BEN OKAI

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Dr. Ben Okai is an Assistant Professor of Graduate Counseling. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor and supervisor who is EMDR trained. As a counselor educator and supervisor, he has been actively involved in student career development and academic success through mentoring, empowering, and sharpening of their clinical skills. Ben has a strong passion for teaching, research, and service and he sees these as indispensable when it comes to the helping relationship. 

Ben works with a wide range of issues that includes depression, anxiety, grief, and trauma work, but he feels like his best work is in marital and relational counseling. His counseling philosophy rests on the understanding that human problems threaten our sense of peace, power, and personality and therefore counseling should focus on restoring our divinely endowed power, possibilities, and potentials. 

He believes that he’s not better than the clients he serves, because they need the grace and forgiveness of God just as he does. He believes that his call to counseling is not by chance, but divinely orchestrated for the sole purpose of soul care and to participate in the redemptive work of God.  

Ben sees his  role in the therapeutic journey as one who creates an environment free of judgment, criticism, and condemnation, and instead filled with love, acceptance, approval, and appreciation. As a soul-care giver, he owes to his clients the promise of handling their hurts, confessions, guilt, and the scars of abuses and brokenness as sacred treasures to be placed on the altar of God for His divine intervention.

Ben has been married for 22 years and blessed with 3 beautiful girls. His love for children and devotion to advocating for vulnerable kids are the reasons for his home being opened to children in the foster care system since 2012. Ben is multilingual and is working on his 4th language (Spanish). He loves traveling expeditions, being outdoors, fishing, cooking, gardening, listening to music, and enjoying nature.