Community Rhythms Archives - ��Ƶ of Theology & Psychology

Day of Scholarship 2025

��Ƶ — Tue, 04 Feb 2025 06:33:21 +0000

On January 11, 2025, ��Ƶ hosted its third annual community-wide Day of Scholarship on campus in Seattle during our Winter Residency, connecting community members to the wider disciplinary and interdisciplinary conversations across our institution. This year’s theme “Engaging (An)other” emphasized the work of Dr. Esther Meek and her contributions as our current Senior Scholar including the . This publication, Dr. Meek’s gift to ��Ƶ, served as an opportunity for faculty and staff to model and practice engaging in discourse with each other. Day of Scholarship 2025 featured a panel discussion highlighting the eight essays where faculty and staff responded to “.” Current students, alumni, staff, and faculty also presented research posters and facilitated breakout sessions, discussing aspects of their research, work, and publications, as noted in the tables below. During this third year of Day of Scholarship, participants once again had opportunities to explore key questions that ��Ƶ community members are pursuing in their work and research in Seattle and across the country.

Day of Scholarship 2025 Poster Presentations

Poster Presenter(s)	Affiliation	Poster Title & Notes
Joel Kiekintveld, PhD	Faculty	“Controlled Burn: A Future for Churches In The Age of Decline”
MJ Wilt, PhD, LMFT, LPC, NCC, licensed PAT facilitator	Alumni	“Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy: Pragmatics for Clinicians and Clients”
Dwight J. Friesen, DMin	Faculty	“Mobilizing Faiths in Service of a More Shalomic Urban Future for All”: Links to organizations:
Maggie Hemphill, Ann Plana,	Students	“Psychic Mothering: How Infant Observations Supports A Developing Clinical Mind”:
Danielle Zurinsky, MSc, PhD	Staff	“Impacts and Experience of Attending a Story Workshop: Preliminary Results from a Qualitative Study”
Jaye L. Minor	Alumni	“Treating Survivors of the Shadow Pandemic: Sexual and Gender Based Violence”
Roy Mong	Student	“Queering Authenticity: How Decolonial Psychoanalysis Can Help Liberate Asian American Identity”
Kaya McCluskey	Student	“Burdened by Hope: A Theopoetic Anthropology on Consent”
Kenna Hight	Alumni	“Inducing the Miscarriage of Support: The Church Meets Abortion”
Amy Lowe, Kindal Loy, Allison Picini, Joseph Stogner	Students	“When Development is Sin”
Emily Englund	Student	“Exploring the Divine Feminine in Christian Theology: Ecofeminism, Mysticism & Aestheticism”
Allison Chow PhD, LMHC, Kris Wheeler MA, LMHC Chris Ritchie	Alumni, Student	“Rooting a Clinical Mind in Experience: What is the British Object Relations Concentration?” Resources: , Concentration in British Object Relations

Day of Scholarship 2025 Breakout Session Presenters

Session Presenter(s)	Affiliation	Session Title
Esther Meek, PhD	Faculty, Senior Scholar	“The Other: Returning to Our Natal Philosophy in the Mother’s Smile”
Lauren D. Sawyer, PhD, MATC (’14); Lauren Peiser	Faculty, Alumni Staff	“From Purity Culture to Bacterial Belonging: Eucontamination and Beyond”
MJ Wilt, PhD, LMFT, LPC, NCC, licensed PAT facilitator	Alumni	“Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy: Pragmatics for Clinicians and Clients”
Maggie Hemphill; Ann Plana	Students	“Exploring Lacan Through Film”:
Joel Kiekintveld, PhD	Faculty	“Controlled Burn: A Future for Churches In The Age of Decline”
Felicia Tran, MATC; Jermaine Ma, PhD	Staff, Faculty, Alumni	“Asian American Feminist Pedagogy and Epistemology in Christian Theological Settings” Note: this session was not held due to unforeseen circumstances
Doug Shirley, EdD, MDiv (’06)	Faculty, Alumni	“Are We OK? Findings from our Research on Counselor Wellness in the Age of Telehealth”
Paul Hoard, PhD; Ron Ruthruff, PhD	Faculty	“Bridging Aspirations & Impact in Antiracist Education”

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Red Brick Building: The Liminal Space by Sunghee Kim

��Ƶ — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 00:26:36 +0000

Red Brick Building: The Liminal Space by Sunghee Kim

This fall, our second-floor gallery at 2501 Elliott Ave. features watercolors created by Sunghee Kim, a second-year student in the Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology program. Through the Artist Statement and interview below, she shares more about her experiences as a ��Ƶ student and artist.

Prints of these paintings are available for purchase in the , with proceeds supporting the BIPOC student group. More information about an online auction for these nine original paintings will be available early in the new year.

Artist Statement:

In my first year at ��Ƶ, I often sat quietly in the Back Alley in the mornings, watching the blue sky, the water, the trains, and the cruise ships pass by through the window. During these moments, the Red Brick Building became a liminal space for me—a place where I lost track of time, reflected on my past, grounded myself in the present, and held hope for the future. To capture the emotions, joys, and struggles I experienced there, I began drawing and painting the Red Brick Building.��

Many thanks to my classmates and instructors who helped and encouraged me to discover my joy in painting. As we prepare to move to a new campus farther south of downtown Seattle, I hope these paintings will evoke memories of joy and gratitude, as well as the struggles and sorrows, for those who shared this space. I hope these paintings inspire people to embrace their own journeys, use their talents, and share their gifts with the world.

What drew you to ��Ƶ and how did you choose your degree program?

I thought I knew why I came here, but now that feels like a question for me too, as I keep finding new answers along the way. I’ve always been interested in understanding the human mind, and I also wanted to understand why I was struggling so much to adjust to life here in America, even when I was surrounded by kind people. I’ve seen many of my friends, especially international students and immigrants, struggling in similar ways, but it’s difficult to find someone who is truly willing to listen to our voices. I thought I needed to be the first to listen to my own story, so I could develop my capacity to listen deeply to others. This is one of the many reasons—some still not fully clear to me—why I began studying Counseling Psychology at ��Ƶ.

What has been a favorite class at ��Ƶ?

So far, I’m both enjoying and challenged by all of my classes. Each one offers so much to learn and work through. Instead of naming a favorite, I’d like to share how certain classes have inspired me to draw and paint.

In the winter term of 2024, I took a course on Narrative, Identity, and Asian American Experiences with Dr. Jermaine Ma. She encouraged us to express our emotions using just three colors with colored pencils or any other art supplies we had. At first, I picked random colors, started coloring, and then gripped the pencil in a sort of rebellious way. I drew lines and circles without any form or order. It felt like something was cracking open inside me, like I was opening a box I didn’t know I had. From that moment on, I kept art supplies close by on my desk, but did not begin drawing or painting. Suddenly, I remembered how much I had enjoyed drawing and painting when I was a kid.��

In the same term, I was taking the Critical Learning Lab with Dr. Dwight Friesen, where I frequently heard the term “unlearning.” It prompted me to reflect on how I could become more flexible in letting go of what I was used to doing and believing. So, I decided to approach everything differently, what I called the “stupid way.” I dedicated the most time to the assignment with the least weight on the grade. For the final presentation of my “My Landmark” project, which I had already earned enough points to pass, I spent hours and hours working on it. Instead of using PowerPoint, I hand-drew all the slides for my presentation. After giving the presentation with my own paintings in this class, I got enough courage to paint as a way of expressing my Korean immigrant identity for the final assignment for Narrative, Identity, and Asian American Experiences class. Those paintings were later displayed at the Underrepresented Students’ Voices Gallery throughout spring term and summer at the school.��

In the spring term of 2024, I took an elective class called The Artist’s Way with Dr. Pat Loughery. Throughout the course, students were asked to create any kind of creative works, and I decided to try urban sketching, something I had never done before. Then, I ended up painting the ��Ƶ. Some of the paintings currently displayed at the gallery are pieces I created during this class.

What draws you to watercolor painting?

I do love various, different types of art mediums, but when it comes to watercolor, I particularly love its picky and sensitive personality. Watercolor painting requires a lot of patience. It never allows me to take a shortcut. It is also not forgiving. Once I make a mistake, there’s no going back. So, I have to slow down and learn to accept my mistakes as part of the “Art.”

Another thing I really love about watercolor is its transparency. Sometimes the color on the paper is really bold and vivid, and other times, it’s almost invisible. What I appreciate is that, no matter how strong or faint the color is, it never fully takes over the paper. If you let it cover the whole surface, it loses that delicate, shimmering beauty that makes watercolor so unique. I enjoy this challenging, sometimes even painful, process of creating a watercolor painting.

How did your classmates and instructors encourage you to find joy in painting?

What I really appreciate most is their presence. Instead of offering comments or advice, they were just there with me, spending time and sharing curiosity about my stories. That alone made me feel heard and seen. Once my story was heard by them, I became more curious about what I wanted to express. Their curiosity about me helped spark my own curiosity in various areas. This year, painting became one of the mediums through which I expressed myself.��

At this point in time, what would you like to explore after graduating from ��Ƶ?

Well, like many students, after graduating, I want to complete the required clinical hours and pass the licensure exam as soon as possible, and eventually secure a stable position as a counselor. But these are just factual steps. At this moment, my main focus is to explore my own picture of the world and to cultivate a deeper curiosity within myself. By doing this, I hope to develop my capacity to see and listen to others’ pictures of the world and their voices more fully. Ideally, I would love to work with people of color, international students, immigrants, and refugees. If I could serve as a blank canvas on which they feel free and safe to express themselves, I couldn’t be happier. The journey I’m on now feels like it’s strengthening me to become like watercolor paper—able to hold water and pigments without warping.

What’s your hope for these Red Brick Building paintings and reproductions?

Initially, I started painting the school building to capture moments of both joy and struggle that I experienced here. To finish just one painting, I’d spend hours looking at the same spot—or a photo of it—over and over. Through that process, I noticed something special happening: an ordinary place would transform into something extraordinary, from a simple object into a meaningful and spiritual subject. I hope my paintings can remind others of their own moments at the school, prompting them to pause, reflect on their memories, and perhaps even experience a transformation of their own.

We often pass through doors, walk up and down staircases, or look through windows without paying them much attention. But when these ordinary objects are captured on paper, they stop being mere backgrounds and become the main subjects. I hope—and this is a hope I carry for life—that people who have been marginalized can receive this same level of warm attention, both in quality and quantity, so that their often invisible identities become visible and their unheard voices are truly heard, just as the doors and staircases became focal points in my paintings. This is why I want to donate all profits from selling my artwork to support BIPOC student groups.

Find the Red Brick Building: The Liminal Space prints at ��Ƶ .

Learn more about our Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology.

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Gallery: Commencement 2024

��Ƶ — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 22:10:00 +0000

On June 22, 2024, ��Ƶ conferred 74 degrees in our Master of Divinity, MA in Theology & Culture, and MA in Counseling Psychology programs. Faculty, staff, students, alumni, friends, and families marked these important transitions together in a ceremony that was both solemn and joyful. At Town Hall in Seattle, our graduating students crossed the stage, one by one, and we welcomed them as new alumni, excited to see how they will serve God and neighbor through transforming relationships. We also celebrated Dr. Stephanie Neill and the 23 years she dedicated to teaching and training students at ��Ƶ. Thanks to for capturing some of the grief, gratitude, and playfulness shared in this gallery. The ceremony can also be viewed on .

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Why Residency Matters: A Student Perspective

Kathleen Cope — Mon, 29 Jul 2024 16:00:37 +0000

Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology student Kathleen Cope shares her thoughts on residency from her experience in our low-residency programs.

Walking into the red brick building that housed ��Ƶ during my first residency was like stepping into a sea breeze that awakened my senses, drew me in, and welcomed me into a new place of belonging. In a playful and expansive way, like the sandy beach extending to the ocean, I felt invited to open my arms out wide, take up space, and fully be me. I have often felt divided within myself in different spaces: where I live, work, worship, and play, but during my first residency at ��Ƶ, a sense of settledness came over me. It was like my body was finally able to let down, exhale, and breathe deeply. I felt welcomed into a learning space where I could bring all the different parts of me.

A theme of belonging has been woven throughout all the different residencies I’ve attended, and each one has consistently invited me to learn with it rather than from it. I felt invited to learn with my professors, faculty, and facilitators as I engaged with the readings, lectures, panels, and discussions. I felt invited to learn with my cohort as I allowed myself to be shaped and impacted by differences, discourse, and alignment. I felt invited to learn with myself and what was coming up for me, as I engaged with course material and what was happening in the room. And lastly, I felt invited to be with the moment when something shifted inside of me and opened me up to more.

I found my people at ��Ƶ, and those relationships wouldn’t have fully formed without the hospitality and embodied learning that came through residency. In Henri Nouwen’s book Reaching Out (1996), he states, “Hospitality is not to change people, but to offer them a space where change can take place.” Residency offered space for those longer conversations to take place over lunch or late into the night. Residency offered space for strangers to become friends. Residency offered space for a knowing to be passed through shared laughter, tears, stories, and collaborative learning. All of this knowing happened in a physical place that felt like a sacred container with the capacity to hold all the complexities that come with this work.

So why does residency matter? It matters because, for low-residency students, residency provides a place, location, and physical learning space to house belonging and change. When each student, faculty member, guest lecturer, Student & Academic Services team member, and every person who makes residency possible shows up as themselves, I believe something is uniquely created in that space, for that particular time, for one another. Human connection in the learning journey of graduate school cannot be undervalued or underestimated in its significance. Human connection may feel difficult to measure and pin down into words, but its genuine value will show up in our future work, in how we sit with others, and in the unfolding of who we are.

photo credit: Becca Shirley

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Underrepresented Voices Art Gallery 2024: Liminality

��Ƶ — Sat, 22 Jun 2024 14:30:12 +0000

In spring 2024, the BIPOC, Access (students with neurodiversity, chronic pain, and/or disability), LGBTQIA+, and QT BIPOC student groups collaborated to create an on-campus art show with the theme of “Liminality.” ��Ƶ students and alumni who identify as underrepresented within the context of ��Ƶ and/or within their profession had the opportunity to share their artistic and creative work together. The concept of the Underrepresented Voices art gallery began in 2023 when student groups co-sponsored the inaugural show.

Organizers described this year’s theme: “‘Liminality’ could be as broad as anything you, as an underrepresented student, would like to express about yourself. Or, it could be as specific as invisibility, minoritized experiences, subjugated knowledge, or beauty in the margins, the sacred mystery in your culture or identity, etc.” In addition to representing the BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, QT BIPOC, and Access student groups, the students who participated were also representative of the three degree programs: Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology (MACP), Master of Arts in Theology & Culture (MATC), and Master of Divinity (MDiv).��

As artist Roy Mong commented, the diversity expressed within the “Liminality” show extended to the wide variety of media and art forms represented as well.�� Artists displayed works with acrylic paint, oil paint, oil pastels, gold leaf, watercolors, cardboard, wood, and various fabrics. Some of the pieces in the show had been created as final projects for the Winter 2024 course titled “Narrative, Identity & Asian American Experiences,” taught by Dr. Jermaine Ma.

The “Liminality” show launched during spring residency, and the artists had the opportunity on Friday afternoon to share their experiences and insights with their classmates, both related to making the pieces as well as sharing them publicly. Students discussed themes such as courage and vulnerability. Artists shared their anxieties about visible imperfections, and wrestling with the felt need to justify or explain their work. They also described how they challenged themselves and learned through the creative process from exploring cultural identities to understanding and practicing new techniques. For example, Sunghee Kim used watercolor painting to display Jo-kak-bo, a traditional Korean patchwork technique, and Ryan Ho shaped bass and walnut wood into Kumiko patterns, a Japanese art style from the 7th century. Roy Mong described how the use of different colors helped him to integrate and appreciate different aspects of himself and his experiences.

Inspiration was another theme. The 2023 gallery had encouraged this year’s artists: in seeing the work of others they were inspired to share their work as well, to continue inspiration and conversation for future generations of students. The 2024 show also continued the themes of collaboration and engagement: two artists invited interaction and responses through a QR code while other artists invited sensory engagement through touch. Students at the reception expressed their gratitude and wonder to the artists for the depth of expansion and interconnection with the works.

Another theme that emerged was how uniqueness and individuality were expressed within the diversity of the art and media on display in the gallery. “By being significantly and uniquely you, you can encourage and uplift others. You are helping further the conversation,” said Roy Mong. As in 2023, belonging emerged as a theme as well. Natalie Ng described feeling “Not Chinese enough. Not white enough…With liminality, I’ve learned to somehow embrace it and be ok in the uncomfortable spots.” Describing liminality, Mong shared, “The edge is where you live.” “Making the unseen seen is the whole point of the gallery,” said Ng.

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Integrative Project Symposium 2024

��Ƶ — Fri, 14 Jun 2024 23:30:10 +0000

��Ƶ of Theology & Psychology hosted the 2024 Integrative Projects & Portfolio Symposium on Thursday, June 20, when students from our MDiv and MATC programs shared the projects that served as a capstone of their time in graduate school.

This year’s students showcased two types of scholarly work, both deeply integrative in nature. Integrative Projects explore a question that haunts the student, engaged through research, reading, and conversations with peers and faculty. Integrative Portfolios present a collection of a student’s work that includes reflection on their vocational goals and integration of their learning in the classroom and in their field study experiences. Both represent a culmination of students’ engagement over the course of the program, with each student’s distinctive embodiment of text, soul, and culture.��

At this annual symposium, ��Ƶ’s alumni, current students, faculty, staff, and the Seattle community at large were invited to witness and celebrate the bold, thoughtful, and creative work of our graduating theology students, work that can be glimpsed in the abstracts and videos below, listed in alphabetical order by last name. In the coming months, final drafts of each Integrative Project will be available in ��Ƶ’s library.

Chris Curia, MATC: Community Development 2024

A Liberatory Horizon: Reimagining an Equitable Mental Healthcare Landscape

Abstract

Mental health equity is the pursuit of fair and just opportunities for all people within their communities to experience flourishing as they understand it. America’s current mental healthcare system is unjust, hindering flourishing for everyone, especially vulnerable populations, who face an increased risk of restricted access to and quality of mental healthcare. In this paper, I utilize community and liberation psychologies to underscore the disparities in the mental healthcare system and reimagine an equitable mental healthcare landscape. I advocate for innovative, trauma-informed, and community-centered care alternatives to the current mental healthcare system through a partnership program I call the Public Library Initiative.

Drawing on learnings beyond psychological models, I propose this innovative partnership model to prioritize civic engagement, mutual support, and shared values toward equity. This model leverages the resources the national public library system provides to include pro-bono mental healthcare services through drop-in telehealthcare clinics. This partnership between public library services, mental healthcare providers, and their communities divests from unjust logic within current care models and invests in fostering meaningful change. Moreover, it draws on restorative resources and the wisdom of local communities to utilize the tools to achieve mental healthcare equity in their contexts based on their needs, resources, and values. Ultimately, I envision a future in which mental healthcare is a shared right and universal reality, where every person can access quality mental healthcare barrier-free and has access to the support they need to flourish.

Alex Grodkiewicz, MATC: Ministry

From Mastery to Play: Losing Control of God

Abstract

Often theology becomes a way for us to, in the words of scholar Willie Jennings, practice the “Possession, Mastery, and Control” of our world and those around us. Whether the words of our favorite pastor, posts from our favorite internet voices, or the writings of our favorite scholars: theology becomes a tool of perfection. A way to signal our expertise, enlightened opinions, and mastery of the divine. What if, instead, we approached God with the curious playfulness of a child? Interested less in our own authority and more in the joy and wonder of imagining what goodness, truth, and beauty might mean for our lives and the lives of those around us.

This work sets out to imagine what decolonized faith might look like for those outside of formal and academic settings. A liberative theological anthropology for those who don’t have time to try to figure out what “liberative theological anthropology” means. A call to allow ourselves the freedom, once again, to be curious and playful as we navigate this complicated world.

Holly Greenidge, MDiv 2024

Redefining Church Vitality: An Integrative Approach

Abstract

Many organizations focus on congregational vitality or pastoral resilience/renewal. This integrative project looks at the intersection of these two. Specifically, this project proposes a new way of defining church vitality that considers several lenses – including pastoral resilience – within the North-American context.

Resilience is essential for pastors. However, we do pastors and church leaders a disservice by teaching them only to be more independently resilient. With a shift in our approach to congregational vitality, perhaps new methods could create church systems that don’t require as much resilience for the day-to-day, reserving it for the truly unavoidable. Could the church be a healthy environment where both the congregation and the pastor can thrive? Could congregational life even be a healing experience for both the congregation and the pastor? Pastors pour their hearts and souls into nurturing vibrant congregations, often at the expense of their own well-being. The pursuit of church vitality should not come at such a profound cost to those leading the way. This project re-examines the definition of vitality in the context of church. Changing the paradigm of vitality holds the possibility of a profoundly healing effect for pastors and congregations.

To explore this I draw upon ecclesiology and gain insight from Bowen’s family systems approach. I also refer to writings about pastoral resilience, which weave together the fields of psychology and practical theology. Another area within the field of psychology that I will utilize concerns the impact of addiction on families and organizations. Finally, I look at pastoring as a profession within our current North-American context, with its complex interplay of capitalism, racism, and patriarchy.

I believe a search for a new definition of church vitality is well worth our time. This paper presents eleven categories inviting movement from standards based on white dominant culture, North-American capitalism, and family systems built to enable addiction, toward methodologies that help congregations and pastors build the capacity and energy to live, endure, and develop.

This paper proposes that any evaluation of congregational vitality would embrace factors that create healthy places for pastors to work, while avoiding toxic church culture, white supremacy culture, emotional unhealth, and traits of addictive organizations.

Kenna Hight, MDiv 2024

Fearful, Fearful, We Adore Thee: Reconstructing Existential Fear

Abstract

What does our contemporary apathy and fear of forces we can’t control have to say about our relationship with the Divine? Does humankind need to be afraid of G-d, of whatever forces we believe to be at play in the world? Does that G-d want us to be afraid, threatening annihilation? The church, especially now the white American church, has manipulated and weaponized an idea of the “fear of the LORD” based on a mistranslation from the Hebrew text to the Greek one. Weaponizing this idea has created a culture of existential fear and numbness that makes us hesitate to trust or reach out to the Divine or each other. An exploration of a more accurate translation shows a different understanding of experiences with G-d as seen in stories of Moses, Elijah, and Jesus with his followers. Though this fear is totally understandable, seeing G-d with an anticipation of expansiveness rather than a fear of concealment would have powerful real-world implications.

April Little, MATC: Community Development

Reflections and Reclamations: A Creative Writing Workshop for LGBTQ+ Christian Youth

Abstract

There are many harmful narratives about LGBTQ+ people, including queer Christians. We are told that we’re on a slippery slope to hell, that our desires stem from trauma or confusion, and that we just need to pray or read the Bible more to see the “error” of our ways. As a queer Christian, much of the deconstruction and reconstruction of my faith has been through the reclamation of my story, and the stories of the queer people who have gone before me, as a protest against the narratives of conservative evangelicalism. It is the stories of queer Christians in their memoirs and in keynote speeches (as well as real-life connections with my queer kin) that led me to become affirming, and it was in beginning to write a memoir in my undergraduate studies that I started to become a theologian. Writing gave a voice to the girl who kept her sexuality a secret for five years, and hours of research into biblical interpretation, coupled with my creative writing classes, allowed me to create a language of my own to describe my experience of God–it was empowering. That is what I want for every queer Christian youth–to not be afraid to question, explore, find their voice, and be celebrated for their gifts.��

I hope, in the way I live, to be the kind of person I wish my teenage self had, and work towards a world where every LGBTQ+ youth knows they are so deeply loved. As an outpouring of that vocation, my Integrative Project, a five-session workshop curriculum, brings together the voices of LGBTQ+ theologians such as Austen Hartke, disability-focus theologians such as Frances Young and Joanna Leidenhag, and spiritual memoirists such as Rachel Held Evans and Austin Channing Brown. Through the curriculum’s content of presentation slides, handouts, and writing prompts, I offer a program to facilitate LGBTQ+ Christian youths’ exploration of making meaning from their life experiences in light of a God who loves them and declares that their stories matter, and to create a space where all questions are welcomed, all stories are heard, and everyone is safe to bring their full selves.

Haley Mayer, MATC: The Arts

Lament and Healing: A Personal Journey Through Lamentation, Reflection, and Reconstruction

[no video]

Abstract

This presentation represents an extension of myself and my community. The last two years of listening to and having conversations with decolonial, liberation, womanist, and indigenous theologians helped me to understand my voice and my story as also indispensable.

Last term, I planned, implemented, and facilitated an event called Rock the Resilience on April 9th. It centered around domestic and sexual violence awareness mediated through local artists, community connections, and educational experiences. At the time of this event, I had already resolved to create my own personal art for the final presentation but struggled to determine its focus. What you see today is inspired by three women from my local community who boldly shared their personal stories through poetry and art dealing with their experiences of sexual assault. From the stage, their honest, artistic offerings gave me courage to explore the covert ways in which I have dealt with sexual harm.

In giving a platform for others, I was empowered to dive into my own poetic exploration of the ways in which domestic and sexual violence have impacted me in the context of Alaska – a state with one of the highest rates of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault – and evangelical circles with its propensity towards diminishing, silencing, and objectifying women. The reciprocal nature of this experience turns high theology and high concepts of art on its head. It elevates the voice, the body, and the story of the real over pretty ideas. The project defies the abstract and demands presence: rooted in community, in people, and their art.

Emily Poulain, MATC: Community Development 2024

Let Go, Sink In: A Pursuit of Wholeness Through Communal Lament

Abstract

Over the last few decades female theologians, historians, and scholars have diligently endeavored to elucidate how/where Christian texts, theology, and church culture have harmed women. In American Evangelicalism, this harm is perpetuated by women’s ministries that either reiterate highly stereotypical female identities and gender roles or require women to sever themselves from their embodied experiences to approach their faith through typical Western, white, male cognitive frameworks. Philosopher Esther Meek highlights the conflation of objectivity, truth, and the male mind in her description of our culture’s defective epistemological default, and how it is placed over the subjective, and female. Womanist New Testament Scholar Angela Parker describes how Christian academia perpetuates this message, making it difficult for their female students to bring their lived experience and wisdom into biblical scholarship and ministry.��

During my time at ��Ƶ, I have discovered how patriarchal mindsets and methods of ministry have embedded themselves in my psyche. This manifested itself most clearly when I was attempting to move forward with a project for others while my own grief was threatening to drown me. Activist Ben McBride and community developer Peter Block argue that effecting change in the world necessitates personal transformation. They contend that maintaining unchanged methods will not yield different outcomes, yet this is precisely what I was attempting to do.��

This project documents my rejection of this mindset in favor of embracing my wholeness and becoming. Following the pattern of the Christian life, I trace my journey of communally lamenting the harm I have experienced as a woman drawn to ministry in a patriarchal church through confession, and a baptismal death and resurrection. It provides a descriptive model for communal healing and recenters revelation of the divine in the experiences of the marginalized.

Rachael Proulx, MATC: The Arts 2024

Death to Life: A Reimagining of the Valley of the Dry Bones

Abstract

“The task of prophetic ministry is to nurture, nourish, and evoke a consciousness and perception alternative to the consciousness and perception of the dominant culture around us.” ― Walter Brueggemann, The Prophetic Imagination

We witness and experience trauma daily. Do we process what we see? How do we handle the emotions? My task is to create a space alongside others to lament and hope together.

You’re about to watch a behind-the-scenes look of the creative process of Death to Life, a live performance showcasing multiple artistic disciplines and collaborations exploring the question, where is hope in death? The concept and title are influenced by the prophetic writings in Ezekiel 37. The valley of the dry bones reflects the trauma I see in the world. The pain I felt witnessing the global trauma in 2023-2024 was explored in my critical social theory, exegesis, and social and cultural diversities classes. That trauma instigated a personal process of study and creation leading to this endeavor.

The project serves three purposes: 1) to delve into theological study, 2) showcase the creative development stages of a live production, and 3) host a production for secular audiences informed by theological methodologies—contextual, constructive, postcolonialism, and performance. Psychologically, I lean towards Adlerian and phenomenology with respect to cultural sensitivities.

Danielle Riley, MATC: Community Development 2024

Towards Belonging: Cultivating Places of Belonging and On Being the Church in Our Communities

Abstract

Faith communities are not typically safe spaces for all. They can be places infused with a culture of conformity and culture that does not allow for everyone to feel a sense of belonging within those communities. The church has become, in many ways, a club of who is in and who does not belong, leaving many to feel excluded. Some have had experiences of outright violence in these spaces. Some of the reasons for this othering are things like disability, race, gender identity, sexual identity, cultural spiritual practices, socio-economic status, and many others. Some of these issues are of a practical nature. Individuals have substantive needs that can be met with program support, case management, financial assistance, as well as affordable options for things such as housing, job training, child care, food insecurity, and much more.��

The church can be a place where both of these issues are addressed simultaneously. Many church properties are located in central community locations, with an abundance of space in their buildings and on their properties. Much of the time this space is barely utilized, and then only on Sundays for worship services, likely in a way that is isolated from the greater community.

Based upon my research into Indigenous spirituality, disability theology, neurodiversity in the church queer theology, and issues of white supremacy in the church, I believe the Church has the ability and a responsibility to be the church in so many more ways than worship on Sunday mornings.��

In this project, I will draw upon my context and experience as a reconnecting Indigenous woman enrolled in the Cherokee Nation. I explore how faith communities fail to create spaces of belonging and spiritual solace, most notably for people from marginalized contexts. I will also explore how the church has caused harm and failed to become places of growth, equity, and diversity where we can learn and grow across differences.��

In my integrated project and portfolio, I will explore the ideas of belonging, the church’s role in community development, contextual ministry, and ways faith communities can curate their gathering spaces to turn away from some of the issues that marginalize people. I will address some challenges of the context I currently serve in and provide some ideas for practical ways of doing ministry by partnering with community stakeholders to offer support services to meet those needs and a new worshiping community with marginalized people’s sense of deep belonging in mind.��

Carson Taylor, MATC 2024

From Walls to Welcome: Deconstructing and Reimagining Community Care for People with Severe Mental Illness.��

Abstract

This project explores how dominant U.S. society has responded to individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) over the past sixty years since the 1963 Community Mental Health Act (CMHA). Despite efforts toward deinstitutionalization, people with SMI continue to face marginalization and stigmatization. Through the lenses of liberation psychology and postcolonial theologies, and inspired by personal family histories, the project critiques the current mental health care system and envisions a future centered on dignity, respect, and community care for individuals with SMI. Part I reviews federal policies and social norms through the social determinants of mental health framework, highlighting the systemic inequities leading to disproportionate rates of homelessness and incarceration among people with SMI. Part II contrasts this with the inclusive, stigma-free model of care in Geel, Belgium, where people with SMI are integrated into family and community life. Part III identifies the 2023 Whatcom County Jail tax initiative as a reflection of the continued reliance on incarceration to address mental health crises and presents a creative reimagination of community care. The project ultimately calls for a shift in societal values and practices, advocating for a collective reimagining of community care for people with SMI.

Robert Zint, MATC: Ministry 2024

From Pulpit to Podcast: Storytelling about the Art of Paying Attention

Abstract

From the left bookend of my life, the early adult years, I was immersed in somewhat subconscious efforts to validate my masculinity and navigate ministry positions; both efforts weighed down with my evangelical background and its confines of protocol and dogma. Occasional epiphanies would provide glimpses of a future life, but I was primarily “flying by the seat of my pants,” – and yet simultaneously on autopilot. As a Captain, navigating a course while on autopilot is unimaginative, at the least. At worst, it can be dangerous – especially if you aren’t paying attention.

It is appallingly easy to be lulled into an unimaginative life of faith; to pay little attention to – not only our fellow humans – but also to the Creator who relishes our engagement. The amount of distraction and deceit is also legion, actively robbing us of real flourishing and replacing it with appealing fakery. It took disruption for me to recognize these truths.

Now, approaching the other bookend of my life, the pulpit of my yesteryear is morphing, taking a fresh form as a podcast and perhaps other avenues. As a Storyteller, I’m excited to explore the ways in which to “tell,” inviting others into the slowing of pace, the cultivating of imagination, and the paying of attention.

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Day of Scholarship 2024

��Ƶ — Fri, 01 Mar 2024 01:18:15 +0000

In January 2024, ��Ƶ held the second annual Day of Scholarship on campus during Winter Residency. This year’s theme of “What If There’s More?” aimed to connect ��Ƶ community members to wider disciplinary and interdisciplinary conversations across our institution. Current students, alumni, staff, and faculty presented Research Posters and facilitated Breakout Sessions, discussing aspects of their research, work, and publications. The Day of Scholarship fostered a spirit of collaboration as presenters engaged community members in exploring key questions. The tables below represent the work shared at Day of Scholarship 2024 through Research Posters and Breakout Sessions. In its second year, this event once again brought together participants and presenters from across ��Ƶ community, including the , , and as well as staff, faculty, alumni, and current students.

Day of Scholarship 2024 Breakout Session Presenters

Session Presenter(s)	Affiliation	Session Title	Notes
Maggie Hemphill, MACP candidate, Addie Murney, MA	Allender Center Facilitator, Student (Hemphill)	“Engaging Whiteness with StoryWork: Applying Narrative Focused Trauma Care to White Cultural Identity Development”	.
Paul Hoard, PhD, LMHC, Paul Steinke, MACS ’05, MACP ’23, LMHCA	Faculty (Hoard), Alumni, Staff (Steinke)	“The Thin Space of Play”	Writings by the authors include: (Hoard, Steinke), (Hoard, Suttle), Check out upcoming issues of (April) and (spring 2024) for additional writings.
Angela Parker, PhD	Faculty (also Grenz Lecturer)	“Continuing the Conversation with Dr. Parker”	Grenz Lecture 2024
Ann Plana, MACP Candidate, Lisa Watkins, MACP Candidate	Student	“Educational Application of Fowler’s Faith Development Theory (Theory to Practice)”	MACP Candidates (Plana, Watkins), Concentration in Psychoanalytic Psychology: British Object Relations (Plana)
Scott Ross, MACP ’11, LMHC Erin Wright, MACP ’11 LMHC	Alumni	“What Lies Beyond: A Journey into Psychedelic Therapies with Ketamine and MDMA”	Telos Collective and (Ross) , (Wright)
Lauren St. Martin, MAT Zac Settle, PhD	Staff	“Christ & Cascadia and The Other Journal on the Publishing Process”	Managing Editor, Christ & Cascadia (St. Martin) ��ٳٱ��–E�徱�ٴǰ�-��-��󾱱��, The Other Journal (Settle)
Doug Shirley, MDiv ’06, EdD Eric Strom, JD, PhD Shaquille Sinclair, MACP ’23 Marlene Chamonica Hernandez, BS, MACP Candidate	Faculty (Shirley) Alumni (Shirley, Sinclair), Student (Hernandez)	“Are We OK? Potential Impacts of Telehealth Structural Changes on Clinician Wellness”	Presented at AMHCA Conference 2023
Luke Winslow, MATC ’18	Alumni	“Where Ancestors Still Walk: Practical Theologies for Decolonial Solidarity and Bioregional Discipleship in Seattle and Beyond”
Lauren D. Sawyer MATC ’14, PhD, Danielle Zurinsky, MSc, PhD	Allender Center, Alumni (Sawyer)	“NFTC Methodology Project: A Case Study for Collaborative, Interdisciplinary Research”	Curriculum Coordinator for the Allender Center(Sawyer) Manager of Research & Facilitator Development(Zurinsky)

Day of Scholarship 2024 Poster Presenters

Poster Presenter(s)	Affiliation	Poster Title	Notes
Tessa Behr, BA in Visual Design, MACP Candidate	Student	“Beyond Black & White Binary Thinking: Color as a Map for New Possibilities “	Founder and Brand Director for
Belinda J. Bauman, M Ed.	Student	“When My Soul Sings: How New Americans Construct Meaning from Their Migration Experiences”
Phillip Hanson, MACP Candidate	Student	“A Psychology with Willie James Jennings”
Maggie Hemphill, MACP Candidate, Ann Plana, MACP Candidate, Kate Roberts, MACP Candidate,	Student	“Experiences in Infant Observation”	MACP Candidates – Concentration in Psychoanalytic Psychology: British Object Relations (Hemphill, Plana, Roberts)
Kristen Houston, MA Kelsey Wallace, MDiv, PhD	Staff, Former Staff	“Evolving Trends in Accessing Graduate School Education“	Former Registrar (Houston) and Registrar (Wallace), ��Ƶ
Victoria Hudson, MA MACP ’22, LMHC (WA), LPC (SC), Certified Sex Therapist	Alumni	“The Intersections of Attachment Style & Sexual Behaviors, a Non-Stigmatizing Perspective on Compatibility and Sexual Engagement”	Resource:
Danielle Zurinsky, MSc, PhD	Allender Center Staff	“Assessing Learning & Skills from the Narrative Focused Trauma Care Training Program”	Manager of Research & Facilitator Development, Allender Center

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��Ƶ Campus Moving to 1130 Rainier Avenue South

��Ƶ — Mon, 14 Aug 2023 16:17:23 +0000

Update: Please see our Campus Move page for the latest news and timeline updates for our transition to 1130 Rainier Avenue South.

��Ƶ of Theology & Psychology is excited to announce that our campus location will be moving 3 miles southeast from 2501 Elliott Avenue to 1130 Rainier Avenue South with the goal of beginning the 2024 Winter term (January 2024) in our new location. As we’ve celebrated and marked our 25 year anniversary, the Board of Trustees and Executive Council have been discerning where the Spirit is leading us to call home and invest for the next 25 years. We believe wholeheartedly that we have found a location in 1130 Rainier Avenue South that will allow us to grow further into our mission of serving God and neighbor through transforming relationships.

While we are looking forward to our future in our new neighborhood, we acknowledge gratitude along with loss as we imagine moving from the space that has been part of our identity and held our community well for the past 15 years. The “red brick building” in Belltown has hosted many milestones in the story of ��Ƶ, and its walls have witnessed the joy, grief, and growth in our journey since 2006. We are grateful for the years our community has had at 2501 Elliott Avenue, a time of expansion for our graduate school and seminary with the additions of the Allender Center, the Center for Transforming Engagement, and The Other Journal, and our appreciation of our home in Belltown after the school’s early days in Bothell.

Our new location brings new possibilities and imagination as well as a grounding and rooting in Seattle history and neighborhoods. As a learning community that honors story, we recognize the many stories already held by the space at 1130 Rainier Avenue South. Known as the Black Manufacturing Building, the structure received Historic Preservation status from the City of Seattle in 1987 to reflect the value of its heritage and architectural style. Designed by Andrew Willatsen, an apprentice of Frank Lloyd Wright, it was once described as the “finest and largest exclusive working men’s garment factory building in the United States.” The Black family’s values for state-of-the-art and habitable working environments continue to be represented in the higher ceilings and 15,000 square feet of windows that provide natural daylight. From 1914 to 1981, Black Manufacturing produced shirts, overalls, pants, overcoats, and waterproof garments sold under the Black Bear label. In 1984 the building was remodeled as a corporate headquarters for Darigold LLC, a local dairy agricultural marketing cooperative. The current owners, Nitze-Stagen, hold a vision for creating vibrant, resilient, and equitable communities with deep respect for history, community, and culture. Their plan for development at neighboring 900 Rainier Avenue South will create affordable multifamily housing as well as a community plaza adjoining ��Ƶ campus.

Our new home sits at the intersection of three Seattle neighborhoods: the Central District, Northern Rainier Valley, and Beacon Hill. President and Provost J. Derek McNeil, PhD, shares the hope and excitement around ��Ƶ’s move: “When the Executive Council first began considering 1130 Rainier Avenue South, a task force comprised of students, staff, and faculty gathering information came back with this hopeful curiosity: What possibilities and opportunities could come through us and to us in this new space? I believe God is leading us into new possibilities and a sustainable future at 1130 Rainier Ave South–to be a school that trains people to be healers and rebuilders in the communities they have been called to love and serve.”

With credit and gratitude to the following sources:
(including photo credit)

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Gallery: Commencement 2023

��Ƶ — Wed, 26 Jul 2023 16:54:44 +0000

On June 24, 2023, ��Ƶ community gathered at Town Hall Seattle to celebrate our graduating students as we conferred 92 degrees in our Master of Divinity, MA in Theology & Culture, and MA in Counseling Psychology programs. Commencement 2023 was solemn and festive as faculty, staff, students, alumni, friends, and families marked important transitions together. We watched our largest graduating class cross the stage and we welcomed them as new alumni, excited to see how they will serve God and neighbor through transforming relationships. We also blessed Dr. Chelle Stearns and Dr. Kj Swanson into the next phases of their respective professional journeys. Thanks to for capturing some of the gratitude, grief, and joy of this momentous occasion. The ceremony can also be viewed on .��

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��Ƶ Celebrates Commencement 2023

��Ƶ — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 20:24:23 +0000

��Ƶ of Theology & Psychology is preparing for our 25th annual commencement on Saturday, June 24, 2023, at Town Hall in Seattle. We are thrilled to celebrate our largest graduating class ever: 92 new graduates will join our thriving network of alumni who are pursuing innovative and life-changing work in their vocations as therapists, pastors, leaders, and artists. Commencement is a foundational part of ��Ƶ’s annual rhythm, full of ritual, symbolism, beauty, and depth to help mark the meaningful, transformational work to which these students have committed themselves as we welcome them into the next phase of their journey.

“This year marks our 25 year anniversary, and we’ve been looking back from where we’ve come and also looking ahead to imagine where we want to go. So Commencement 2023 has additional significance for marking not only the struggles and persistence of our graduates but also the resilience of our mission along with God’s grace and care throughout the journey of ��Ƶ,” noted Dr. J. Derek McNeil, President and Provost of ��Ƶ.

This year’s ceremony will feature student speakers from across the three degree programs: Mace Mooney (MA in Counseling Psychology), Philip Hayes (MA in Theology & Culture), and Sonja Lund (Master of Divinity). The program will also feature a vocal performance from Lucia Wang (MA in Counseling Psychology) and music from Puget Brass. During the ceremony, the community will take time to recognize, honor, and thank Dr. Chelle Stearns and Dr. Kj Swanson who are transitioning from their roles at ��Ƶ. Dr. Stearns has served on core faculty as Associate Professor of Theology, and Dr. Swanson has served as affiliate faculty and Common Curriculum Coordinator.

This is sure to be a holy, memorable occasion—full of the solemnity of any significant ending, the relief of completing an epic journey, and the hope-filled determination of knowing that our graduates’ stories of learning and transformation will not end in the classroom, but will draw them deeper and deeper into the movement of healing in the communities around them. As we continue to celebrate 25 years, we are more grateful than ever for the ongoing transformational work of our alumni in the world, and we hope you will join us as we welcome our 2023 graduates into this calling and community.

Due to space limitations, only graduating students and their invited guests with tickets may attend the celebration. While we are unable to invite our wider community to join us in person, please join us live via our . Find more details on our event calendar.

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Community Rhythms Archives - ������Ƶ of Theology & Psychology

Day of Scholarship 2025

Day of Scholarship 2025 Poster Presentations

Day of Scholarship 2025 Breakout Session Presenters

Red Brick Building: The Liminal Space by Sunghee Kim

Gallery: Commencement 2024

Why Residency Matters: A Student Perspective

Underrepresented Voices Art Gallery 2024: Liminality

Integrative Project Symposium 2024

Day of Scholarship 2024

Day of Scholarship 2024 Breakout Session Presenters

Day of Scholarship 2024 Poster Presenters

������Ƶ Campus Moving to 1130 Rainier Avenue South

Gallery: Commencement 2023

������Ƶ Celebrates Commencement 2023

Community Rhythms Archives - ��Ƶ of Theology & Psychology

��Ƶ Campus Moving to 1130 Rainier Avenue South

��Ƶ Celebrates Commencement 2023