10/28/2021
As we tie up this month being Mental Illness Awareness Month, please take a moment to read the interview conducted with Dr. West Loveland, and learn about his impact on the lives of his clients and students:
Dr. West. Loveland, Assistant Professor of Counseling at GRTS, has been a part of the faculty since 2019. Dr. Loveland is licensed as both a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT).
Dr. Loveland’s journey has not come without some forks in the road. Originally majoring in Chemistry and Business Management, he had set out to become a dentist. In the midst of that, he felt called by God to change direction and pursue a degree in counseling. While in pursuit of his undergrad in psychology, it was just one month before his undergrad graduation that he was diagnosed with cancer.
Soon after his diagnosis, while still living in Arkansas and attending John Brown University (JBU) to pursue graduate studies in MFT and Counseling, he traveled to Tennessee every three weeks for treatment. This went on for over a year. Driven and determined not to lose momentum in his studies, this season of his life was definitive in how he approached life, and his calling.
Since, cancer patient mental health has become one of Dr. Loveland’s areas of research, along with marital vulnerability and connection, attachment, counselor education and supervision, and faith integration with counseling.
He states that when he took the path of psychology, he knew he would have to achieve a Ph.D in order to teach and supervise along with counseling in his private practice. Thus, he obtained his Ph.D in Counseling Education and Supervision at the University of Arkansas. He describes the ability to teach, supervise, and do private practice as the trifecta he gets to use while in the classroom as he gets to watch students grow in own their callings. “I use all three of these parts of my profession as discussion points within the classroom. I tell students to look at their coursework as a focus on gaining knowledge. Then, when students enter practicum and internship, they are starting to transition from gaining knowledge to gaining an understanding of the counseling process. As a professor, it is a joy to see this progression alongside students.”
Dr. Loveland lives and works in Arkansas. He is married to Stef, and together they have a son, Shepherd. Dr. Loveland facilitates many of the on-line classes for students pursuing their M.A. degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, while traveling to Grand Rapids a few times a year to facilitate intensive classes on campus. One major factor in joining the faculty at GRTS was due to the faith-integration within the program. He states, “It is a huge factor when you can talk theology and counseling.”
It is evident that Dr. Loveland highly enjoys the work that happens in the classroom, stating that he gets to “help students focus both on counseling skills and being self-aware so that students feel confident to join with their clients' experience. Without being self-aware, counselors can miss the opportunity to press into a client's story, where growth and connection is needed.”
In his downtime, Dr. Loveland and his family love to travel, he competes in golf tournaments, and is a big fan of good coffee!!
Dr. West Loveland is an assistant professor of counseling, teaching remotely from Kansas. He is passionate about whole-person healing and reconciliation which is evident both in his clinical marriage and […]
