At Richmont we are given so many perspectives to choose from that it’s really liberating, but you do have to search. You have to come at it with an open heart. But then, that’s what God and counseling are all about in the first place.

God has been using Meshai Dixon-Olivares to change lives for a long time. Prior to entering the M.A. program in Marriage and Family Therapy at Richmont, she worked at an international shelter for victims of domestic abuse. Assisting clients of varied backgrounds came naturally to her, as Meshai spent her own childhood “without a home culture,” moving around England and all over the Eastern seaboard of the U.S. with her military-employed parents. She fondly remembers her time assisting the women at the shelter: “Empowering these hurting, lost women from all different nationalities and faiths to the point they could say, ‘Okay, I don’t need your help anymore,’ was so satisfying and so much fun,” she says. Meshai showed each one the love and hope she’d found in Christ, blessing them as He has blessed her.

However, she never considered herself a candidate for a degree in counseling. When her godfather told her she would make a wonderful Christian counselor, her first thought was, “That’s ridiculous. I don’t even believe in Christian counseling.” Meshai had seen enough ineffective church-based counseling to be unwilling to consider it a profession for herself. Yet, God was behind the vision her godfather shared with her, and Meshai was unable to get the possibility of training as a therapist out of her mind. Still, she says with a chuckle, “I tried everything I could think of besides counseling, but God eventually picked off every one of my ideas.” Finally, she found herself willing to submit God’s call.

Once Meshai had made her decision about pursuing such a degree, choosing a school was easy. “I didn’t want one of those really big universities where you get swallowed up and become a number,” she says. “I wanted professors who would take an interest in me and teach me through experience rather than just exams.” She found what she was looking for in Richmont. Her introduction to the university came in the form of a course she took as a non-degree student: Spiritual Direction with Dr. Larry Crabb. “His books are amazing, and the way he incorporates counseling and spirituality is incredible. I knew I wanted to be at a school where he taught.” She has since found her other courses to be just as nourishing and preparatory. “Especially in Group Counseling with Dr. [Sonja] Sutherland, I began to make all these connections with my other classes. It just all clicked!”

At the intersection of her prior experience, her coursework, her own story, and her passion, lies Meshai’s desire to work with sex trafficking victims and women in the military. As such, she is pursuing the certificate in Sex Therapy offered at Richmont. She says, “Sexuality is a window. If you can address someone’s sexuality with them, you can address all the other parts as well.” Meshai’s heart is for sexual wholeness among sexually brutalized and traumatized women. While the process of learning to counsel in such horrific circumstances can be overwhelming, Meshai points to her faith as the sustaining factor of her training. “It’s all God,” she says. “At Richmont we are given so many perspectives to choose from that it’s really liberating, but you do have to search. You have to come at it with an open heart. But then, that’s what God and counseling are all about in the first place.”