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A student taking notes - Explore Regent's graduate certificate in clinical mental health counseling online.

Certificate of Graduate Studies in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

On Campus, Online
9
January 8, 2024
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The Certificate of Graduate Studies in Mental Health Counseling, offered online and on campus in Virginia Beach, is a professional certificate that will serve as an endorsement to licensure and for counselor continuing education for additional state credentialing requirements. This is not for initial licensure. Presented from a Christian worldview, this graduate certificate in Clinical Mental Health Counseling may help advance your career as a mental health professional by equipping you with specialized counselor training and providing additional state credentialing requirements.

Through the Clinical Mental Health Counseling certificate, you will:

  • Understand how to choose, administer, score and interpret these and other assessment instruments in counseling: achievement, aptitude, intelligence, interest and personality.
  • Explore interventions and self-care in clinical, disaster, crisis and traumatic situations, including emergencies in which triage, support, referral and advocacy is required.
  • Examine abnormal behavior as defined by the DSM, as well as diagnosis, treatment and spiritual dimension of these disorders and potential cultural overrides.

Please complete the Request Information form on this page to learn more about this program.

Examination of abnormal behavior as defined by the DSM and includes an introduction to the etiology, diagnosis, treatment and spiritual dimension of these disorders. Focuses on appropriate use of the DSM, differential diagnosing, cultural overrides and emerging technologies in the treatment of individuals and groups.
Addresses the foundations, contextual dimensions, and basic knowledge and skills to function in specialized settings of agency, community and emergency environments. Emphasis will be placed on providing intervention in clinical, disaster, crisis and traumatic situations, including emergencies in which triage, intervention, support, referral and advocacy is required. Specialized areas will include counselor self-care; wellness and preventions; suicide de-escalation, crisis incident stress management, and psychological first aid.
Examines principles of affect regulation – how humans regulate their emotions, by drawing on theories of attachment and interpersonal neurobiology. Characteristics of attachment security are explored, including how complex trauma and disrupted attachment may lead to difficulty in personality organization, compulsive behaviors, and relationship issues. Experientially-based therapeutic interventions are identified. Cross-listed with CES 751.

2023-24 Semester Check-In Deadlines

All students are expected to check-in for the semester two weeks before the session start date. Students should apply, be accepted, enroll in their first courses, and confirm a plan to pay for their courses prior to this date.

SessionSemester Check-InSession Start Date
Session AFriday, August 11Monday, August 21
Session MFriday, September 8Monday, September 18
Session BFriday, October 13Monday, October 23
Session CThursday, January 4Monday, January 8
Session TFriday, January 26Monday, February 5
Session DFriday, March 1Monday, March 11
Session EFriday, April 26Monday, May 6
Session FFriday, June 7Monday, June 17

CGS allows students who have earned or who are in the process of earning a 60 credit master’s level degree in counseling to complete additional coursework to pursue career opportunities, state licensure or specialty certification. Courses taken at Regent University while completing an M.A. in Counseling can be counted toward the CGS, but students are not eligible for federal financial aid for course work beyond the 60 credit hours required for the degree.

A student who is not currently enrolled in the School of Psychology & Counseling (SPC) who wishes to complete the CGS must apply as a nondegree student. All courses must be taken at Regent. Courses cannot be transferred in to the CGS programs. All requirements for the CGS must be completed within five years. Students who earn an M.A. in Counseling through the SPC cannot earn a CGS in the same subject as their major.

Application Process:

  1. Complete Your Online Application
    Submit your application using our Regent University Online Application.
  2. Provide Your Unofficial College Transcripts
    We require an official transcript indicating successful completion of bachelor’s and master’s degree programs. Regent has partnered with DocuSign to offer a secure, electronic way for your previous college transcripts to be delivered on your behalf once you have registered for your first semester.

    If you have an unofficial copy of your college transcripts, please email those to apply@regent.edu using the subject line: SPC Certificate Application Pieces.

    If you are an international student, or you earned college credit at non-US institutions, please submit your transcripts for a third-party course-by-course evaluation. Learn more and find recommended agencies.

  3. Complete Your Admissions Questionnaire
    Please complete a brief admissions questionnaire based on your professional goals and interests, and provide thoughtful and thorough responses. This will give us a better opportunity to get to know you and see how your objectives align with our programs. Once completed, the questionnaire will be sent directly to an admissions counselor who will be in touch with you to help complete the rest of your application. Access the Admissions Questionnaire.
  4. Submit Your Resume
    Submit a professional resume or curriculum vitae to include three references with contact information. References should be able to address questions related to character, as well as your interpersonal and relational skills. Please email to the Admissions Office at apply@regent.edu using the subject line: SPC Certificate Application Pieces.

Note: Current Regent M.A. students applying for admission to a CGS program must have completed at least one semester of the M.A. program before applying.

A maximum of 12 Regent credits may be allowed toward a degree if a nondegree student later applies for regular degree-seeking status. The applicant must submit the additional material required for degree status. The admissions committee will consider the application in the same way it would a new applicant.

Certificate of Graduate StudiesTuition Cost Per Credit HourTotal CreditsTuition Cost for Certificate
Clinical Mental Health Counseling$7309$6,570
Marriage, Couple & Family Counseling$73012$8,760
School Counseling$73012$8,760
Trauma Counseling$73012$8,760

Student Fees Per Semester

University Services Fee (On-Campus Students)$850
University Services Fee (Online Students)$700

Military Admissions & Aid » | Cost of Attendance »

*Rates are subject to change at any time.

CGS Requirements

Complete 9 credit hours.

Certificate must be completed within 5 years.

Maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00.

“People, especially kids, need more than clichés. My training at Regent gave me a meaningful way to express my empathy - which is passion and compassion combined - and they could feel the authenticity of it.”

Cedric Rucker, M.A. in Counseling, 2008 Community Counseling

“Regent trained me really well as a clinician in getting the types of clinical experiences that I needed and building relationships. I felt known as a person and invested in for who I was.”

Madison Simons, Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology, 2020 Staff Psychologist at Cleveland Clinic’s Digestive Disease and Surgery Institute

“Great education. Top notch! Rigorous curriculum that takes on real work-life demands while incorporating sound Biblical principles.”

Audrey Bilbraut, Ph.D. in Counseling & Psychological Studies, '24

“I'm grateful for my Regent mentors. Their emphasis on relationships and guidance has helped me navigate a challenging yet rewarding journey.”

Alexandra Melchiorre, M.S. in Psychology, 2018 Registered Behavioral Technician

“My time at Regent left me with a desire for excellence. I believe that was something that was already instilled in me but my education here challenged me even more.”

Eric Ferguson, M.A. in Counseling, 1997 Founder, Metanoia Missions International