RENAR Voice

Ep. 17: Trauma and God's Design - A Special Feature with Anna Zaccardo

Robert and Jeff invite counselor, educator, trauma specialist, and Robert's site supervisor Anna Zaccardo to discuss her 25+ years of work with trauma.  Anna defines trauma as those intensely distressing life experiences that affect a person holistically and disrupt one's sense of safety, belonging, and meaning.  She discusses trauma in the context of the dark places that impact one's ability to cope and relate healthily with God, others, and self.  Anna outlines how trauma leaves traces upon us that limit out capacity for joy and intimacy, and how the behavior that flows from trauma is distinctly different than any other behavior.  Anna explains how working within the domain of God's original plan for a person can help engage one's brokenness.

Recommended APA citation example: Switala, R. P., & Mazzone, J. (Producers). (2021, May 31). Ep. 17: Trauma and God's design - A special feature with Anna Zaccardo [Audio podcast episode]. In RENAR Voice. Rho Eta Nu Alpha Rho of Chi Sigma Iota, Liberty University.

Ep. 16: Bringing Ourselves into the Moral Conflicts - Dr. Krista Kirk

Counselor, Liberty alumna and assistant professor, founder of all the online CSI chapters at Liberty, and originator of this podcast Dr. Krista Kirk joins Robert and Jeff to discuss the most often asked question she hears from students - how do we navigate the moral issues that arise in counseling?  In the spirit of Irvin Yalom's axiom that we bring ourselves wherever we go, Dr. Kirk shares from her own theological perspective on how she navigates her identity in Christ as a child of God while also remaining focused on the child of God in front of her.  Dr. Kirk challenges us to remember that we can learn a lot from those with whom we may disagree theologically, morally, or politically while still maintaining our integrity. 

Recommended APA citation example: Switala, R. P., & Mazzone, J. (Producers). (2021, May 18). Ep. 16: Bringing ourselves into the moral conflicts - Dr. Krista Kirk [Audio podcast episode]. In RENAR Voice. Rho Eta Nu Alpha Rho of Chi Sigma Iota, Liberty University.

Ep. 15: Approaching Race with Curiosity, Openness, and Listening - Dr. Mark Myers

Counselor and Liberty professor Dr. Mark Myers joins Robert and Jeff to discuss the "courageous conversations" that he and Dr. Melvin Pride began in 2016 as a forum for discussing race and asking questions about the hot button issues.  Dr. Myers shares his experiences as a white man from Colorado raised in poverty having these discussions publicly with Dr. Pride - an African American raised in the Jim Crow south.  Dr. Myers shares how we can widen our perspectives, and discover how growing in relationship with persons of differing race leads us to question our prejudgments and assumptions, make us more curious, slower to react, and a little more aware.  Dr. Myers looks to Romans 13:8 as setting the standard for racial reconciliation, challenging us to fulfill the law of God, which is the law of love.

For the courageous conversation held at the Virginia Counseling Association 2020 Conference, click here. 

For the 1965 Moynihan Report, click here. 

For the quote from John Stuart Mill, click here. 

Recommended APA citation example: Switala, R. P., & Mazzone, J. (Producers). (2021, May 3). Ep. 15: Approaching race with curiosity, openness, and listening - Dr. Mark Myers [Audio podcast episode]. In RENAR Voice. Rho Eta Nu Alpha Rho of Chi Sigma Iota, Liberty University.

Ep. 14: Owning Our Capacity for Wrongness - Dr. Frederick Volk

Psychologist and Liberty counseling professor Dr. Fred Volk explains his “I am wrong” contribution to a thread on CESNET-L discussing science, research, data, truth, and faith.  Dr. Volk reminds us that science is not about proofs, and he recommends cultivating a sense of our own wrongness when judging others culturally, religiously, politically, and professionally.  Thinking like a researcher requires assessing not how right we are, but how wrong we are.  Humility is recognizing our potential for wrongness in our perceptions and understandings.  He suggests that we attend to the present moment and the person before us, realizing that we make judgments that may be wrong, and that forgiving ourselves for mistakes me make helps us forgive others too.  Dr. Volk examines how to approach colleagues who place “faith” in systems other than the Christian faith like any number of -isms.  Robert and Jeff's time with Dr. Volk reminds them of the passage “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13).

Recommended APA citation example: Switala, R. P., & Mazzone, J. (Producers). (2021, April 19). Ep. 14: Owning our capacity for wrongness - Dr. Frederick Volk [Audio podcast episode]. In RENAR Voice. Rho Eta Nu Alpha Rho of Chi Sigma Iota, Liberty University.

Ep. 13: Keeping it Real, Intentional, and Balanced - Dr. Stacey Lilley

In this casual and fun conversation, wife, mother, counselor, assistant professor, and director of Liberty's Clinical Mental Health Counseling program Dr. Stacey Lilley "brings the party" and offers a glimpse into the humanity behind our online professors that online students may not always see.  She discusses balance, wellness, priorities, vulnerability, and her efforts to navigate each.  Dr. Lilley shares her experience having babies while working full time and studying, learning not to give her spouse her leftover time, and making her needs known.  She reflects on the intentionality of attitude needed to foster self-care, reminding us that you cannot give what you don't have, and that you really need to secure your oxygen mask before assisting others.  She distinguishes the demands of what's pressing and what is not, and shares how to recognize the red flags that things are not balanced.

Recommended APA citation example: Switala, R. P., & Mazzone, J. (Producers). (2021, April 5). Ep. 13: Keeping it real, intentional, and balanced - Dr. Stacey Lilley [Audio podcast episode]. In RENAR Voice. Rho Eta Nu Alpha Rho of Chi Sigma Iota, Liberty University.

Ep. 12: Virtual Private Practice - Dr. Sonya Heckler Cheyne

Counselor, supervisor, and Liberty associate professor Dr. Sonya Heckler Cheyne joins Robert and Jeff to discuss the virtual private practice she started in January of 2021 as a response to living in a rural area, being the only counselor in town, and the impact of COVID19 on how services are delivered.  She shares insights into her business model, hiring students and licensed interns, legal and ethical concerns, billing, and minimizing overhead costs.

Find Dr. Cheyne's virtual private practice LogoVita, PLLC here. 

Recommended APA citation example: Switala, R. P., & Mazzone, J. (Producers). (2021, March 29). Ep. 12: Virtual private practice - Dr. Sonya Hecker Cheyne [Audio podcast episode]. In RENAR Voice. Rho Eta Nu Alpha Rho of Chi Sigma Iota, Liberty University.

Ep. 11: Traumatic Loss, Suffering, and Meaning - Dr. Alyssa Gavulic

Counselor, marriage and family therapist, Liberty graduate and adjunct professor, military widow, and grieving mother Dr. Alyssa Gavulic tells her story finding meaning and joy through the traumatic losses of her husband from a special operations training accident, her youngest child from a drowning accident, and two of her brothers from suicide and homicide all within less than three years after completing her master's degree and during her doctoral studies.  She shares how she came to live, experience, and apply her research in resilience and grief, her agonizing trial of trusting in the goodness of God, and how we can best be present to others going through their own seasons of suffering.

Recommended APA citation example: Switala, R. P., & Mazzone, J. (Producers). (2021, March 22). Ep. 11: Traumatic loss, suffering, and meaning - An interview with Dr. Alyssa Gavulic [Audio podcast episode]. In RENAR Voice. Rho Eta Nu Alpha Rho of Chi Sigma Iota, Liberty University.

Ep. 10: Stories from Play Therapy - Dr. Robyn Simmons

Counselor, Liberty professor, CSI chapter adviser, and registered play therapist supervisor Dr. Robyn Simmons discusses how play therapy works in allowing children to express the themes that adult clients may share through words, especially regarding trauma.  She shares a few of her favorite stories from play therapy, how to become trained and registered, and how to engage parents.

Recommended APA citation example: Switala, R. P., Mazzone, J., & Prince, T. (Producers). (2021, March 8). Ep. 10: Stories from play therapy - Dr. Robyn Simmons [Audio podcast episode]. In RENAR Voice. Rho Eta Nu Alpha Rho of Chi Sigma Iota, Liberty University.

Ep. 9: Society, Turmoil, and Leadership Through the Holy Spirit - Dr. Brandi Chamberlin

As online chair of the Department of Counselor Education and Family Studies at Liberty, Dr. Chamberlin led several thousand students and a few hundred professors through 2020's tensions surrounding race and the Falwell sex scandal.  She shares her experiences of finding a voice, having honest and vulnerable conversations with colleagues, and responding with actions rooted in prayer especially with professors and students at the monthly virtual prayer vigils held from June through December.  Dr. Chamberlin discusses with Robert and Jeff her vision for moving forward, and the role Liberty and its counselors can play.

Recommended APA citation example: Switala, R. P., & Mazzone, J. (Producers). (2021, February 23). Ep. 9: Society, turmoil, and leadership through the Holy Spirit - Dr. Brandi Chamberlin [Audio podcast episode]. In RENAR Voice. Rho Eta Nu Alpha Rho of Chi Sigma Iota, Liberty University.

Ep. 8: Approaching Gender with Justice, Mercy, and Humility - A Special Feature with Dr. Julia Sadusky

Clinical psychologist and Denver Seminary adjunct professor Dr. Julia Sadusky joins Robert and Jeff to lead the difficult conversation of navigating gender identity from a Christian worldview.  Dr. Sadusky is a research fellow of the Sexual & Gender Identity Institute in Wheaton, IL, and serves as an adviser to Preston Sprinkle's Center for Faith, Sexuality and Gender.  She earned her doctorate from Regent University, and her undergraduate degree from Ave Maria University.

For the book Emerging Gender Identities by Dr. Sadusky with Dr. Mark Yarhouse, click here.

For more from Dr. Sadusky, visit her website at www.juliasadusky.com.

Recommended APA citation example: Mazzone, J. T., & Switala, R. P. (Producers). (2021, February 8). Ep. 8: Approaching gender with justice, mercy, and humility - A special feature with Dr. Julia Sadusky [Audio podcast episode]. In RENAR Voice. Rho Eta Nu Alpha Rho of Chi Sigma Iota, Liberty University.

Ep. 7: Networking, Leadership, and Service with an Added Multicultural Lens - Dr. John Harrichand

Liberty alumnus, counselor, assistant professor, and ACA-NY President-Elect Dr. John Harrichand shares his experiences of growing in the servant-leader-advocate dimensions of the profession as a multiheritage Guyanese immigrant to Canada, a Ph.D. graduate of Liberty, and a foreign worker now teaching at SUNY Brockport.  Serving in numerous leadership capacities with several international, national, regional, and state professional associations, he offers some guidance on how students can begin to find open doors for internships, mentorship, service, and leadership.

Recommended APA citation example: Switala, R. P., & Mazzone, J. T. (Producers). (2021, January 25 ). Ep. 7: Networking, leadership, and service with an added multicultural lens - An interview with Dr. John Harrichand [Audio podcast episode]. In RENAR Voice. Rho Eta Nu Alpha Rho of Chi Sigma Iota, Liberty University.

Ep. 6: Pursuing Our Own Counseling Needs - Dr. Brad Imhoff

Drawing from his own experience with social anxiety, counselor and Liberty assistant professor Dr. Brad Imhoff discusses the journey toward recognizing our own mental health difficulties and hot spots, cultivating vulnerability, taking the first steps of surrender toward freedom, and how experiencing the counseling process ourselves can help us grow in personal and professional integrity.

Recommended APA citation example: Switala, R. P., & Mazzone, J. T. (Producers). (2021, January 11). Ep. 6: Pursuing our own counseling needs - Dr. Brad Imhoff [Audio podcast episode]. In RENAR Voice. Rho Eta Nu Alpha Rho of Chi Sigma Iota, Liberty University.

Ep. 5: The Dark Side of the DSM - A Special Feature with Dr. James Hansen

Oakland University professor Dr. James Hansen discusses how the DSM-5 may be necessary for counselors to use, but it does not help people.  Instead, it inserts symptom-based reductionism into talk therapy, contradicts the helping relationship, and violates counselor identity.  Dr. Hansen explains the history of the DSM, and its adoption of descriptive psychiatry beginning with the DSM-III. 

Check out where he discusses more of these ideas in Meaning systems and mental health culture: Critical perspectives on contemporary counseling and psychotherapy.

For the mentioned Counseling Today article featuring Dr. Hansen, click here. 

For the mentioned two episodes from The Thoughtful Counselor podcast, click here and here.

For more from Dr. Hansen, visit sites.google.com/site/jamesthansenphd/.

Recommended APA citation example: Mazzone, J. T. & Switala, R. P. (Producers). (2021, January 04). Ep. 5: The dark side of the DSM - A special feature with Dr. James Hansen [Audio podcast episode]. In RENAR Voice. Rho Eta Nu Alpha Rho of Chi Sigma Iota, Liberty University.

Ep. 4: Starting and Maintaining a Private Practice - Dr. Mike Takacs

Liberty alumnus, licensed professional counselor, and Liberty assistant professor Dr. Mike Takacs joins Robert and Jeff to discuss the successful private practice he recently started in the Lynchburg area, now fully staffed with licensed counselors, residents, and interns.  He talks about how the practice works, his current role as its founder, and how he balances it with teaching, academic pursuits, and leadership roles while also being a husband and father. 

Recommended APA citation example: Switala, R. P., & Mazzone, J. T. (Producers). (2020, December 21). Ep. 4: Starting and maintaining a private practice - Dr. Mike Takacs [Audio podcast episode]. In RENAR Voice. Rho Eta Nu Alpha Rho of Chi Sigma Iota, Liberty University.

Ep. 3: Intentional Advocacy in School Counseling - Dr. Deedre Mitchell

Robert and Jeff interview chapter faculty member and school counselor Dr. Deedre Mitchell about advocating for individual students, creating school-wide programming, and sharing diagnoses and treatment recommendations with parents.  Dr. Mitchell shares the importance of intentionally providing a consistent and constant presence while cultivating an awareness of a population's needs one student at a time.

Recommended APA citation example: Switala, R. P., & Mazzone, J. T. (Producers). (2020, December 7). Ep. 3: Intentional advocacy in school counseling - Dr. Deedre Mitchell [Audio podcast episode]. In RENAR Voice. Rho Eta Nu Alpha Rho of Chi Sigma Iota, Liberty University.