What it Means to be Sensitive
An article on the Caregiving and Counselling major at Columbia.
by Andrea Ykema
I carry a fairly unflattering image in my head of what a ‘Christian counsellor’ looks like. She is a composite of the school counsellors I’ve known and a few women in the church that have attempted to take me under their wing – she is a simple-minded Christian with little more to say than, “How do you feel about that?” and “You need to pray about this.” Her empathy never feels sincere and her easy, Biblical quips completely bypass the reality of whatever situation I may be in.
I was unprepared for what I met in Carol Molcar, Director of Columbia’s Caregiving & Counselling program. She gently sidestepped my train-wreck of an image and invited me to understand the nature and heart of counselling in a new light. A professional counsellor for over twenty years, Carol has a Master’s degree in psychology, with an emphasis in counselling. Her Ph.D. is in clinical psychology. She studied at L’Abri Christian Fellowship in Switzerland and has almost completed a Master’s in Christian studies as well. Carol has worked at a variety of counselling agencies, both secular and Christian; she also operates her own private counselling practice. I was ashamed of my assumptions – Carol was no simple-minded church lady.
Her words about the Caregiving and Counselling program at Columbia reflect an interest to see it increase its versatility. “A few years ago the program was revamped so that people would have the background they need to go into a graduate master’s program after getting a bachelor’s here,” Carol noted. “The people in the two-year program are likely doing something within the church – something with ministry. The people in the four-year program are getting more of a total undergraduate psychology education. They’re essentially getting the educational background you would get if you went to any university and received a bachelor’s degree in psychology.”
And yet, Columbia’s program is more than just psychology. It integrates practical application with the student’s academic experience throughout their time at Columbia. During their first two years, a Caregiving & Counselling student may be involved with a home for the developmentally disabled, a senior home, an after-school program for at-risk youth, or a number of other volunteer positions. An internship program for the third and fourth years is even more closely tied to the Caregiving and Counselling major in positions such as campus Resident Assistant or working with a social service agency, experiences that are well-suited to expanding a student’s practical skills.
Carol and I quickly discovered that we have much in common – spending some of our childhood growing up outside of Philadelphia, loving nature and animals, and exploring the ways that we see God. And through our simple conversation, it became clear that Carol’s interest in people – her counselling instinct – is not just a façade. Indeed, Carol is an example of what the Caregiving & Counselling program at CBC aims to develop – people with lives of holistic sensitivity, lives that are sensitive to God and his speaking, and sensitive to other people – to their hearts, and to their needs.
In a world where we are constantly distracted by our own agendas, it is an unusual thing to meet a person who practices the art of pausing with sensitivity. Gratefully, there are people like Carol who are teaching this art to students so that the value of being receptive to God, others and self will continue to be understood.
For more information on the Caregiving and Counselling major at Columbia, please visit http://www.columbiabc.edu/academics/cc.html
