New Head of Counseling Department Encourages and Disciples

Mindy May, the recently hired director of counseling services, said she has a passion for equipping others and helping them use the resources God has given them.

She recommends the counseling service to all students, saying, “People can have a stigma that counseling is for people who have really serious or traumatic issues. It’s for that, but it’s also for basic encouragement and a level of discipleship as well.”

May, who holds a doctorate in psychology and counseling, is a contemporary of Cedarville President Dr. Thomas White and Vice President of Student Life and Christian Ministries Jon Wood. May recently worked as an adjunct professor and administrative assistant at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary before Wood offered her a job at Cedarville.

“She is somebody who has come to be a like-minded co-laborer in taking care of students,” said Wood, who worked with May in the student services division.

Wood also described why he chose May for the position.

“Mindy has a great combination of counseling insight, leadership ability, and a heart for discipling college students,” he said. “I saw her as an excellent fit for helping students at Cedarville.”

May said she took some time to consider, but eventually chose to take the job, saying that she received the call only about four months ago. May began working in January in both the counseling area and as a professor in the Bible department, teaching the class Counseling and Mentoring Women. She said she was able to pursue “all the things God is calling me to do: administrating, counseling and teaching.”

Wood echoed May’s description of her abilities and calling.

“With Mindy’s education and experience, she brings the ability to provide counseling services that can help our students with their most pressing needs,” Wood said.

May said she is excited about her new job.

The big deal about Cedarville and what I was excited about is that you get to do very professional counseling, but you get to do that from a Biblical worldview,” May said.

She said that the best counseling she can offer comes from a Biblical worldview. She also said her calling in life is ultimately equipping others and assisting students.

“I love college students,” May said. “It’s such a pivotal time, and such a formative time.”

Although May made it clear that one purpose of counseling is for those with major diagnosable disorders, she also established that that is not its only service. Many times, she said, her counseling patients may just be experiencing grief. They may have a strong walk with the Lord, she said, and just need somebody to encourage them.

“It may be for somebody experiencing a lot of anxiety and loneliness,” May said.

She said the pressures of desiring to be perfect, particularly at a Christian institution, can sometimes cause people to be held back from approaching someone with their troubles or to be hesitant to approach counseling. However, May said we are fallen, we are going to have hardship, and we need to lean on each other and on the Lord.

“There is one perfect person in Scripture, and none of us get to be him,” May said.

She said the group of workers in counseling services meet for prayer every day and seek to support and encourage each other along with the students they meet. Wood said that, along with her professional qualifications, May brings a level of joy to the workplace.

“I think that our faculty, staff and students will find that she’s a godly woman who has a lot of fun,” Wood said.

May has her own perspective on her purpose at Cedarville.

“The biggest thing is that you need to be very open-handed with what the Lord is giving you,” she said. “You need to be a good steward of it. I could’ve talked myself out of coming to Cedarville. But at the end of the day, if the Lord’s calling you, you go and do it and trust.”

May said she seeks to continue being at Cedarville as long as the Lord has her here. She said she loves the opportunity to serve students in such a pivotal time, in several capacities she felt able in.

“It’s very humbling that I’m able to do that,” she said.

Although counseling is a passion of hers, May said her goal is to get people to a point where they don’t need her anymore. With a desire to serve students in multiple capacities, May said she aspires to equip students to leave with confidence.

“They could walk out of here confident that they can handle the storms because their anchor is appropriately placed,” May said. “If I can help them understand that, that’s great.”

Stephen Clark is a sophomore liberal arts major and reporter for Cedars. He hopes one day to become a pastor and to set a world record for total miles driven in a minivan.