Counseling Programs

At a Glance

2-4 Years Length of programs
10:1 Student-faculty ratio in clinical-year supervision classes
CACREP Accredited programs

Hope Heals

A professor talking with a student

Counseling is more than a career. It’s a calling that will connect you with individuals and families – sometimes for days, sometimes for years – as they navigate life in a quest for understanding and hope.

At George Fox, we’ll show you how to be fully present with people in their time of need. You’ll broaden your perspectives in a diverse learning community, deepen your knowledge under the guidance of faculty mentors and learn how to care for the spiritual, emotional and social needs of the clients you serve.

This is your chance to create a safe space. For kids to grow. For families to mend. For people grappling with loss and struggling to move forward. Guide them through the darkness and bring hope to light.

Create Clarity. Restore Inner Peace.

Become a source of transformation in the lives of your clients and a standard bearer for holistic care in your professional network.

Watch video: Las Vegas Shooting Survivor Helps Clients Find Peace
A student working on his laptop at home

Set Your Own Pace

Strike the right balance between your personal responsibilities and your academic goals. We’ll help you design a degree path that makes the most sense for you, and you’ll have the flexibility to change your schedule along the way. Whether you’re a full- or part-time student – and whether you’re taking classes online or in person in Oregon – we’ll help you stay on track and finish strong.

“The flexibility of our program has been so important to me because I started out on the three-year track while also working full time,” says Kira Sandhu, a student in the program. “That turned out to be too much for me, but I didn't have to keep pushing myself in a burnout phase – I had the capability of dropping back to the four-year track to get things done.”

Explore Your Options

School counselor talking with a student

Care for the Whole Person

Dedicate your career to caring for the whole person, including their spiritual side. We’ve created a safe space to explore diverse belief systems and the role they play in people’s lives, and you’ll learn how to talk about these issues with sensitivity and depth in your future practice.

“George Fox created safety by just allowing us as students to have conversations and ask questions that didn't feel judgmental, whether we were talking about Native American religion or Catholicism or Christianity,” says Marchelle Carl, a counselor associate at The Northwest Catholic Counseling Center. “Now I can have better conversations with my clients to really work through healing their whole self and not just a part of themselves.”

How We Approach Spirituality

Mock counseling session in clinic simulation space

Turn Knowledge into Action

Hone your professional skills in state-of-the art clinic simulation spaces and transform lives in personalized field placements. You’ll also have the option of earning a certificate through the Trauma Response Institute or the Northwest Center for Play Therapy Studies, the largest university-based center of its kind in the Pacific Northwest.

“The most fulfilling thing about my internship through George Fox was the supervisors,” says Tim Ide, a marriage and family therapist associate. “All of them were right on point, and I know other students would say the same thing. At the end of the day, great supervision was huge for me.”

Specialized Training Centers

Counseling program students in a class

Cultivate Your Intellect. Grow by Leaps and Bounds.

Thrive in a learning community that cultivates intellectual curiosity and fresh perspectives. You’ll bond with students from an array of personal and professional backgrounds and collaborate with faculty mentors who understand the highs and lows of counseling. The insights you gain will transform the way you approach not only your career, but your life.

“At George Fox, rigorous and meaningful courses are delivered in small, intimate classes, and knowledgeable and caring instructors make student success a personal mission,” says Jillianne Williams, children’s pastor and teacher at Roots Early Learning Center. “I developed lasting friendships, personal and professional confidence, and a new view of the world and my role in it.”

Meet Our Faculty

portrait of Sammy outside

Sammy Rott

Marriage and Family Therapist Graduate Student Intern

Our curriculum goes beyond counseling history, theory and techniques by focusing on experiential learning in most classes. The counseling program here challenges us to regularly self-reflect in becoming aware of our own biases, understanding what our worldviews are, and how to ethically acknowledge the boundaries of our professional competence.

Questions?

Kelly Peterson

Kelly Peterson

Admissions Counselor, Graduate Counseling Programs