Ten Words That Describe Me

For a class recently I had to go on social media and ask my friends what words they would use to describe me. I was pleasantly surprised that 68 people responded, and the ten words that surfaced the most were: authentic/real, passionate, hilarious, loving, wise, insightful, thoughtful, empathetic, intuitive, and sincere. I’d say these are pretty accurate, it’s what I’ve heard about myself all my life.

Helping people with their pain has been my gift, my calling, and my privilege. 

Everybody has pain. And how a person handles their pain is largely what makes them who they are. Some ignore it. Some grow really needy and want others to rescue/heal/fix them. Some become addicted. Some minimize it and blow it off by saying, “I just gave it to God, so I’m good now.” But a courageous few admit it, allow it to teach them and make them better, and get down to business and do the work. I’ve always tried to be that kind of person, and for 28 years as a pastor and counselor I have found that helping other people transform their pain, heal from it, make their mess their message, has been my gift, my calling, and my privilege.

Education

• 1992, Bachelor of Science, Clinical/Community Psychology, University of Michigan–Flint
• 1997, Master of Arts, Counseling, Oakland University

Experience

• 1994-2002, Youth Pastor, Davison Free Methodist Church (moonlighted doing counseling under supervision after I graduated)
• 2002-2016 — Founding pastor, Wildwind Community Church, Flint Township (moonlighted even more because I was then fully licensed)
• 2016-Present — Private practice

Teaching and Supervising

• 2000-2021 — Spring Arbor University, teaching in Family Life Education, Master of Family Studies, and Master of Counseling programs
• 2014-2021 — Spring Arbor University, teaching and supervising practicums and internships, Spring Arbor University Masters in Counseling program
• 2020-21 — Interim Clinical Director, Spring Arbor University Masters in Counseling program
• 2014-Present — Independent post-graduate clinical supervisor

Main Trainings and Certifications

• Gottman Level II (2022)
• Gottman Level I (2019)
• Prepare-Enrich (1998)

Other notable trainings

• Emotion Focused Therapy (2016)
• Imago Therapy (2014)
• Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (2017)
• Suicide and Self-Mutilation (2015)
• State of Michigan Graduate Supervisor training (2015)
• DSM 5 (2015)

My approach is very teaching-based. Every week you will be learning. And along with the teaching will usually be specific exercises/assignments I will have you do at home.

During session I want you to be completely dialed into what we’re doing, not busy taking notes. So after most sessions I’ll send both of you a session summary, which will summarize the teaching, remind you of the steps to do the assignment, and sometimes even provide links to books or videos that may be helpful.

In this way you are getting not just 45 minutes of my time, but stuff you can continue to read, process through, and work on all week.