Therapist here... questions about further education

[sanantone]

Thank you all again for the wisdom you've been sharing in this thread, I greatly appreciate it. I'm going to have to spend some time doing some research and these schools and these degrees and will either respond back here or post another thread.

Quick update: I spoke with Kairos and they informed me that since I'm not done with my hours yet and aren't a fully licensed therapist, I won't be able to enroll in the program. I'm about a year out from this... we did talk about the schools DMin program and it has me looking back at this option.

This question is for the people who are familiar with this degree: Is the DMin a degree that could possibly fit the criteria I cited earlier? Namely, could I still teach a course or two at a local school (I doubt a secular institution would be ok with this)? Does anyone know how flexible these programs are and would I be able to do my doctoral work around secular counseling through a Christian lens or something of the sort? The reason I ask is because while I am a Christian and my faith is important to me, I don't want it to hurt myself since I am a professional therapist. I don't want future clients to look at this degree and label me as a "Bible only" or solely a "Christian Therapist" or something of the sort. Then again, it could help bring in clientele that share similar religious views...

Thoughts?

No. The closest you will get is a DMin with a concentration in chaplaincy or pastoral counseling, and Kairos doesn't appear to have any official concentrations. The Kairos DMin appears to have a self-directed model; I'm not sure if your transcript will reflect what you choose to study independently. My educated guess is that colleges will just see the DMin as a religious studies degree that isn't really related to mental health. As for marketing as an independent therapist, the DMin will only be appealing to those looking for Christian counseling. That's not to say you won't get secular clients; they just aren't likely to be impressed by a DMin or to see you as more qualified because of it.

Why do you want a doctorate before becoming fully licensed?