Professional Counseling Statement Of Purpose

Statement of Purpose

I intend to enroll in the Fall 2017 MA in Professional Counseling Online program at Liberty University. My ultimate goal is to obtain my master’s degree, pursue LPC licensure, and eventually, along with my wife, open a counseling practice. I believe that my personal history and character qualities combined with my helping experiences and future goals bring me into alignment with the mission of Liberty University and the Master of Arts in Professional Counseling Degree Program.

Personal History and Character Qualities

My personal life experiences and the character qualities that God has developed in me through them have prepared me to pursue a ministry of service in the counseling profession. From the time that I was born,

Being raised in a pastor’s home, I was taught from an early age to love God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love others as myself (Mark 12:30-31). Furthermore, I learned from observing my parents that to love God was to serve God and to love others was to serve

Through the years, this calling has taken many different shapes and forms. As a youth pastor, I endeavored to shape the lives of young people into the image of Christ. Whether by teaching, preaching, or counseling, my aim was to help them to be “…rooted and built up in him…” (Colossians 2:7 King James Version). As an evangelist for six years, my goal was to “…go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in…” (Luke 14:23). This often required spending time with the broken and lonely, feeding them and clothing them, and showing rather than telling them about the Love of Christ. As a church planter and pastor of five years, I was intimately involved with the community that God sent me to serve. During those years, I worked with people of all ages, many different nationalities and cultures, differing sexual orientations, and diverse religious backgrounds. What I have learned through those experiences is that everyone is unique. Though individuals may have characteristics or beliefs that are partially in alignment with their culture, social group, or religion, they will also have perceptions that are unique to themselves. It follows, that in counseling, I must treat every client as an individual while also taking their relevant background information into