Counseling Psychology Student and Alumni News and Wins!
CP Grad Heather King (’98) and daughter NatalieHeather King, ’98: “My daughter Natalie is now eighteen months old, and continues to grow into a happy and inquisitive child, filled with enthusiasm and energy! I have moved into a new job as a Business Development Administrator with a non-profit consulting firm, and I am excited to see how a service orientation to life supports my co-workers in the same way that it has supported my clients when working as a counselor.
A big win for us this year is that Natalie, Chris, and I finally moved! Our new home gives us twice as much space, with plenty of room for Natalie’s expanding selection of toys and books! Our lives are filled with many blessings of the heart, and we send our loving thoughts and gratitude to all our USM family.”
Pat Jackson, ’96: “What a varied journey this has been! I have been working towards completing my 3000 hours of Internship for the past six years, working in the arena of geriatrics, then in schools to fulfill the requirements for the hours spent counseling with children. That has now brought me to working in foster care here in Palmdale. I passed my written exam in April 2001, and am studying for the Oral Exam later in the year. The value that I received through my USM experience has given me the confidence to approach many different areas of counseling, and I feel prepared for anything that may come along. Thanks, USM, for your continuing support!”
CP Grad Kate Nesbitt (’99), recently passed both Written and Oral California State Board Exams Kate Nesbitt, ’99: “Three-foot tosses over the past six years have helped me reach my goal of becoming a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist! Like a frog leaping easily from stone to stone, I have earned my USM degree, accumulated 3000 wonderful hours of counseling experience in three different internships, studied for and passed my California State Board Exams (both Oral and Written) on my first try, and entered into my own private practice right here in Santa Monica. Hallelujah! I have consistently used my USM skills throughout this journey to (1) set my intentions, (2) create Ideal Scenes, (3) use an ever-changing array of affirmations, (4) consult with my Inner Counselor, and (5) remain centered in my Self.
“Now, in my work with individuals, couples, and children, I am honored to be involved in the sacred process of assisting others in being all that they want to be. Thank you, USM, for the gift of so many skills that will continue to serve me for the rest of my life!”
Rosalind Ruhl, ’99: “Life is moving along for me at a breathtaking pace! Within three months I took both the Written and Oral Exams, and then held in my loving while waiting the 90 days for the final results to come in . . . I passed both exams first time, and on December 28, 2001, I received my MFT license! I can definitely say that the work I did in the CP Program — and especially the case presentations (which I found more demanding than anything that I came across during my internship) — was the most valuable preparation for the Oral testing. Having passed the exams, I was immediately asked to join the staff at the Discovery Center in Danville, where I spent the last two years of my internship. I am thoroughly enjoying working here part-time, practicing family therapy. I also run my own thriving executive coaching business, and in May this took me to China on a team-building project.
“I give thanks every day for the foundational skills that USM gifted me. The Spiritual Psychology approach is the infrastructure upon which I build all my Counseling approaches. I find that this has been particularly valuable in dealing with the issue of countertransference; I notice that, for those in my field who have not had the benefit of the USM approach, this can be a very challenging area. Time and again I find the greatest healing takes place as I hold a space of service consciousness, and support my clients in taking fuller responsibility in finding their own inner strength and innate purpose in life. It is such a blessing to be doing this work in concert with Spirit. As Halle Berry said at the start of her acceptance speech at this year’s Oscars, ‘This is so much bigger than I am!’ Thanks, USM, for all your wonderful support, and a special thank you to and the amazing CP Program.”
Jim Michael, ’01: “After graduating from USM’s Counseling Psychology Program, I accepted a new job at Gay and Lesbian Adolescent Social Services (GLASS). What a blessing to be working with gay, lesbian, transgendered, and questioning youth! I am currently a group home social worker and therapist, obtaining my intern hours while I work within a group setting.
“I am so grateful that I have brought with me the Learning Orientation to Life that I learned at USM. This is one of the most powerful tools that I have available — to support both my psychotherapy clients and myself. Holding a Learning Orientation to Life supports me in remembering that we are all divine beings having a human experience. It assists me in seeing through the eyes of my Inner Counselor, and in keeping my heart and mind clearly focused on my intention to support even the most challenged youth in using all of their life experience for upliftment, growth, and learning.
“I also made a decision after graduation to volunteer to assist in the 2001-02 Counseling Psychology Supervised Practicum class. I anticipated with great joy the opportunity to serve these wonderful students, many of whom I know. I also had the strong sense that I would grow on a number of levels, simply by continuing to spend time at USM. I’m happy to report that, as the students have grown, so have I!
“The practical, hands-on benefits I have received as a result of volunteering became very clear to me recently as we watched a movie clip about transference and countertransference. If the truth be told, when I was a student in the Practicum the first time, I neither liked the video, nor did I think I’d derived much value from it. But something is different between then and now. I was listening more closely, and hearing what was being said as if with fresh ears! Many changes have taken place for me over the past year. Now something inside has shifted, allowing me to be conscious of learnings and understandings about my own transferences at a deeper level, one that I hadn’t been open to just a year before. I’m moving into a new level of awareness — and I’m growing.
“As I sit in the back of the classroom, listening to the group supervision taking place, I experience great appreciation for the unique focus that USM brings to this work, one that I just don’t see anywhere else. I have the opportunity once again to have my awareness brought to the spiritual perspective, in addition to learning more about the different clinical perspectives. I note new ideas, and apply them with my own clients as appropriate.
“My continued participation as a volunteer at USM adds tangible value to my work, particularly in the area of my attunement to Spirit. An example of this is the two Domestic Violence Prevention groups that I co-facilitate at the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center (LAGLC), where I had done my internship. I find that I’m asking for Spirit’s assistance more often, and I’m experiencing even more fully that Spirit is clearly present in the room where we work with perpetrators and victims of domestic violence. These Domestic Violence Prevention groups have provided a space where I’ve grown and received the blessing of a deeper connection with Spirit.
“Here’s the heart of my message: Of all the blessings I have received during the course of this past year, the greatest is the unconditional loving that I experience while being of service. This came present some months ago when Johanna Jenkins, Counseling Psychology Program Director, had requested that I get her a cup of tea. This may sound odd, but I had tears of joy in my eyes as I brought her that tea. She helped me understand experientially that it was my being of selfless service that brought me joy. I never knew that service could do that — I just never knew. Volunteering at USM — it does a Being good! Now I bring this service consciousness to everything I do, to my work with clients, and to my Self. What a difference this is making in all areas of my life!
“My life is a celebration! From my learnings and experiences at USM, I have the tools to create a deeper connection with myself, my clients, my co-workers, and with God. Thanks, USM!”
Karen Schipani-Tedrahn, ’01: “At my clinical placement for my traineeship, one of my Supervisors is a Clinical Psychologist. We have been using one of our weekly meetings every month to process issues that come forward for us while we are working with clients. During one of these group process meetings, a fellow intern expressed her difficulty in working with a couple who were presenting with marital issues that were reflecting back to her the very same issues she was having with her husband. I moved into processing with her as her counselor for about forty-five minutes, and she came to a place of deep emotional healing.
“After the session was over, my Supervisor came up to me and shared with me that I had done a great job working with the intern.
“‘Where did you learn to use counseling skills like that?’ he asked. ‘At the University of Santa Monica!’ I replied. ‘Wow! I wish all new interns were able to use the skills like that!’ he responded, and then asked if I was open to receiving some referrals from him!
“Building upon the firm foundation of the practical and healing program at USM, I am continuing to move forward successfully and gracefully in my chosen field. Thanks, USM, for this wonderful experience, and the ongoing support and loving!”
CP Grad Daniel McGrath (’99), currently serving as a Trainee with Casa de AmparoDaniel McGrath, ’02: “If it were not for the connection to Spirit that I cultivated while studying at USM, I do not believe I would have found the strength of heart to do this work.
“I am currently serving as a Trainee with an agency called Casa de Amparo. Amongst the many services that we offer is comprehensive support for children who have been removed from their homes and families by Child Protective Services (CPS). CPS in San Diego County works hard to keep families together; if a child ends up in our care, it is because things have gone seriously awry in their home.
“When I started at Casa de Amparo, it was heartbreaking to see how a child suffers when separated from all that is familiar to them. When a child is as frightened and confused as these children often are, it can be difficult for them to feel safe, or to even begin to know whom they might be able to trust. Witnessing children having this experience has at times triggered a great deal of pain in me related to my own unhealed childhood memories. From my point of view, this pain is what motivates much of our society to avoid acknowledging that agencies like Casa de Amparo even exist. The suffering of these children can be very uncomfortable to witness.
“A primary benefit from my USM experience is being able to work through these unhealed places within myself. This has meant finding the courage to go deep into the dark areas of my own inner consciousness and bring in loving compassion to the pain. It has meant having faith that I would come out stronger on the other side. The benefit of a strong grounding in my relationship with Spirit has helped me to dive into my healing with a conviction I had never been able to muster prior to my studying at USM. Each time I emerged from the depths, my heart was stronger. Not harder, stronger. Stronger so that I could love myself more fully, and more lovingly and effectively relate to the children and families with whom I work.
“Another valuable benefit — and there have been many — relates to my experience of working with therapy groups. I support a great deal of play therapy with children, especially the younger ones. In my experience, it’s rare for a young child to be able to talk about life events and speculate on their meaning. Four and five-year-olds just don’t work that way. Something else occurs, which I experience as very profound. There are times during play therapy when an empathic connection appears between myself and the child. Things slow down, and it often seems as if time stands still. The world outside slips away, along with the events of the past and concerns about tomorrow. In these moments, beautiful things come to the surface. We share an experience of peace, calm, safety, trust, caring, respect, and loving, and I’m aware of a deep appreciation of the preciousness of the child before me.
“These times are magical, because this is when I sense that the deepest and most meaningful healing is taking place. For a child who has known little more than betrayal, neglect, and abuse, to connect deeply in this way is nothing less than a quantum leap into an experience of well-being that is new territory for them. It takes place subtlety and with ease. There’s rarely any talking in these moments, just a beautiful peace and quiet.
“This is the sacred space that we learn to cultivate at USM, and it is a tremendous honor to be present for a child as they take these tender steps in service to healing. It is a tremendous honor to play a part in seeding the experiences and memories that shape a positive and healthy future for a child. It is also a tremendous honor to be present in such a way that a child is willing to risk trusting again. I have come to realize that no amount of darkness will deter me from doing this work, for it is in these precious moments, more than ever, that I know I am working in the presence of Spirit. Thank you, USM. I am profoundly grateful.”
Johanna Jenkins L.C.S.W. Counseling Psychology Program DirectorIf you are a Counseling Psychology student or graduate interested in sharing your wins and/or your learnings through USM’s Spirit of Wisdom on-line newsletter, please write directly to Johanna Jenkins, Counseling Psychology Program Director, at the University. We welcome your news!
