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 catch up with Jodi Bagge, MACP 2021, and understand how The Seattle School helped shape her path.
How did you find and choose The Seattle School? And how is it helping you today?
I was searching for a trauma-focused program that embraced an outside-the-box approach to client work beyond the therapy-hour setting. I wanted to be able to take my education overseas, to work with collective trauma and healing, and I wanted to be able to weave expressive arts and nature-based practices into my work as a trauma therapist. The MACP program and faculty, the Complex Trauma and Abuse concentration and cohort I had the privilege to be a part of, and the deep community I found during my three years at The Seattle School all provided a vital foundation for the work I do today, and nourished the imagination I continue to carry with me in my vocational direction and evolving paths.
What are you up to now?
Since graduating, I have been slowly and mindfully cultivating a private practice that is trauma-informed and that taps into expressive arts and nature-based therapies. I am currently based in Bellingham, WA offering online and outdoor walk-and-talk sessions to Washington state clients, and because of my own background and passion in international travel, I have extended my services to also include supporting expats and missionaries around the world. Alongside individual work, I have also been deeply enjoying opportunities to host retreats and to curate trauma-care workshops and arts-focused experiences for groups stateside and beyond.
What’s your favorite part(s) about your work?
I absolutely love that my education and credentials allow me to work with a broad range of communities, and that it gives me the opportunity to weave-in my passion for nature, contemplative spaces, community, and creativity. Being in these kinds of therapeutic spaces with individuals and groups has been one of the greatest delights of my evolving career, and I am so excited to see how it continues to unfurl.
How does your training at The Seattle School inform your work?
I honestly can’t imagine doing what I do now without the foundation of personal exploration and trauma-care tending I did for my own story while at The Seattle School. The way I was invited to meet my learning edges, to linger just long enough to be a bit more curious and compassionate with myself, and to be witnessed and cared for, it all created a deeper well of capacity for my work with others and their unique journeys towards belonging and holistic, integrated wellness.
What advice would you give to students starting at The Seattle School?
Listen to your gut. Get creative with your learning! Find ways to study what sparks delight. Find friendships in your classes and cohort that keep you laughing and that make room for you to cry. Stay curious and playful. And let your findings continue to surprise you and guide you.
What else would you like to share with us?!
If you’re interested in joining me for a retreat or workshop, want to collaborate, or would like to connect about anything nature-based or expressive arts related, please feel free to reach out! You can contact me through my website: www.jodibagge.com or via email jodi.bagge@gmail.com – I’d be delighted to connect!
Thank you, Jodi, for taking the time to share with us!
Learn more about our Master of Arts in Counseling & Psychology.