Spiritual formation training at Regent University's psychology doctoral program.

Ripley, Jennifer S. ; Yarhouse, Mark A. ; Bekker, Corne J. 等

Christian integration in doctoral programs of Clinical Psychology has a rich history of spiritual formation seeking (Rhea, 2011). Faculty and students seek out Christian integrative programs of psychology for opportunities to grow spiritually while they are training to become psychologists. This article discusses spiritual formation as it is practiced at Regent University. One of the unique characteristics of Regent University is that we are a diverse Christian community. The Psy.D. program includes faculty and students from such varied Christian traditions as Charismatic, Catholic, mainline protestant and traditional African American church communities. We are both "high church" people and "low church" people. Some raise their hands and speak in tongues while others read from the Book of Common Prayer (Church Hymnal Corporation, 2001). Our students are not required to be Christians so some of them are more spiritual in perspective than specific Christian traditions. This diversity of faith practices creates an outstanding medley of voices working together to understand and support the faith practices of the various voices in our "choir." It is in this milieu that we create spiritual formation at Regent University.

The authors of the article are the program director (Jennifer Ripley), the instructor in a course in spiritual formation who has a background in theology and leadership (Corne Bekker), the chair of our Christian Integration committee (Mark Yarhouse), the Director of Clinical Training (LaTrelle Jackson), an alumni of our program (Jill Kays) and a current student (Charity Lane). Our perspectives are collected here to allow the reader to see the many voices of spiritual formation among us.

Defining Spiritual Formation

Defining spiritual formation has been equally difficult (Green, 2002) as crafting a simplified definition of spirituality (Kourie, 2006). Although most religious traditions describe and prescribe some process of formation (Freedman & McClymond, 2001), spiritual formation has been a term mostly utilized by historic forms of Christianity (Waaijman, 2002). Although the descriptions of spiritual formation vary widely in emphasis in each of the various Christian faith traditions (Moon & Benner, 2004), there seems to be agreement that the process of spiritual formation is initiated by God (Merton, 1987), facilitated by the response in faith by the believer (Michael, 2004), and worked out in both personal (Barry, 2004) and communal (Green, 2002) contexts with the ultimate goal of holiness (Willard, 1998) as the believer is formed into the image of Christ (Benner, 2002).

Even though the process of formation is initiated by God (Merton, 1987), the person being formed consents to the formational process through the commitment to practice what Willard (1998, p. 106) calls the "spiritual disciplines" of Christianity. These historic and Biblical disciplines of the spiritual life facilitate spiritual formation and are categorized by Foster (1998) as (a) inward disciplines: meditation, prayer, fasting, and study; (b) outward disciplines: simplicity, solitude, submission and service; and (c) corporate disciplines: confession, worship, guidance, and celebration. These spiritual disciplines are part of Christian higher education.

Biblical Spirituality and Spiritual Formation in Christian Higher Education

The spiritual formation of students at Christian institutions of higher education has been described as central to the mission and praxis of the "idea of a Christian College" (Holmes, 1987, pp. 45-60.) and this is certainly true for Regent University. The purpose of the Christian college is defined with the aim to foster the development in students of (a) an understanding of truth (Beck & Clason, 2006), (b) a Christian world view (Walsh & Middleton, 1984), (c) a vibrant engagement of the secular culture in order to influence towards holiness (Hughes & Adrian, 1997), (d) an ethical response to contemporary challenges (Holmes, 1987), and (e) experiential and institutional holiness in all spheres of life and society (Kulaga & Vincent, 2009).

Spirituality often carries with it a myriad of meanings and practices (Bregman, 2004) and a modern temptation remains for believers to pick and choose whatever beliefs and practices are best suited in their "solo spiritual quest" (Stortz, 2000, p. 91). In contrast, we teach a praxis of spiritual formation that is formed in community (Thiessen, 2005) and distinguished by (a) the consisted effort to be doctrinally "captive to the Word of God" (Jurisson, 2000, p. 91), (b) the disciplined practice of the Biblical and historical spiritual disciplines of the church (Stortz, 2000), (c) a serious engagement with the renewing and transforming power of the Holy Spirit (Coe, 2000), and (d) the ongoing commitment to serious Biblical scholarship and faith integration in all academic disciplines (Schneiders, 2002).

Spirituality and education function along similar paths in the human and spiritual formation of people (Erricker, 2001). In a similar way, teachers and scholars are central to the spiritual formation of students (Blevins, 2005). Professors at universities and colleges serve as educational leaders (Coe, 2000) and must develop leadership models that fully incorporate the leader's authentic spiritual self if they hope to facilitate a similar spiritual formation of their followers (Klenke, 2003; Pruzan, 2008). Teachers and professors who desire to facilitate the authentic spiritual formation of their students should approach their profession as a vocation (Marty, 2001) which is spirituality energized by an ongoing desire for God (Lane, 2000). Palmer (2003) advocates a "pedagogy of the soul" (p. 382) that creates "a space that welcomes the soul" (p. 382) and forms relational trust (Gordon, 2002) between students and the intended learning outcomes of the institution.

Impact Factors: Societal Changes and Student Maturation

We have been discussing social changes due to technology but are still in the early stages of creating pedagogical methods to address them. Advances in technology have allowed teaching and mentoring to occur in various formats--no longer reserved for traditional classroom settings (Ancis, 2003). Modern students have a plethora of resources to pursue spiritual formation.

We have entered a time where society has changed and, consequently, influenced the process of education. Social media forums, such as Facebook, have shifted the paradigm of privacy-conscious individuals to those who want to share all the details. This sharing process can transcend into the classroom, necessitating educators to find ways for intentional personalization of education (Jackson & Pittman, 2013). Understanding that students now tend to learn through personal adaptation of material versus receiving information via traditional means (i.e., lecture, reading, etc.), we believe educators charged to facilitate spiritual formation need to modify teaching practices to accommodate the shift. We are in discussion about those changes to include more use of social media and Internet communication to connect with our students about spiritual formation issues.

Diversity Aspects to Spiritual Formation

Diversity is often conceptualized in terms of cross-cultural appreciation, clinical treatment competencies, and inclusive practices in work, school, or community settings. Multicultural competency benchmarks have evolved and expanded to include a full spectrum of diversity variables (Atkinson & Israel, 2003). Educating doctoral students from a culturally-inclusive, sensitive, and engaging stance has become an expected process in higher education settings. However, it is not so common to see diversity considerations when educating students in spiritual formation.

Select diversity variables that may be considered when teaching spiritual formation in Christian higher education settings include racial/ethnic/or cultural background influences, spiritual beliefs and growth expectations, cultural trust and safety issues, and student learning styles. Each area impacts how easily one can engage in the spiritual formation learning partnership. Central to each of these dimensions is the role of faculty interaction. Research suggests warm interaction with faculty is a strong predictor of student learning, including students of color (Kuh & Hu, 2001; Ripley, Garzon, Hall, Mangis, & Murphy, 2009). According to Lundberg and Schreiner (2004), there are several reasons why student interaction with faculty influences learning. Some researchers believe that faculty interaction strengthens students' critical thinking skills, teaching them how to think versus what to think (Light, 2001, p. 117). Other researchers link faculty interaction with particular learning styles of students; faculty who connect on a personal level facilitate the learning of students who have a more field-dependent or experiential learning style (Zhang & Sternberg, 2001). Since spiritual formation develops from an interpersonal and intrapersonal framework, it follows that connections with spiritual mentors and faculty facilitate student learning and growth.

Spiritual formation comes through inspired education, interaction with others, and relationship to oneself. As educators explore strategies for spiritual formation, the end result must also be considered. John Comenius, a noted Moravian bishop, theologian, and educator, asserted that youth must be taught from the beginning that we are not born for ourselves alone, but for God and our neighbors--the human race (Keatinge, 1967). Ultimately, spiritual formation should be timeless in value, but the strategies to achieve it may need customization to meet the needs of each generation. "Spirituality, pedagogy, and social and environmental well-being are drawn together in Comenius' theologically rooted vision of the high calling placed upon educators" (Smith, Sullivan, & Shortt, 2006, p. 9). Christian institutions of higher learning must be ready for the contemporary challenge of modern times.

Faculty Perspective: Spiritual Formation at Regent University

Spiritual formation in the Psy.D. program at Regent can be considered from many different perspectives. When you look at the program as a whole, there are specific ways in which spiritual formation is woven into the fabric of students' required experiences here, such as when they participate in the specific integration courses of hermeneutics, survey of Christianity, psychology of religion, applied/clinical integration, capstone integration course, and especially spiritual formation. The applied/clinical integration course exposes students to various evidence-based practices in implicit and explicit Christian integration, many of which students use throughout the course and reflect on by journaling about their experiences.

A Course in Spiritual Direction

The required course in Spiritual Direction is specific to spiritual formation. It has been taught for the cohort in the spring of third year by faculty with training in divinity. This course is an experiential course with a pilgrimage framework to assist students in equipping professional psychologists to provide an opportunity for personal spiritual development of the student with a focus on classic spiritual disciplines. This can also become the beginning point of training toward engaging in spiritual disciplines with clients in the future. There are six required textbooks: Spiritual Direction: Wisdom for the Long Walk of Faith (Nouwen, 2006), Spiritual Direction and the Care of Souls: A Guide to Christian Approaches and Practices (Moon & Benner, 2004), Spiritual Direction and Meditation (Merton, 1987), Sacred Companions: The Gift of Spiritual Friendship & Direction (Benner, 2002), An Introduction to Spiritual Direction: A Psychological Approach for Directors and Directees (Michael, 2004), and Spiritual Direction and the Encounter with God: A Theological Inquiry (Barry, 2004).

The Spiritual Direction course begins each class with a worship activity such as Lectio Divina (Benner, 2010). Class time is devoted to discussion of the concepts from the required readings in an interactive discussion setting. Students write a paper describing and reflecting on the spiritual direction activities of their own spiritual tradition. Students also are required to participate in a group spiritual retreat and to write a reflective paper to demonstrate growth in understanding the purpose of spiritual retreat, understand the importance of the praxis of retreat as self-care for the psychologist, and deepen their understanding and experience with God. The movement and activity of the Holy Spirit is especially emphasized in keeping with the Renewal focus of the University. A third assignment involves the students comparing and contrasting a model of spiritual direction to contrast with contemporary theory, concept or practice from the field of psychology.

Student response to the Spiritual Direction course has been positive, although we believe as faculty that is relevant to the person of the professor. The professor teaching our course (Bekker) has a deep commitment to training in spiritual direction for graduate students, a personal commitment in his own life of spiritual formation, and a warm and caring spirit in his interactions with the students. This sets the stage for the experiential learning experience inherent in the course. There are a small handful of students who express a lack of interest in spiritual formation as part of their graduate school training. They are focused on the task of professional training and choose not to engage deeply in spiritual development as part of their graduate school experience. This is the minority of students however, as most students seek out training at Regent University with the goal of personal spiritual growth alongside their professional training.

Spiritual Formation throughout the Curriculum

All of our courses include assigned readings in integration, as well as weekly devotionals. For many classes, these devotionals have been tailored to the content of the course. For example, in ethics, the devotions center on the difference between making formed judgments and being judgmental, following an integration book by Cooper (2006). Likewise, in applied/clinical integration, the devotionals explore theodicy or a theology of evil and suffering in the world and how a Christian understanding translates to our own lived reality and the experiences of our clients. Further afield, the courses in statistics or research design have a spiritual growth component relevant to the difficult and sometimes tedious task of research, requiring virtuous character development as a theme of devotions.

The courses and experiences listed above are required of all students. As is often the case with growth, the best growth often happens in voluntary opportunities. Most of our students participate in a research team. We offer research teams that include the study of sexual identity, marriage, child trauma, forensics, health psychology, positive psychology and virtues, and many other areas of interest to students. These teams are often the context in which students and faculty work on and grow in their professional role as Christians. If integration is "caught and not taught," (Sorenson, Derflinger, Bufford & McMinn, 2004) it is often caught by being with faculty in the day-in, day-out life of research. Many of our teams do more than crunch numbers or identify qualitative themes. For example, all members of the Institute for the Study of Sexual Identity participate in volunteer training and are involved in volunteering for a local community agency that works to reduce the rates of HIV/AIDS in the Hampton Roads community. The point is to get students out of the ivory tower and into the community. Likewise, ISSI holds an annual spiritual retreat tailored to the unique calling to study and serve sexual minorities who are navigating their faith in light of their same-sex sexuality.

Other program specific elective opportunities for spiritual growth and development include the Cultural Diversity Lunch Series and the Paradigm Shift Initiative. The Cultural Diversity Lunch Series has an integration component in which presenters reflect on how Christian faith intersects with the diversity topic being addressed in that workshop. The Paradigm Shift Initiative is a peer-discussant forum designed as an interactive discussion among facilitators and attendees on a range of topics of interest to the Christian community. Past discussions have centered on Christianity and same-sex marriage/marriage equality, psychological and cultural implications of human trafficking, Christian approaches in addressing the changing concept of what constitutes family, and the role of faith when one experiences disappointment or anger with God.

What students learn and how they grow extends far beyond both the classroom and research teams, as important as these are. The PsyD program offers an elective Mental Health and Missions trip each year. Past missions trips have gone to China, Honduras, the Philippines, and Kenya. These are opportunities for students to grow spiritually as they see integration in practice with underserved populations in diverse regions of the world. The University also provides optional opportunity for growth and formation with avenues such as Chapel and "Un-chapel" (a student-led unconventional weekly worship service) where many of our students have taken leadership roles. The School of Psychology and Counseling has a chaplain position within the student government structure that provides student-led Christian ministry and growth opportunities. The chaplain's office on campus also provides campus-wide small group opportunities, supplemental spiritual growth classes and speakers, and communicates community-based spiritual growth opportunities.

Our observation as faculty is that the majority of our students are involved in a local church body. Since Regent University is not affiliated with a denomination, the students attend a very wide variety of local churches. The local church body becomes the vehicle for considerable spiritual growth and formation within their selected spiritual tradition, and engages the (often) young adult in the habit of involving themselves in a church that we hope will become part of their future upon graduation. We encourage students to find their church "home" while spending four or more years in Hampton Roads area, with special emphasis in several devotionals in their first semester focused on the importance of Christian community through readings from Bonhoeffer's Life Together (2009).

Measurement Issues in Spiritual Formation

Regent University has engaged in a spiritual measurement task of students campus-wide. The measurement is relevant to continuous improvement and demonstrating spiritual activity in the accreditation process. This has proven to be a difficult measurement task for our environment. Not only do students enter school with a variety of traditions and goals for spiritual growth, but many students report a "dark night of the soul" while in graduate school. They report that the experience of graduate school causes them to question the faith they brought with them into school and reform it into something that can withstand the professional experiences they are obtaining. While some standardized measures of spirituality have been considered (Hall, Reise & Haviland, 2007), the diversity of student experiences ultimately dissuaded the committee from utilizing anything but the most simple of measures of religiosity such as single item ratings and the Religious Commitment Inventory (Worthington et al., 2003). After several years of collecting this data, future endeavors will revise the methods of evaluating student spiritual growth. The difficulties of obtaining a measure of spiritual growth are numerous and reflected in the observations of our alumni and student.

Alumni Observation

I (Kays) am a 2010 graduate of the doctoral program who is now working as a psychologist for the Veterans Administration. My observations center around spiritual changes that happen during graduate school.

The word journey is defined is as "the act of traveling from one place to another" (Merriam-Webster, 2013). This is certainly a fitting way to characterize my spiritual formation and growth in graduate school. It was a journey, a process, which did not leave me in the same place or as the same person as when I started. The spiritual growth that occurs in graduate school is often unexpected, untraditional, unplanned, and sometimes even unnoticed until later. It happens in moments, in conversations, both significant and insignificant, that have a cumulative effect on the person. While the outcome and process may look different for each individual, I do not doubt that each person is different than when he or she started. Graduate school, particularly for those studying to be psychologists and counselors, is the ideal environment for growth and formation, as we are focused on interpersonal relationships, emotional and psychological awareness and growth, and learning.

Dallas Willard defines spiritual formation as "the process by which the human spirit or will is given a definite 'form' or character" (2002, p. 19). In other words, it is the development and solidifying of the person's inner being. Specifically applied to the Christian faith, Willard described spiritual formation as a "Spirit-driven process" of transforming one's inner self to be like "the inner being of Christ himself" (2002, p. 22). When I consider my own spiritual formation, I think about my journey of growth toward spiritual maturity and ultimately Christ-likeness.

The source of my spiritual formation during my time in graduate school did not come from a church or pastor. It was complex and multidimensional, occurring through various avenues and instances over time. I noticed it initially at the end of my first year of graduate school. As I reflected on the year, I realized the change and growth I had undergone. The end of each year would provide the same time for reflection and realization as I prepared for the next step. I also noticed it during key moments in my graduate school career, such as student retreats, as well as key discussions with mentors and peers.

One of the greatest sources of influence in my spiritual formation was interpersonal relationships with my peers as well as my mentors and supervisors. My peer relationships provided a source of support, encouragement, and diversity. This broadened my perspective of my faith and understanding of who God is and how people can relate to him. My peers came from different denominations and perspectives and we learned to appreciate one another and learn from each other. We also struggled together, challenged each other, learned together, and supported one another, ultimately providing an ideal, safe environment for growth and exploration of faith. The experience of these intimate and genuine interpersonal relationships allowed me to be relate to God in an intimate and genuine way, ultimately helping me develop a deeper faith and relationship with God.

My supervisors and mentors provided me with excellent role models of Christian psychologists. They modeled for me various ways to integrate one's faith into their identity and work as a psychologist, allowing me to develop a schema and framework for my own identity as a Christian psychologist. They also taught me honesty and genuineness and the reality that our formation as Christian psychologists is an ongoing, dynamic process, no matter how seasoned the professional. One never arrives but continues to be formed, and remaining humble and open to that process is critical. Finally, my mentors helped shape my formation by challenging me, allowing me to ask questions, and providing me with guidance and wisdom as I moved through this process. God is relational, so it is fitting he used my relationships in graduate school as a primary avenue for spiritual growth and formation. It is through these relationships I truly learned to understand the meaning of a Christian community and a church.

My coursework and training deepened my theology and knowledge of psychology and scripture, as well as approaches to integration. As I endeavored through this process, this knowledge served as an anchor, solidifying my growth and identity and providing a guidepost for my journey and exploration. It helped refine and strengthen my belief system and worldview. My studies also provided an avenue for self-reflection, increasing self-awareness and allowing me to identify areas of weakness in my personal and spiritual life that I could work on. My understanding and practice of spiritual disciplines grew significantly and served as instrumental vehicles for insight and growth.

My clinical work was also a source of significant personal and spiritual development. Each case I worked with affected me and helped me grow not only in my clinical skills but also in my professional identity and spiritual life. I grew tremendously in my compassion, empathy, patience, grace, and mercy for others. I gained a clearer understanding of Christ's unconditional love, how I can better love and minister to others, and how God can use suffering to produce spiritual formation and maturity in us.

One of the greatest lessons I learned when it comes to spiritual formation both for myself and others is that I still have much to learn. When I came to graduate school I thought I had it all figured out. However, this journey has taught me this couldn't be farther from the truth. My perspective on and understanding of God and truth has broadened and become more flexible. While this ambiguity and lack of complete clarity can be stressful at times, I have learned it is most important to trust God with my spiritual formation and remain open to the process.

Spiritual formation and reaching maturity is an ongoing process. Through my graduate school experience I learned that God can use all places and all people for his good work. Spiritual formation doesn't have to occur in traditional settings and avenues, it can occur in everyday life experiences and interactions. God has the ability to meet you where you are in your life and utilize your current circumstances for spiritual development. As a graduate student, school becomes in many ways the center of your life, so it is fitting that God would use this as a major source of spiritual formation. This was certainly the case for me. Graduate school gave me the space I needed to explore, question, struggle, learn, and ultimately grow. Consequently, my time in graduate school served as one of the richest periods in my life for personal, spiritual, and professional development, thanks to a collection of influences and people.

Student Observation

I (Lane) am beginning my fourth year in the doctoral program. My observations focus on the relationships that lead to spiritual growth in graduate school and the tension between spiritual formation, the speed of modern life and professional tasks.

My training has influenced my spiritual journey in numerous ways. As a doctoral program in psychology that approaches learning from a Christian worldview, Regent's faculty have been receptive and nurturing of the spiritual growth that is taking place in my life. Concurrently, the main focus of this program is not to offer the space and time to focus on journeying spiritually but rather to advance academically and professionally. From the admission into the program there is a pull in two directions: toward professional training and growth and towards spiritual growth. The professional training is a strong current characterized by working harder and longer to produce, advance, and succeed. As frustrating as the current becomes, I have found that this strong current provides the resistance against which I build stronger spiritual muscles and have a more meaningful spiritual journey. Rather than allowing the current to direct me, I choose to take the time to walk in the tension with awareness, to hold onto the calling which brought me into this field.

There is a tension that holds me in a place of continual awareness, preventing me from just coasting through my time in this program. Something pulls at the part of me that was driven to doctoral school--the part of me that wants to succeed and please people in my life. Yet there is a tug in another direction, drawing me toward something that registers in my spirit as deeper and more meaningful in life. This ever-present tension has provided me with a space to grow spiritually. Unfortunately, in graduate school space does not equate to time, and this is where I have been confronted by the most difficulty. Time is a rare commodity. It is always before me for the seizing while it seems to be forever getting away from me. This phase of my life is rife with commitments--chosen or imparted--that are not limited to class work, dissertation, practicum, research teams, conferences, and presentations. The message is blatant and undeniable--there is a steadily accelerating pace towards the expectations inherent in the role of a professional psychologist. It is easy for spiritual growth to be untended and easily stunted.

Herein lies the choice. The space for spiritual growth is abundant during these years. Will I take the time? As I have given myself permission to slow my mind in the midst of the current, I have discovered the joy that walks hand-in-hand with me through the still-difficult spiritual journey. The eyes of my heart are opened to a renewed and larger perspective. The priorities and purpose for my life do not vary based on circumstances; rather, the same chord of meaning runs through each aspect of life, allowing me to approach each circumstance from the foundation of a solid spiritual footing. My training here is not impeding my spiritual journey but rather offering a different tide and eddy upon which to focus my energy, train my mind, and build my life muscle.

Life is a journey comprised of many decisions--each of which impacts the entirety of our being. The decision to pursue doctoral-level study in psychology is one of the choices that I have made. Though I knew full well that it would play a part in influencing who I am, never would I have thought that this time would be found as challenging, stretching, and molding of my personhood as it has been. Beyond being simply a time of academic growth, the years I have spent in this doctoral program have been a time of significant and ongoing spiritual growth. For this space and time, I am grateful.

Conclusions

The spiritual formation opportunities that exist at Regent University use the best of the ancient tradition of spiritual formation and direction applied to the graduate school setting, particularly to Doctor of Psychology students. The developmental stages of students are taken into account with a heavy emphasis on developing a self-directed spiritual formation habit through coursework, devotionals, and research team activities. The changes in our society that affect social relationships and network are beginning to change the way we think about interacting around spiritual formation with our students, yet we confess to having more ideas for adaptation than we have been able to implement thus far. Future changes include integrating the course in hermeneutics with spiritual formation as a means of increased awareness of interpretation of spiritual texts and traditions as an influence in spiritual formation, and how spiritual practices can affect hermeneutics. We also plan to return to the task of measuring spiritual transformation during graduate school. The diverse faith and cultural perspectives inherent in the Regent University environment creates an opportunity for faculty, alumni and students to engage in spiritual growth as they are becoming excellent clinical psychologists.

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Jennifer S. Ripley

Corne J. Bekker

Mark A. Yarhouse

LaTrelle D. Jackson

Regent University

Jill Kays

W. G. (Bill) Hefner VA Medical Center

Charity R. Lane

Regent University

Jill Kays is an employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs, however, the views expressed in this article are that of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of that Department, the Secretary or of the United States. Correspondence concerning this article can be sent to Jennifer S. Ripley, 1000 Regent University Dr., CRB161, Virginia Beach VA 23464; jennrip@regent.edu

Jennifer S. Ripley (Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University) is director of the doctoral program in Clinical Psychology at Regent University. Her research interests include couples interventions, psychology of religion, and teaching outcomes.

Corne J. Bekker (D. Litt.et Phil. Rand Afrikaans University) is Professor in the School of Business and Leadership at Regent University. His expertise includes Biblical hermeneutics, leadership and spiritual formation.

Mark A. Yarhouse (Psy.D., "Wheaton College) is the Rosemarie S. Hughes Endowed Chair and Professor of Psychology at Regent University. His research interests include applied integration, human sexuality, and ethics.

LaTrelle D. Jackson (Ph.D. Counseling Psychology, University of Georgia) is Associate Professor and Director of Clinical Training at Regent University. Her research interest include multicultural student programs, community empowerment and moral leadership.

Jill Kays (Psy.D in Clinical Psychology, Regent University) is a staff psychologist at the W.G. (Bill) Hefner VA Medical Center. Her clinical and research interests include couples and family therapy, PTSD, evidence-based therapies, positive psychology, and identity development.

Charity R. Lane (M.A. in Clinical Psychology, Regent University) is a doctoral student in clinical psychology at Regent University. Her research interests include sexuality, sexual identity, marriage, and spirituality.