Counseling Careers You Can Pursue With a CTS Degree 

If you’re called to help others heal and grow, Christian Theological Seminary (CTS) offers more than a place to study — it offers a community where your commitment to care becomes a professional path. Through rigorous academics, compassionate clinical training, and a spiritually inclusive environment, CTS prepares students for counseling careers grounded in justice, humility, and integrity. 

Whether you envision yourself working in a community clinic, group or private practice, or ministry setting, such as a church, CTS equips you to serve others with skill and presence. The Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (MACMHC) and the Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy (MAMFT) both provide the knowledge, experience, and mentorship to support your work with diverse populations in ways that reflect your values and goals. 

“Many students start in one setting and grow into another — from community mental health to private practice or spiritually integrated care — and CTS provides the foundation to support that journey,” says Bryan Votaw, clinic director and clinical supervisor in CTS’s post-graduate residency program.  

If you’re exploring long-term opportunities in counseling careers, CTS will position you for fulfilling work across a variety of clinical and community-based settings.  

 

How CTS Prepares You for Trauma-Informed Counseling and More 

At CTS, preparation for counseling careers is rooted in real-world experience and a deep understanding of human relationships. Students begin working with clients early in their education, integrating classroom learning with hands-on training at the CTS Counseling Center. They can also continue clinical work through the post-graduate residency program, gaining hours toward licensure with close support. 

“You’re applying what you learn in the classroom here in the clinic,” says Votaw, who directs the clinic. “It’s experiential. You can’t just read a book and know what to do. You have to be in it, and here, you’re in it a lot.” 

This immersive model helps students develop the awareness, adaptability, and presence required to sit with people through complex and often painful realities — and to grow their capacity as future clinicians. It also includes preparation for trauma-informed counseling and work with clients of diverse identities and lived experiences. 

Where CTS Can Take You — From BIPOC Therapist to Polyamory Therapist  

CTS graduates pursue a wide range of counseling careers, often beginning in one setting and evolving into another. Most roles fall into four broad categories: community mental health, group practice, private practice, and spiritually integrated care. The skills, experience, and flexibility students gain at CTS prepare them to move fluidly between these settings. 

Community Mental Health Counseling Careers 

Many graduates start their counseling careers in community-based roles, including positions in nonprofits, schools, and public agencies that serve individuals and families with high levels of need. Common roles include outpatient therapist, school-based therapist, or home-based therapist working with families in their own environments. 

“I worked in community mental health for a time, and then I was in private practice. Now I’m doing this,” Votaw says. “My experience working in community mental health has been pivotal to my success in my position as clinic director. You don’t have to stay in the same context forever, and what you learn in one setting can profit your work in new roles.” 

The MACMHC program prepares students to support individuals in complex, real-world contexts while building a strong foundation for long-term growth and licensure. Through direct client work and a systems-based approach, students graduate ready to serve communities that need it most — including those looking for a BIPOC therapist, LGBTQ therapist, or practitioner trained in trauma-informed counseling. 

Counseling Jobs in Group Practice Settings  

Some CTS graduates begin their careers in group practice, while others move into collaborative settings after gaining experience in the field. These environments offer peer connection, flexible schedules, and opportunities to focus on particular therapeutic approaches. 

“You still have some umbrella that is supporting you as you are having more autonomy,” Votaw says. “Sometimes it’s just the self-care of the therapist — that they can lean into their passion because there’s less of a corporate hierarchy.” 

Group practices, such as the CTS Counseling Center’s Post-Graduate Residency Program — a supervised training environment for new counselors — often serve as a bridge between agency work and private practice. CTS students are exposed to a wide range of modalities, including trauma-informed care, multicultural frameworks, and systems-based approaches, making them well-prepared for counseling jobs that call for both collaboration and independence. Graduates interested in becoming multiculturally competent counselors are trained to support clients across lines of identity, culture, and belief. 

Private Practice Counseling Careers 

Many graduates eventually open private practices as individual therapists, marriage and family therapists, or specialists serving particular populations — such as those seeking an LGBTQ therapist or a polyamory therapist. These careers offer flexibility and independence, allowing clinicians to shape their work around both their interests and their values. 

“This is where you really get to lean into that work,” Votaw says. “You get to be your own boss, set your policies, and that can be really liberating for people.” 

Private practice also allows clinicians to serve marginalized communities with intention. CTS helps students explore how to run sustainable, justice-centered practices — a theme carried through both coursework and supervision.  

Whether you plan to offer general therapy services or focus on identity-affirming care, CTS provides the foundation to do this work with clarity, compassion, and ethical grounding. 

The master’s degree in marriage and family therapy focuses on systemic and relational dynamics — ideal for those drawn to working with couples and families. The master’s in clinical mental health counseling, while also addressing relational factors, emphasizes individual mental health treatment across a wide range of settings. 

Counseling Careers in Faith-Based and Spiritual Settings  

Some graduates work within churches, nonprofit ministries, and other religious or spiritual communities, offering care that integrates mental health support with meaning-making. While CTS does not prepare students for pastoral counseling rooted in a single tradition, it trains them to approach spiritual questions with openness and care. 

“Many people bring spiritual questions to therapy, even if they don’t identify with a religion,” says Votaw. “We prepare students to navigate those conversations ethically, respectfully, and effectively.” 

CTS graduates serve as chaplain counselors, faith-integrated therapists, and nonprofit leaders offering community-based care grounded in a justice-centered approach. 

The Path to Become a Multiculturally Competent Counselor  

Whether you’re building a foundation to become an inclusive and affirming therapist, developing your expertise as a BIPOC therapist, or seeking counseling careers that integrate advocacy, spirituality, and inclusive care, CTS offers an environment where your goals can grow. 

• Hands-on clinical experience from the start: Students begin client work through the CTS Counseling Center as part of their supervised practicum/internship. 

• Inclusive and affirming education: Coursework and supervision follow anti-racist, justice-focused frameworks that honor the full spectrum of student and client identities. 

• Support beyond graduation: Students can continue accruing supervised hours toward licensure through CTS’s post-graduate residency program. 

• Spiritual exploration that honors difference: CTS welcomes students of all backgrounds and prepares them to engage clients’ beliefs in thoughtful and ethical ways. 

• Mentorship from engaged faculty: Small class sizes and personalized guidance support each student’s personal and professional development. 

The MAMFT is a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy that prepares students for clinical roles rooted in systemic, relationship-focused approaches. Likewise, the MACMHC is a well-rounded master’s in clinical mental health counseling program that supports students in building skills for individual, group, and community-based care. 

“I can’t conceive of a clinical counseling or therapy setting that exists that CTS does not prepare someone well to enter into,” says Votaw. “What sets us apart is we help people do the deeper work that is necessary to make connections with people. In the end, the common thing is you’re sitting across from another person or persons who need help. That’s what we do best — we help people help people.” 

CTS Launches Counseling Careers 

Counseling isn’t just what you’ll do. It’s how you’ll show up for others. At CTS, that presence is nurtured through compassion, curiosity, and the belief that every person holds inherent worth. 

Whether you’re drawn to clinical practice, family systems, advocacy, or spiritual integration, CTS provides the training, mentorship, and support to do this work with skill and care.