Q & A with Seth Christman, assistant teaching professor, counselor ed

Seth Christman is a new assistant teaching professor in the Department of Educational Psychology’s counselor education program. To get to know Dr. Christman better, we asked him a few questions about his path to the field of counseling, the University of Minnesota, and Department of Educational Psychology.

How did you become interested in your area of expertise?

I grew up in a very rural part of western North Dakota, feeling both a great sense of community and family, and a yearning for something new and different. When I moved to the “big city” of Grand Forks for my undergrad experience, I was quite overwhelmed…I did not realize what not knowing people really meant, and had never even driven in a town with stoplights! It was wise and caring mentors, advisors, and faculty that helped me feel a sense of belonging, and eventually inspired me toward a masters in student affairs and higher education at the University of Maryland. The east coast was certainly another big leap, and my first job out of my master’s program was supporting medical students engage in community-based health initiatives in urban Baltimore. I loved the work, but felt a deep need for more skills in both supporting these students, understanding the communities, and utilizing research to guide practice…This lead me to pursue my PhD in Counseling Psychology at the University of Miami (because, when you are from North Dakota, a beach-side PhD sounds pretty nice, right?). Since then, I have worked in college counseling at Georgetown and UMN’s Boynton Health, served as faculty and program director of the master’s in College Counseling and Student Development at St. Cloud State, and continue to engage in research in college mental health, student affairs, counseling, and psychology. The most surprising turn is perhaps realizing just how many turns there have been, yet how very congealed the journey has really felt. Whether in class, in therapy, or in research, I enjoy connecting with others, seek to understand pain, strengths, and healing, and find the University setting to be a challenging and rewarding venue.

What is most exciting about your work?

The students! I so enjoy getting to know them, and seeing them learn, grow, and apply their learning in their careers. If I’m lucky enough to leave a legacy, it will certainly be the amazing work that students I have worked with are doing, and hopefully having contributed to their development along their journeys.

What advice would you give students?

From the time we are very young we are asked “what what do you want to be when you grow up?” As we move through college, and even graduate school, social and professional pressures mount, and seem to set the illusion that we should know what we want from our careers, and that any doubt, difficulty, or unexpected turn is a failure. My hope is to help students chart their own paths, embrace the process of unfolding careers, and destigmatize the natural tensions, unknowns, and difficult decisions that come with every career pathway.

Do you have any hobbies or special interests outside of work?

I play volleyball (poorly), run (slowly), and spend a lot of time with my big, gray, furball cat (sleepily)!