Program Description
The Doctor of Christian Counseling (DCC) is designed to build the counseling knowledge and skills needed for those who desire to bring healing and hope to hurting people as counselors in churches or faith-based organizations. This program will prepare students for an advanced level of pastoral counseling, hospital chaplaincy, crisis pregnancy centers, family case management, or other counseling positions which do not require professional licensure.

Program Goals
We want to help our students:

• To attain basic biblical and theological understanding of the Bible.
• To be more competent in their service to others.
• To create a concern for the spiritual and psychological needs of others and an appreciation for the differences between people.
• To acquire counseling methods which are relevant and applicable to the helping and healing ministry.
• To enhance counseling skills and interpersonal relationships.

Program Objectives
• To prepare graduate students for biblical and psychological counseling competency dealing with the emotional, social, and spiritual needs within the Christian community.
• To educate students to articulate a philosophy of counseling ministry based upon the integration of biblical, empirical, historical and social science research
• To help student learn the most widely practiced counseling methods and principles
• To increase their attentiveness to their personal spiritual formation and to demonstrate an understanding of biblical and theological foundations for counseling.

Doctor of Christian Counseling Admission Requirement
Applicants must meet the following minimum requirements to be considered for admission to the Doctor of Christian Counseling degree program:

1. Achieved at least a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 (4.00 scale) in graduate work.

2. Earned one of the following degrees: a) Master of Divinity degree or its equivalent from a fully-accredited seminary; OR b) Master of Arts in Christian Counseling or its equivalent from an accredited graduate school. Students equipped with this background complete a 54 unit degree program (48 plus thesis).

3. Applicants whose first language is not English may submit a TOEFL with a 575 minimum score (paper-based) or 233 (computer-based) and a TSE with a 50 minimum score in place of the Graduate Record Examination.

Doctor of Christian Counseling Application Procedure
The following documents must be submitted to the Office of Admission by January 15 for Spring Semester or August 15 for Fall Semester:

1. A completed Application for Admission form

2. Application fee of $100 (non-refundable)

3. Application essay—a personal statement (3-5 pages) addressing plans for theological study (see queries on application)

4. Official transcripts from every college, university or seminary attended beyond high school to be sent directly to Horizon Institute .

5. Five recommendations sent directly to Horizon Institute

6. Academic papers, records or other samples of scholarly work may be included. A personal interview may be arranged and is strongly recommended.

Doctor of Christian Counseling General Requirements
Unit Requirements : The DCC requires 48 units of course work, plus 6 units of a dissertation. A maximum of 18 units may be transferred from previous graduate course work in religion.

Required Courses
All DCC students must take required courses for DCC area.

Doctor of Christian Counseling Qualifying Examinations
Upon successful completion of 48 units of course work, students are allowed to schedule qualifying exams.

Doctor of Christian Counseling Advancement to Candidacy
In order to advance to candidacy there are several things that must happen. Students must form, in consultation with an advisor, a dissertation committee consisting of three members of the Horizon Institute graduate faculty. Whether before of after forming the thesis committee, students must pass their qualifying exams to advance to candidacy. Students must have completed a dissertation proposal that has been approved by the thesis committee and must submit a 350-word summary of the proposal to the administration office. Students must also notify the administrator who will obtain faculty signatures on the advancement to candidacy form, which must then be submitted to and signed by the Dean. Advancement to candidacy must take place at least six months prior to the date scheduled for the dissertation defense.

Doctor of Christian Counseling Dissertation & Oral Examination

Dissertation Committee
The final oral committee will consist of at least three members. The chair of the committee must be a member of the Horizon Faculty. With the approval of the chair and the dean, the other two members of the committee are chosen from among the faculty of Horizon Institute .

Draft of the Dissertation & Scheduling the Oral Exam : The student must submit a preliminary draft of the entire dissertation to each member of the student's dissertation committee by the beginning of the semester in which the student hopes to graduate, in order to allow for revisions before as well as after the final oral exam. A draft for the final oral must be submitted to the entire committee at least six weeks before the planned date of the oral examination/defense in order to allow faculty time to determine whether the defense may be scheduled. The defense will be scheduled only when committee members agree that the dissertation is free of any major problems and indicate that agreement as well as their commitment to attend the oral defense by signing the approval for final defense form.

Doctor of Christian Counseling Course Requirements (24 units)

CC609 Research Design (3 units)
CC612 Object Relations Theory and Christian Counseling (3 units)
CC641 Family Therapy and Christian Counseling (3 units)
CC660 Introduction to Clinical Practice (3 units)
CC669 Advanced Clinical Practice (3 units)
CC685 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (3 units)
CC691 Theological Foundations, Spiritual Formation, and Christian Counseling (3 units)
CC695 Psychological and Spiritual Assessment (3 units)

Doctor of Christian Counseling Course Elective (12 units)
12 units may be taken from any of the following courses listed, or from selected masters level courses.

CC621 Child and Adolescent Therapy (3 units)
CC625 Gerontology and Christian Counseling (3 units)
CC630 Christian Counseling and Human Sexuality (3 units)
CC642 Marital Theory and Counseling (3 units)
CC661 Legal, Ethical, and Moral Issues in Christian Counseling Practice (3 units)
CC671 Christian Counseling and Personality Disorders (3 units)
CC672 Christian Counseling and Addictions (3 units)
CC681 Communication Skills in Christian Counseling and Care (3 units)
CC692 Using Spiritual Resources in Christian Counseling and Care (3 units)