Had she known about the generous stipend support available to 草莓社区 counseling students, Jessie Hoffa MA 鈥�22 (counseling) says her decision of where to attend graduate school would鈥檝e been an easy one. 鈥淓MU would鈥檝e been a shoo-in,鈥� she said.

It was only after comparing the counseling programs at different schools that she realized EMU鈥檚 program struck the perfect balance. It offered a quality curriculum, skilled and passionate teachers, and solid student outcomes鈥攁ll at an affordable price. The fact that it was within an hour鈥檚 drive of her Greene County, Virginia, home also didn鈥檛 hurt. 

鈥淚 can tell you right now, there鈥檚 no program out there as good as EMU鈥檚 for that price鈥擨鈥檝e looked at so many of them,鈥� said Hoffa, who is now a resident in counseling for the Charlottesville-based Piedmont Counseling Collective. 鈥淥n top of that, to receive an extra $10,000 during my final year was such a blessing.鈥�

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鈥檚 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鈥檚 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. 

鈥淭his recognition from HRSA speaks to the remarkable quality of our program,鈥� said Horst, who became dean of EMU鈥檚 Health, Behavioral, and Natural Sciences division on July 1. “Not only to the instruction in the curriculum and that we鈥檙e 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.鈥�

Stipend a 鈥榞ame changer鈥�

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 鈥�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.

鈥淭hat stipend was a game changer,鈥� said Pennington. 鈥淚t 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.鈥�

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鈥� 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 鈥渇ell through the cracks鈥濃�攖hey didn鈥檛 qualify for Medicaid, but also could not afford to have insurance鈥攁nd 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鈥檚 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.聽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鈥檛 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.

鈥淏y 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,鈥� Pace said.

鈥淚t creates a ripple effect,鈥� said Cline. 鈥淲e 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.鈥�

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鈥檚 Fall 2026 semester is Jan. 15, 2026. Learn more about the graduate counseling program at .

Two deans with extensive leadership experience have been appointed to lead the academic divisions, with both officially beginning their roles on July 1, 2025. The聽Rev. Dr. Sarah Ann Bixler, former associate dean of Eastern Mennonite Seminary, serves as dean for the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences division.聽Dr. Michael Horst,聽former interim associate dean, former director of EMU鈥檚 counseling program, and current director of its psychology program, serves as dean for the Health, Behavioral, and Natural Sciences division. The two divisional deans work closely with聽Dr. Tara Kishbaugh,聽dean of faculty and student success, and聽Jonathan Swartz,聽dean of students, and report to the provost.

Rev. Dr. Sarah Ann Bixler, dean for the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences division

Education
BA, 草莓社区 (English)
MDiv, Princeton Theological Seminary (Divinity)
PhD, Princeton Theological Seminary (Practical Theology/Christian Education)

Tell us a little about yourself
I started teaching at EMU as an adjunct instructor in 2018 at the Lancaster, Pennsylvania, campus. In 2019 I was hired for a continuing faculty position, teaching primarily in the seminary graduate program with an occasional undergraduate theology and religion course. In 2021, I took on administrative responsibilities as associate dean of Eastern Mennonite Seminary. Before teaching, I had many other roles at EMU at various points in my adult life. I facilitated community as a residence director in Elmwood, served as president of the Alumni Association, cleaned rooms in the EMU Guest House, hosted summer groups with conferences and events, and waited tables for banquets. In 2002, I earned my undergraduate degree at EMU in English and secondary education with minors in mathematics and music.

I enjoy traveling, hiking, flower gardening, and playing piano. My spouse, three children, in-laws and I farm at the historic Lincoln Homestead in Linville with goats, chickens, cats, and big fruit and vegetable gardens.

What will you be doing in this new divisional dean role?
I give leadership to EMU鈥檚 academic programs in the humanities, arts and social sciences at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The value of these important areas of study is under threat right now, and I take my responsibility seriously to promote and position these programs for a strong future. I want to be sure dynamic and expert faculty will teach EMU students for decades to come, so EMU graduates will be equipped with the practical skills, creativity and critical thinking that these areas of study offer.

What excites you most about the year(s) ahead?
Higher education is entering a new way of being. Students expect to engage technology in their learning, while also longing for human engagement in the process. We learn the most when we interact with others who bring different experiences and perspectives that open new ways for us to understand ourselves and the world. I鈥檓 excited about how technology is expanding our classrooms with new ways of communicating and interacting, and how our EMU learning community has the opportunity to grow more than ever before.

What is your favorite EMU memory?
Earlier this spring, I had the privilege of taking 12 students on an intercultural learning experience to Europe along with Dr. Heike Peckruhn. My favorite EMU memory is sitting together in reverent silence in a dark cave in the wooded hills of Switzerland, where Anabaptists met together in secret 500 years ago. The early Anabaptists went there to encourage one another in resisting the state and religious authorities that forbade their radical beliefs and practices of nonviolent community. So did we.

What object can you not live without?
I need a navigational tool. I like to drive to new places or go for walks in unfamiliar settings, but I get turned around and can鈥檛 find my way home. Before I had a cellphone, I carried a book of road maps in my car. Now the Google Maps app on my phone serves me well. A knowledgeable friend is even better. I love exploring new towns and cities or wandering around paths in rural areas, but I can only enjoy myself if I know I can end up back where I belong.

What song has been on repeat for you lately?
This question made me realize how infrequently I choose my own music in this season of my life. My 12- and 15-year-old daughters are my constant DJs, whether we鈥檙e riding in the car together, working in the kitchen, or doing yard work. When the voices of Taylor Swift and Demi Lovato aren鈥檛 in my ears, my fingers will find their way to the keys and play 鈥淒raw the Circle Wide.鈥� Mark A. Miller鈥檚 powerful hymns are my go-to songs right now.

What quote or saying keeps you going?
Ronald Heifetz and Marty Linsky wrote, 鈥淧eople don鈥檛 resist change, they resist loss.鈥� With an administrative leadership role in higher education in the social sciences, arts and humanities, I鈥檒l have to lead people through a lot of change. This quote keeps me curious about what people need and value in the midst of change, and reminds me to be sensitive because change inevitably brings loss.

What hobby, skill or topic are you learning right now?
When I visited Europe for the first time in 2017, I was astounded by the large stone walls everywhere. I came home and told my spouse I wanted to learn stonemasonry. I was completely serious. He chuckled and replied, 鈥淚 think you鈥檒l have to choose between finishing your PhD and becoming a stonemason.鈥� After I completed my doctorate, he prepared the base and then my daughter and I successfully built a small limestone retaining wall on our farm. Now I have a few more masonry projects in mind.

Dr. Michael Horst, dean for the Health, Behavioral, and Natural Sciences division

Education
BS, 草莓社区 (Psychology)
MA, 草莓社区 (Counseling)
PhD, James Madison University (Counselor Education & Supervision)

Tell us a little about yourself
I鈥檝e been a part of EMU in many ways over the years. I鈥檝e been a custodian, exterior window washer, floor cleaner (shampooing carpets and waxing tile floors), I鈥檝e arranged seating in classrooms and larger venues like Martin Chapel and Yoder Arena, I鈥檝e been an apartment manager, undergraduate student, graduate student, clinical mental health counselor with our EMU Counseling Services, adjunct instructor, full-time instructor, assistant professor, associate professor, grant project director, program director (undergraduate and graduate), interim associate dean, and now I serve as dean of the division of Health, Behavioral, and Natural Sciences [HBNS]. I may have missed a few roles I鈥檝e held at EMU over the years, but it鈥檚 safe to say that I鈥檝e seen EMU from many different angles. EMU is a special place, and I鈥檓 grateful to be part of its story.

When I鈥檓 not at EMU, I enjoy spending time with my wife, Simone, and our children. I also enjoy weightlifting, tinkering with computers, watching movies, listening to podcasts, and reading. 

What will you be doing in this new divisional dean role?
In collaboration with HBNS program directors and the provost, I鈥檒l provide leadership and support to our academic programs in the health, behavioral, and natural sciences [HBNS] division. I hope to help build relationships with community partners and support the enhancement of our innovative, timely, and mission-aligned curricula in the HBNS division. We have outstanding faculty and staff at EMU, and I want EMU to be a place where they can thrive as they engage with students. I hope to support that thriving through this new divisional dean role. 

What excites you most about the year(s) ahead?
You don鈥檛 have to look far to see a great number of issues that need to be addressed, and I鈥檓 a staunch believer that education and knowledge generation are some of our greatest tools to solve these issues. Courses of study in the HBNS division prepare students to lead on the cutting edge of innovation in science, technology, healthcare, and more. I鈥檓 excited to be part of that work.

What object can you not live without?
When leaving a visit with my in-laws, my father in-law will sometimes say, 鈥淚f you forgot anything, just give us a call鈥nd we鈥檒l tell you how to live without it!鈥� I try to cultivate this sort of non-attachment to material objects and recognize that I can be content with a great deal less than I have. That said, I sure would miss my cellphone and computers. 

What quote or saying keeps you going?
Two quotes spring to mind. These quotes help me remember to always imagine other people complexly and to hold the same space for myself. 

From Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself” in Leaves of Grass:

鈥淒o I contradict myself?
Very well then I contradict myself,
(I am large, I contain multitudes.)鈥�

And from Lemony Snicket (Daniel Handler), author of The Grim Grotto, the eleventh novel in A Series of Unfortunate Events:

鈥淧eople aren’t either wicked or noble. They’re like chef’s salads, with good things and bad things chopped and mixed together in a vinaigrette of confusion and conflict.鈥�

What鈥檚 your favorite spot on campus?
I think I鈥檝e taught a class in the Discipleship Center every week of the academic year for at least the past 10 years (excluding COVID, when we were all online). I love the views, especially early in the morning as the sun comes up. I have many special memories in that building. Before I had children, I used to get to the Discipleship Center as the sun was rising so that I could set up the space and prepare for my morning class. Those contemplative and deliberate moments always left me centered and grounded for the day. 

Other than the people, what do you like most about EMU?
I鈥檒l say the people anyway! The community and culture of this place makes it special. Additionally, our mission and values are needed more than ever. EMU is excellently positioned to empower students with resilience, agency, knowledge, and skills to address the major issues of our day and days to come. Our Anabaptist values of simplicity, justice and mercy, environmental stewardship, care for the oppressed and impoverished, and our central devotion to nonviolence and peacemaking infuse a transformative curriculum. At EMU, we can train peacemakers and revolutionary systems thinkers, technological innovators of clean energy solutions and computational ethics, inspirational educators who embody and implement restorative justice and inclusivity in school systems, business leaders who prioritize the needs of workers and the environment, and health care workers who care for patients above profit. As I said earlier, we are well-positioned to prepare students to work to create a more just, sustainable, and peace-driven world.

The Master’s in Counseling program at 草莓社区 (EMU) has been awarded a four-year grant continuation from the Health Resources and Services Administration to increase access to mental and behavioral healthcare in the Shenandoah Valley. The grant, which is funded through the administration’s Behavioral Health Workforce Education Training program, will provide $1.01 million to the counseling department to support counseling students in internships in high-demand clinics and provider offices. 

The department was first awarded this grant in 2017, when it received $1.28 million to be used over the past four years.

“We were able to fund almost all of our internship students with $10,000 stipends, expand our partnerships with internship placements in rural and medically underserved areas, design and implement a series of interprofessional seminars each year, and host expert speakers,” said Professor Michael Horst, director of the counseling program. 

Once again, counseling students who are serving in high need and high demand areas will each receive a $10,000 stipend, and the remaining 38% of the funds will go towards trainings for students, faculty, and site supervisors. The goal of the project is to fund the work of 63 interns over the next four years. 

The stipends “are meant to defray costs of living, so they don’t need to go towards things like tuition or books, and, through federal funding, recognize the vital importance of the services our students provide to our communities,” said Horst.

This initiative, dubbed the Interdisciplinary Education In Action (IDEA) Project continues and builds upon the work started under the first round of grant funding: the ECURA Program, which stood for Expansion of Counseling in Underserved and Rural Areas.

Horst said the same unmet need for counseling and behavioral health services 鈥渉as been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic,鈥� with many providers he knows operating with long waiting lists for services.

Trainings will be led by expert speakers, such as Dr. Bonnie Badenoch, who spoke to program participants last year about the interpersonal neurobiology of trauma. Future educational opportunities will also focus  on trauma-informed and resilience-focused practices, as well as telecounseling ethics and efficacy. 

“Telehealth was growing before COVID, but it has exploded since,” Horst said. 

Another component of the project is a series of interdisciplinary seminars, which will be designed by faculty from the fields of counseling, social work, nursing, and psychology, to benefit all of their students.

Founded in 1993, the counseling program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs.

The community placements are part of EMU鈥檚 Expansion of Counseling in Underserved and Rural Areas (ECURA) program. It is funded by a $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that aims to increase behavioral health treatment and counseling to underserved populations in the Shenandoah Valley region of western Virginia and beyond.

Most MAC field placements are in federally designated rural and medically underserved communities. In 2017, the Free Clinic, which focuses on uninsured persons with income under 200% of the federal poverty level, provided 4,358 health care service visits, 158 dental visits and 462 behavioral health counseling visits, it reported.

Four MAC students had regular hours this fall (and will again in the spring) at the clinic. They saw clients for a variety of reasons such as grief and loss, anxiety and conflicts in interpersonal relationships, among othe issues, said student Ana Cruz. They also provided support in setting goals and working toward healing.

The Free Clinic internship has been part of a 鈥渞ich learning experience and has helped shape my educational and career goals,鈥� Cruz said, noting the collaboration of professionals to offer holistic care to the clinic鈥檚 clients. 鈥淭he quality care that clients receive with the implementation of an integrative model are well worth the challenges that come with it.鈥�

Practicing collaboration with medical professionals is a key benefit, said student Kristen Inouye 鈥� as is getting to work with a diverse, underserved population of individuals that are navigating complex situations.

The interns鈥� first-hand experiences are teaching them 鈥渨hat it means to be a part of an interdisciplinary team 鈥� a very important skill for potential future positions in healthcare organizations,鈥� said placement supervisor Gwen Louden-Gerber.

The students came to the internships with 鈥渁 strong sense of the importance of building rapport and the therapeutic relationship, strong skills in empathic listening, a nonjudgmental stance, and respect for the clients鈥� worldviews and life experiences,鈥� she said.

Whether Free Clinic clients鈥� experiences have negatively impacted their ability to build trust with a counselor or involve struggles such as substance-abusing roommates, they often are carrying 鈥渁n awful lot in their suitcases,鈥� said Free Clinic executive director Summer Sage. The interns are gaining experience 鈥渦npacking all of the different pieces of that suitcase and figuring out how to help the client organize it in a way that is manageable,鈥� she said.

The practical experience is equipping students to be better-prepared professionals, said Sage. 鈥淲e all know that there鈥檚 book knowledge and then there鈥檚 life experience, and sometimes what the book says doesn鈥檛 apply to the life experience. Taking that knowledge and having an opportunity to problem-solve with it in a hands-on, realistic case experience, really enriches their ability to hit the ground running.鈥�

The four-year Expansion of Counseling in Underserved and Rural Areas (ECURA) program builds upon the counseling program鈥檚 current network of field placement sites, most of which are in federally designated rural and medically underserved communities, said counseling program director Teresa Haase.

The new program is projected to increase the number of licensed professional counselors who will then continue to serve in those areas and populations, Haase said.

The ECURA curriculum emphasizes interdisciplinary and interprofessional practice-based training. Special priority is given to the integration with fields of nursing and social work, field placement in rural, vulnerable and medically underserved communities, and exposure to clinical settings where behavioral health services and primary care are integrated, she added.

The program will serve residents through site placements in and around Rockingham, Augusta, Frederick and Fairfax counties, with potential expansion beyond these areas as the program continues.

Currently residents in these areas have access to a handful of nonprofit behavioral health clinics and private practices, even though needs are increasing, said MAC instructor , who co-wrote the grant with Haase.

Nearly 1.5 million Virginians have , according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Approximately 300,000 have been diagnosed with a serious mental illness, and adults with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders number close to a quarter of a million. Yet more than half of adults with any mental illness are not receiving treatment or counseling, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found in a 2009-2013 .

Sixty percent of grant funds will pay yearly stipends of $10,000 to MAC interns and travel funds to support continued professional development, said Horst.

Additionally, the $1,280,870 of the Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training funding will enable the ECURA program to develop more internship sites, hire an additional graduate assistant, and cover various administrative and other costs.

A portion will also be used to create and provide interdisciplinary and interprofessional training seminars for students, faculty and clinical supervisors, in collaboration with EMU鈥檚 and social work departments. Trainings will focus on the skills and knowledge related to improving health outcomes; reducing medical barriers to care; an understanding of the behavioral component of chronic disease management; the roles and practice cultures of physicians, nurse, and other allied health workers such as community health workers; and the dynamics of effective collaborative teamwork, among other topics.

Students will also participate in a (STAR) training, a program of EMU鈥檚 , which provides tools to understand the physical, emotional and psychosocial effects of trauma on individuals and communities.

Founded in 1993 and with 250+ graduates to date, the counseling program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs. In 2016, it was recognized with an Outstanding Master鈥檚 Program Award from the American Counseling Association.

That support is needed, said , vice president for student life. 鈥淣ationwide, 28 percent of students report higher than normal levels of stress, 19 percent report sleep difficulties, and 19 percent high levels of anxiety. We want the center to be a place that supports students in a variety of proactive ways so they can be successful here at EMU.鈥�

A 2011 mental health survey at EMU, he said, indicated that 17 percent of the student body reported some level of depression or anxiety disorder, 14 percent reported some form of non-suicidal self-injury in the past year, and 43 percent reported body shape and weight among the most important things they think about.

The increased services mean that students in need or looking to receive some sort of support will receive prompt, skilled care. 鈥淚f students need any support, whether it be for crisis or knowledge of resources, we want to make sure they have those immediately,鈥� said Anderson. 鈥淚f students need support for two or three sessions, the sooner they can get those sessions, the better. If students have ongoing struggles, it makes all the more sense that they get into counseling as soon as possible.鈥�

The benefits are academic, as well. 鈥淪tudents who access counseling services return to school in subsequent terms 鈥� and graduate 鈥� at higher rates compared to the general student body,鈥� said Smucker.

The increased services are the result of a new collaboration between the center and the (MAC) program, a vision of previous center director Pam Comer, who retired in June. Anderson, a graduate of the MAC program who has worked in multiple university counseling settings, will now help to carry out the plan.

The partnership expands services to the student body 鈥� and provides MAC practicum and internship students with a placement that offers 鈥渢he opportunity for consistent skill development as a training site in a university context,鈥� said MAC director Teresa Haase. 鈥淲e are excited to partner with Tempest and see this all come to fruition.鈥�

Four second-year master鈥檚 in counseling students who have completed 30 hours of graduate counseling coursework and a 100-hour clinical practicum, and who have been approved for internship by MAC faculty, are each offering 240 direct service hours 鈥� and 360 hours of indirect clinical work 鈥� this academic year.

鈥淭his is high quality, supervised care,鈥� said MAC instructor . Each week, each intern receives one hour of individual face-to-face clinical supervision and two hours of group supervision, and attends counseling center meetings. Their supervisors are Haase, Dr. Nate Koser and Dr. Annmarie Early.

In addition to one-on-one sessions, the counseling center offers:

• Group counseling
• Depression and anxiety screenings
• Classroom presentations about topics such as suicide prevention or sexual assault awareness.
• 30-minute one-on-one mentoring sessions for any student through the , which is geared toward helping undergraduate students adjust to life away from home.