Doctor of Theology in Pastoral Counseling The Doctor of Theology program is being discontinued and will no longer accept applications. Students currently in the program have completed all coursework and are being supported through the exam and dissertation phases in order to complete the degree. The program will be ending completely in 2022. The Doctor of Theology (ThD) degree is offered through the Atlanta Theological Association by Columbia, Candler School of Theology, and the Interdenominational Theological Center of Atlanta. Students register for courses at any of these three seminaries within the ATA, as well as intensive clinical training (normally at the Care and Counseling Center of Georgia in Atlanta), with at least one-third of the student’s courses taken through the student’s school of enrollment. The program of study is conducted jointly under the direction of the ThD Committee of the Atlanta Theological Association, comprised of full-time teaching faculty in pastoral theology, care, and counseling at Columbia, Candler, and ITC. The ThD Committee has responsibility for approving student admission to the program, establishing curriculum offerings, and certifying candidates for the awarding of the degree.
Aims of the Program
This program is unique among doctoral programs in the U.S. for its integration of theological, clinical, and research dimensions of the advanced study of pastoral theology and pastoral psychotherapy. Graduates receive in-depth education in psychodynamic, family systems, narrative and intercultural approaches to pastoral psychotherapy, together with training in pastoral
theological methods and social science research. The program includes both academic coursework and clinical residency and culminates in a dissertation. Graduates currently serve in a wide range of settings as pastoral counselors, chaplains, consultants, pastors in church settings, researchers, and seminary professors. The program is designed to prepare persons for the specialized ministry of pastoral counseling at a doctoral level of competence and for membership at the Clinical Member level in the American Association of Pastoral Counselors. With this training, graduates currently serve in a wide range of settings including pastoral counseling centers, chaplaincies, seminaries, congregations, and as consultants and researchers. There is also an option for coursework fulfilling academic requirements for licensure in the State of Georgia as a Marriage and Family Therapist. The ThD is comparable to the PhD, but it is designed for those whose vocation is primarily clinical and theological.
Program of Study
The studies included within the program help students gain an advanced understanding of appropriate theological and theoretical concepts. Students learn under qualified supervision the application of these concepts in pastoral counseling and how to promote professional integration of theory and skills in both pastoral counseling and pastoral guidance. In addition, students design and execute a research project appropriate to their own professional practice that gives evidence of their creative ability to contribute to this aspect of pastoral counseling. 43
