Julianna Guenther
Program / Year
Master of Arts ’20
Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy
Hometown
Mission Viejo, CA
What led you to enroll at Lewis and Clark's Graduate School of Education and Counseling?
Lewis and Clark’s focus on social justice.
Who or what inspired you to pursue your chosen field of study?
What inspired me to pursue MCFT is the possibility of creating systemic change on a micro level through therapy.
What does social justice mean to you?
To me social justice means mobilizing my own privilege in order to dismantle systems of oppression. Social justice to me starts with the understanding of systems in place that perpetuate the oppression of others.
How do you hope to apply your social justice education in your chosen career?
I hope to apply social justice in my career by creating a space where my clients are the experts of their own experiences.
Where have you been working/interning as a student, and what does that work entail?
I am not in internship just yet. As a student the work entails a lot of introspection in order to better understand ourselves. We are constantly evaluating our own social location to better understand how to serve clients in the most beneficial way.
What is the most fun part of your program?
The most fun part of my program is the cohort. I love the noncompetitive learning experience.
What is the hardest part of your program?
The hardest part of my program is the continuous emotional and/or self work that is necessary to becoming a therapist.
How would you describe your graduate school experience in one sentence?
Life changing, challenging, rewarding, and I feel grateful to be a part of this community.
What career will you be pursuing after graduation? Did you intend for this to be your career path when you enrolled?
After graduation I will be pursuing a career in the MCFT field. I hope to work with couples. Yes this is the intended career path I had when I enrolled.
Describe an "ah-ha" or "right-turn" moment you have experienced here - a time when your perspective, opinion, outlook, or goals changed suddenly due to a specific experience.
I feel I have “ah-ha” moments constantly in the program. I am continuously challenged personally and academically. My entire experience at Lewis and Clark has been an “ah-ha” moment.
What do you think of Portland?
I love Portland. I have lived in Portland for over four years now. Portland is such a special place. You are able to get the benefits of a city while having the most spectacular nature accessible within ten minutes.