As a child and family counseling major at Grace College, you’ll learn to help clients through developmental, emotional, and mental challenges through best practices, assisting them in reaching their wellness goals.
Our counseling program finds its foundation in God’s Word, especially in our belief that all humans are made in the image of God. We train counselors to work through difficulties with fellow image-bearers, helping them reflect Him more clearly.
You can expect group-based classes, in which you’ll discuss assigned readings and collaborate to find practical approaches to common counseling scenarios. You’ll then explore what past research and case studies have concluded, what your professors have seen as experienced practitioners, and which techniques experts use today.
With a counseling major, you’ll take both behavioral science core and major-specific courses. Your core classes will introduce you to the foundations of counseling, psychology, criminal justice, and behavioral science research.
With a counseling concentration in child and family counseling, you’ll specialize in family systems and child development, studying areas such as marriage, grief and loss, and therapeutic play.
Your courses will culminate in a practicum or internship. Because of the great demand for mental health work in the Kosciusko County area, you’ll work in a setting that best matches your career goals. Students have interned in corporate settings, nonprofits, inpatient and outpatient units, and government positions.
Once you graduate with a child and family counseling degree, you’ll be prepared to provide mental health care in a variety of settings. Child and family counseling graduates have gone on to work in general mental health clinics, hospitals, schools, the Department of Child Services, and a variety of other fields that require training and expertise in child and family counseling.
