Our hope at The Seattle School is to be led by our alumni and their stories–how they labor to live out their calling among the people and communities they serve. Recently we had the opportunity to listen to Nicole Hagerty MACP ’15 and learn more about hope, flourishing, and the impact of The Seattle School.

What brought you to The Seattle School?

The short answer was it was a calling fulfilled. The long answer is very long and probably too long for this interview.  My journey to The Seattle School was influenced by my own trauma work; my gifted and kind counselors (I did both individual and group therapy with alumni of The Seattle School); 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.  

When you came to The Seattle School, 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.  I chose The Seattle School because I felt like it would grow my own capacity to sit with tension and to be kind to myself and others.  I also strongly wanted to learn from Dr. Dan Allender.  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!  It was anxiety-producing work at first.  I often found myself wondering, “Can I really sit with someone else in their pain and woundings?”  But my time at the school prepared me and here I am, 10 years later, still doing the work.  

How has your work today been informed by your education at The Seattle School?

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

What inspires you or gives you hope?

People.  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.  Yes, there is often so much shit and people regularly hurt each other, myself included, but deep inside there is goodness and love.  I get to see that in beautiful and profound ways.  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.  I’m in a tough season of life.  It’s a season of transition and change.  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.  Practices that I engage in to flourish include my own counseling, pilates, gardening, reading, walking, and being part of a book club. 

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

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