by TLC Nielsen
A coworker surprised all of us in her department recently when we discovered she
had graduated with a Masters degree in counseling. When
asked about it, Colleen shrugged and mentioned that she still had to pass exams
and then put in many hours of practicum before she was finished. Her effort in
going to school while working, planning an annual summer mission trip, and putting in many free hours of counseling makes her an extraordinary ordinary counselor on so
many levels.
Welcome Colleen Ryan!
Q) So how on earth did you juggle your masters program while
working and doing all that you do?
A) Very carefully!!
My program allowed for a lot of flexibility, which was essential. Each class lasted for 4 weeks, and it was up
to me if I wanted to take classes back to back, or take a 4 week break between
classes. Obviously, taking time off
between classes slowed down my progress, yet oftentimes it was necessary
to keep a balance to my life as well.
Q) What drew you to study counseling?
A) Since I was in
high school, I’ve always enjoyed listening to people’s problems and trying to
help them navigate solutions to their problems.
I had several people say that I was really good at it and, since I
enjoyed it, I thought it would be a good fit for me.
Q) How did you juggle an overseas mission trip while
finishing your graduate classes?
A) Since I’m the team
leader for our annual mission trips to Honduras, it wasn’t possible for me to
take any classes during June, July and August.
It slowed down my pace but was essential to maintain balance to my life
and also protect my own physical and emotional health.
Q) When did you know you wanted to become involved with
missions?
A) I took my first mission trip when I was 17. I spent the summer in England with Teen
Missions International on an evangelistic team and I loved every minute of
it. The 2 week training in Florida was
really rough and challenging, but God used that time to grow me in my
faith. Ever since then I’ve had a heart
to do whatever was necessary to reach people with the Gospel of Jesus
Christ.
Q) Where did you go overseas and why?
A) When I was 17, I went to England. Then when I was 19, I went with the same
organization to Ireland, and then I was in the role as an assistant leader.
Q) Who encouraged you to go into mission work?
A) My parents had some really good friends who were involved
in missions. The husband was an
orthopedic surgeon and they had 9 kids.
They were very intentional about using his medical skill to help people
around the world. So he would take a
couple of his kids with him to China, Africa, wherever it was and while he was
doing surgeries, his kids would participate in whatever ministry was going
on. Then one year they took all 9 kids
to Africa for a whole year to serve and work there while he did surgeries. I was always fascinated about how they were
intentional with using whatever skills they had to bring Christ to hurting
people. That had a profound impact on my
life. My son is named after this
family.
Q) How does your counseling degree help you with missions?
A) Missionaries are just like us, except they typically have
more stress in their lives. Living in a
foreign land, getting use to their customs, being far away from family and
missing weddings, funerals, babies being born, etc. is very difficult. My counseling helps me understand and know
how to be a good listener, provide encouragement, perspective, be a sounding
board, and also help them navigate challenging relationships in life. They have struggles and disappointments just
like we do.
Q) What’s next for you, as a counselor and short-term
missionary?
A) Well, I just
completed my certification as a Biblical Counselor so I’m just launching my own
practice. I hope God will continue to
use me to help people deal with the various stresses and challenges in life. And I’ll continue leading short-term mission
trips until God leads otherwise. It’s a
passion of my heart to give people the opportunity to step out of their comfort
zones and see what God is doing in another land.
Q) Will you share one surprising thing about yourself and/or
counseling?
A) The older I get, the more I enjoy being home. This might not be surprising for some but for
me it is. When I was younger, I always
thrived on a full schedule and being out and about with people. Now I’m very content to be home, especially
at night.
One surprising thing about counseling is that it takes a lot
of time to prep for each counseling session.
I don’t ‘wing it’ but put thought and care into each session: How can I help them gain a different
perspective? Is there an example from
scripture that I can use to make my point?
What homework would be beneficial for them? It’s amazing how much God’s word has to say
about stress, anxiety, betrayal, relationships, and so much more.
Thanks for reading the Extraordinary Ordinary blog where ordinary folks and their extraordinary adventures come to light!
