Through CIU’s M.A. in Clinical Counseling and Ph.D. in Counselor Education & Supervision, Professor Nicole Kinney has turned a desire to help others into a career counseling clients, teaching students and preparing the next generation of counselors.
Nicole Kinney came to Columbia International University wanting to help others through counseling. Today, she is a counselor, researcher and faculty member preparing to graduate with the first cohort of CIU’s Ph.D. in Counselor Education & Supervision in December 2026.
For licensed and master’s-level counselors considering what comes next, Kinney’s journey from CIU’s M.A. in Clinical Counseling to doctoral study shows what can happen when professional preparation becomes something more: an opportunity for kingdom impact in developing the people who will shape the future of counseling.
How did CIU’s M.A. in Clinical Counseling prepare Nicole Kinney?
Kinney’s path to counseling began far from a therapy office. After becoming a Christian in college, she served as a missionary in Germany. A challenging season overseas eventually introduced her personally to counseling that brought clinical training and faith into conversation.
“Counseling is such a beautiful way to walk out our calling to show love to others, to walk beside people who are hurting and suffering, and to provide hope.” — Nicole Kinney, Associate Professor of Counselor Education
That desire led her to CIU’s M.A. in Clinical Counseling, a 60-credit, CACREP-accredited master’s program designed to prepare students for professional counseling while integrating clinical preparation through biblical worldview immersion. CIU offers the program on campus and online, with flexibility to choose between those formats by semester.
Kinney found the preparation rigorous and practical. She learned how to sit with people in difficult circumstances and develop the clinical skills necessary to care for them well. Her preparation also pushed her to wrestle with questions that went deeper.
“Why am I suffering? What does it mean to be healthy or to flourish?” Kinney said. “These are inherently philosophical questions that Christian theology can address.”
That became one of the defining features of her CIU experience. Faith was not a separate component added to clinical preparation. Students were challenged to consider how Christian theology informs the way counselors understand people, suffering, healing, ethics and human flourishing.
Why pursue a Ph.D. in Counselor Education & Supervision?
During her M.A., Kinney discovered another calling alongside counseling: helping other people become better counselors.
Faculty encouraged her growing interest in research. She conducted a study, presented a poster at a professional conference and presented alongside a professor. When CIU launched its Ph.D. in Counselor Education & Supervision, Kinney joined its inaugural cohort.
She stayed at CIU partly because of the faculty relationships she had already developed, but an even bigger reason was the program’s vision.
“I was drawn to their vision of creating disciples who counsel, train, and teach,” she said.
The doctoral program prepares counselors across five major areas: counseling, teaching, supervision, research, and leadership and advocacy. Its goal is to prepare graduates to serve as counselor educators, supervisors, researchers and practitioners in academic and clinical settings. Coursework is completed online with virtual and in-person residency experiences, and the program is designed for three years of full-time study.
That breadth matters, Kinney said, because a doctorate in counselor education does not lead to only one kind of career.
“There’s an emphasis on learning not just how to do better counseling but also how to communicate that knowledge to others, whether through supervision, teaching, or research,” Kinney said. “I would encourage anyone who is interested in helping develop the next generation of counselors to consider this program.”
What makes CIU’s Ph.D. in Counselor Education different?
For Kinney, CIU’s commitment to mentorship has been one of the defining parts of her doctoral experience.
Throughout the program, doctoral students put what they are learning into practice through teaching and supervision opportunities, with faculty providing guidance and feedback along the way.
Kinney describes faculty members meeting one-on-one with students to discuss questions about teaching and supervision, offering professional guidance, encouraging them and praying for them.
That relationship-centered approach also shapes how CIU integrates faith and professional preparation.
“We aren’t just adding Bible verses to each class,” Kinney said. Instead, students wrestle with how Christian theology informs, aligns with or challenges ideas within psychology and counseling. They also see faculty model that integration in their own teaching and professional work.
For Kinney, that means pursuing clinical excellence because of the value of the person receiving care.
The goal, she said, is “doing good counseling not just for the sake of helping people but honoring them as people made in the image of God, whether a client is a believer or not.”
“Nicole represents what we hope to develop through the Ph.D. in Counselor Education & Supervision: counselors who are prepared to teach, supervise and lead while investing deeply in the growth of others. Watching her develop from a student into a counselor educator and now a faculty colleague has been incredibly rewarding.”
— Steve Stuhlreyer, Ph.D., Professor of Counselor Education and Ph.D. Program Director
How is Nicole Kinney using her Ph.D. now?
Kinney is already putting that preparation into practice.
CIU hired her as a full-time faculty member in January 2026, and she now serves as Associate Professor of Counselor Education. She teaches courses including Foundations of Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Career Development, and she has taught practicum and provided supervision. She also maintains a private practice.
Research has become another significant part of her calling. Kinney studies spiritual abuse, particularly within Christian contexts, with a goal of helping Christian communities better understand prevention and care for people who have experienced it.
The Ph.D. gave her tools to conduct sound research and connect with other scholars working in the field. Now she hopes to continue that scholarship while teaching, counseling, and helping other training programs think deeply about biblical worldview integration.
In other words, Kinney has moved from learning how to counsel to helping shape how others counsel.
Her transition from student to colleague has given Kinney a chance to see her own growth more clearly.
“I can look back and say that I was more prepared than I anticipated,” she said. The program helped prepare her to enter professional spaces “like a peer in those spaces and not just a learner.”
Is a Ph.D. in Counselor Education worth it?
Kinney encourages prospective students to consider how a doctorate aligns with where they want to take their career. For her, the value of the Ph.D. has extended well beyond the professional opportunities it can create.
“Our program in particular has not just helped me to develop professionally but also in my personal life,” Kinney said. “Spending time learning and being mentored has been such a beautiful part of my spiritual growth.”
For counselors who want to teach, supervise, conduct research, lead or help develop the next generation of counselors, that combination of professional preparation, mentorship and spiritual formation can open a new chapter of calling.
Take the next step toward the June 2027 Ph.D. cohort
CIU’s next Ph.D. in Counselor Education & Supervision cohort begins June 28, 2027, with only one program start each year. The priority application deadline is Dec. 15, 2026, and the final application deadline is Jan. 30, 2027.
Prospective students can review the Ph.D. admission requirements and apply to CIU.
Want to explore more about the program? Join CIU on Oct. 13 at 6:30 p.m. ET for the webinar, “Why Get a Ph.D. in Counselor Education? What Licensed Counselors Need to Know.” Register to attend live or receive access to watch later. Attendees will also receive a $500 Visit Scholarship.
Not yet ready for doctoral study? Explore CIU’s CACREP-accredited M.A. in Clinical Counseling and prepare to turn your desire to help others into a career of skilled, compassionate care, walking alongside people in some of the moments they need hope most.
Higher learning. Deeper faith. A Christ-centered community on campus and online. Request Info | Apply | Give
