Mental Health & Wellness

Our Purpose

The mission of the mental health and wellness programs is to prepare counselors to provide caring, compassionate and competent counseling services in a variety of settings to diverse populations. To that end, students will be provided with a current, practical and ethical education consistent with Harding’s Christian foundations, equipping them to be effective counselors/therapists capable of facilitating healthy change, growth and development.

Entry Level Master's Degrees in Counseling

M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CACREP accredited)

M.S. in Marriage and Family Counseling (CACREP accredited)

M.S. in Professional School Counseling (CACREP accredited)

Accelerated Minor in Counseling

The Mental Health & Wellness Department offers an accelerated minor in counseling for students who are wanting to pursue a degree in professional counseling or those looking to develop a well-rounded resume for their intended path. This 18-hour minor is open for all majors, designed to give students an introduction to graduate school in counseling and academic proof of soft skill development. Courses come from the psychology and social work programs as well as the MHW graduate programs. This minor is great for students who want to work in industries where counseling skills could be beneficial to their work, such as ministry or the medical field. Adding the minor does not guarantee acceptance into a MHW Graduate Program but does provide an introduction to the program.

Educational Specialist in Counseling

The Ed.S. in counseling prepares candidates to become leaders and practitioners in their field. Building on the master's degree, this program is designed to provide advanced training, licensure support and credentialing in a related field separate from the 60-hour master's degree. Four concentrations are offered:

This degree may provide additional support for professional credentialing as a licensed professional counselor and/or clinical mental health counselor for individuals seeking licensure.

Certificate in Counseling Skills

The 18-hour certificate program is designed to equip preachers, youth ministers, family ministers, women’s ministers, church leaders, missionaries and lay leaders with the tools necessary for working with and helping those dealing with addictions, marital issues, parenting difficulties and other mental health concerns within a church or ministry-related context. 

• Online delivery 

Church ministers, shepherds and ministry leaders are offered a significantly reduced rate on the counseling skills certificate. The cost is $250 for the first class with a 50% tuition reduction for remaining certificate classes.

Master of Science in Student Affairs

This non-licensure program is designed to meet the needs of people currently working in higher education who desire to move into mid-level positions within the college or university. Harding’s Master of Science in student affairs will be taught from a Christian perspective. A student with a bachelor’s degree in any field will be considered.

Locations & Delivery Methods

• Courses are offered at these locations:
  • Northwest Arkansas (Rogers)
  • Searcy Arkansas (main campus)

• Courses will be delivered in person with occasional work and content delivered via digital methods including class meetings. Regardless of where you attend, we have a flexible schedule to accommodate busy working professionals. Most classes are offered between 4:30-7:00pm or 7:00pm-9:30pm Monday through Thursday. Some courses meet on Saturdays a few times per semester.
• Many students complete the program in about two and a half years, but this can vary depending on a number of factors including how many credit hours a student takes per semester.

Technology Requirements

At a minimum, students should have access to the following:

• A computer to be used for class assignments and interfacing with our institution’s LMS, Canvas, in order to complete assignments.
• A webcam either with a built-in microphone or a separate webcam and microphone for Zoom meetings (i.e. class meetings, advising sessions, etc).
• A stable, secure internet connection. Since we will be discussing potentially sensitive and confidential topics, you must be able to have a password-protected connection to the internet.
• Access to your Harding Gmail account. This will be the means of all official email communication to comply with FERPA. You will need to check this at least weekly.

In addition to the above requirements, we also make the following recommendations:

• We recommend using PC Windows computers. While Mac OS or Chromebooks may be used, students could encounter some issues interfacing with our institution’s LMS and other systems.
• See the Canvas Tutorial.
• We recommend students have access to headphones for Zoom meetings to avoid audio issues and feedback.
• We recommend students have access to a secure broadband connection. Some of the files we use are large and videoconferencing such as Zoom can use a lot of bandwidth.
• We recommend using a hardwired/ethernet cable connection to your modem/router. If using WiFi 4Mbps upload/4 Mbps download speeds are required. Please check speedtest.net if you are unsure.
• We recommend either having your Harding Gmail account accessible daily, or perhaps to forward it to another account you check regularly.
• Microsoft Office is available to all students. We strongly recommend completing papers using MS Word. Those using Mac OS products should plan on submitting their assignments in .doc, .docx or .pdf format to ensure they can be opened and graded through our institution LMS and to ensure all instructors can open and read submissions on University-supplied PC Windows computers.
• We recommend using Google Chrome or Firefox web browsers for accessing Canvas as many of the functions of our LMS are only supported with those browsers. Other browsers may be used, but students could encounter challenges with some submissions.

Assignment requirements

Canvas, our Learning Management System, has a built-in calendar and will notify you of when assignments are due. Instructors may change these as circumstances arise, but this is usually announced by the Announcements function in Canvas, Canvas messages or email in the case of mostly online courses or in class in the case of on ground, in-person courses.

Course Schedules

Spring 2024 pdf

Summer 2024 pdf

Fall 2024 pdf