Master's Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
At a Glance
Tuition cost for entire program
$50,880
Accreditation
CACREP; approved by Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists
Format
* The program length is eight semesters for students in our fall cohorts or 10 semesters for students in our spring cohorts. There are three semesters per year (fall, spring and summer).
Bring Light to Life’s Darkest Moments
Compassion takes many forms. Few roles are more significant than that of a counselor: an advocate, an encourager and a skilled clinician who sees clients for all they are, and who walks alongside them in their mental health challenges toward healing.
Our professionally transformative Clinical Mental Health Counseling program will prepare you to sit in dark, heavy places with people from all walks of life. We’ll help you grow into a skilled, ethical and empathetic clinician so you can guide clients along the winding road to personal discovery and lasting change.
Set the Standard for Clinical Excellence
Expand your knowledge and grow your skill set in a CACREP-accredited program that prepares you for an impactful career in clinical care settings.
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Grounded in Holistic Care
Learn to see your clients holistically by integrating their relational, cultural and spiritual experiences to understand the full complexity of their personhood.
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Flexible & Customizable
Choose from online and in-person formats that accommodate your work and life, and take advantage of field placements and certificates geared toward your specific interests.
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Focused on Your Success
Our alumni maintain a 100% pass rate on LPC licensure exams, and 96% of our graduates were employed in the field in 2025.
Strike the Right Balance
In this academically rigorous program, you can keep working and remain involved in your community while engaging fully in your clinical training. Hybrid and online options provide a consistent and predictable rhythm, and both formats offer dynamic learning experiences with a cohort that remains together throughout the program.
- Hybrid track: Attend in-person classes at our Portland Center on two weekdays and select weekends each term. Your schedule will be consistent and predictable each semester, regardless of the modality you choose.
- Enroll in the fall for in-person daytime courses with occasional live Zoom sessions, and complete the program in eight semesters (a little less than three years).
- Enroll in the spring for in-person weekend courses and live Zoom evening sessions, and finish in 10 semesters (slightly more than three years).
- Online synchronous track: Attend live Zoom classes on two weekdays and select weekends each term with your digital cohort. Join us at our Portland Center for a two-day intensive residency during your first year and a one-day residency during your final year.
Grow Personally and Professionally
This program won’t just prepare you to change lives – it’ll change you. Our students become highly adept listeners, drawn to the deep, formative work that unfolds in our classrooms and across our cohorts. That important work is modeled by professors who have spent much of their lives serving others through therapeutic practice.
Our faculty are accomplished scholars and practitioners, and the specialized knowledge they’ll share will expand your clinical skills and strengthen your spirit. You’ll benefit from the support of a dedicated faculty mentor and receive live feedback during role plays with classmates and professors, extending your preparation beyond theory into confident, real-world practice.
Heal the Whole Person
At George Fox, you’ll learn to see each client through a systemic and culturally responsive lens so you can understand them holistically. This will prepare you to care for the whole person, honoring the belief systems and spiritual dimensions that are part of the human experience.
Our university is grounded in the Christian faith, but our learning environment warmly welcomes diverse religious and non-religious backgrounds and worldviews. Because every student brings unique beliefs and spiritual experiences into the classroom, you’ll learn firsthand how to navigate respectful dialogue while maintaining professional and ethical clinical practices.
Strengthen Your Clinical Skill Set
Master the competencies you need to step into a successful professional practice. You’ll develop essential assessment and diagnostic skills, and you’ll learn how to design effective treatment plans in settings ranging from mental health centers to private practice to hospitals.
You’ll refine these skills through practice scenarios with live feedback to ensure your professional excellence for real-world care. You’ll also benefit from our strong reputation in the clinical counseling community. These established connections will give you access to hundreds of field placements while you’re a student and plentiful job opportunities after graduation.
Be the Answer to a Growing Need
Get an exceptional education that prepares you to meet a critical societal need and positions you for professional success. Last year, 96% of our clinical mental health counseling graduates were employed in the field, and 100% passed the licensure exam.
Our program is CACREP-accredited, and this mark of distinction assures you of a high-quality program firmly rooted in clinical best practices. It also speaks to the stability and financial health of our institution. By the time you graduate, you’ll be prepared for licensure in Oregon.
Gain Specialized Knowledge
Advance your expertise and better serve your clients’ unique needs by completing one of three certifications alongside your master’s coursework without extending your graduation timeline. These opportunities will prepare you for a wide range of roles and set you apart, both during your job search and in therapeutic practice.
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Trauma-Informed Care Certificate
Our Trauma Response Institute will help you develop trauma-informed care strategies by providing resources for research, training and clinical practice, as well as holistic healing strategies.
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Play Therapy Certificate
George Fox’s Northwest Center for Play Therapy Studies, the largest center of its kind in the Pacific Northwest, will help you develop proficiency in individual and group play therapy, filial therapy, sandtray therapy, and more.
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Spiritual Integration Certificate
Cultivate self-awareness to understand how your religion and spirituality influence your clinical presence, and learn to ethically and skillfully integrate clients’ beliefs into therapy without imposing your own faith or worldview.
Prescilla Dorsey '25
Throughout the program, I discovered so many things about myself and feel like I have grown into another state of mind. That is what I hope for my clients as well. I want them to get to know who they truly are.
Questions?
Kelly Peterson
Admissions Counselor, Graduate Counseling Programs
Other Careers in Behavioral Health
Not sure if counseling is right for you? George Fox also offers degrees in social work and psychology. Check out our other offerings on our Careers in Helping Professions page.
George Fox University is required to make cost of attendance (COA) information publicly available on this website. All stated financial information is subject to change.