, and effects of substance use disorders, social and psychological dynamics of substance use disorders, and the professional's role in prevention, intervention, and aftercare. This course also explores theories of substance use disorders, drug classification, assessment, and treatment. It also continues building foundational knowledge, utilization of professional resources, and exploration of standards to help students prepare for licensure/certification within the counseling profession.	3
PCN-505	Professional Counseling Orientation and Ethics	This course provides a broad understanding of counseling ethics, legal standards, and responsibilities, including professional identity, report writing, record keeping, and service reimbursement. Also covered are the history of and current trends in counseling. Important goals of this course are to help students develop a strong personal and professional ethic, as well as an appreciation of the value of professional collaboration and identity.	3
PCN-500	Counseling Theories	This course provides a comprehensive survey of the major counseling theories and principles. Coursework includes the following theories: psychoanalytic, Adlerian, existential psychotherapy, behavioral, cognitive behavioral, person-centered, reality therapy/choice theory, and rational emotive behavioral therapy (REBT).	3
PCN-520	Group Counseling Theory and Practice	This course provides a broad understanding of group development, group dynamics, group counseling theories, and ethical standards. The course also addresses group process components, appropriate selection criteria, developmental stage theories, group members‛ roles and behaviors, and group leadership styles and approaches. Prerequisites: PCN-501, PCN-505 and PCN-500.	3
PCN-509	Social and Cultural Diversity Issues in Counseling	This course provides a broad understanding of issues and trends in a multicultural and diverse society. Studies in this area include the following: attitudes and behaviors based on such factors as age, race, religious preference, physical disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity and culture, family patterns, gender, socioeconomic status and intellectual ability; individual, family, group, and community strategies for working with diverse populations; theories of multicultural counseling and identity development; and multicultural competencies. Students examine a variety of cultural populations in multiple regions of the United States, exploring issues and trends that are associated with each population. Cultural considerations for immigrants, refugees, and undocumented citizens are also addressed.	3
CCN-601	Biblical Foundations for Counselors: The Story of God	This course is a narrative approach to the theology of God, humanity, and salvation. Students learn to apply the story of the Bible to the life and practice of the Christian counselor.	3
CCN-650	Spiritual Formation: Becoming a Healthy Practitioner	This course provides an introduction to spiritual formation with attention to classical spiritual disciplines and stages of growth. This course includes an exploration into personal spiritual health and character development with implications for counseling practice. Prerequisite: CCN-601.	3
PCN-527	Psychopharmacology and Addictions	This course provides a broad understanding of psychopharmacology theories of drug use, addiction, and treatment. The student is introduced to the basic principles of pharmacology, anatomy, and physiology as applied to the major classes of psychoactive drugs of use/addiction. It also examines the effects of various drugs on human behavior. The course introduces drugs to support drug treatment. Emphasis is placed on basic principles of drug ingestion, distribution, elimination, dose response relationships, neurotransmitter chemicals, and synaptic activity.	3
PCN-529	Co-Occurring Disorders	This course introduces students to co-occurring disorders. Students examine screening and assessment tools to reveal and evaluate the presence and severity of co-occurring disorders. This course also explores the treatment needs of persons with co-occurring disorders. Strategies for risk management associated with treating individuals with co-occurring disorders are presented.	3
CCN-655	Biblical Concepts-Healthy Relationships: Forgiveness & Healthy Spirituality	This course explores relational health in connection with topics including self-assessment, forgiveness, reconciliation with God and others, and the pursuit of spiritual health. Personal practice and implementation in professional counseling are emphasized. Prerequisite: CCN-650.	3
PCN-531	Family Issues and Addictive Disorders	This course examines the role of substance use disorders in family systems. Various modalities designed to intervene in the substance use disorders family system are discussed. The treatment roles and responsibilities of addicted persons and their families are also examined.	3
PCN-610	Diagnostics, Assessment, and Treatment	This course provides a conceptual framework for the use of assessment and diagnostic tools for the development of appropriate treatment interventions for a variety of behavioral health disorders. Included is an introduction to the use of the diagnostic tools, including the DSM, and the integration of diagnostic and assessment information, in the development of treatment plans.	3
CCN-675	Integration of Scripture With Counseling Theory	In this course, students explore the integration of the Christian worldview into counseling theory and practice. Emphasis is placed on the nature and purpose of human beings from a biblical perspective as well as ethical issues pertinent to the Christian counselor, while critically evaluating contemporary secular theories and practices. Prerequisite: CCN-655.	3
PCN-535	Counseling Chemical Dependency Adolescents	This course provides an introduction to adolescent substance use disorders prevention and treatment techniques and interventions. Signs, symptoms, and patterns of adolescent substance use will be examined. Students will also explore adolescent screening methods, and assessment tools.	3
PCN-622	Pre-Practicum	This is a pre-practicum or supervised field work experience under the supervision of a faculty member, which includes 100 total hours of pre-practicum activities, of which a minimum of 40 hours are direct client contact hours. Prerequisites: Completion of all didactic coursework in the program; a GPA of 3.0 or better; and maintenance of student professional liability insurance in the amount of $1 million, $3 million.	2
PCN-662A	Practicum/ Internship I	Students use this supervised practicum/internship experience to develop their counseling skills and to perform all the activities that a regularly employed professional counselor would be expected to perform in a supervised setting. The practicum/internship is performed under the supervision of a faculty member and an on-site supervisor approved by the college or university. Documentation of completed contact hours is submitted directly to the college's office of field experience for verification and tracking. This course provides an opportunity to accumulate contact hours of required practicum experience, not all of which may be accomplished in this course. If students do not satisfy this requirement through this course, they must take additional practicum courses until the requirement is met. Practicum hours: Addiction Counseling students, 150 total hours; Professional Counseling students, 600 total hours. Prerequisites: PCN-622; a GPA of 3.0 or better; maintenance of student professional liability insurance in the amount of $1 million, $3 million; and college approval.	2
Required Course Total Credit:			48

Courses:

48 credits

This program is offered in the following formats or locations:

Online

The dynamic capabilities of GCU’s online curriculum offer considerable flexibility and convenience for career oriented professionals who are pursuing their educational goals. Full time faculty members, equipped with strong academic backgrounds and practical experience in their fields, support you every step of the way. Our small class sizes provide an intimate environment that stimulates engaging and challenging discussions. Classes begin frequently.

Evening

The convenience of GCU’s evening programs cater to the demands of working professionals. Evening classes meet once per week and offer the interaction and discussion of a typical college classroom, filled with career minded individuals. Evening class sizes are kept small, providing a warm nurturing environment that supports an engaging experience. Classes begin frequently at various locations.

Program SOC

Occupations

Marriage and Family Therapists

It is the policy of the University to collect and remit sales, use, excise and/or gross receipts taxes in compliance with state and local taxing jurisdiction regulations which require the University to remit tax where applicable. These regulations vary by location. Please note: It is also the policy of the University to require payment of sales, use, excise, and/or gross receipts tax. Payment of tax is ultimately the student's financial responsibility to the University regardless of financing arrangements. Per Hawaii requirements: It is hereby stated that students residing in the State of Hawaii will be charged Hawaii General Excise Tax on all transactions. Students living in the District of Oahu will be charged 4.5%. Students residing in other Hawaii districts will be charged 4.0%.
Book costs are based on an average. Costs may increase or decrease depending on electronic availability or publisher's book costs.
Room and board costs may be higher or lower depending on housing and meal plan choice. This number is based on an average for students on campus.
Some Non-Traditional programs may be offered on the ground campus or on-line.
N/A identifies that a program is not offered in that modality or that fewer than 10 students graduated within the reported timeframe.
Tuition and Fees for each program are based on current rates. Future Tuition and Fee Rates may vary. Tuition was calculated using the number of credit hours in the program times the current tuition rate and includes the Graduation Fee. Full time students enrolled at a program taken at the main campus include a Student Activity Fee, charged every semester. Online programs include a one time Learning Management Fee. Some programs may also include additional fees based on course materials.
On-time graduation rates and median loan debt are based on students who graduated in the 2011-2012 award year.
Not all GCU programs are available in all states and in all learning modalities.
Program availability is contingent on student enrollment.

Online/Evening program disclosures

* Please refer to the Academic Catalog for more information. Program subject to change.