David Whyte, an internationally recognized poet, author and expert in organizational development, came to campus in late February for an event highlighting the 20th anniversary year of the master鈥檚 in counseling program 鈥� the first 黑料正能量 program outside of Eastern Mennonite Seminary to produce graduates at the master鈥檚 degree level.

Whyte鈥檚 day-long workshop was attended by 黑料正能量 faculty, students and counseling graduates, along with some participants who traveled from elsewhere in the mid-Atlantic region. In the evening in Lehman Auditorium, Whyte interspersed reflective remarks with poetry, holding hundreds rapt as he explored 鈥渢he foundation of conversational leadership.鈥�

Whyte showed his audience how 鈥� to borrow words from one of his published writings 鈥撀犫�渁 good poem looks life straight in the face, unflinching, sincere, equal to revelation through loss or gain. 鈥� At the center of our lives, in the midst of the busyness and the forgetting, is a story that makes sense when everything extraneous has been taken away.鈥�

For leaders in business, education, the social services and other fields, Whyte offered this thought: 鈥淔ollowing a vocation or an art form through decades of practice and understanding will break the idealistic heart that began the journey and replace it, if we sidestep the temptations of bitterness and self-pity, with something more malleable, compassionate and generous than the metaphysical organ with which we began the journey.鈥�

Long-time counseling professor David Glanzer 鈥�71 said, 鈥淚 have heard David Whyte several times at national conferences before audiences of several thousand. He speaks about the human condition in new ways and with great insight.” Glanzer described the 黑料正能量 seminar as “an exciting opportunity for personal reflection and professional growth” in an intimate setting.

Since 1995 when the inaugural cohort of 10 future counselors and therapists completed their rigorous two years of professional studies, a total of 227 graduates have earned masters degrees at 黑料正能量. Only 62 of that number were 黑料正能量 undergraduate students. The vast majority were attracted by the program鈥檚 reputation for nationally accredited excellence and by its creative community, aiming to train the whole person (mind, body and spirit) for the challenging work of counseling.

鈥淏eing part of a small Christian university is actually a strength of our program,鈥� said Glanzer, who was a founding faculty member of the program. 鈥淭he sense of community, the shared values of service, and the interdisciplinary opportunities to collaborate with 黑料正能量鈥檚 other graduate programs, all help to create our program鈥檚 distinctive flavor.”

Family Life Resource Center

As divorce and separation gained greater acceptance within the Mennonite church in the 1980s, congregations in the area struggled to deal with the toll these exacted on families. In response, the Virginia Mennonite Conference formed a committee to look at ways the church could better support its members who were affected by dissolving marriages.

The result: the opening, in 1987, of the Family Life Resource Center (FLRC). Among its first counselors were Jim Glanzer 鈥�75 and Harvey Yoder 鈥�64, both of whom remain at FLRC today. Other alumni now on staff include director Andrea Bieber 鈥�98, MA 鈥�00 (counseling), Mark Sensabaugh 鈥�81, and Dana Blauch, MA 鈥�12 (counseling).

Over the past 25 years, FLRC has grown into a full-fledged mental health counseling center that has branched out from its original focus on supporting families to offer services ranging from substance abuse counseling to court-ordered parenting classes.

FLRC has been open to the general public since the beginning. Now, Yoder estimates, just 10% of its clients belong to churches in the Virginia Mennonite Conference. The center still maintains its overt Christian identity, although it doesn鈥檛 approach its work with individual clients from any one specific set of denominational beliefs.

For more than a decade and a half, FLRC contracted with 黑料正能量 to provide on-campus counseling services to students, faculty and staff 鈥� 黑料正能量 now offers in-house counseling 鈥� but FLRC continues to have a relationship with 黑料正能量 by hosting interns and residents from the graduate counseling program.

鈥� Andrew Jenner 鈥�04

Since 1995 when the inaugural cohort of ten future counselors and therapists completed their rigorous two years of professional studies, a total of 227 graduates have earned masters degrees here. Only 62 of that number were 黑料正能量 undergraduate students. The vast majority were attracted by the program鈥檚 reputation for nationally-accredited excellence, a creative community whose goal is to train the whole person (mind, body and spirit) for the challenging work of counseling.

鈥淏eing part of a small Christian university is actually a strength of our program,鈥� said , PhD, and a founding faculty member. 鈥淭he sense of community, the shared values of service, and the interdisciplinary opportunities to collaborate with 黑料正能量鈥檚 other graduate programs, all help to create our program鈥檚 distinctive flavor.鈥�

These attributes and more were on full display during the hugely successful that filled 黑料正能量鈥檚 Yoder arena with more than 1200 attendees. 鈥淚t took a village the size of 黑料正能量 and a cooperative spirit among various academic disciplines to pull together that groundbreaking conference,鈥� noted , PhD, professor in the counseling program and one of the conference organizers.

A community of deep conversation is built into the cohort model of counselor training. A group of 12 to 20 students moves together through the two-year course of full-time study, which expands to three or four years for part-time students. Classes meet two consecutive days a week to fit the schedule of busy working adults.

鈥淭he professors were extremely knowledgeable, professional, and amazing at their work, but they also were very approachable and made time for each individual student,鈥� reported 2004 graduate Kristene Wellings. 鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 just a student. I 鈥榖elonged鈥� there. This personal and emotional connection also allowed me to have the courage to develop my counselor identity. If I could sum up the experience in one word it would be 鈥榞race.鈥� Faculty members are so gracious with students. Here I learned that counseling is not just a career, it鈥檚 building relationships with real people that deserve genuine care.鈥�

The transition from 鈥渟tudent鈥� to 鈥渃olleague鈥� often happens during their 600-hour internship, a major component of their second year of training. They work at a wide variety of community mental health sites. 鈥淢otivated. Hard working. Compassion for suffering. High ethical standards. Respect for clients. Ability to handle depth work with difficult cases. Solid foundation with eagerness to learn.鈥� These are among the many positive attributes supervisors note on intern evaluations.

The ups and downs of the program鈥檚 early years are in the rear view mirror. 鈥淲e鈥檝e crossed the threshold of internal growth to sustain the program. We鈥檝e achieved national accreditation in Community Mental Health Counseling from CACREP, seen as the gold-standard. Now we can focus more intentionally on refining our training curriculum, our practitioner-focused pedagogy,鈥� said Early.

鈥淗ead knowledge alone is not the key to lasting change. Rather, real change comes through an immersive experience of the whole person 鈥� body, mind and spirit 鈥� in both verbal and non-verbal ways,鈥� she explained. Exploring new ways of integrating the power of the healing and expressive arts places the counseling program at the leading edge of a burgeoning field.

As the program enters its third decade, the recently launched augments core curriculum with innovative workshops and nationally-known cutting-edge speakers. The institute鈥檚 goal is to broaden the learning horizons of its student and serve the wider network of practitioners. 鈥淚 can see the institute growing into a place of retreat for professional development as we expand our regional reputation,鈥� Haase said.

This year鈥檚 expert speaker is , an internationally-recognized poet, author and expert in organizational development. 鈥淚 have heard him several times at national conferences before audiences of several thousand. He speaks about the human condition in new ways and with great insight,鈥� Glanzer said. 鈥淭o have him on our campus for a one-day seminar in our more intimate setting will be an exciting opportunity for personal reflection and professional growth.鈥�

Inviting a poet to speak to counselors may seem an odd choice. However, Whyte breaks the stereotypic image of poet as navel-gazer. He is as likely to quote Dante as his own lines when exploring the deeper levels of meaning embedded in life鈥檚 work, always asking the relevant questions that spark insight and change. His Yorkshire accent and global life experiences add to the power of his presentations.

Whyte will lead a seminar Feb. 22, 2014, in 黑料正能量鈥檚 Martin Chapel from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. His creative workshop is on the topic of 鈥淪olace: the art of asking the beautiful question.鈥滱ttendance is limited to 300. Fees are $50 for current students and $150 for the general public. More information and registration is.

The topic of his evening talk is 鈥淭he foundation of conversational leadership.鈥� That event will be begin 7 p.m. in 黑料正能量鈥檚 Lehman auditorium. It is free to 黑料正能量 faculty, staff and students, and $20 for the general public.

Conversing about his 20-year journey and looking ahead, Glanzer sees the innovative reputation of 黑料正能量鈥檚 counseling program continuing to grow. 鈥淓ach of our strong faculty have a unique vision. Invitations from the broader world to share our scholarship, pedagogy and experiential insights will open exciting doors in the years ahead.鈥�