Spiritual Counseling and Care
Faith Challenges Group: Drop-In Support/Discussion Group
- Mondays 2:30-4:00pm in TSC 310B
Please call CAPS at 435.797.1012 to inform them you'd like to participate (whether once, weekly, or anything in between) and complete the Guidelines Form and return to CAPS at capsinfo@usu.edu as it will be required for participation.
Purpose of the Group
This group is an opportunity for students to get together in a safe environment, learn from, and support each other. Each week, we will discuss pertinent issues related to faith that create stress (e.g., having faith doubts or internal conflict with elements of your faith, clarifying your spiritual identity, stresses associated with faith transitions, finding a spiritual place of belonging, talking to those of different faiths, etc.). The topic of the day will be motivated by those who participate that day. This group will be co-facilitated by Monique Frazier and Bonnie Glass-Coffin. Monique is a psychologists from USU Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). Bonnie is a board certified multifaith chaplain/compassionate care provider with the Association of Professional Chaplains. She is also a Professor of Anthropology and an Affiliate Professor of Religious Studies here at USU.
Expectations of Group Members
- In order for everyone to express opinions freely, we ask you not to discuss who attended the meeting and what other people said in the meeting with anyone outside of the group (confidentiality). We cannot legally guarantee confidentiality, but it is highly encouraged.
- Be respectful (take turns talking, be on time, be respectful of different opinions, no faith bashing, etc.).
- This group is not a counseling or therapy group. It is a place where we can learn from each other and discuss issues we are interested in or concerned with. If you are interested in receiving individual or group therapy to address personal concerns, speak with the facilitator from CAPS to find out how to receive these services.
- If the group is not meeting your needs or expectations, if there are situations in which you don’t feel comfortable, or if you have ideas on how to improve the group, the facilitators will be available briefly after each meeting and welcome your feedback.
Talk with the Interfaith Chaplain (Individual consultations)
Meet with Rev. Dr. Bonnie Glass-Coffin by Zoom or telephone. To schedule an appointment, email Bonnie.
Spirituality is an important aspect of identity--but what it means to be spiritual is as unique as you are! For some, spirituality is found and best expressed in a community of faith. For others, it's best experienced in solitary practices--like prayer or meditation or in connecting deeply with the beauty of nature.
At its core, spirituality is about how you connect to something beyond yourself that gives your life a sense of meaning, purpose, and vitality. It's about how you answer those fundamental questions: who am I? why am I here? in what ways do I matter? And, it's also about the existential distress that arises when the answers to these questions are challenged or even completely "lost" as often happens during times of crisis. For many, the university years are a time when the spiritual identity of childhood is re-examined, and ultimately redefined.
Professional chaplains are those who have been prepared to help you in that process of spiritual exploration--or in times of existential distress. We're not the same as therapists or mental health specialists--we don't offer therapeutic interventions and we definitely don't have answers to those existential dilemmas, but we DO help you find your own way through the darkness and walk with you as you journey. Beginning in fall 2020, Professor Glass-Coffin, a professionally trained Interfaith Chaplain is available to students for one-on-one consultations for all-things-spiritual. Email Bonnie for an appointment.
Rev. Dr. Bonnie Glass-Coffin has a Ph.D. from UCLA, an M.Div. from All Paths Divinity School in Los Angeles, CA, and was ordained in 2015 at the Parliament of the World's Religions in Salt Lake City. She completed her chaplain training between 2017-19 with the state's only ACPE accredited program and has gained experience as a health-care chaplain at St. Mark's Hospital, the University of Utah (both the Main Hospital and Huntsman Cancer Institute), Ogden Regional Hospital and Logan Regional Hospital. She became Board Certified as an Interfaith Chaplain with the Association of Professional Chaplains in December 2020.