[ccef] Advance the Mission: A Video & Exciting Update

Darby Strickland joined the faculty December 1, 2020. She graduated with a Master of Divinity (Counseling Emphasis) from Westminster Theological Seminary (WTS) in 1999. Subsequently, she has counseled for many years at CCEF. She also designed and regularly teaches the course, “Counseling Abusive Marriages” within the School of Biblical Counseling (SBC) and at WTS. Darby brings particular passion and expertise in helping the vulnerable and oppressed, especially women in abusive marriages. She is a nationally recognized expert who is regularly sought out by local churches and denominations for teaching and consultation on these difficult and complex issues and she has contributed to the training curriculum, "Becoming a Church that Cares Well for the Abused," through churchcares.com. Her first book, Is it Abuse? A Biblical Guide to Identifying Abuse and Helping Victims (P&R) was released fall 2020 to wide acclaim and was a finalist for the 2021 ECPA Christian Book Award in the Ministry Resources category.

Laura Andrews joined the faculty January 1, 2021. She graduated with a Master of Divinity (Counseling Emphasis) from Westminster Theological Seminary (WTS) in 2010. In addition to counseling at CCEF for many years, Laura has served in a variety of administrative and ministry roles including Counseling Intern Coordinator and most recently, SBC Online Instruction Manager. She brings experience and a deep heart for working with those burdened by the rigors of vocational ministry. She shows dedication for serving our certificate and Westminster counseling alumni well by encouraging ongoing connection, mentoring, and consultation with them. Because of this, she also brings a keen awareness of the challenges that come with practicing biblical counseling in different contexts. 

Lauren Whitman joined the faculty May 24, 2021. She started editing for the Journal of Biblical Counseling in 2010 when David Powlison hired her in preparation for the relaunch of the JBC after its years-long hiatus. Lauren graduated with her Master of Arts in Counseling from Westminster Theological Seminary (WTS) in 2012 and will complete a Certificate in Advanced Professional Counseling from Missio Seminary this month. In addition to her JBC work as Developmental Editor, she has served as a staff counselor since graduation. She is the author of many JBC articles and two books: A Painful Past: Healing and Moving Forward (31 Day Devotionals For Life, P&R, 2020) and A Biblical Counseling Process: Guidance for the Beginning, Middle, and End (New Growth Press, 2021 forthcoming). Lauren has a particular interest in biblical counseling methodology and in marriage counseling. Through her work with the JBC, she brings experience and skill for developing authors and their writing.

Esther Liu joined the faculty June 8, 2021. She graduated from Westminster Theological Seminary (WTS) in 2015 with a Master of Arts in Religion (Biblical Studies emphasis) and a Master of Arts in Counseling. She was a counseling intern at CCEF 2015–16. She became CCEF's executive & faculty assistant June 2016, a staff counselor July 2017, and joined the marketing team January 2019 as a content editor. Prior to coming to CCEF she was a counselor and intake coordinator at the Philadelphia Renewal Network. She recently signed a book contract with P&R on the topic of shame, in the 31-Day Devotionals for Life series. Esther has a passion for bringing biblical reframing to a person’s struggles and also holds deep concern for the importance of attending to multicultural aspects of counseling.