Lon Rankin ’02 Counseling Degree

Lon began his education at Southwestern College in the spring of 2000. He was in the midst of a deep personal process and spiritual emergence when “my spirit said go to the phone book and look up schools.” He did, he called, went to look at the campus and signed up for one class.

Southwestern College was validation for Lon. He found honesty and safety in his process because others were already doing it. “I came just to look and the Director of Admissions suggested I take a class starting in one week. I took Counseling Theory and Practice with Marylou Butler and loved it. I had value to people around me. I finally found a place where I fit.”

“By grace, accident and guidance from spirit I found Southwestern College and the great faculty and staff to encourage me. I deeply believe in the mission of the school to train transformational leaders in the world. That is why I am on the Assessment Committee.”

“Our society has a craving and Southwestern has a great gift to give the world. The school is an oasis that values and brings forth a lot of other attributes of the therapeutic process. During my internship at the Santa Fe Mountain Center and the Counseling Center, I worked with an experiential wilderness agency and also with individual clients. It was perfect for me. At graduation, my father said, ‘I think you have finally found what is right for you.”

“What Southwestern College gave to me, I now share with the world, and it’s helping every one of my clients. Our students have more training in certain important areas than most therapists with years in the field, and there’s a type of passion that clients respond to and appreciate. I’ve heard many times from my clients as well as from previous and present Southwestern Counseling Center clients that I’ve met around town, ‘I’m getting more help from Southwestern students at $2 per hour than years of therapy at $100 per hour.’”

Lon has four suggestions for students:“Take full advantage of the open door policy with the faculty; go for it and make the most of the personal therapy requirement; be real with other students and accept their support; and show up as your real self with others.”