Kristen James Student Blogger Kristen James is a second year graduate student in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program. She moved to the Ohio Valley from Virginia in order to attend Franciscan and holds a BA in English from Virginia Tech. If she had free time, she would enjoy spending it writing and with friends;…
Louise Craig Student Blogger God loves us and has our best interest in mind. He wants us to have a ten-year old heart again that is perfectly content with building and playing and coloring. He wants us to be grounded in the truth that He is going to take care of everything. Everything. Saint Paul…
Josh Elliot Student Blogger I know the burning question that must be on your mind right now. What is a pastoral counselor? The obvious answer is…wait for it…a pastor, who is a counselor. Right? Well, the answer is maybe! I myself, as a pastor, decided to pursue my graduate degree in Mental Health and Counseling. However,…
Maegan McInerey Student Blogger We are all children of God, and as a counseling intern, I find it such an honor to love and care for people the way that my degree allows me to. Counselors are called to care for people, help them understand their worth as a person, enjoy their life to the…
Liz Heuertz Student Blogger I don’t know about any of you readers, but I have never been to a pastoral counselor. I have been in counseling and in spiritual direction, but never pastoral counseling. So when I entered a pastoral counseling class I didn’t really know what I was getting into.
Caty Tanaka Student Blogger I’ve always thought that hope was a dangerous thing to have and to believe in. I felt as though whenever I “hoped” something would turn out a certain way, I was often disappointed and let down. But I was operating out of an incorrect mindset of what hope was. A wise…
Diana Salcido Student Blogger While I am excited to become a licensed clinical counselor, I see much value in pastoral counseling. I believe pastoral counselors in the Catholic tradition can be both religious persons or lay people, with or without psychological training, who are able to help people make meaning through the transitions and struggles…
MaryJo LeChevallier Student Blogger The truth of body-soul union is so important to me in counseling. I intern in a community counseling center. In this setting, I don’t have the privilege of discussing Christ in sessions, but that doesn’t stop me from praying for my clients in front of the Eucharist and before sessions. I…
Diane Piland Student Blogger I am a graduate student in the Clinical Mental Health program. I was in the teaching field for twenty-five years. I was an educator in Honduras. I first taught elementary grades and later became the Director of the bi-lingual school (grades 1-12). Also, during that time I was the Director…
Justin Griswold Student Blogger Before coming to Franciscan, I thought I had a fairly well formed faith and saw the world through those eyes of faith. I came from a strong parish, a strong youth group, and many strong friends. It appeared I had it all. There was one thing about my faith that over…