Most days, Marcel Lanahan is a “traveling one-man show.” The Catholic Social Services counselor manages his own busy schedule, billing, and client records all while traveling through rural Nebraska.“Attending Franciscan prepared me well for my current position,” Lanahan MA ’11 says .“Thanks to the ongoing integration of the Catholic faith throughout the full course of study, as well as the specific Christian counseling courses, I was able to step into this thriving Catholic agency and integrate faith-based interventions into my counseling sessions.”Through Catholic Social Services based in Lincoln, Nebraska, Lanahan provides professional therapy to the people who live in small towns across the state. He works with people of all ages, dealing with mild adjustment issues and major mental illness, couples’ therapy, and filial play therapy. Additionally, Lanahan also guides recent graduates in exploring new career paths, coaches couples on communication, helps trauma survivors process disturbing memories, and helps borderline clients learn basic affect management skills.“Professor [Milo] Milburn has a gift for teaching both theoretical models and practical skills with incredible lucidity,” Lanahan says. “Professor Jungers’ student-centered pedagogy encouraged me to think critically and take initiative, and Professor [Donald] Kissinger inspired me with his confidence and work ethic.”

Lanahan feels particularly blessed to work in a Catholic environment. “It has made it easy for me to practice from a Catholic moral perspective,” he says.

“I see my job as helping people face and grieve the evil and disorder we experience in this life, so that they are more free to experience the peace, love, and joy we are made for.”