AACC Student Chapter
The student chapter of the American Association of Christian counselors seeks to foster the spiritual and professional development of students interested in the counseling or pastoral care fields. Monthly meetings focus on topics integrating Christianity and psychology, and clinical training workshops sponsored by the LU AACC chapter also occur. The chapter has a Facebook site under American Association of Christian Counselors at Liberty. No membership fee is required to attend meetings. For further information, join us on Facebook or contact Dr. David Jenkins at djenkins@liberty.edu
Webinar
These monthly AACC Counseltalk Webinars are presentations on a variety of topics transmitted over the Web to those in the helping profession. Webinar participants receive valuable insight from professionals in their respective fields from the comfort of their homes or offices and can earn continuing education hours (CE's) required for maintaining specialized mental health licenses and certifications.
A key feature of the Webinar is its interactive elements—the ability to give, receive and discuss information. When you participate in a Webinar, you are able to:
- Watch the speaker present in real-time
- View the lecturer's corresponding PowerPoint notes at your leisure in your browser window
- Submit questions through the chat feature on the Web page (AACC personnel screen questions and pass them to a moderator for answering in real-time)
Don't miss this innovative way to stay current and informed from some of the best experts in the world.
We love being a part of your life,
Tim Clinton, Ed.D., LMFT
website: www.counseltalk.net
President of AACC
Tim Clinton, Ed.D.
The College of William and Mary
Tim Clinton is President of the nearly 50,000-member American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC), the largest and most diverse Christian counseling association in the world. He is Professor of Counseling and Pastoral Care, and Executive Director of the Center for Counseling and Family Studies at Liberty University. Licensed in Virginia as both a Professional Counselor (LPC) and Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), Tim now spends a majority of his time working with Christian leaders and professional athletes. He has authored or edited thirteen books including his latest release Turn Your Life Around: Breaking Free from Your Past to New and Better You.
He has been married 28 years to his wife Julie and together they have two children, Megan and Zach. On most nights you’ll find him on the lake fishing with his family or on the sidelines of a game staying close to his kids as a dad and coach.
Faculty of AACC Student Chapter
David Jenkins, Psy.D.
Dr. Jenkins has over 20 years of clinical experience in a variety of settings both public and private, mainly in outpatient settings. He has worked primarily with adults and adolescents in individual, marital and family therapy. His research and teaching interests include professional ethics, addiction, integration of Christian faith and clinical practice, as well as marital/identity/gender issues related to the image of God.
Jeanne Brooks, Ph.D.
jdbrooks6@liberty.edu
Dr. Brooks has been in practice for over 20 years and her specialty areas are working with troubled adolescents, alcohol and drug addiction, as well as helping children and families adjust to divorce. She has also worked closely with the Courts in her area and surrounding counties providing psychological assessments, referral, and treatment services for children and parents adjusting to divorce.
AACC Student Chapter Leadership Team
Britney Eskew (Networking): I am a second year graduate student with two more semesters before my internship. I am currently employed with Mary Kay selling skin care products on the side and I will be working for Creative Family Solutions in April working with a client in their home. I am from Georgia, born and raised, and graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor in Psychology. After I graduate, I plan on pursuing a Ph.D in either Counseling or Psychology. My interest include the outdoors (hiking, camping, fishing, skiing, four wheeling, kayaking, and white water rafting), triathlons (running, biking, swimming), and music (dancing and singing). Dancing and singing have been a huge part of my life up until graduate school. I decided to take residential classes at Liberty because I feel as though the class environment and face-to-face interaction with the teachers allow for a better learning experience. I am a visual person; therefore, I learn better in a classroom. Also, being in class motivates me more to do my work and participate. I am excited to be on the AACC leadership team and I am looking forward to helping this team grow!
Courtney McArthur (Secretary): I am from Hattiesburg, MS and have a Bachelor’s of Arts in Speech Communications from the University of Southern Mississippi (USM). Upon graduating, I planned to get my teaching license and go and teach Public Speech classes in a local high school. However, that never seemed to work out. God had different plans for me. When I graduated from USM I began working at a local jewelry shop in town but knew God had bigger plans for me. My dad got his Seminary degree from Liberty University Online. Hearing him talk about it really got me thinking about pursuing higher education. I stumbled upon Liberty’s Counseling Program and just began to pray about it. My dad went on campus for his graduation and we all absolutely fell in love with the campus and Lynchburg. Through much prayer and consideration, God told me it was time to go. I often say I chose to do the residential program simply because I wanted a change of scenery. But God has shown me that it was so much more than that. I wanted to be here with my professors and classmates, immersed in the field. Being residential gives me the opportunity to meet so many great people in this profession. It also allowed me the chance to get more involved with the AACC student chapter of which I am now on the Leadership team. I am excited to serve in this Chapter and cannot wait to get to know more of you better, whether online or residential! God Bless!
Brandy Vancil (Vice President): After working for 9 years as an Associate Campus Minister in Kentucky, worship and camp leader, and an Intake Coordinator with a residential counseling program in Nashville, TN, I realized that my natural bent to mediate and counsel others required the refining of a quality education in Christian Counseling. I decided to return to my home-area of Lynchburg, VA to pursue a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy at Liberty University and have not regretted the decision yet! It was important to me to attend a program that offers top-rated professional education in the field of counseling coupled with sound biblical training and theological formation. I have found that at Liberty and hope to use my degree as a springboard for future work in divorce-prevention, counseling couples impacted by sexual addiction, and developing and leading marriage enrichment retreats and seminars. I am thankful for the professional development offered through the activities and network opportunities of the AACC Student Chapter at Liberty University for our residential and online community members and look forward to continuing to develop and foster the vision of such an important organization during my days at Liberty University!
Abigail Bretner (President): As a student here at Liberty University, pursuing my Masters in Professional Counseling, I am excited about furthering the student chapter of the AACC and connecting students, both online and residential, undergraduate and graduate. My involvement with the AACC student chapter began when I joined the Service Team, and was eventually offered a position on the Leadership Team. I have already learned so much about myself, life, and the counseling profession, and I am incredibly thankful for the opportunity to collaborate not only with the amazing faculty at Liberty.
I graduated from Penn State in 2012 with a degree in Human Development and Family Studies. My study in this area set the stage and has led me to pursue a career in counseling. However, while attending a public university, and learning counseling theories and techniques, I had the overwhelming sense that there was more to human behavior and functioning then what was taught at Penn State. I knew that in leaving theology and spirituality out of the counseling room, a major component was being ignored. I believe that God is the Author of Life and Creator of the Universe and we can learn much about human life in the pages of Scripture. It is through this belief that I sought out a Christian education from Liberty to learn more about how to integrate theology, spirituality, and counseling.
So far my experience as a residential student has been life changing. After graduation, I made the decision to pick up and move to Lynchburg. I really felt the Lord calling me to do this. Many people at home asked why I didn't just enroll in the online program and stay close to my family. And to be honest, I didn't have much of an answer for them. But being here in the residential program, I have been overwhelmingly blessed by the relationships I have formed with my classmates. Since counseling is such a relational profession, I truly believe that the impact my fellow students have had on me is shaping me and preparing me to be a better counselor.
Jessica Mayo (Treasurer): I am from Kinston, North Carolina. I graduated from North Carolina A&T University with my bachelors in Sociology with the concentration of Psychology. I was guided to Liberty University after undergraduate because of my passion to counsel effectively from the heart of Christ in clinical settings. I decided to be a residential student because I love connecting with others and having hands on learning. Overall, my desire is to see marriages and families all over the world restored and unified by becoming a multicultural international counselor.
Service Team
The service team has many purposes, but its main purpose is to help facilitate the events that are prepared for the student body. Some of the events that we help carry out are: chapter meetings (speakers come to talk about a particular subject in their field), luncheons, cook-outs, promoting webinars and end-of-the-semester parties. We do anything from setting up snacks, to advertising the events in our classrooms, to creating new events and opportunities that are of interest to the student body.
What joining the service team does for you is to provide you with the opportunity to network with other students. Your service as a member of the team can be especially helpful when you graduate and are looking for people to work with or places to work. This opportunity to network may be helpful in your future job search.
Fundamentally, the purpose of the service team is to find new and creative ways to provide learning and socializing opportunities for the student body. If you want to get involved, please contact Sam Landa.
Email: slanda@liberty.edu
AACC Student Chapter Online Team
American Association of Christian Counselors, Liberty University Chapter (AACC at LU). This Facebook group is open to all Liberty University Counseling program students (residential and online), faculty, mentors, or alumni. We also welcome prospective students or students who are currently in their bachelors yet are interested in Christian counseling. Our goal is to help students in the counseling program to take part in the AACC at LU even if one cannot attend on campus meetings and to provide a place for students to learn, grow, mentor, disciple, and fellowship.
One of the great assets this group has provided for students are study groups. As a project of the AACC at LU, we have separate study groups for each counseling masters course and for many of the psychology bachelors courses as well. To find these study groups, simply type in the course code in Facebook's search engine (example: COUN 501).
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