Bringing Hope
The counseling session that cold winter evening inside the old brick Kroger's Bakery turned state-of-the-art kindergarten through eighth grade school not only fulfilled a bold, career-altering dream for the 50- year-old Brentwood, Mo., resident, but it also acted as a major milestone for the University's rapidly growing graduate program in counseling. A handful of impassioned MBU faculty members have devoted much of their professional lives in recent years to a shared dream of establishing a real-life laboratory for their students. The hope was that the laboratory would, just as important as its service to the students, provide a long-term, substantive service to a community in need. The MBU Counseling Center, a firstof- its-kind collaboration between a charter school and an institution of higher learning, is serving that purpose and so much more. "The Center allows our students to tackle socially relevant situations under the supervision of skilled clinicians so that they are better prepared to confront similar circumstances after graduation," said Dr. Skully Stikes, clinical director of the Center and professor of counseling and psychology. "At the same time, it helps to resolve personal and social issues associated with this city." In many ways, the MBU Counseling Center, which is free to all clients, is tangible evidence of an academic program distinguished by an increasingly well-known characteristic of intertwining research, theory, theology and, last but not least, practical experience. The objective is to ensure students of the program are primed to make a profound impact in an industry aimed at changing lives upon graduation. "Our ultimate goal is for our students to know how to apply good science and good theology so that they can speak to the spiritual value of every client they serve," said Dr. Mary Ann Conaway, director of the graduate counseling program and professor of counseling education. "Our focus is on preparing students in a way that gives them a unique ability to act as agents of change in lives of hurting people." Since the program's inception in 2002, it has grown from 30 students to more than 300. The graduates it annually yields are working in the industry literally all over the world. In fact, students of the program are currently pursuing its mandatory 3,000-hour capstone internship in approved sites from St. Louis to Hawaii, Conaway said. Students in the MAC program can pursue the degree while meeting requirements for both Missouri certification as an elementary and secondary school guidance counselor and the Missouri Professional Counselor Licensure. In addition, students who have completed a graduate degree in counseling, psychology or education have the option of seeking certification as a psychological examiner, a professional who works intensely with students in public school districts whom school counselors have referred for additional therapy. Conaway, a licensed professional counselor who owns her own practice, has worked in the counseling industry for more than 25 years, holds a doctorate in education with a specialty in counselor education from St. Louis University and has a host of other degrees and certifications. That arsenal of experience, a trait indicative of the majority of the program's distinguished faculty, is not only paying off for students during the program, it's proving useful in their subsequent job hunts. "I know that every day that I go to work, I have the ability to dramatically aid in changing someone's life," said Keil, who completed the graduate program through MBU's Jefferson College Extension. "The knowledge and skills that I took from my experience at MBU really proved to provide a solid foundation for my career." David Pitts, who graduated in 2008 with Missouri certification for school guidance counseling, landed a job as a guidance counselor at Windsor Intermediate Center in Imperial, Mo. There he works to assist students with the educational process. Sometimes that means counseling students who are in emotional distress. He's even established a support group for students who are dealing with the aftermath of a divorce. Other times, it means helping a student make long-term decisions about his or her life-from college plans to issues surrounding healthy lifestyles. "I really can't imagine doing anything else," said Pitts, who received a bachelors of science in human services in 2005 from MBU. "My position gives me a platform to influence the lives of so many children." Powell, the graduate student who was preparing to meet her client at the MBU Counseling Center, was just hopeful to influence one student on that cold wintry night. "I really do believe that helping even one student makes this pursuit worthwhile," said Powell, who graduated in April. "I have helped a child. It is just one. But just one can make a difference."
Powell, who also interned at a suicide hotline as part of the requirements for graduation, was among the first group of graduate students selected to work at the MBU Counseling Center, located in a spacious suite of offices and classrooms on the first floor of Imagine. The partnership is as unique as the charter school itself. The IES is flanked with state-of-the-art technology and was designed to spur the imagination of the students it serves. The building, which provides an awe-invoking view of the St. Louis skyline, is complete with spacious classrooms, a cafeteria that rivals many collegiate dining facilities and countless unique finishing touches, such as origami fabric décor and airy windows, that span the height of many of the school's walls. In addition to the physical design of the facility, Imagine School's back-to-basics philosophy emphasizes parental involvement in a structured and engaging environment, offering specialized studies in art, music, health and language. Located in the heart of St. Louis' biotech corridor, the goal is simple: provide students with the opportunity to gain a competitive edge in today's flourishing math and science industries. Since Imagine's inception at the beginning of the 2008 academic year, MBU has acted as its official sponsor. According to state statutes, all charter schools must obtain sponsorship through either an institution of higher learning, the school governing body or a municipal government. The sponsorship helps to produce positive academic results while ensuring the school adheres to the charter contract. But, as indicative by the MBU Counseling Center, that's only the beginning of the dynamic partnership between MBU and Imagine. And if leaders of the counseling program have their say, the partnership will bloom into something almost, well, unimaginable. Currently, guidance counselors at Imagine refer clients to the MBU Counseling Center. Sometimes the referral stems from issues surrounding a lack of academic achievement or bullying. Other times, the situations are more severe, such as sexual abuse, pregnancy, substance abuse or violent outbursts. Many times, it is a conglomerate of issues. Regardless of the scenario, the students' guardians must agree to the counseling. The parental involvement is imperative to each individual's planned successes, Stikes maintains. Ultimately, Stikes envisions the Center as a place that will provide greatly needed mental health services to the entire mid-town neighborhood where Imagine is located. "A major benefit of this partnership in St. Louis is that it allows our students to become culturally competent," said Stikes, adding that more than 90 percent of the ESM's students are African American. "This counseling center forces our students to learn how to deal with diversity in a competent way. They regularly develop strategies for people who are historically underserved." The area of St. Louis where the school is located has in recent years emerged as one of the most diverse areas in all of St. Louis. Just minutes away from the burgeoning Grand Arts and Entertainment District, the neighborhood has recently attracted its fair share of upper and middle class residents; however, the number of working and lower class residents remains great. And an expanding number of immigrants from Bosnia and Sudan, many who are not adequately served, makes such a mental health service, especially a free one, a real commodity. Now, she's ready to put her practical and academic experience to use full time in an effort to change the world for the better, a scenario that MAC graduates are living out throughout the world. "I am really proud to have been a student at an institution that is willing to invest in a community like this," Powell said. "The fact that this is a free clinic means people who desperately need help will get it." |
Sipping on a cup of hot tea, Jill Powell anxiously sat inside the new MBU Counseling Center at the Imagine School of Environmental Science and Math (ESM) one evening this winter. Powell, a graduate student in MBU's Master of Arts in Counseling program, was-to say the least-eagerly waiting to meet her very first client, a student of the inner St. Louis city charter school where years of academic practice would soon collide with a very real-life test.
The hope of making a difference prompted Powell's pursuit to become a licensed counselor. With a longing desire to help people, the mid-career graphic artist who has spent years working full-time for a trade magazine decided to apply to the MBU graduate program. For the past two years, she's worked full-time while taking evening courses, some semesters enough to be considered a full-time student as well.