About the Certificate in East-West Spiritual Counseling
About Certificate
The East-West Spiritual Counseling Certificate came into being to provide mental health professionals and pastoral counselors with the foundational background and skills in East-West spiritual counseling. The program enables therapists to broaden the scope of their practice to include the central role of spiritual and religious experiences and beliefs; and it teaches Eastern and Western meditative techniques and teachings that are helpful in bringing about a deep sense of well-being.
Certificate Learning Goals
After completing this program, participants will have the following:- An understanding of the relationship between one's spiritual "container" and psychological health.
- A realization of the importance of bringing to consciousness the underlying spiritual assumptions that hold us.
- Specific tools for facilitating the examination of spiritual assumptions.
- A working knowledge of Eastern and Western spiritual teachings that can be transformative to people seeking spiritual counseling, regardless of spiritual orientation.
- Development of the fundamental basis of their spiritual counseling practice.
Curriculum Overview
Students are required to complete 18 units, consisting of 6 units of core courses and 12 units of directed electives. The certificate is taken over two consecutive semesters. Please go to Spiritual Counseling Certificate Curriculum for an outline of the curriculum and a sample schedule.
Dual MA/PhD and Certificate Students
Courses taken for the East-West Spiritual Counseling Certificate can apply toward the East-West Psychology MA and PhD requirements. By enrolling in the certificate program, a master or doctoral student can fulfill most of the units needed in the area of specialization. Click the link to see a Spiritual Counseling Certificate sample schedule.
Admission
The goal of this program is to provide mental health professionals and pastoral counselors with the foundational background and skills in East-West spiritual counseling, thereby enabling them to broaden the scope of their practice. Licensure as a mental health professional or training and experience in pastoral counseling is thus a prerequisite for admission. Applicants who are not yet licensed but have training and experience in mental health or pastoral counseling will be considered on a case-by-case basis. A personal interview with EWP core faculty members is part of the application process. Admission to the certificate program is for the fall semester only.
