5 minute read
A SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP
JEFF STUBBERT ('84), DIRECTOR OF COUNSELLING AT TOUCHSTONE COUNSELLING GROUP
As I reflected on how I wanted to write about my journey with Crandall University, I was amazed at all the intersecting points that have happened over the past 32 years. My time began with Atlantic Baptist College (as it was known at that time) in 1982 when I pursued the two-year Associate of Arts Diploma. From there I transferred to Acadia University to complete my BA (Honours) in Psychology. and then on to Providence Theological Seminary where I graduated with a Master of Arts in Counselling in 1990.
ABC was an amazing two years of my life. I will always look back on it very fondly. I met people, both students and teachers, who I am still friends with today - people who encouraged and challenged me on many levels. The small intimate learning setting allowed for growth and wrestling with many important issues I needed to face in my life. Dr. Ralph Richardson was without a doubt the best teacher I encountered in my entire learning journey, and I will be forever grateful for the impact he had on me. Dr. Bob Wilson (Academic Dean at the time) summed up best my academic journey at Crandall when he stood in chapel to announce the Dean’s list for 1984. He eloquently stated that I had, in my second year, gone from the Dean’s prayer list to the Dean’s honours list.
Playing hockey and softball, singing in the choir (which allowed us to embark on choir tours to various churches in the Atlantic region), and singing with ministry teams, and so many other positive experiences at Crandall, have created memories I will always greatly cherish.
Touchstone began in the fall of 1990. My vision at that time was to create a faith-based counselling service that would combine psychology with biblical principles and applications. I also wanted the service to be accessible to people regardless of their financial situation. As a result, we established Touchstone as a not-for-profit organization with a board of directors from the community and fundraising events to help subsidize those who could not afford our services.
As I mentioned, Touchstone is a faith-based counselling service and as such all our counsellors have a relationship with Christ, and some have had training that incorporates biblical principles. However, though we can implement a faith perspective into therapy, there are no limitations on who we work with, and we are always mindful of the client’s wishes in that regard. Our approach is first and foremost to be Christ in our care for all who seek our help.
Through the years we have witnessed tremendous healing and restoration in the lives of countless individuals, couples, and families, and we have been blessed to be a part of this ministry that God has given to us. I have had the privilege to work with so many gifted and caring counsellors past and present, as well as staff, board members, and numerous others who have supported us in bringing this work to the greater Moncton community and far beyond. Presently we have offices in Moncton, Pugwash, and Sackville, and we work online with clients across Atlantic Canada and beyond.
There has been, in a sense, a symbiotic relationship between Touchstone and Crandall University. Several of our counsellors received their undergraduate training at the university. In the past, I partnered with Providence and Crandall to facilitate local practicum group work for Providence master’s students. Presently, one of our counsellors, Kim Alley, is a part-time lecturer at Crandall, providing a number of counselling electives for undergraduates. Crandall’s current counsellor, Sarah Fletcher is a former staff counsellor at Touchstone. While we were sad to see her go, we supported the call she felt to serve the students at Crandall. We also partnered with Crandall during our counsellor Erin Burke’s Yorkville internship to bring her on campus to provide services to students. Over the years both Kim and now-retired counsellor Berys Richardson, have occasionally been guest speakers in various capacities.
Recently, I sat on a panel with other counselling professionals for one of Kim’s classes. Along with other questions, one student asked the question I am often asked by others, which was what motivates me day to day to be a part of this very demanding work. Upon reflection, my response was quite simple. I stated that after 33 years of working with people I have come to recognize that “people are amazing.”
Every day I have the honour of being given a front row seat to the lives of God’s precious creations and to journey with them for a while. That to me is a profound and humbling privilege. The issues have become more complex over the years; the realities facing us as a community are at times overwhelming, but I continue to be optimistic. God is raising up talented and committed people to work in the field of counselling - people who are bringing hope and healing to those who desperately need it. As I move towards the end of my career, I’m excited to pass the Touchstone torch to a very capable group of counsellors.
In closing, let me bring things full circle regarding my connection to Crandall University. I can’t remember the exact date, but I do recall visiting a young Seth Crowell at the Registrar’s Office with my father in 1982. I wasn’t sure what to do with my future and what courses to take. Seth suggested maybe a focus on psychology …and the rest, as they say, is history!
