Degree in Marriage & Family Christian Counseling
05/19/06
Belton, Texas –Seven chaplains from Fort Hood started a new master's degree program at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor this week.The university developed a new program in Marriage and Family Christian Counseling which has sparked the interest of the Pentagon, and consequently several Army and Air Force chaplains will pursue the degree at UMHB.Ideally situated just 20 minutes from Fort Hood, the largest military instillation in the nation, UMHB developed a 48-hour master's degree program in psychology and counseling with a specialization in Marriage and Family Christian Counseling, which is what U.S. Army and Air Force chaplains need to be able to advance in their careers.
“We spoke with the director of chaplains at Fort Hood and with representatives the Army Chief of Chaplains at the Pentagon.When we presented the new curriculum in the new program, they said it was exactly what they need,” said Dr. William Carrell, Dean of the College of Christian Studies.
All chaplains are required to hold a master's degree in religion, but not specifically in counseling. Although military chaplains may have served for many years, they are finding that they need additional training to deal with the many marriages adversely affected by the psychological toll from the war on terror.The requirement for the completion of master's degrees in marriage and family counseling is a significant step in helping the chaplains meet the psychological needs and challenges of the soldiers returning from deployment.
“We are pleased to have them entering the program because of the learning dynamic they will bring to our program,” said Carrell.“Younger students in the program will have the added advantage of studying with army chaplains who bring years of experience to the classroom discussion.”
The Pentagon offers the training program in Family Life Counseling at only two locations in the United States, Ft. Hood and Ft. Benning, Georgia.The training programs in counseling require the chaplains to be enrolled in a master's degree program in family counseling while the chaplains also counsel families on post.The Army and Air Force have chosen the M. A. in counseling degree at UMHB to be the training program for the Ft. Hood chaplains.Although 70 chaplains are lined up and waiting to get into the UMHB program, seven will be allow to pursue the degree at one time.The seven will complete the program as a cohort.
The program is a collaborative effort between the College of Christian Studies and the Graduate Psychology and Counseling programs. The curriculum integrates marriage and family counseling theory and practice with religious and moral perspectives.
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