Catalogue

Our Mission

The mission of New Life University is to provide quality training that brings together the best of Biblical counseling and secular education. We believe that counseling is the new evangelism, that hurting, broken people are a harvest field in need of the healing power of God and His church. By training godly counselors NLU is not only living out its own mission but fulfilling the Great Commission. NLU training benefits anyone who desires to help others, make a difference in their world, and live out the call of Christ to reach the lost, heal the brokenhearted, and care for the hurting in our world.


Who Can Benefit From NLU Training?

The training adjusts to meet the needs of Christians with different goals, including:

  • Christians who want to be better equipped to minister to those who need counsel
  • Pastors who want to learn how to counsel members of their community who are experiencing problems.
  • Christians who want to be credentialed and enter the field of counseling as a part-time or full-time ministry.
  • Professional counselors who want to become A.P.S. certified and learn a Biblically-based counseling model with proven success.

How NLU Credentials Help You Personally and Professionally?

Potential counselors often ask about the benefits of the training and obtaining certification or license from NLU.  Of course, the main benefit is knowledge.  The training you receive provides a deep spiritual insight into understanding human behavior and relating to others.  This knowledge is valuable in every area of life, including your ability to help those who are hurting.

In addition, the certification or license can open many doors.  For example, once you successfully complete the program, you may elect to apply for ministerial credentials through the National Conservative Christian Church and qualify to open your own counseling ministry in your community under the authority of this national church organization.

Having NLU and NCCA credentials ensures that you are recognized within your community as a qualified Christian/Pastoral counselor.  The community can be assured that your credentials are authentic and current.

Other benefits available to NLU members include qualifying for professional liability insurance, networking with other counselors and the opportunity to earn continuing education credits at seminars and conferences.  In addition, NLU offers assistance to its graduates with regard to degree transfer work and fulfillment of academic goals.

**The faculty and staff of New Life University reserve the right to withhold licensure from students regardless of their academic achievements if we believe, with cause, that such students may lack the emotional or spiritual maturity necessary to qualify them to counsel other people safely and effectively. Such an action is very rare and would be open to discussion and appeal with the student in question.**


Certification, Licensing, and Degree Completion through NLU

The ministry and mission of NLU is to educate and prepare men and women who have been called to a ministry of counseling, formal or informal, in an integration of clinical counseling techniques, biblical principles of counseling, and the power and necessity of prayer and worship in the healing process. It is our belief and our desire that the Body of Christ is called to help one another in finding healing and wholeness in all areas of the human condition, body, soul, and spirit. James 5:16 say, “Confess your faults to one another, and pray for each other, so that you might be healed.” Clearly we really do need each other to be made whole.

In view of that, we serve as a catalyst for the student counselor to prepare themselves to serve the Body of Christ with excellence and confidence. It is certainly acceptable to enroll in a course or courses through NLU to further your understanding of an area or to aid in your own growth. Our purpose however is to help prospective counselors reach a level of training and experience that qualifies them to serve the church and one another as fully as they desire.

CERTIFICATION

Upon satisfactory completion of the required coursework, supervised experience hours, and case studies the NLU student will be certified as a graduate of the Training for Christian Counseling. This certification is supported by the NCCA, the National Christian Counselors Association.

LICENSURE

The authority to practice counseling as a pastoral counselor is not given by NLU or the NCCA. That authority is given by the church. Therefore, an additional requirement to be certified as a Licensed Pastoral Counselor is the recognition, or commissioning, to ministry by the church. Completion of the NLU training should qualify you to be commissioned by your local church, or, should you choose, the National Conservative Christian Church, a well respected licensing organization that has a partnership with NLU and the NCCA. We will assist you in this step as a part of your NLU course completion. Licensure will be as a Certified Pastoral Counselor or a Licensed Pastoral Counselor depending on the highest degree held by the student.

DEGREE

It is possible to earn an academic degree through your work with NLU and membership in the NCCA. Earning a Bachelor’s Degree or Master’s Degree will require completion of the NLU coursework, some additional coursework depending on your educational background and the degree sought, and a matriculation fee. The degree program is available through a number of partner institutions. Students interested in a degree completion program should speak to a NLU admissions counselor to work out the exact requirements and program needed.


Christian Certification and Licensing

NCCA certification is not a state license and is, in fact, distinctly different.  Most states have regulatory laws governing the practice of psychology.  Many of them may also legislate the practice of general counseling.  The laws vary from state to state.  For example, some states have a counselor category called “Licensed Professional Counselor.”  Therefore, NLU requires its counselors to clearly identify their license, e.g. “NCCA Licensed Pastoral Counselor” or “NCCA Licensed Clinical Christian Counselor.”  This ensures that the NLU counselor is operating within legal and ethical standards, and maintaining the public’s trust and confidence.

State regulatory laws help to protect the public and ensure professionalism within the counseling profession.  The NCCA and NLU strive to attain a similar goal within the Christian community and, at the same time, operate so as to avoid infringing upon state regulations.

The state and federal governments also have jurisdictional boundaries.  They do not pass laws that prevent the Church from fulfilling its purpose of ministering to humanity’s needs.  The state recognizes that counseling is one of the responsibilities of the Church and its clergy.  For this reason, the state does not interfere with the Ministry of Counseling.

NLU requires all who are certified by the NCCA Licensing Board of Examiners to:

  1. Be credentialed ministers (ordained, licensed or commissioned) whose goal is to evangelize and ease the emotional pain and suffering of humanity.
  2. Provide their service under the authority of a legally organized local church, a national church organization, or a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit ministry.
  3. Complete specialized training provided by NLU.
  4. Complete the minimum requirements for continuing education and annual license renewal.
  5. Uphold NCCA’s Code of Ethical Standards and maintain annual membership in the NCCA.

The National Christian Counselors Association’s published Code of Ethical Standards outlines all of the procedures involved in dismissal, revocation, probation and reinstatement of an individual’s membership, certification and/or license.

Accreditation

The NCCA is fully accredited by the Accrediting Commission International as a comprehensive Accredited Member. For information regarding the standing of the NCCA please go to www.accreditnow.com.

The NCCA is also fully accredited by the National Private School Accreditation Alliance. For information see www.npsag.com.


Course Descriptions

For a complete list of courses offered and their descriptions, please visit the Course Descriptions page.


Tuition, Fees, and Matriculation

There is a $100 non-refundable application fee due upon submission of the application for enrollment. This fee covers administrative costs and the cost of a background check for each student.

The tuition for each Phase I and Phase II course is $275. Candidates are expected to pay for each course at the time of registration. Visa and MasterCard accepted.

Creation Therapy requires the student to join the Sarasota Christian Academy. The fee for this membership is $75.

Clinical Supervisors are to be paid $50 per hour and every candidate must complete six (6) hours of supervision/mentoring. Life Coaching Mentoring is $50 per hour. These fees are paid directly to the supervisory organization.

Each Arno Profile is completed at a cost to the student of $30. After the completion of Phase I student may charge clients for the profile.

For the Degree Programs the following matriculation fees apply.
Bachelor of Arts – Christian Counseling – $1200
Master of Arts – Clinical Christian Counseling – $1500

Matriculation fees are paid to New Life College Fund but go directly to the school of choice. A list of partnering institutions is available upon request.

Upon completion of Phase II in any program there is a $100 licensing fee payable to the NCCA. This fee is required along with the Notification and Release Form for Personal National Screening.


Course Exemption

Upon written request, exemption from one or more of the standard courses may be awarded. Consideration is based on the individual’s academic history as evidenced by documentation (resume and transcripts) and life experience. Application should be made to NLU’s Evaluation Committee PRIOR to enrollment.