As we reflect on this past spring and look toward the year ahead, we want to honor a few of the individuals helping shape what鈥檚 emerging in our community. This highlight list focuses primarily on newer faculty and recent teaching developments鈥攏ot a comprehensive overview of every professor and their impact. Whether you’re a recent graduate or a long-time alum, may these glimpses offer renewed connection to the wisdom, formation, and care being cultivated in our classrooms.

Dr. Elizabeth (Lizz) Barton (Core Faculty) joined the Counseling Psychology faculty in 2024, bringing over 20 years of experience in university counseling centers. A licensed clinical psychologist with dual doctorates in Clinical Psychology and Theology, she鈥檚 known for her relational depth, embodied teaching, and commitment to helping emerging clinicians find their voice. Originally from rural Washington, Lizz integrates her love for story, formation, and belonging both in the classroom and in her community.

Dr. Allison Bradford Chow聽(Adjunct Faculty)
New to our adjunct faculty, Alison Bradford Chow,听补 天美视频 alum, brings a clinical lens shaped by psychoanalytic psychotherapy, and an appreciation for the ways our earliest experiences shape our lives. More about Allison is coming soon!

Dr. Monique Gadson (Core Faculty)
For Spring 2025 term, Monique Gadson introduced a new elective: African American Experiences in Societal Context. Through historical, cultural, and personal engagement, students were invited to reflect on how systemic realities shape both their own formation and their future work in clinical and ministerial contexts. The course is part of a growing commitment to center underrepresented narratives within our curriculum.

Shauna Gauthier, MA (Adjunct Faculty)
Alum Shauna Gauthier taught CSL 564 Assessment & Treatment of Trauma & Abuse in Spring 2025 offering students a grounded, compassionate environment to engage complex clinical content. Students praised the course鈥檚 thoughtful pacing and spacious design, noting Shauna鈥檚 ability to blend structure and emotional care鈥攁 hallmark of trauma-informed pedagogy.

Dr. Paul Hoard (Core Faculty)
In his Helping Relationships courses, Paul Hoard has been integrating tools like AI into roleplay and training exercises, inviting students to explore empathy and therapeutic dialogue in new ways. These experiments foster both clinical skills and critical discussions about the role of AI in mental health care鈥攁 timely and necessary conversation.

Dr. Joel Kiekintveld (Adjunct Faculty)
Joel brings experience in both pastoral leadership and clinical practice. His teaching bridges the spiritual and psychological with grounded clarity, helping students navigate vocational discernment and integrative formation.

Dr. Ron Ruthruff (Core Faculty)
Each spring, Ron Ruthruff leads one of our most beloved intensives: SFD 520 Engaging Local Partnerships: Northwest Native American History, Spirituality, and Culture. Held in Yakima, this travel course offers a deeply immersive learning experience through partnership with Indigenous communities. Alumni consistently describe it as a formative turning point鈥攚here land, story, and responsibility converge. Ron鈥檚 steady leadership reflects our commitment to place-based learning and the wisdom of community elders.

Dr. Lauren D. Sawyer (Affiliate Faculty)
Last year, in Beauty, Brokenness, & the Cross, Lauren Sawyer offered a hybrid-format course featuring podcast-style lectures and asynchronous learning. Her theological imagination and accessible teaching style created a powerful space for reflection and embodiment. We鈥檙e also celebrating Lauren鈥檚 upcoming book release: Growing Up Pure: White Girls, Queer Teens, and the Racial Foundations of Purity Culture, which explores identity, faith, and adolescence with academic and cultural insight.

Dr. Adam Schneider (Adjunct Faculty)
Adam (MACP, 2017), an experienced psychodynamic psychologist, is new to adjunct faculty this fall. His teaching is marked by practical experience, theoretical rigor, and a deep commitment to ethics. We鈥檙e honored to welcome Adam into the classroom.

Dr. Doug Shirley (Core Faculty)
Doug Shirley brings a rich legacy of integrative teaching that weaves together theology, psychology, and spiritual formation. Known for his invitational tone and reflective depth, Doug鈥檚 courses鈥攍ike Spiritual Formation & Direction鈥攐ffer students frameworks to sustain healing work for the long haul.

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Resmaa Menakem is a New York Times best-selling, artist, and psychotherapist specializing in the effects of trauma on the human body and relationships in Black families and Black society. His important book , was published in September 2017 and his most recent book, was published in 2022.

is a writer, liturgist, speaker seeking a deeply contemplative life marked by embodiment and emotion. She is the creator of , a space that integrates spiritual practice with Black emotion, Black literature, and the Black body; and a project of The Center for Dignity and Contemplation where she serves as Curator. In her work, she produces and curates content to guide others into deeper musings and embodiment of the faith. She was also a for Advent in 2020.

is a contemporary theologian associated with process theology and womanist theology. She is John and Patricia Cochran Scholar for Inclusive Excellence and Professor of Africana Studies at the University of Delaware. Her memoir reflects on her experience and process around faith, race, and mental health. Her second book, , is included in syllabi in theological schools around the country.

is a dynamic speaker, teacher, author, and reconciliation leader. Her mission is to inspire and empower emerging Christian leaders to be practitioners of reconciliation in their various spheres of influence. Her book, , offers a distinctly Christian framework for addressing systemic injustice. In her most recent book, Dr. McNeil looks to the biblical story of Nehemiah for action-based model for repairing and rebuilding our communities and transforming broken systems. Listen to Rev. Dr. McNeil on The Allender Center podcast.

Jemar Tisby (BA, University of Notre Dame; MDiv, Reformed Theological Seminary) is听补 co-host of the and the author of the New York Times bestseller, 听补nd several .

is an African-American Episcopal priest, womanist theologian, and the inaugural Dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary. She is also the Canon Theologian at the Washington National Cathedral. She wrote which Dr. Ron Ruthruff uses in his course Word on the Street.

is a New York Times best-selling author, speaker, and media producer providing inspired leadership on racial justice in America. She is the author of and the Executive Producer of web series

Willie James Jennings teaches systematic theology and Africana studies at Yale Divinity School and is known for his award-winning book .

has 30 years of experience working with grassroots organizations, helping them unleash possibilities and reach their deeper potential. He has a PhD in Clinical and Community Psychology from Boston University, and Med in Counseling from Cleveland University. He is an executive coach, Professor of Practice, and the Associate Director of the Leadership Institute at the University of San Diego.

is a womanist theologian and activist, ordained United Methodist elder, and national and international lecturer. She currently serves as Vice President for Academic Affairs at Meadville Lombard Theological School and Associate Professor of Constructive Theology. Dr. Lightsey is also the author of . You can watch Dr. Lightsey engage with a panel of speakers at our .

is the Neil F. and Ila A. Fisher Chair of Theology at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary and the author of . Dr. Brian Bantum was also our keynote speaker at the annual Stanley Grenz Lecture in 2020, .

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On January 11, 2025, 天美视频 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鈥檚 theme 鈥淓ngaging (An)other鈥� emphasized the work of Dr. Esther Meek and her contributions as our current Senior Scholar including the . This publication, Dr. Meek’s gift to 天美视频, 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 天美视频 community members are pursuing in their work and research in Seattle and across the country.

Day of Scholarship 2025 Poster Presentations

Day of Scholarship 2025 Breakout Session Presenters

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What brought you to 天美视频?

The short answer was it was a calling fulfilled. The long answer is very long and probably too long for this interview.聽 My journey to 天美视频 was influenced by my own trauma work; my gifted and kind counselors (I did both individual and group therapy with alumni of 天美视频); the work of Dan Allender, particularly the Wounded Heart book/workbook; and an amazing preview weekend that left me feeling like I made sense and belonged somewhere for the first time in my life.聽聽

When you came to 天美视频, why did you decide to go through your degree program?

I completed the Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology (MACP) in 2015. I chose this program because I dared to dream that I could be a counselor one day, despite my own woundings.聽 I chose 天美视频 because I felt like it would grow my own capacity to sit with tension and to be kind to myself and others.聽 I also strongly wanted to learn from Dr. Dan Allender.聽 With that said, I was pleasantly surprised to be greatly influenced and shaped by other professors, including Dr. Roy Barsness, Dr. Stephanie Neill, Dr. Steve Call, Dr. O’Donnell Day, Dr. Dwight Friesen, and Laura Shirley.

What did you hope you would be able to do following graduation?

I hoped to work as a counselor and I jumped right in!听 It was anxiety-producing work at first.聽 I often found myself wondering, “Can I really sit with someone else in their pain and woundings?”聽 But my time at the school prepared me and here I am, 10 years later, still doing the work.聽聽

How has your work today been informed by your education at 天美视频?

I think my time at 天美视频 helped me ground my work in a belief system that still sustains me to this day.聽 I believe people bear the image of God.聽 I believe people’s behavior makes sense in the context of their particular woundings and hurt.聽 I believe I can only take people as far as I have gone, meaning I am still in my own counseling.聽 I believe I need to understand my own story so I know when it’s influencing my work with clients.聽 I believe we need community to do this work well (…to know ourselves well, to heal, to grow…for oh so much) and 天美视频 has provided me with a supportive community to continue to grow.

What inspires you or gives you hope?

People.聽 I know we are in a phase where people are more divisive than ever, but I truly am inspired by people. Being a counselor has privileged me to see some of the best of humanity.聽 Yes, there is often so much shit and people regularly hurt each other, myself included, but deep inside there is goodness and love.聽 I get to see that in beautiful and profound ways.聽 I often feel like my clients offer me more than I offer them, and they don’t even know it!

What does flourishing and service to God and neighbor look like in your life?

Tough question.聽 I’m in a tough season of life.聽 It’s a season of transition and change.聽 I think right now flourishing is staying true to my essential self and continuing to do my own healing work so that I can be fully present and engaged with others.

Who are the people who support your flourishing, and what practices do you engage that help you flourish?

I have really good people in my life: my husband, my children, my tribe of women (other local alumni with whom I gather), my friends. They help me be a better me.聽 Practices that I engage in to flourish include my own counseling, pilates, gardening, reading, walking, and being part of a book club.聽

What is one piece of wisdom or advice you would give to prospective students interested in pursuing the same degree program as you?

Find people who think differently than you and engage with them.聽 Practice noticing what the differences do to you and how they impact your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.聽 Also, find people you can be yourself with, with whom you can relax.聽 Share yourself with your safe people, even the difficult stuff.聽 Go to counseling and stay in counseling.聽 There is always so much to learn and process.聽聽

Learn more about our Master of Arts in Counseling Program: take the next step in your journey and !听

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What brought you to 天美视频?

When I started researching grad schools, I got curious about my own journey in therapy. There were therapists that I did not connect well with, and others that I look back with a lot of gratitude for the work that we did. It felt clear to me that when I felt invited and accepted, as well as seen and deeply known, that the work in those relationships was powerful. I came to 天美视频 because I wanted to learn how to attune with, journey alongside, see the beauty in, and empower each person who comes to my office.聽

When you came to 天美视频, why did you decide to go through your degree program?

I first thought about being a therapist in 2002. I was volunteering on a sexual assault hotline, and doing advocacy work. I look back at my journey and think about Jonah, except Jonah was only swallowed by a fish once, as far as we know. The invitation came back several times, and it wasn’t until 2012 that I felt the invitation and thought, I think becoming a therapist is my next season.聽

What did you hope you would be able to do following graduation?

When I first came to 天美视频, I wanted to keep my expectations open. Except, I did think I in no way wanted to work with children. Which come to internship, there I was, working with children and adolescents. I had a desire to work with trauma, however I left it open to be revealed to me what that could look like.聽

How has your work today been informed by your education at 天美视频?

My time at 天美视频 continues to inform my practice as I witness the beauty of humans coming alive, and increasing their understanding of the intersecting layers of who they are, and how they show up in the world.

What inspires you or gives you hope?

I’m in awe of my clients, and the work that they do. The small steps, and the big steps. In class I once heard Dan Allender say, “Love changes people always.” It gives me hope to see people bravely stepping into trauma work, and the impacts it has not only on their lives, but also the lives of the people around them.聽

What does flourishing and service to God and neighbor look like in your life?

When I think about flourishing and service to God and neighbor, I think about how I am loving God, loving self, and loving neighbor. I often feel most connected to and in service to God in nature, and in community. I often think about how I am both stewarding the planet well, and relationships in community. When I think about loving myself, I think about the continued work I do on my own story, not only for my healing, but also for how I am engaging with and raising my children. Neighbor can not only be a community both small and wide, but also my clients. I am mindful of how I show up in community, and the impact that I have. I am also intentional about how I set up and run my practice, as well as how I sit with my clients.

Who are the people who support your flourishing, and what practices do you engage that help you flourish?

Friends, found family, and colleagues who come alongside me have been necessary. One practice I have learned is communicating my needs. I have found these relationships to be supportive not only when they check in with me because they care about me, but also when I communicate when I am struggling, and how I can be supported. Having a going to, and leaving work ritual has been supportive of my awareness of what I am carrying in my body and mind. Playing music and creating art is not only a practice I find helpful, but also connects me to community. Being in nature is another important practice. Whether that is going for a hike, sitting next to a creek, or walking a labyrinth, I find spending time in nature to be grounding and a place for processing and reflection.聽

What is one piece of wisdom or advice you would give to prospective students interested in pursuing the same degree program as you?

Be open. You are about to learn a lot about not only therapy but also yourself. Be kind to yourself. Be mindful of what you say yes to, and what you say no to. Also, get support if you need it. I am grateful for the disability accommodations that helped me be successful in the program.

Learn more about our Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology program.

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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 天美视频 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 天美视频, 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鈥攁 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.聽

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 天美视频 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鈥攕ome still not fully clear to me鈥攚hy I began studying Counseling Psychology at 天美视频.

What has been a favorite class at 天美视频?

So far, I鈥檓 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鈥檇 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鈥檛 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.聽

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 鈥渟tupid way.鈥� 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鈥� Voices Gallery throughout spring term and summer at the school.聽

In the spring term of 2024, I took an elective class called The Artist鈥檚 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 天美视频. 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鈥檚 no going back. So, I have to slow down and learn to accept my mistakes as part of the 鈥淎rt.鈥澛�

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鈥檚 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.聽

At this point in time, what would you like to explore after graduating from 天美视频?

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鈥� 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鈥檛 be happier. The journey I鈥檓 on now feels like it鈥檚 strengthening me to become like watercolor paper鈥攁ble to hold water and pigments without warping.

What鈥檚 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鈥檇 spend hours looking at the same spot鈥攐r a photo of it鈥攐ver 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鈥攁nd this is a hope I carry for life鈥攖hat 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 天美视频 .

Learn more about our Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology.

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Dr. Misty Anne Winzenried, Dean of the Graduate School, explains the importance and impact of this new program: 鈥淭his Certificate will provide participants a rich and robust year of thinking about how we read scripture, how we interpret scripture, and how we engage our world and communities. Our teachers are also practitioners, and they are committed to providing deeply contextual understandings of the Bible and its relevance in today’s society.鈥�

Examining the literary forms, themes, and history of the Bible alongside social justice perspectives, students will discover and apply insights to their lives, ministry, and vocation. With the School鈥檚 signature emphasis on the integration of theology and psychology, learners in the Certificate in Scripture & Society program will strengthen their listening skills and develop a therapeutic presence to foster change in society. With plans for additional certificates in the future, 天美视频 is excited to create this opportunity for students who may not be seeking a full master鈥檚 degree to develop and expand appreciation and application for the relevance of the Bible while learning skills and understandings to empower transformation and service in today鈥檚 world.

Applications are open and seats are limited. The early bird application deadline is November 1, 2024 and applications close on December 1, 2024. For more information on our programs, please contact 天美视频 Admissions at admissions@theseattleschool.edu.

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We believe that the best way to learn the art of leadership is not merely through the obtaining and executing of good information and technique but through embodiment 鈥� entering into the wild drama and dance of pursuing life with one another on behalf of others. Each of you brings a richness of vision, ability, and desire. Embracing the fullness of who you are, we invite you to participate and to create on behalf of 天美视频 community. Student life at 天美视频 is a living collage reflecting the vision, interests, passions, and personalities of our students!

Student Groups at 天美视频 are peer-facilitated communities designed to connect and resource students in relation to their shared interests or identities. There will be opportunities for our new students to begin getting connected to student groups during Community Weekend and Fall Residency.

Underrepresented student groups are spaces wherein students gather with others who share similar experiences and perspectives related to underrepresentation around their culture and/or identity. We know that it can be costly and exhausting to engage in contexts where one is underrepresented. Student group gatherings offer space for processing, conversation, and deepening connections. These groups expand students鈥� network of support, help students to grow their capacity to learn and thrive in relation to their culture or identity, and provide resources for engaging in learning spaces and future professional contexts. We currently have the following three groups BIPOC Student Group (centers underrepresentation around race/ethnicity); LGBTQIA+ Student Group (centers underrepresentation related to sexual orientation and/or gender identity); and Access (connects students who have neurodiversities, disabilities and/or chronic pain).We are currently looking for students interested in joining the student facilitation teams for these three groups. If you would like to get involved, contact Becca (rshirley@theseattleschool.edu).

Interest-based student groups allow students to cultivate connections based on shared areas of interest. These groups ebb and flow depending on student desire and capacity. We currently have one active interest-based student group called Sage, which gathers students who are returning to school later in life, after a long time away, often while caring for their families or aging parents. Examples of interest groups from the past include an Artists鈥� Council, Lit (student print publication), and Eagle & Child for Theology students.

Student Leadership is a team of students who volunteer to serve the student body as a whole, and meet on a weekly basis. This team is not elected, but open to all who have a heart to serve and to cultivate community together. Our mission is to foster student engagement in our learning community by facilitating collaboration, conversation, and mutuality among students, staff, and faculty. We practice active listening, turning towards one another, and cultivating trust and belonging in all our shared spaces. We seek to recruit a diverse team that represents as much of the student body as possible. Student Leadership hosts seasonal gatherings like Fall Vespers and Community Dinners, and engage ad hoc projects in collaboration with the other student group leaders, faculty, and the Student Services team throughout the year. . Anyone interested in joining Student Leadership can do so at two points in the year: in August, and in January. The initial term of commitment is one academic year from the month during which one has started. For more conversation about student leadership, email studentleadership@theseattleschool.edu or at Becca (rshirley@theseattleschool.edu).

Read more about Student Groups and Student Leaderships here.

The Student Leadership team is eager to meet you and we are planning some fun opportunities for students to get to know one another during Community Week and Fall Residency September 10-13! Look for us in the blue t-shirts around campus on September 10!

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Bio: Dr. Barton is a licensed clinical psychologist in the state of Washington. She received her BA in Psychology from Concordia University-Portland, her MA and PhD in Clinical Psychology from Fuller Graduate School of Psychology at Fuller Seminary, and MA in Theology from Fuller Seminary. Dr. Barton has also pursued additional training in Contemporary Analytic Psychology and Neo-Jungian Studies through Pacifica Graduate Institute.

While she has worked in a variety of mental health settings, engaging emerging adults in meaningful therapy and investing in the development, training, and mentoring of the next generation of deeply human and present clinicians have been her passions. Before joining the faculty of 天美视频 in 2024, Dr. Barton served in university counseling centers for 20+ years. She has taught undergraduate courses in psychology and world religions, directed the training program for master’s and doctoral level counseling students at Pacific Lutheran University Counseling Services, and served as the director of the Counseling Center at PLU.

Dr. Barton grew up in rural Washington State with a diverse denominational background and an appreciation for the joys, challenges, and opportunities for navigating the 鈥漣n-between鈥� spaces of identities, stories, and communities of belonging. In both her ongoing therapeutic practice and in walking alongside healers in training, Dr. Barton is interested in building capacity to be deeply present to self, other, and world; integrating head and heart knowledge in an embodied way; and facilitating enhanced agency and ownership of one鈥檚 own voice.

Beyond work, Dr. Barton believes in the importance of being engaged in community, family life, and connection with the natural world. She teaches courses in her faith community, serves on local neighborhood coalitions that support youth thriving, participates in her church worship band, enjoys board games and meaningful (and ridiculous or fun) conversations with her partner and three children, and can regularly be found basking in God鈥檚 creation on local hikes or in National Parks.

What are you currently reading?

I tend to read multiple things at once to satisfy my many interests.聽 Right now, in addition to a lot of policy/procedures and textbooks for 天美视频, I am:

• 聽Reading Steve Inskeep鈥檚 聽Differ We Must:聽 How Lincoln Succeeded in a Divided America (2023) and reflecting on the deep need in our present reality to engage across and through difference.聽
• Continuing to explore my interest in Jungian psychology and its applications by reading聽 Joan Chdorow鈥檚 1997 edited collection of writings by Jung: Jung on Active Imagination and the classic聽 Romancing the Shadow: A Guide to Soul Work for a Vital, Authentic Life (Zweig & Wolf, 1999)
• Following up on a recommendation from a spiritual director friend with whom I have shared conversation about the importance of (re)building meaningful connections amongst those in our church communities by reading聽 The Friendship of Women: The Hidden Tradition of the Bible (Chittister, 2006)
• Scratching my historical fiction itch with PNW writer, Kristen Loesch鈥檚 The Last Russian Doll (2024) and Adam Ehrlich Sachs genre-bending, mind-tickling Gretel and the Great War (2024)

What have you been listening to lately?

The sounds of birds, water, and the wind in the trees; music by Chopin while working or reading; a variety of lectures from The Great Courses (from literature to history, philosophy, etc – these lectures and Apocalyptica are what I listen to while working out), Lectio 365; the beauty and wildness of a square foot-challenged house of 6 people who all play instruments (yes, there鈥檚 a drum set in my 鈥渉ome office鈥�) and are practicing dance, cheer, signing etc., throughout the day.聽聽

What did you enjoy this summer?聽

聽This past summer I enjoyed hiking in the mountains and drinking in the beauty of North Cascades National Park; having moments of awe and wonder both on family camping trips and in my annual solo retreat; and accompanying my children as they entered into adventures that allowed them new 鈥渁has鈥� – seeing the world with new eyes,聽 deepening their curiosity, and posing challenging questions.聽聽

What research or questions do you find yourself drawn to at the moment?聽

In the past year, I presented at a panel conversation on loneliness.聽 I am captured by the questions of what it is we mean when we talk about an 鈥渆pidemic of loneliness鈥� and what it is in our culture, environments, and ways of living with one another that is giving rise to alienation from ourselves and each other. What is it that we as psychologists, and those who reflect from theological and spiritual perspectives,聽 have to offer in this regard?聽

If you could have dinner with any person, dead or alive, who would they be?

Just one? I鈥檇 like to cheat on this one. I鈥檇 love to grab some Thai food (mangoes and sticky rice compulsory), sit down around a table with Victor Frankl, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Carl Jung, and Steven Hayes, and see where the conversation goes.聽

If you weren’t in your current profession, you’d be….?

I鈥檝e had the fantasy of opening a bookstore, cafe, third-space of community that hosts opportunities for folks to engage in conversation with one another about topics that we seem to have a hard time entering into with one another right now. Seems challenging鈥� meaningful鈥xciting鈥�. like I would need to learn some entrepreneurial skills.聽

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But how do we orient and connect when students and classmates are joining at different times, from different places, with diverse backgrounds, cultures, and identities, and with varying degrees of ease related to technology and access?

These questions have shaped much of our work within the Student & Academic Services team (SAS) in recent months and years. If you are a new student at 天美视频, I would imagine that questions like these have shaped your experience as well. Some of you in the 2024 cohort started taking classes this winter or spring. Others have just enrolled and are figuring out how to access student email and wondering where to get textbooks. Some have begun connecting during our monthly summer zoom coffee or happy hours. And some are also supporting children starting school while you prepare to start school yourself. Wherever you are today, however you are feeling about starting classes in September, we are here for you. We value your presence, our relationship with you, and the ways you will shape this learning community.

For many years we’ve held a tradition of asking our incoming cohort to reflect on who they are as they begin their degree program, and to introduce themselves creatively using a simple sheet of paper. This non-graded “Who Am I?” assignment is a way of collectively representing the people, perspectives, and stories that make up your incoming cohort.

During the fall term, we hang these compositions in an art installation in our Community Gallery on the 3rd floor of the school building. Afterward, we gather these pages into a portfolio and archive them alongside nearly two decades of cohorts who have participated in this assignment. We return to these portfolios every year as we are sending our graduating cohort, inviting them to look back at the person they were when they started, and to see the host of alumni that surround them as a great cloud of witnesses. These pages are a cherished part of our community鈥檚 story.

How to complete the Who Am I? assignment:

New students, here is your task: Using any media of your choice, answer the question Who are you? We invite you to consider three categories as you reflect and introduce yourself through this assignment: Who are you as an embodied listener, a meaning maker, and a community healer?

You may be as creative as you’d like: collage, paint, sketch, color, write a poem, a song, a story, include your picture or a picture of those people, places, or things you love. . . or don’t. In the case of a song or poem you are free to make an audio recording of yourself but please also prepare an image that connects to it, whether it is the lyrics or some other visual representation of you that can hang with the collection in the third-floor gallery

This assignment is due on September 11th. Bring it with you when you come to campus for Part 2 of New Student Orientation. We will spend some time sharing these pieces with one another that afternoon. We will then hang the visual pieces in the third-floor gallery for you to see and interact with when you come to campus. And, after the fall term, we will gather and keep these pieces in the portfolio archives alongside past cohorts.

If you have questions about this assignment, feel free to post them in the discussion in the Frameworks & Intersections group in Populi or email me directly at rshirley@theseattleschool.edu.

For a bit of inspiration, we鈥檝e included a smattering of Who Am I? pages from past cohorts below.

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