Steven Penn Bryan Scholarship Fund

My name is Richie Anderson, I’m 41 years old and currently enrolled in the Professional Counseling graduate program at Amridge University. My wife and I have been married for 20 years, we have a 16-year-old daughter and a 14-year-old son. I started thinking about going into counseling while I was serving in the United States Air Force. When I enlisted the plan was to complete one six-year contract to gain some stability for my then-young family, but when my wife and I learned I could retire at the age of 46, we decided to make it a 20-year career. As my career progressed, I set the goal for myself to achieve the rank of at least Master Sergeant (E-7) and apply to become a First Sergeant. A First Sergeant’s job is to support and be the voice of the enlisted personnel to the commander. This wanting to take care of people eventually led me to consider counseling as a career after I retired. The 20-year career plan didn’t pan out for me, I left active duty at the end of my six-year enlistment and joined the Air Force Reserve to start a career in youth ministry. I had already begun working toward a Bachelor of Science in Bible/Ministry at Amridge University while on active duty and completed it while serving in youth ministry and in the Reserve. I exhausted my Post 9/11 GI Bill benefit after the Summer 2023 semester. I have four semesters left, which led me to find the Steven Penn Bryan scholarship. I’m on track to begin my internship in the Spring 2024 semester and complete coursework after the Fall semester. Since working in ministry, I moved on to work as a mental health case manager at Centerstone of Tennessee and am currently still employed at Centerstone as a crisis care consultant, supporting people in crisis for Centerstone’s crisis services as well as Lifeline (988) and NFL Lifeline. I plan to integrate soul and spirit into my work by having a Christ-informed mindset, not Christian counseling outright, but by letting Jesus’ example of love and compassion guide me in how I work with people to help them heal and move forward. My experience in the military has led me to be very interested in EMDR as a treatment for trauma, that will integrate mind and body. However, I was recently introduced to Somatic Experiencing this semester in the Counseling for Abusive Relationship course, and am very interested in learning more. I plan to use Reality Therapy to bring all these pieces together.

The ears of a small child should never have to hear the shrilling screams of her mom for rescue from evil men. Her eyes should never witness knives, punches, bruises, cuts, and blood from their enraged hands. Her mouth should never utter routine pleading, “Please God, do not let my mom die!” as she cries alone through the chaos. Her little body was never meant to live in such fear and terror. This was my childhood experience and, sadly, many others live through the horrors of childhood abuse. My first helpful counseling experience came at age 28. I sat frozen and stiff on a couch across from a gentle and patient man who fished for words to know me. Despite his efforts, I sat silent. Childhood abuse had stolen my voice and shattered my heart. But I trusted him more than I had trusted others. Our sessions took a turn when he recognized the value of creative expression and encouraged me to speak through art. He entered my story as a compassionate witness as I shared these works with him. Regaining my voice, I found a vocabulary for pain and expressed my heartache. Profound healing took place as we began to speak the unspeakable. Through counseling, God continues to bring light into the darkness of chronic depression and complex trauma resulting from the reign of alcoholic abusive men during my childhood. I believe that Christ entered my bleakest places, rescued me, and brought me into His light. He has done this through counseling. I want to follow Christ into places of despair and provide safe spaces filled with hope and freedom in His healing presence to others. ​​At forty-seven, I recently completed my first semester of graduate school pursuing a master's degree in Clinical Mental Health at Liberty University with a 4.0. Starting a new career at this stage of life brings unique challenges, but in God's perfect timing, He has taken the first twenty years of my adult life to heal and prepare me to bring healing to others. I will follow a holistic approach to healing. The mind, body, soul, and spirit work together intricately forming a person and impacting their experience of life. They are intertwined and intimately relate to and impact one another. The pain and trauma held in the body need healing for a person to flourish. As a Christian, I will rely on the work of God’s Spirit in me and in those I serve as I walk with them. I am cautious against the reductionistic spirituality of offering trite spiritual sayings and I am guarded against offering hope that merely reduces symptoms without offering deep healing. I believe that the best healing comes when proven methods and scientific discoveries about the mind and body merge with faith and trust in God’s tender care. I intend to practice as a Christian counselor, and will also respect and honor each person’s unique stance towards faith. I will use a holistic approach specializing in expressive arts, EMDR, somatic, and Cognitive Behavior therapies. Pursuing further education while raising two teenagers proves financially stressful. This scholarship would bless me and my family and lessen our financial strain. With funds covering a significant amount of tuition, it would free me to continue my studies and also be present with my children. Throughout life, my ears and eyes have witnessed great evil and my body has carried deep pain. God redeems my story as He leads me to follow Him and extend hope as I hear and see others who suffer and long for hope and healing.