RENAR Voice is a podcast interview series produced by Liberty University‘s north area region Rho Eta Nu Alpha Rho (RENAR) online chapter of Chi Sigma Iota, the counseling academic and professional honor society, that features counseling professors, practitioners, and leaders both at Liberty and beyond. Enjoy these extracurricular opportunities for professional identity formation while hearing from both the counselors who make up our online community and some experts from the wider field of mental health. We aim to provide a place where students learn relevant aspects of the counseling identity and gain wisdom to incorporate spiritual integration responsibly and ethically. RENAR was birthed by the amazing efforts of Liberty University clinical mental health counseling graduates and the RENAR chapter‘s founding officers Robert Switala and Jeff Mazzone, along with support from founding chapter faculty advisers Dr. Krista Kirk, Dr. John King, Dr. Deedre Mitchell, and from student advocacy committee member Dr. Chris Ostrander. Starting in 2023, Erica Rhoads, LPC, NCC along with Ana Barend, LMHC, NCC, both Counselor Education and Supervision doctoral students are eager to continue the legacy Robert and Jeff initiated in creating meaningful content that will bless the counseling students they serve. The Special Feature series spotlights experts outside Liberty on unique topics. The Client Voices series offers the opportunity for specific populations to share their own stories in receiving counseling. Ideas expressed in these episodes are solely those of the hosts or guests, and are not necessarily endorsed by Liberty University, Chi Sigma Iota, and the RENAR chapter. Email us at rhoetanualpharho@liberty.edu with comments and recommendations
Episodes
Monday Oct 14, 2024
Monday Oct 14, 2024
Hello everyone! We are sorry for the delay, but much has happened! Erica successfully defended her dissertation and is now teaching at Liberty! Congratulations, Dr. Rhoads!
In this episode, Erica and Ana discussed the journey with the editors of the book and how the project was conceived. We explored the key concepts about which the editors are most proud. We also discussed how a Christian professional counselor can achieve congruence in incorporating spirituality into counseling while upholding our code of ethics (ACA) and professional standards (CACREP). Tune in for insights and encouragement.
Please contact Dr. Rhoads or Ana Barend at erhoads@liberty.edu or abarend@liberty.edu
Link for the book here.
Episode reference:
APA: Rhoads, E., & Barend, A. (Producers). (2024, October 10). Ep. 47: Christian Integration in Counselor Education: A Candid Talk With the Editors- Drs. King and Ford [Audio podcast episode]. In RENAR Voice. Rho Eta Nu Alpha Rho of Chi Sigma Iota, Liberty University
Below are examples of how to reference the chapters:
Seigel, B. & Tyre, Y. (2024). Christian integration and evidence based practice. In J. A. King & K. M. Ford (Eds.), Christian integration in the counseling profession (pp. 301-314). Kendall Hunt.
Ostrander, C. & Ostrander, M. (2024). The role of the Holy Spirit in counseling. In J. A. King & K. M. Ford (Eds.), Christian integration in the counseling profession (pp. 489-507). Kendall Hunt.
Mayo, G. & Doney, C. (2024). Christian integration in grief and loss. In J. A. King & K. M. Ford (Eds.), Christian integration in the counseling profession (pp. 403-413). Kendall Hunt.
Sunday Nov 19, 2023
Sunday Nov 19, 2023
During this interesting conversation, Erica and Ana were delighted to hear from Dr. Daniel how fascinating, effective, and therapeutic group work is! As we are made in God's image (3 in One), group work addresses our need for relatedness and exposes how we relate with each other. We also explored how to making meaning from experiencing pain, and developing cognitive complexity in ourselves and our clients/students.
APA: Rhoads, E., & Barend, A. (Producers). (2023, November 16). Ep. 46: Group counseling: Interrelatedness, meaning in pain, and cognitive complexity- Dr. Denise Daniel [Audio podcast episode]. In RENAR Voice. Rho Eta Nu Alpha Rho of Chi Sigma Iota, Liberty University
Wednesday Sep 13, 2023
Wednesday Sep 13, 2023
Erica and Ana interviewed Dr. Joy Mwendwa, who is an embodiment of joy! In this interview, they discussed practicum anxiety and specific steps Master students can take to address this normative reaction to the counselor education experiential process. They also explored Dr. Mwendwa's teaching philosophy and the importance of humility and presence through the pedagogical process. We hope you enjoy!
Joy is also a Licensed Professional Counselor in Virginia and a Licensed Counseling Supervisor where she offers counseling supervision at Thomas Road Counseling House, Cornerstone Counseling Counseling and Care, and DMV Counseling Coaching and Consulting.
APA Citation: Rhoads, E., & Barend, A. (Producers). (2023, September 8). Ep. 44: Calming practicum anxiety: Being a learner amongst learners- Dr. Joy Mwendwa [Audio podcast episode]. In RENAR Voice. Rho Eta Nu Alpha Rho of Chi Sigma Iota, Liberty University
Wednesday May 17, 2023
Wednesday May 17, 2023
Erica and Ana begin their podcast hosting experience interviewing Dr. Mary Deacon, who is a professor who has inspired both of them as they develop into the leaders God has designed them to be.
Dr. Deacon has been teaching at Liberty for 12 years, she was the CACREP liaison, director of three of our master’s programs, and assessment coordinator. We hope Dr. Deacon's view of leadership will also inspire you.
To visit Dr. Deacon's page, click here.
Recommended APA citation example: Rhoads, E., & Barend, A. (Producers). (2023, May 17). Ep. 44: Servant Leadership- Dr. Mary Deacon [Audio podcast episode]. In RENAR Voice. Rho Eta Nu Alpha Rho of Chi Sigma Iota, Liberty University
Monday Oct 17, 2022
Monday Oct 17, 2022
In this final episode of RENAR Voice, Robert and Jeff say goodbye and thank core professors and chapter leadership for their support and encouragement. What began as an idea to interview a professor (Episode 1) turned into two years of episodes featuring Liberty professors, the Special Feature track with experts outside Liberty, and the first passes of the Client Voices track offering some personal testimonies of being in the client's chair.
Robert and Jeff reflect on the experience of isolation as online students, and the fruit of intentionally building relationships with professors whose transformational mentoring left indelible marks upon Robert and Jeff's professional identity formation and function.
They also share a few laughs about some funny moments on the podcast!
Robert Switala, MA is in residency at Living Free Counseling in Endicott, NY under the supervision of Anna Zaccardo, MS, LPC, LMHC, NCC, BCC. He is in the process of gaining the CSAT certification.
Jeff Mazzone, MA, MA Theo is in residency at Revelations Counseling & Consulting in Stafford, VA under the supervision of Guy Strawder, LMFT, LPC, Lt. Colonel (RET), USA. He is EMDR Trained by EMDRIA approved consultants.
* Spotify users - visit here for episodes pre-dating Ep. 23
**All RENAR Voice content will remain accessible until January 20, 2023**
Monday Oct 17, 2022
Monday Oct 17, 2022
On this final guest episode of RENAR Voice, Robert and Jeff sit with counselor and professor Dr. Lisa Sosin who serves as the director of Liberty's PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision program. Dr. Sosin leads Robert and Jeff through a prayerful and intimate exploration of the challenges a Christian faces associating with professional organizations especially amid endorsed contradictions to what Christians believe about sexuality, gender, marriage, and human life.
Dr. Sosin draws on the Gospel story of the woman at the well to frame how one might navigate professional membership, discern the call to be a missionary within those associations, and ultimately allow love to cast out fear and build relationship. She discusses practicing the profession with excellence for the glory of God, having a seat at the table, credentialing, and the need for each of us to discern and listen to our well-formed conscience.
Visit Dr. Sosin's faculty page here.
* Spotify users - visit here for episodes pre-dating Ep. 23
Recommended APA citation example: Switala, R. P., & Mazzone, J. (Producers). (2022, October 17). Ep. 42: Be not afraid of the culture - Dr. Lisa Sosin [Audio podcast episode]. In RENAR Voice. Rho Eta Nu Alpha Rho of Chi Sigma Iota, Liberty University.
Monday Jun 27, 2022
Monday Jun 27, 2022
Counselor (TX), Christian sex therapist, and Liberty University alumna and assistant professor Dr. Brittany Lashua joins Robert and Jeff to discuss female sexual desire. She touches on topics related to specific dynamics both within a woman and with her spouse, as well as pornography, trauma, emotional intimacy, how sexuality is more than just genital, and much more in this packed 54-minute episode!
For more from Dr. Lashua, follow her on Instagram @brittlashua and @sameteamforever - the marriage/relationship coaching she offers with her husband (https://www.sameteamforever.com/).
* Spotify users - visit here for episodes pre-dating Ep. 23
Recommended APA citation example: Switala, R. P., & Mazzone, J. (Producers). (2022, June 27). Ep. 41: A glimpse into female sexual desire - Dr. Brittany Lashua [Audio podcast episode]. In RENAR Voice. Rho Eta Nu Alpha Rho of Chi Sigma Iota, Liberty University.
Monday Jun 13, 2022
Monday Jun 13, 2022
Counselor (VA) and Liberty alumna and assistant professor Dr. Kristin Hauswirth joins Robert and Jeff to discuss her work as a counselor within correctional facilities and adult detention centers. She shares what drew her to the work and her background in forensics, offers insight into the unique dynamics of this somewhat overlooked and marginalized population, and discloses stories from her experience as a woman within this environment.
Visit Dr. Hauswirth’s faculty page here.
* Spotify users - visit here for episodes pre-dating Ep. 23
Recommended APA citation example: Switala, R. P., & Mazzone, J. (Producers). (2022, June 13). Ep. 40: In prison, you visited me - Dr. Kristin Hauswirth [Audio podcast episode]. In RENAR Voice. Rho Eta Nu Alpha Rho of Chi Sigma Iota, Liberty University.
Monday May 23, 2022
Monday May 23, 2022
Ana Barend is a former professional surfer, world-class competitor, two-time Brazilian champion, World Surf League chaplain, and is a wife, homeschooling mother, and doctoral student in Counselor Education and Supervision at Liberty University. She joins Robert and Jeff to tell her story as a world-touring professional athlete and pioneer of women's professional surfing in Brazil. She shares how her own counseling education slowly revealed long-standing struggles with self-worth, inferiority, control, and childhood emotional neglect. Ana is learning to find and rest on her identity in Christ.
Ana serves as the 2021-2023 secretary of Liberty's Rho Eta Nu Alpha Rho (RENAR) chapter of Chi Sigma Iota, the counseling honor society.
Ana Barend, MA, NCC sees clients in Massachusetts at The Well, and co-owns Little Compton Surf Camp.
Recommended APA citation example: Switala, R. P., & Mazzone, J. (Producers). (2022, May 23). Ep. 39: *Client Voices* - Brazilian women's surf champion turns counselor [Audio podcast episode]. In RENAR Voice. Rho Eta Nu Alpha Rho of Chi Sigma Iota, Liberty University.
Monday May 09, 2022
Monday May 09, 2022
Can I be OK not knowing? Can I sit in the uncertainty? Can I stop my constant checking behaviors? Can I find deliverance from the false promise of relief that my rituals never satisfy?
Counselor (VA and WV) and Liberty alumnus and assistant professor Dr. Brandon Waggoner joins Robert and Jeff to discuss obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), scrupulosity, and exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy.
He compares OCD to a monster that constantly asks "But what if it's true" and suggests that it must be trapped by living in the uncertainty in learning that, ultimately, it's going to be OK.
For helpful resources on OCD, visit the International OCD Foundation.
For more from Dr. Waggoner, visit his faculty page here.
* This episode also marks the last episode recorded with cohost Robert while still a student of the School of Behavioral Sciences at Liberty University - congratulations Robert Switala, MA!
* Spotify users - visit here for episodes pre-dating Ep. 23
Recommended APA citation example: Switala, R. P., & Mazzone, J. (Producers). (2022, May 9). Ep. 38: OCD and "Ultimately, it's going to be OK" - Dr. Brandon Waggoner [Audio podcast episode]. In RENAR Voice. Rho Eta Nu Alpha Rho of Chi Sigma Iota, Liberty University.
Monday Apr 25, 2022
Monday Apr 25, 2022
Fr. Isaac Mary, CFR joins Robert and Jeff to share his experience receiving counseling as a man who is a Catholic priest - what led him to it, his resistance to counseling, his experience of the therapeutic process, and his life since.
He discusses performance and perfectionism, looking for healing without knowing what he needed, possible misdiagnosis, understanding his emotional life, the experience of growing in wholeness toward authentic self-gift, and how the therapeutic relationship ultimately led him to greater reliance on God the Father.
Fr. Isaac is a member of the Community of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal (CFR), a mendicant religious order of lay brothers and priests devoted to prayer, fraternity, hands on work with the poor, and proclaiming the Gospel in the tradition of St. Francis of Assisi. He entered the friars in 2000, was ordained a priest in 2010 at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City, and currently serves the materially and spiritually poor in Derry, Northern Ireland.
Follow the friars in Derry on their Facebook page here.
*Apologies for sound quality issues
* Spotify users - visit here for episodes pre-dating Ep. 23
Recommended APA citation example: Switala, R. P., & Mazzone, J. (Producers). (2022, April 25). Ep. 37: *Client Voices* - A priest walks into counseling [Audio podcast episode]. In RENAR Voice. Rho Eta Nu Alpha Rho of Chi Sigma Iota, Liberty University.
Monday Apr 11, 2022
Monday Apr 11, 2022
Clinical psychologist (CT & NY) and Jeff's internship supervisor Dr. Tim Lock joins Robert and Jeff to discuss the hardship, misconceptions, and challenges of forgiveness. He discusses forgiveness and validation, self-forgiveness, and cases from over 20 years of clinical experience. He also reflects on forgiveness regarding clergy sexual abuse, and failures of ecclesial leadership.
For Dr. Lock's new book Choosing Forgiveness: Unleash the Power of God's Grace, click here.
Visit Dr. Lock at the Goretti Center for Healing and Forgiveness here.
* Spotify users - visit here for episodes pre-dating Ep. 23
Recommended APA citation example: Switala, R. P., & Mazzone, J. (Producers). (2022, April 11). Ep. 36: The beautiful difficulty of forgiveness - A special feature with Dr. Tim Lock [Audio podcast episode]. In RENAR Voice. Rho Eta Nu Alpha Rho of Chi Sigma Iota, Liberty University.
Monday Mar 28, 2022
Monday Mar 28, 2022
Counselor and Liberty associate professor Dr. Kuhnley joins Robert and Jeff to explore Fred Rogers as embodying counseling theories, empathetic relating, and the transforming power of meeting hostility with non-defensiveness. She sheds light on the longstanding mentorship he enjoyed from child psychologist Dr. Margaret McFarland, after whom Daniel Tiger's little sister is named. And with an alternative way of ending our episodes, enjoy witnessing Dr. Kuhnley employ with Robert and Jeff a bit of what Rogers may have done for us all.
For The Mister Rogers Effect: 7 Secrets to Bringing Out the Best in Yourself and Others from America's Beloved Neighbor, click here.
For the six minute YouTube video of Mr. Rogers testifying before Senator Pastore, view here.
For more from Dr. Kuhnley, visit here and follow her on Instagram at @the.empathetic.counselor.
* Spotify users - visit here for episodes pre-dating Ep. 23
Recommended APA citation example: Switala, R. P., & Mazzone, J. (Producers). (2022, March 28). Ep. 35: The Mister Rogers Effect - Dr. Anita Knight Kuhnley [Audio podcast episode]. In RENAR Voice. Rho Eta Nu Alpha Rho of Chi Sigma Iota, Liberty University.
Monday Mar 21, 2022
Monday Mar 21, 2022
From parental wounds including infidelity and divorce, early experiences of God, eight years of seminary and life as a Franciscan friar in the South Bronx, broken attempts to pursue holiness, the experience of being a client, meeting his wife who was miraculously born at 21 weeks, and delivering babies on his couch, and his experience online at Liberty as a Catholic, our cohost and chapter's founding secretary/treasurer Jeff Mazzone shares his story with cohost and founding president Robert Switala.
Jeff is a December 2021 graduate of Liberty's online clinical mental health counseling program, and the 2021 recipient of the Ronald E. Hawkins Distinguished Counseling Student Legacy Award (Founding Dean Award).
He has recently relocated with his family to Fredericksburg, VA, and is a resident in counseling at Revelations Counseling & Consulting in Stafford, VA.
Jeff can be reached at jmazzone1@liberty.edu.
For more on the religious order mentioned throughout the episode, visit them here and at their podcast here.
* Spotify users - visit here for episodes pre-dating Ep. 23
Monday Mar 07, 2022
Monday Mar 07, 2022
Dr. Imhoff returns to the podcast to reflect with Robert and Jeff on what happens when counselor educators pour themselves into their students despite the relationship building often missing from online learning.
Dr. Imhoff shares stories from his own journey through graduate and doctoral studies, and the lasting impact he experienced from specific mentors who intentionally invested in him.
Visit Dr. Imhoff's faculty page here.
* Spotify users - visit
for episodes pre-dating Ep. 23
Recommended APA citation example: Switala, R. P., & Mazzone, J. (Producers). (2022, March 7). Ep. 33: The transformative impact of relational mentoring on counseling students - Dr. Brad Imhoff [Audio podcast episode]. In RENAR Voice. Rho Eta Nu Alpha Rho of Chi Sigma Iota, Liberty University.