Photos by David Norris
Mark Krause (’23)
Counseling from a Christian perspective
By Emeline Gullixson (’21) – Bethany Magazine, Winter 2025
Despite coming from a young, recently established program, Bethany’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) graduates are thriving in their chosen fields. The program celebrated its first graduating cohort in spring of 2023. Since then, CMHC graduates have been serving their clients and communities through effective, Christian counseling.
“We’re preparing people for a broad range of working environments and populations that they could serve,” said Dr. Benjamin Kohls, Director of Graduate Studies for Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Some of these environments include outpatient practices, private practices, group practices, and schools. Graduates counsel clients working through anxiety, seeking marriage counseling, and suffering from severe and persistent mental illness, to name a few specialties.
The program is Bethany’s first entirely online graduate program, save for a few in-person residencies throughout the years. Though the program is primarily online, it still has a high level of engagement with faculty and between peers. “The program results in a very tangible job at the end of it, but you still have a lot of autonomy and flexibility as to what setting you want to work in. Students coming in can be confident that there’s work at the end of this,” said Kohls.
Mark Krause (‘23) has certainly found fulfilling work upon graduating. After completing his graduate internship at Christian Family Solutions (CFS) in Appleton, Wisconsin, he was offered full time work there as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). Krause specializes in adults with severe mood disorders or persistent mental illnesses—namely depression, anxiety, PTSD, and other borderline personality disorders. While those can be particularly challenging diagnostics, Krause finds the work interesting and rewarding. He emphasized that the program’s residencies particularly helped him develop a professional yet empathetic presence in the counseling room.
“The residencies have been so enduringly useful. It’s the intense interpersonal experience that really makes a difference—seeing other people’s humanity, their value, and their authentic experience of you,” said Krause, who also noted that the professors’ prior experience as clinicians was invaluable. Their anecdotes from the counseling room conveyed topics or practices in ways a textbook could not.
Though he has already graduated, Bethany’s rigorous program has inspired Krause to continue his education in whatever form that may take—for now, to learn more about current therapy practices, mental illness, psychology, and other relevant topics. “I think what Bethany’s program does so well is that you get all of this stuff you’re supposed to do, but the faculty know that you need to do that little bit more.” This effort and curiosity are traits that his clients no doubt pick up on.
“The residencies have been so enduringly useful. It’s the intense interpersonal experience that really makes a difference—seeing other people’s humanity, their value, and their authentic experience of you.”
– Mark Krause (‘23)
Margaret (Degner ’23) Petersen was also among the program’s first graduates. Since then, she has worked at Gather Behavioral Health in association with the Emily Program in Minneapolis, Minnesota. There, as an LPC, she specializes in adolescents with eating disorders. Petersen practiced there until having her son in summer of 2024, and has since returned to work part time, which she finds to be a good balance. She is currently working towards her Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) certification.
Adolescents can be an intimidating population to work with, as many teenage clients don’t want to be in therapy, but Petersen embraces the challenge. “It’s such a pivotal age range that not a lot of professionals like to work with, but when you’re able to make that connection with a teenager who doesn’t want to be there… it makes it all the more meaningful to me.”
She also noted the importance of Bethany’s Christian integration, not just for the clients, but for the therapists. “We cover a lot of difficult topics. Having that foundation in my education was very important to me, in making sure my faith was grounded.”
The robust faith integration is a major factor that sets the program apart. “[The Christian faith] is really infused throughout the learning process, from their coursework, content in lectures from faculty, advising, and a class that specifically focuses on Christian integration,” said Kohls.
Katie Martin (‘24), a more recent graduate, currently works at CFS in Hartford, Wisconsin, as an LPC in training, while also practicing school-based counseling and telehealth. Her demographic focus is children and adolescents dealing with depression, anxiety, and ADHD.
Martin believes in taking a holistic approach to her clients’ mental health, and emphasized the importance of Law and Gospel in the counseling room. “A lot of my clients are distressed when they think that everything in their life should be smooth. Having that recognition that we live in a sinful world, that they’re not alone, but that they can find peace and comfort in the Gospel of Jesus is always amazing.” This unique Lutheran perspective is perhaps the counselor’s greatest asset, especially as it relates to questions of identity, self-esteem, grace, and forgiveness.
Margaret (Degner) Petersen (‘23)