Faculty Focus: Debbie Bicket

Changing lives: Debbie Bicket shares her passion for developing school counselors

March 25, 2008

Developing School Counselors

Viewing the education system as a vast mission field, Debbie Bicket, program coordinator for the Master of Science in School Counseling, is passionate about developing school counselors to take on the challenges that children face each day.

“You can’t go out and speak freely about your faith in the public education system, but you can certainly go out and be the hands and feet of Christ; you can be the words of Christ,” Bicket says. “A school counselor’s office might be the only safe place for children to come…where their emotional needs can be addressed.”

Bicket, an Evangel alumna, had served as a public school teacher and school counselor for 25 years when Evangel invited her to serve as coordinator for the university’s fledgling School Counseling program in 2002.

Strengths of Evangel’s Program

Bicket believes Evangel’s School Counseling program has advantages over similar programs elsewhere. “We see growth of students who come into our program, not just professionally but personally and spiritually,” she says. “We watch the whole person develop, and that’s exciting.”

Additionally, most of the adjunct faculty members are also practicing school counselors. “To have professors who are out in the trenches — who know what is going on and know what they’re talking about — it’s such a strength,” Bicket says.

Bicket notes that the public education system has ousted God from schools, but she still sees opportunity to make a difference. “We’re trying to teach our school counselors how to integrate their faith into a very secular, humanistic work environment, trying to teach them what the boundaries are, what they do have liberty to do and what they need to work within the confines of,” she says.

Bright Future

The School Counseling program started with five students in 2002 and has grown to 49 students in six years. The growing program has been approved to hire a second full-time faculty member who will begin in fall 2008.

Beyond growth, Bicket has heard positive feedback about graduate students serving in area schools. “I’ve received calls recently from people that have our practicum and internship students, and they are very pleased,” she says. “In fact, we are now getting calls from school districts asking if they could have a practicum or internship student.”

Many school districts seek to employ graduates of the master’s program. “We have had probably 99 percent of our graduates hired as soon or even before they graduate,” Bicket says.

She has also noticed a recent trend among Evangel undergraduates showing interest in the School Counseling graduate program. “When I look at the caliber of students coming to us from the undergraduate program here at Evangel, it’s exciting,” she says.

Lasting Impact

“I think the impact that school counselors have is so great,” Bicket says. “They’re dealing with such important issues: pregnancy, cutting, eating disorders, suicide, and so many others.”

Since her time as a school counselor, Bicket has maintained contact with a student she counseled when the girl was in sixth grade. “That’s what school counseling is all about: it’s about changing lives,” she says.