GCU's Professional Counselor Graduate Certificate is a post-master's credential for mental health and related professionals who want to formalize their counseling knowledge and skills at the graduate level. Whether you're preparing for licensure pathways, supplementing existing clinical training, or deepening your counseling competency, this certificate provides structured, evidence-based preparation.
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For professionals who already hold an advanced degree — in psychology, education, social work, or a related field — the Professional Counselor Graduate Certificate provides focused, graduate-level counseling preparation without the commitment of a second full master's program. Develop the counseling competencies your work requires in a structured, faculty-supervised program.
The certificate draws on the same departmental expertise, faculty, and theoretical foundations as GCU's Clinical Mental Health Counseling M.A. — one of only a handful of CACREP-accredited counseling programs in New Jersey. You're receiving preparation grounded in the same standards that govern professional counselor licensure, taught by faculty who train LPC candidates every day.
Whether you're a teacher, administrator, social worker, nurse, or clergy member who regularly provides informal counseling support, this certificate provides the structured theoretical and practical training that sharpens what you're already doing — and gives you formal credentials to document that preparation.
Every applicant to this certificate program is admitted through a personal faculty interview — a process that ensures the program is the right fit for your background and goals, and that your preparation is individually calibrated from day one.
The GCU Professional Counselor Graduate Certificate is offered through the Department of Psychological, Social, & Behavioral Sciences and is designed for individuals who hold or are pursuing advanced degrees in psychology, education, social work, or related fields and want to develop or strengthen core counseling competencies.
This certificate sits within GCU’s broader framework of counseling and psychological services education — drawing on the same faculty and theoretical foundations as the Clinical Mental Health Counseling M.A. (which is CACREP-accredited). It provides graduate-level preparation in counseling theory, skills, ethics, and practice without requiring enrollment in the full 60credit M.A. program.
Students who have a master’s degree in counseling and who take 12 or more credits in the department will be eligible for a Georgian Court University Certificate. This is generally completed by students who wish to meet licensure requirements for the New Jersey Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). PLEASE NOTE: Students with a master’s degree in school counseling are likely to need additional coursework above the 12 credits. To qualify for licensure, students must have 60 credits, of which 45 credits must fall in the following domains:
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