Steven Giddens

After High School, I joined the Army National Guard and volunteered for several deployments. After serving 12 years of Honorable service with 3-tours, I decided to attempt my educational aspirations. I bounced around several small colleges and decided to find something that comfortably fit my developing ideas. During my undergraduate studies, I spent time in the wilderness and attempted to combine wildlife, adventure, and psychotherapy. After a unique internship, I was invigorated with a passion for pursuing dual Masters degrees seeking this time to combine Theology with Psychotherapy. From thence, I became an analyst in formation with the Clinical College of Colorado and an Ordained Minister in the United Church of Christ (UCC). I am currently a Ph.D. student at North Dakota State University and a Licensed Associate Professional Counselor (LAPC), a member of the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE) and the American Counseling Association (ACA). I believe we are called to care for and hear our fellow humans' plights on this Earth. Therefore, I work to listen to the still, speaking voices of the world. I chose the UCC because it is a denomination open to individual interpretation and discovery, not unlike analysis and psychoanalytic theory. Analysis is a very free form of speaking, and it opens up more significant potential to be heard and to listen. I encourage everyone to speak freely and be open to the opportunities that arise from their unique circumstances on their life journeys.