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Jonathan Magee of Cincinnati, Ohio, began his career in church marketing. While he found the tasks enjoyable, he wasn’t fulfilled by the work he was doing on a day-to-day basis. 

He knew he wanted to help people, have one-on-one discussions, and make a tangible difference in someone’s life.

These realizations brought clarity to Magee’s search process. He knew counseling was precisely what he was looking for, and a Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program was his next step.

Beginning a Counseling Masters Degree

Magee enrolled in the counseling program at St. Bonaventure University, believing a secular education would provide a universal base of knowledge and allow him to have a broader reach in his practice. But shortly after beginning his courses, Magee was disappointed in the experience. 

“I found it very limiting,” said Magee. “In fact, it was not the open dialogue that I had hoped for in a secular university. The teaching was very narrow-minded.”

Topics around race, gender, and sexuality were seen without nuance, adopting a secular humanistic view. Magee realized he wanted his schooling to come from a Christian perspective. Secular schools were missing a key element of counseling: spirituality.

“I initially thought I wanted a somewhat secular viewpoint, but I realized once you remove God, He is quickly replaced by something else,” said Magee.

This spurred Magee to begin looking online for a Christian counseling masters degree that integrated clinically proven counseling strategies with the Christian faith. As a result, he found Grace’s masters in clinical mental health counseling ����Dz�������.��

While his education prepared him to be a quality clinician, he also witnessed his faith grow throughout the program. “The program is unifying because there are always disagreements in the world and in the field itself,”  said Magee. “But the Grace students and faculty are all unified through the faith element of this program.”

He found that the clinical mental health counseling program at Grace addresses challenging topics and prepares students to serve people from diverse faith backgrounds.

Life of Counseling

After working at St. John’s Recovery Place, a residential treatment center for alcohol and substance abuse in central Florida, Magee developed a close relationship with the clinical director, who introduced him to the CEO of the Peace Club. In January 2025, Magee began serving as a graduate student intern at the Peace Club in Cocoa Beach, Florida. The Peace Club specializes in dual diagnosis care, addressing both mental health and substance use, and gives Magee the opportunity to support a wide range of people.

The first time he got to counsel someone, Magee says it was better than he could have imagined. “It felt like sacred work,” said Magee. “Substance abuse was my first placement, and realizing the work we were doing could change someone’s life felt significant. It’s the way I want to spend my life.”

Magee’s first placement was with a woman who had been sexually assaulted and attempted to take her own life. This heartbreaking situation made him realize that he needed something bigger than himself; he needed Jesus to be at the center of his counseling. 

“There’s a need for God, for Jesus, and I need to tap into that,” said Magee.

Magee feels called to counsel individuals who have struggled with substance abuse, and he says it has strengthened his faith in the process as well. According to him, Grace’s clinical mental health program has played a pivotal role in preparing him to serve others.

“I’m so happy to have chosen Grace,” said Magee. “I think Grace has changed the trajectory of my life and the life of my family for generations. The lessons I’ve learned aren’t just about the field, but also about how you live.”

Interested in serving others through counseling? Learn more about Grace’s masters in clinical mental health counseling program today!

What makes counseling special? Read the differences between psychotherapy and counseling!

Read Miya Moore-Felton’s story of how she uses her mental health counseling degree to protect men in the military!