Continuing Conversations March 2023
Friends,
I want to celebrate with you. And I want you to celebrate with us. As we mark the 25-Year Anniversary of The Seattle School, I know–better than most–we wouldn’t have made it 25 years without you . . . and the wildness, heartache, and longing, a willingness to suffer and an openness to be awed, the hurt, the healing, the hope, the struggle to love of God and neighbor that marks each of us peculiarly and all of us together as we’ve created Western Seminary- Seattle/Mars Hill @ Western Seminary/Mars Hill Graduate School/The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology. My prayer is that there is a part of each of us that has been forever transformed by being a part of this community, a part of each other, as alumni, that shapes the way we serve those we’ve been called to love. You are invited, dear friends, to two events to remember together, celebrate together, pray together, and, together anticipate the next 25 years to come as we look toward Jubilee. . .
25-Year Anniversary Benefit Dinner–April 21, 2023, 5:30-9:30 pm
At this fundraising event, we will gather at 2501 Elliott Ave with faculty, staff, alumni, donors, and board members from across the years around good food, good drink, celebration and storytelling. Our goal for the evening is to raise $200,000 to invest in the next 25 years of shaping healers and rebuilders for the restoration of our churches, communities, neighborhoods, and world. You can read more about the event here.
Day of Celebration: Looking Toward Jubilee–June 3, 2023, times vary
Our culminating celebration is the Day of Celebration, a day full of gatherings for faculty, staff, students, alumni, and our families across the country (and around the world!) to celebrate 25 years of The Seattle School, our shared story and our impact on each other’s lives, and where we have known God’s faithfulness throughout it all. Homecoming gatherings will be occurring around the nation at our chapter locations and, at the Red Brick building, a variety of happy hour events, art, and concerts will culminate with our annual Spring Banquet and conclude with a dance in the Commons. For more information as the date gets closer and details are finalized, take a look at the event page. For now please Save the Day!
As Dr. Cornel West has said, “We are who we are because somebody loved us.” Dear friend, we wouldn’t be who we are without all of you and the Spirit who births life in impossible places. Please, come celebrate with us, who we have been and who we are being called to become.
I am so grateful for you.
Peace. paul
Upcoming Events
Let’s celebrate all that has come before and what lies ahead!
25-Year Anniversary Benefit Dinner–April 21, 2023, 5:30-9:30 pm
Celebration, storytelling & fundraising: learn more and register here.
Last Call for Sponsorships –learn more here & join us as a sponsor!
Day of Celebration & Spring Banquet–June 3, 2023
Save the Day for this culminating celebration here in Seattle and around the country. For details, keep an eye on the event page.
Share Your Story & Photos
Alumni, your stories are part of the story of The Seattle School, and we would love to hear your memories and see your photos. Please share your stories and images through this Google Form. Stories and images may be woven into one of the upcoming 25 Year celebration events. Questions? Please email marketing@theseattleschool.edu.
Discount for Alumni at The Seattle School Bookstore
Celebrate The Seattle School’s 25-Year Anniversary with 25% off any purchase at store.theseattleschool.edu through June 24. Use coupon code Alumni25 at checkout!
Learn More about 25 Year Events
Alumni Month
Thank you to all alumni who have volunteered to participate in our re-boot of Alumni Month! Please keep your eyes out for further echoes and news from these conversations. Thank you. Alumni Month has historically been a time when small groupings of faculty, staff, and graduating students have ventured forth from The Seattle School to meet alumni for rich conversation – we are led as an institution by you! If you would like to participate and haven’t been in touch with me yet please feel free to follow up so I can note your interest and connect with you– at jskillman@theseattleschool.edu.
Alumni Spotlights
Mallory Redmond, MATC ‘13: “Wild and holy work”
Alumni Quad member Mallory Redmond MATC ‘13 recently shared with us more about her experiences, insights, and gratitude, including her journey since graduation and the formation and preparation she received for “wild and holy work.”
Read More: Mallory
Mary DeJong, MATC ‘17 & Sarah Steinke, MACP ‘19: Pilgrimage to Iona
Mary DeJong, MATC ‘17 and Sarah Steinke, MACP ‘19 bring their training, gifts, and strengths to their collaborative work, as they guide pilgrimages to Iona, Scotland, where travelers and seekers explore the rich heritage of Celtic spirituality and sacred rewilding practices, synching the body and the soul in this journey.
Read More: Mary & Sarah
Megan Febuary, MATC ’14: For Women Who Roar
Megan Febuary, MATC ’14, told us how her studies at The Seattle School have been foundational to her work as a creative coach helping women share their stories and heal from trauma through writing and art. Her first book was published in 2021: For Women Who Roar.
Read More: Megan
Alumni News
Congratulations to
- Dr. Lacy Clark Ellman MACS ‘12 gave her dissertation defense in November 2022: it was on the topic of millenial exvangelicals and their journey “back home” to spirituality.
- Dr. Mary Jane Wilt MAC ‘05 finished her PhD-MFT in September. She distilled her 282-page dissertation down to a 30-page article titled, “Differentiation of Family System Inventory (DoFSI): Development and Content Validation of a New Qualitative Family Intervention and Evaluation Tool” which has been accepted for publication in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy!
- Cairn Journey Yakey MACP ’16 (formerly Melissa Marie) will be presenting at The TRANSforming Gender Conference this March!
- Alumni Supervisors: Congrats to Erika Baxter MAC ‘04, MDiv ‘06, Terry Bohn MACP ‘13, Rachel Elder MACP ‘17, Jenn Frechette MACP ‘10, Melissa Glenn MACP ‘12, Nicole Greenwald MACP ‘11, D. Michael Louderback ’13, Erin Pierson MACP ‘11, Palmer Richardson MACP ‘19, Jeanette Scott MACP ‘08, Maren Telsey MACP ‘16, Jennifer Wade MACP ‘13, MaryJane Wilt MAC ‘05!
Launches
- Dan Cumberland MATC ‘12 six months ago launched and created VideoSnap.io, a tool for repurposing content and creating viral videos. Learn more about his work. He also launched his first business accelerator in February: Bootstrap without Burnout, a 90-day program to help founders build businesses.
- Congratulations to all our alumni at Self Space Seattle who recently opened a new location in Kirkland, Washington! Alumni include Rachel Lund MACP’13, John Lembo MACP’15, Shannon Wittevrongel MACP’15, Sarah Brandabur MACP’18, Katie Carroll MACP ‘22, and Cindy Burnett MACP’22.
- Congratulations to Liz Pritchard MACP ‘07 and wife Jessica Stuenzi MACP ‘06 who recently founded The Courage Clinic in Colorado! They currently offer medication management with plans to add mental health therapists and student training/internships within the next year. After graduating, Jessica pursued and completed her Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner degree, while Liz has been working in community mental health as a therapist and in management.
Alumni Offerings
- Jenny Wade MACP ‘13 hopes to create a “Somatic Skills for Therapists” virtual course, where she will give clinicians practical tools to create energetic boundaries and release secondary trauma. Here is a video offering: Listening Seat Meditation.
- Therapy Godmothers: Check the website for Tax Workshops! Cry Camp is coming up in May. And Tender Wild Retreat on Whidbey Island is in October.
- Dreaming of Writing a Book? Imagine a year from now finally calling yourself an author. Doors are now open to apply for 1:1 Book Coaching with trauma-informed Book Coach and Editor, Megan Febuary MATC ‘14. Learn more and apply today. Keep your eyes out for a beautiful interview with her coming out later this year to learn more!
Do you have any news? Let us know!
Community News
Self-Facilitated Resilience Retreat from the Center for Transforming Engagement
We all live by rhythms, whether intentionally crafted or habitual. It can be hard to take the time to step back from everyday responsibilities to reflect and make changes to those habits. That’s why we’re pleased to share the free Self-Facilitated Resilience Retreat to help you foster practices of resilience. It is a flexible, self-paced mini-retreat that can be done on your own time, at your own pace, wherever you are. Be sure to download the guide here. Check out our Instagram account @transformingengagement to hear Director Kate Davis MDiv ’15, talk about how to use this guide and why we believe it’s so important.
Seattle School Day of Scholarship 2023
On January 14, 2023, The Seattle School held a community-wide Day of Scholarship and the following alumni shared their work: Danielle S. Castillejo MACP ‘20, Kate Rae Davis MDiv ‘15, Dr. Lauren D. Sawyer MATC ‘14, Jocelyn Skillman MACP ‘13, and Dr. Maryjane Wilt, MAC ‘05. Affiliate Faculty and Common Curriculum Coordinator Dr. Kj Swanson, MDiv ‘10, coordinated the event along with Dr. Paul Hoard. To learn more about the session speakers and poster gallery presenters, please take a look at the blog post.
Allender Center Offerings
The Allender Center is looking forward to a busy spring, including the much-anticipated Marriage Enrichment Retreat in Park City, Utah, the first-ever Racial Trauma & Healing Conference in North Carolina, an online Story Workshop, and Recovery Weeks for Men and Women. Take a look at the calendar and join us as we continue to foster the work of healing and redemption in individuals, families, and communities.
Job Openings at The Seattle School
The Seattle School regularly posts teaching positions in the graduate programs at Current Openings: https://theseattleschool.edu/human-resources/current-openings/. Each spring, we post open Adjunct Faculty, Listening Lab, and Assistant Instructor positions for AY 23-24, and we welcome Alumni applicants for these open instructional team positions. If you have teaching or facilitating experience and are interested in working with us, keep an eye out for new postings in the coming months, starting in April and May.
Upcoming Trainings
How to Effectively Supervise Professionals Treating Individuals Who Perpetrate Sexual Violence (credit: 4 CE credit hours)
If you missed the January opportunity: Professor Paul Hoard, Ph.D., LMHC is leading a live online training with Seth Wescott, LMLP on Thursday April 27, 2023 from 11:00 am to 3:30 pm ET (8:00 am to 12:30 pm PT). This training introduces the Integrated Developmental Model, a relationship-based approach to supervising professionals who work with individuals who have been sexually violent.
What’s Sex Got to Do With It? Ethically Engaging with Erotic Content
In this 3-hour online CEU presentation, Dr. Paul Hoard will explore the clinical significance of erotic content in the course of therapy and how it can be addressed in a way that maintains ethical boundaries.
Job Opening
REST, Real Escape from the Sex Trade, has an open position for a Mental Health Therapist.
Community Podcasts
- Transforming Engagement: the Podcast Season 3 features Director Kate Rae Davis, MDiv ‘15, and President and Provost J. Derek McNeil discussing Organizational Identity including conversations with leaders from churches and corporate cultures.
- Looking toward Jubilee Miniseries: In celebration of our 25th year as an institution, Dr. J. Derek McNeil, President, invited Dr. Dan Allender, Founding President and Professor of Counseling Psychology, and Dr. Keith Anderson, President Emeritus, into a conversation on the past, present, and future of our calling and community. Listen as they describe the original hopes and dreams from our founding days and the continuing values of engaging in discourse, Scripture, and stories.
- Enjoy the Allender Center Podcast! Co-host Rachael Clinton Chen MDiv ‘10 has recently returned from maternity leave.
Faculty Podcasts
- Dr. Paul Hoard, Assistant Professor of Counseling Psychology, and sister Billie Hoard joined The New Evangelicals Podcast for “WTF is ‘Disgust Theology’”. They discuss how disgust is emotionalized and how the church and far right media weaponize disgust against the LGBTQIA+ community.
- Doug Shirley MDiv ‘10, Associate Professor of Counseling Psychology, appeared again recently on the ReConceive Podcast and offered his vital perspective and research on “Therapist Loneliness.”
Alumni Podcasts
- Meredith Dancause MDiv ‘08 and Steve Dancause MACS ‘08 co-host a podcast: “We Need to Talk”(out of The Well Church in Edmond, OK)
- Jasmine Svare MACP ‘14 hosts: “Live Your Life”
- Check out the podcast from Bryan Nixon MACP ‘07 (and newest episode linked here) Why in the World
- Listen to Dan Cumberland MACS ‘12 in The Meaning Movement Podcast
- Do you have a podcast to share? Please let Jocelyn Skillman know at jskillman@theseattleschool.edu.
Alumni Community Audit Voucher & Reduced Tuition
With more online courses available now, you won’t want to miss your opportunity to redeem your annual community audit voucher! As lifelong learners, our Alumni may join a class for free once a year with the annual Community Audit Voucher. Auditing a class is different from earning graduate credit or continuing education hours for a course, however, CEUs may be purchased for $30/seat hour. In addition, all non-degree seeking alumni in need of additional course credits receive a discounted tuition rate of $500 per credit.
View the 2022-2023 course schedule to get an idea of what you may be interested in. To register for a course using the Community Audit Voucher, please email Kelsey Wallace at academics@theseattleschool.edu for details and class availability.
Alumni Announcements & News
If you would like to place an announcement or share news in our upcoming quarterly alumni newsletter, please email Jocelyn Skillman at jskillman@theseattleschool.edu. Thank you!
Alumni Therapist Directory – We are excited to be offering an updated list of therapist referrals from our alumni! Would you like to add your information to the list? Please fill out this Google form. This list can be found on our Seattle School website: https://theseattleschool.edu/alumni-therapist-list/
Facebook – At The Seattle School Alumni Association Facebook Group you can offer and gather professional resources, promote your own events and more, learn of upcoming events and information, and connect with fellow alumni. It has been an active and vibrant place for communication.
LinkedIn – On our LinkedIn group you can connect and network with other alumni. Find a range of information relating to your professional life. Opportunities for networking events, jobs, CEUs, and general career advice can all be found in this private group. Promote an event, share a resource, or network about jobs in your area.