Tom Hennigan
Why did you decide to become a counselor?
Two reasons:
First, I believe that it was God that opened those doors. Over the past 3 decades, I have taught elementary through college-age students. In that time, many students came and shared their lives with me. I saw their pain and anguish, and I wanted to be used by God to help encourage and support them. This allowed me to be more introspective as to how I might be trained to do that better.
Second, I grew up in a home of pain and dysfunction and I wanted to understand how God has designed us to survive in a fallen and painful world. Specifically, I wanted to try and understand how I "tick" so that I can move toward emotional and spiritual healing.
Where did you go to graduate school? What did you like most about your program of study?
Truett McConnell University. What I liked most were the small class sizes and comradery with fellow students and faculty, in a Christ-centered environment. The program gave us opportunities to be vulnerable with each other and seek help and advisement with faculty who have had many years of experience in the counseling field and who love Christ. The Spirit of God did a lot of emotional and spiritual healing through these avenues at the university.
Describe your approach to counseling.
My approach to counseling is trauma-informed. Many people I see can have difficulty coping with daily life because they have been badly hurt. A trauma-informed approach means that I strive to build a safe (as the client defines safe) environment with an unconditional positive regard for anyone who comes into my office. It also means that, through the wonderful research we are learning about our brains and nervous systems, people can better understand why they are reacting to people, places, and relationships in a way that seems "crazy". When they realize they are not crazy that brings relief and a platform from which they can pursue getting better. I continue to pursue advanced post graduate trauma certification through the Trauma Research Foundation.
What significant events in your life have shaped your counseling?
I know what it means to have a lot of emotional pain and not know what to do with it. I also saw the pain in my family and students, and these have helped me be more understanding and empathetic toward suffering people. These experiences informed who or where I might reach out for help with my pain and how I might be trained to better help others. They also helped me, from a parent perspective, to focus on how my own children were doing. I talked with each to better understand where I went wrong as a father, ask for forgiveness. and find out how I can best love and support them as adults with their own families.
How does your Christian faith inform your counseling?
I can personally testify that Scripture and Christ's unconditional love have been foundational for my emotional and spiritual healing and in my approach to life and helping others. That approach can be scary or a big turn-off for many and I understand that, as many have been severely hurt by religious people, including myself. Some of this hurt has been so intense it is considered spiritual trauma. Therefore, for anyone who walks into my office for help, and does not want to talk about God, that is perfectly fine. The Christian faith still informs how I interact with people and it manifests, in part, by having unconditional positive regard, patience, kindness, gentleness, and being non-judgmental.