Graduate Counseling: Opening Doors
Chris Pepple |
Lipscomb University began with a vision of opening doors for men and women to receive a Christian education. The vision of the founders carried forward into a plan called Lipscomb 2010 which opened doors for continued growth and enriching programs designed to answer the needs of the ever-changing world. One aspect of Lipscomb 2010 involved establishing the Graduate Programs in Counseling which opened their doors to students for the first time in fall 2007. Lipscomb's counseling programs prepare students to work in a variety of settings, both secular and faith-related. However, the program is particularly beneficial for students who wish to work in faith-related settings such as churches, parachurch organizations and faith-based community mental health centers.
The program draws students from around the world who are driven by the desire to make a difference in their communities. Whether seeking general training in the counseling field, seeking licensure as a professional counselor, or seeking to enhance other career opportunities in education, ministry, social work, healthcare or business, the counseling students accept the challenge to change lives with their academic preparation, their professional integrity and their faith.
“Our idea of faith integration is that we not only train students to address psychological issues, but also to address their clients’ spiritual concerns. This is an essential skill for any counselor who is working in a religiously diverse society. A number of our students have said that our focus on faith integration is the primary reason they chose Lipscomb,” said Dr. Shanna Ray, co-director of Lipscomb’s graduate counseling programs.
Ray and Dr. Roy Hamley, co-director of Lipscomb’s graduate counseling programs, have welcomed students from all walks of life into the program. The students range from those recently completing their undergraduate degrees and establishing counseling as their first careers to those who have been out of school for fifteen or twenty years and are making a career change. Students also vary in their career options. Once in the program, students find their niche in the professional world with an unlimited number of options available such as grief counseling, addiction counseling or adolescent counseling.
Shabnam Khajehaddin
Shabnam Khajehaddin grew up in Iran and arrived in the United States this fall to join the first class of graduate counseling students. She is seeking her master of science in professional counseling. A family friend who studied under Khajehaddin’s grandfather in Iran now resides in Nashville and has family attending Lipscomb University.
“I heard from my friend that Lipscomb has a good rank and a very brilliant future,” said Khajehaddin. “I can say that psychology is a multilateral science that guides us to topmost life, no difference whether one is young or old, a genius or mentally challenged, it even covers both our personal and social life. It evolves both the counselor and his/her client. That is why I have chosen this major.”
Khajehaddin finds that life at Lipscomb University differs from her homeland, but she accepts the challenges to adapt to American studies. Language differences present a few challenges, but her determination to complete her degree overrides any difficulties that arise. “I can learn to overcome the differences. My classmates are helpful and kind. On the whole, our educational systems are similar, but in Iran, we focused more on final exams. Here, daily class assignments and activities are very important. Personal greetings are more open and friendly here. I notice that as a behavioral difference,” said Khajehaddin.
When she completes her master’s degree, Khajehaddin hopes to pursue a doctoral degree then return to Iran. “They need professional counselors in my country. There will be many opportunities for me there,” she stated.
Joseph Dixon
Joe Dixon understands overcoming challenges to succeed at a goal. On a good day and with the use of a hearing aid, Dixon, considered legally deaf, can only hear about 20% of sounds around him. As a 24-year-old student pursuing Lipscomb’s master of science in psychology degree, however, he knows that the only limits in life are the ones he places on himself. He is willing to work to overcome any challenges placed before him.
Dixon will complete his master’s degree in December 2008, and then hopes to pursue a law degree. His counseling degree will enrich his career options as a lawyer and strengthen his mission work. He currently serves through the Brentwood Baptist Deaf Church, a one-of-a-kind church designed for deaf people. The church averages around 150 people each Sunday and simulcasts services to over 600 people in 16 locations around the country.
“I am hoping to use my degree to help open opportunities in the deaf mission field. I have served on the international mission field and experienced the challenges of adapting to local sign languages or serving where sign language is not understood. Whatever the Lord calls me to do, I will do,” said Dixon. “The degree in counseling will also help me in my law practice since I plan to have an emphasis on juvenile justice. Throughout my career, I also want to debunk the stereotypes people have of deaf people. We are often overlooked for white-collar positions.”
Dixon faces daily the challenges of being a deaf person in a world so geared to sound. He needs an interpreter for classes at times. He also can’t answer standard telephones. Phone calls must be handled through text telephones, through a traditional telephone relay service, or through an internet video service. One problem facing users of relay services is that the general hearing public is largely unaware of the existence of relay services. Relay services have tried to increase awareness through public service announcements and commercials. However, it is still common for a hearing person to hang up on a deaf relay user.
Dixon, a 2006 Samford graduate with a degree in English, sees the benefit of gaining a graduate counseling degree as he plans for his future. “Lipscomb’s Graduate Programs in Counseling are very flexible. The degrees offered can apply to a variety of careers. The M.S. will be very beneficial to me in the long run,” said Dixon.
Lipscomb University’s Graduate Programs in Counseling have opened doors to many students seeking a comprehensive counseling education in the context of a Christian worldview. “In today’s society where families are fragmented, children are confused, and relationships are strained, our goal is to develop professionals who are caring, competent and committed to helping people,” said Hamley who sees the strengths of the initial class of graduate counseling students and looks forward to welcoming the second class next year.