Jennifer Cline Archives - EMU News

Graduate counseling program receives $2.37 million grant

Ryan Cornell — Thu, 14 Aug 2025 16:48:38 +0000

Award will fund $25,000 internship stipends for students serving rural and underserved communities through Spring 2029

Had she known about the generous stipend support available to ��ݮ�� counseling students, Jessie Hoffa MA ‘22 (counseling) says her decision of where to attend graduate school would’ve been an easy one. “EMU would’ve been a shoo-in,” she said.

It was only after comparing the counseling programs at different schools that she realized EMU’s program struck the perfect balance. It offered a quality curriculum, skilled and passionate teachers, and solid student outcomes—all at an affordable price. The fact that it was within an hour’s drive of her Greene County, Virginia, home also didn’t hurt.

“I can tell you right now, there’s no program out there as good as EMU’s for that price—I’ve looked at so many of them,” said Hoffa, who is now a resident in counseling for the Charlottesville-based Piedmont Counseling Collective. “On top of that, to receive an extra $10,000 during my final year was such a blessing.”

The licensed professional counselor is one of 121 EMU counseling graduates since 2017 who have benefited from substantial internship stipends, interdisciplinary and interprofessional seminars, and expanded partnerships and training opportunities funded by two previous Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grants.

Grant reflects quality of graduate counseling program

A new $2.37 million, four-year grant awarded to EMU’s Master of Arts in Counseling (MAC) program this summer from HRSA, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will continue to build on the work of those two previous grants. The MAC program received a $1.28 million grant from 2017 to 2021 and a $1.01 million grant from 2021 to 2025. Those awards provided $10,000 internship stipends for counseling students serving rural and medically underserved communities.

The latest grant project, known as the Interdisciplinary Education in Action: Valley Counseling Expansion (IDEA: VCE) Project, will provide $25,000 stipends for 59 counseling students in internships from Fall 2025 through Spring 2029, while expanding their partnerships and services to schools and clinical sites in areas including Page County, Virginia, and Pendleton County, West Virginia. The grant also will fund conference registration and travel reimbursement for internship students and provide specialized training in telehealth, integrated behavioral health in primary care, and trauma-informed care.

Dr. Michael Horst, former director of EMU’s graduate counseling program, and Sarah Pace, administrative assistant for the program, submitted the grant proposal application in January and learned they had received the award at the end of June.

“This recognition from HRSA speaks to the remarkable quality of our program,” said Horst, who became dean of EMU’s Health, Behavioral, and Natural Sciences division on July 1. “Not only to the instruction in the curriculum and that we’re CACREP-accredited (accreditation by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs is the recognized gold standard for mental health counseling training), but also to the incredible site placement work that Dr. Jennifer Cline, counseling program director, has done over the years to ensure our students are serving in rural and medically underserved communities.”

Have you heard about VTAG?
Virginia residents who attend private colleges and universities in-state and apply for the Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant () Program can receive $5,000 in grant funding each year, or $15,000 over the course of the three-year counseling program. Combined with the $25,000 stipend, that adds up to $40,000 in grant funding over the course of their graduate college education. “That’s more than the cost of the program,” Cline said. “Students can basically come to school for free.”

Stipend a ‘game changer’

Students in the three-year MAC program are required to complete 600 hours of internship experience during their final two semesters, which is equivalent to about 20 hours per week. With that many hours spent at their internship sites, not to mention their classes and coursework, students can find it difficult to devote time to other responsibilities.

Back when he was a student in the program, Zachary Pennington MA ‘19 (counseling) had a full plate. In addition to his academic courseload, he balanced raising three young children and working three jobs. When he learned he would be receiving a $10,000 stipend during his final year of training, he breathed a sigh of relief knowing he could step back from those jobs and invest more energy in his clients through his internship placement at National Counseling Group in Harrisonburg.

“That stipend was a game changer,” said Pennington. “It allowed enough space for me to focus on my clinical training and academics, and it helped me balance it out and make it all possible.”

Pennington now serves as clinical director of Shenandoah Psychological Services in Roanoke, an office he opened two years ago. He continues to serve clients from rural and underserved communities and said his internship experience, traveling to clients’ homes around Rockingham, Augusta, and Shenandoah counties, shaped his commitment to helping those populations.

Like Pennington, Hoffa served rural and medically underserved communities during her internship and continues that work today. She interned at Region Ten Counseling Center, where she treated clients who “fell through the cracks”—they didn’t qualify for Medicaid, but also could not afford to have insurance—and worked with them to find a payment they could afford. She also provided counseling services to students and teachers in Greene County Public Schools.

A nationwide need

The purpose of the HRSA grant, which is administered through the agency’s Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) , is to train more mental health counselors and address shortages in the counseling workforce, both nationwide and locally, in areas where mental or behavioral health services may not be accessible. The program also has a specific focus on understanding the needs of children, adolescents, and young adults at risk for mental health, trauma, and behavioral health disorders.

While the prevalence of mental illness is similar between rural and urban residents, the services available can be very different, according to the . Results from a 2018 study show that one of the most significant challenges preventing rural Americans from receiving care has been the shortage of mental health professionals in those areas. Data from a 2021 report show that rural areas have 87.7 counselors per 100,000 people, compared with 131.2 counselors per 100,000 in urban areas.

Many clients served by EMU internship students pay low-fee or pro bono rates, receiving care they might not otherwise have access to if it weren’t for those students. And many EMU counseling graduates continue working at their internship sites after graduation, with many securing positions even before finishing the program. Nearly 100 percent of counseling graduates find employment within the first nine months after completing their degree.

“By expanding into more of these rural and medically underserved areas, we hope to not only have our interns there for the next four years, but also to place our alumni there as counselors who will continue serving those communities,” Pace said.

“It creates a ripple effect,” said Cline. “We believe that every person who becomes healthier contributes to a healthier system. Those clients might become better parents, better partners, better coworkers, and the impact continues to expand, influencing positive outcomes in many areas of life.”

Learn more

An open house informational session for prospective students interested in the Master of Arts in Counseling (MAC) program will be held from 4:30-6 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 20, in the MAC program department, which is located in the lower level of the Seminary Building at 1181 Smith Ave., Harrisonburg. A virtual open house will be held from 5-6 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 10. Please RSVP for these sessions by emailing counseling@emu.edu or by registering online at .

The deadline to apply for the program’s Fall 2026 semester is Jan. 15, 2026. Learn more about the graduate counseling program at .

EMU community grieves loss of student Sara Monger

Ryan Cornell — Mon, 30 Oct 2023 18:35:44 +0000

Hundreds of students, athletes, coaches, faculty, staff and other members of the EMU community gathered today to mourn the loss of Sara Monger and support each other in a time of need.

Sara, a first-year EMU student and softball player from Elkton, Virginia, lost her life in a car accident early Saturday morning in Harrisonburg. Two other first-year EMU students, Kendyll Eddins and Silas Gwathmey, are recovering from non-life-threatening injuries sustained in the accident.

Those gathered this morning at Thomas Plaza came together in remembrance of Sara through music from EMU strings, commemoration of her life, prayer and a candle-lighting vigil.

In her , President Susan Schultz Huxman celebrated the beautiful life lived by Sara and shared the outpouring of testimony from those who knew her.

Sara was known by many for her unwavering kindness and adventuresome spirit and was described by her Northlawn hallmates as “the life of the floor.” Friends were quick to remember Sara’s infectious smile and how she lit up a room.

“Sara’s first-year adviser and Transitions instructor, Chad Trevitte, says Sara brought a great sense of humor to class discussions,” Huxman said. “Her psychology professor, Kathryn Howard, reflects: ‘Sara was always a warm and smiling presence in class. Her zest for life shined.’”

“Her writing professor, Melody Wilson, notes: ‘I feel as if I have known Sara far longer than the short span in which we spent together on campus. That’s the impression she has left on me and on everyone in our class. She was an exceptionally caring and empathic student.’”

“Softball coach J.D. McCurdy called Sara ‘a hardworking and wonderful teammate.’”

Sara leaves behind a legacy of academic excellence and athletic achievement at East Rockingham High School, Huxman said. She called for prayers for Sara’s family and the wider East Rockingham community, as well as for healing for Kendyll and Silas.

“We pray for roommates and hallmates and teammates and classmates who are especially shattered by this loss and wondering: ‘What are we going to do without her?’ Huxman told the crowd. “Lord, hear our prayers for all those hurting.”

“In the darkest of times and at moments of tragic rupture and loss of a young life full of so much promise, we still come together to support one another and to affirm that God is with us. God has not abandoned us.”

Students, athletes, coaches, faculty, staff and other members of the EMU community gathered Monday morning on Thomas Plaza to mourn and remember the life of first-year EMU student Sara Monger, who died in a car accident on Saturday.

Jennifer Cline, a member of the graduate counseling department at EMU, spoke about how grief was a journey. She shared some of the emotions that people might feel in the wake of the loss, including sadness, anger, guilt and confusion. Others might feel numb and question if there’s something wrong with them, she said. “All of these emotions are completely normal,” she said.

She encouraged people to care for one another and use the resources available on campus, including the support space in the University Commons and extended counseling hours. An informal gathering for faculty and staff to process their grief was held Monday afternoon in the dining hall.

Students are invited to write a card for Sara, Silas or Kendyll with the supplies in the President’s Reception Room of the University Commons over the next several days.

Counseling services have made special arrangements to provide support for students. Students should contact counseling services at 540-432-4317 or email counselingservices@emu.edu. Walk-in hours are held between 1 and 2 p.m. from Monday through Friday.

Hot topics: Five spring semester discussion groups focus on faith, race, and gender

Randi B. Hagi and Lauren Jefferson — Wed, 21 Apr 2021 08:58:18 +0000

EMU’s campus community entered into a wave of critical discussions about faith, race, and gender this semester. Three book clubs emerged independently, while yet another reading group and a film series came from projects in a graduate counseling course focusing on multiculturalism.

Faculty, staff, and student participants have wrestled with questions about how race, racism, faith, gender, and sexism influence power, theological formation, campus life, and beyond.

These book studies are making visible normative structures in our community that limit our capacity to experience one another in all of our complexities. That is good work. We cannot correct that which we cannot, or refuse, to see. I think we are awakening to realities of the ways anti-blackness functions on our campus.
Professor David Evans

Deep reading, deep listening

supported 10 faculty and staff with copies of by Willie James Jennings. Seminary instructor Sarah Bixler and Professor David Evans facilitated.

As part of the 2021 Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration, Evans and co-facilitator Ezrionna Prioleau ’17 led more than 20 faculty members and students in studying by Ibram X. Kendi.

Supported by the , a group of faculty and staff read three books on the themes of race, faith, and justice, contributing towards an action plan to develop and deepen commitment to and competency in interfaith engagement and racial justice. (Read more specifics below.) Facilitators were Tala Bautista, adjunct faculty for Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, and Mikayla Waters-Crittenton, associate director for student accountability and restorative justice.

Two groups of graduate students in Professor Jennifer Cline’s two-semester multicultural counseling course series created and co-facilitated community advocacy projects within the EMU community:

Sarah Morehouse, Mary Rebekah Cox and Richard Grosse led 10 undergraduate and graduate students and staff members in studying by Rebecca Solnit.
A larger group of 11 graduate students facilitated a semester-long series “Somethin’ to Talk About: A Film and Discussion Series Around Race.” The three-part series included viewings of films ” (California Newsreel); ; and a pre-recorded open discussion on race and its personal impact between four of EMU’s graduate counseling students: two women of color and two white women. The events were open to the campus community.

‘A deep interest and hunger’

“There is a deep interest and hunger among students, staff, and faculty to engage in a process of reckoning and reform related to racial, sexual, and gender equality, as well as other identities,” said Morehouse, a student in the master’s in counseling program.

Men Explain Things to Me focuses “on how power is wielded in society and the resulting inequalities, and … the relationship between gendered language, the silencing of women and those with non-binary identities, disbelief in their experiences, and gender-based violence,” Morehouse said.

She and co-hosts Cox and Grosse were “impressed and heartened by the way that members engaged with the material and each other in a sensitive and impassioned way, recognizing the need for change at the individual, institutional, and cultural levels.”

Graduate student Helen Momoh went into the book club with measured expectations. However, “words cannot express the profound experience during the times we met,” Momoh said. “It was empowering, refreshing, and healing for me to be able to share within this space. I guess the space was such that it gave me comfort. Everyone was ready to listen, even when some of us just met for the first time.”

The interfaith group read , by angel Kyodo Rev. Williams, Lama Rod Owens, and Jasmine Syedullah; , by Saher Selod, and , by Felipe Hinojosa.

In addition to personal engagement with Selod, a colloquium speaker this semester, the group also learned from guest speaker Dr. Cathy Campbell, associate professor in the nursing department and chair of acute and speciality care at University of Virginia. Campbel is an ordained Buddhist chaplain, according to group participant Trina Trotter Nussbaum, associate director at CIE. “Dr. Campbell spoke with us from these vantage points while we were reading the Radical Dharma book and it was a huge privilege,” she said. (On a side note, Hinojosa visited campus in 2018).

More than 20 faculty members and students have been meeting over Zoom to discuss How to Be an Antiracist. The group is a long-term project linked to EMU’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration. The size of the group can be challenging for Evans and co-facilitator Prioleau.

“That said, I experience the group as open to new ideas and interested in growth,” Evans said. “We’ve wrestled with the strength of Kendi’s argument that one cannot take a neutral stance on racism, you are either acting in racist or antiracist ways. We’ve also wrestled with some concerns we have over Kendi’s analysis of power that seems to equate anti-blackness with anti-whiteness. These are crucial conversations for our learning community.”

After Whiteness has also sparked critical questions for the 10 faculty and staff studying it. Jennings explores how theological formation, when rooted in values of white, self-sufficient masculinity, shapes people for possession, control, and mastery; rather than connection with God, self, and others.

“We are digging deep to analyze how we educate theologically, interact as a community, and operate as an institution,” said Bixler, a co-facilitator. “We are imagining new ways of being and doing that move us toward holistic and life-giving formation that subverts the distorted formation Jennings describes.”

Evans acknowledged that book studies alone cannot heal communities, or ensure everyone feels seen and heard within them. But perhaps they can plant a seed.

“These book studies are making visible normative structures in our community that limit our capacity to experience one another in all of our complexities. That is good work,” he said. “We cannot correct that which we cannot, or refuse, to see. I think we are awakening to realities of the ways anti-blackness functions on our campus. We are also growing in our awareness of the ways we are seduced into valuing whiteness in our assessments of students and our presentation of ourselves.”