Only One School of Choice for Therapist

Professional counselor Suzanne Davis of Chesapeake, Virginia is passionate about helping children find hope and healing. Over the course of her career, Suzanne has helped people from all walks of life while working as a case manager and a court-appointed special advocate.

“Working with children, it's a passion. I want to show them love and that they can be themselves. I love to help people, because I see so much brokenness. I just simply want to be an open vessel, to be able to be obedient to him.”

Suzanne’s faith is at the heart of everything she does. It’s one thing that led her to pursue her master’s degree in counseling at Regent University in 2010.

“Regent is set apart for me. There were other colleges that I was looking at, but when I came here to Regent, just on campus, I just felt God's spirit. And so, I knew this was the place I need to be. It's a welcoming environment and that was one of the things that I just loved. It was very inviting.”

Suzanne says that not only did she get a stellar education at Regent, the nurturing atmosphere helped her in starting her own practice.
“It wasn't just simply learning through a book; it's actually applying what we learned. The professors are just incredible-- their knowledge, their expertise. It's something that is not, you know, that you pass through and that you're a number, but ultimately there is that connection and community. Even now, 10 years later, we still stay connected.”

After getting her Master’s, Suzanne intended to pursue a Ph.D. in counseling at Regent, but she says God had a different plan. “God had just placed it on my heart for several months that he was drawing me into law, but I'm not at a place where I want to, you know, move forward with a J.D. just yet.”

So, in 2020, Suzanne graduated from Regent with a Master’s in Human Rights & Rule of Law. She completed her degree online while working full-time as a counselor. Suzanne says that training gave her insight to help families navigate the court system.

"I would definitely describe it as positive, especially for a person who works. I love working with families, I love family law, and I'm like, ‘Okay, this is something that I really want to pursue.’ It actually incorporates family law as well as human trafficking. The professors were there to help whenever it was needed."

Regent’s school motto also led her to pursue an unusual project while getting her degree. Suzanne explains, "For me the ‘Christian Leadership to Change the World' is ultimately being able to change the community that you're around."

And that’s exactly what she did. When the Corona Virus outbreak hit in 2020, Suzanne’s heart went out to her patients, especially children, whose lives were turned upside down with school closures and increased stress at home.

“Everything is kinda shut down and now what do we do and how do we navigate this? And so, helping them to transition through that process, either through the anxiety, the fears, the unknowns, and then, of course, the sadness, the depression of not being able to see family members or to be able to connect with other people."

Suzanne looked for resources to help her clients and discovered there wasn’t much out there. Plus, “what I was reading and what I was finding, it was very much fear-based. And so, of course, I wanted to do something that was very empowering for children and giving them a sense of control. I just felt compelled and compassionate. And so, from there I was like, ‘Okay, God, I don't know what I'm supposed to do but ultimately, you lead,'" said Suzanne.

The result was a children’s book, When RONA Visited My Town.

"God gave me all the words for the book. He gave me the title, and I was like, ‘Okay, God, this came from you.’ I shared it with my husband and with my family and they were like, 'You really need to pursue this and get it published.'"

Suzanne says her studies at Regent prepared her to change her community—and the world-- for Christ. In addition to staying busy with her practice, she’s currently working on a second children’s book and is excited about what the future holds!

“Regent provided me with the foundation I needed. God does amazing things, and I'm just so grateful that he used the gifts that he's provided in order to bring him glory!”

When RONA Visited My Town may be purchased here: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=when+rona+visited+my+town&crid=ARQF4RXQQNM9&sprefix=When+Rona%2Caps%2C147&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_9)