Growing up in a South Asian Christian family, Dr. Nancy Thomas had an abundance of reasons to shun counseling. Her Indian culture prioritized family honor and privacy. Seeking outside assistance not only brought shame to the family but also breached the norms of familial discretion. She grew up in churches that struggled with legalism and often heard that prayer solved all issues. Persistent troubles with fear, anxiety, or sadness all stemmed from a lack of faith.
However, God soon led her to DTS, where she completed her master’s in biblical counseling (MABC). After taking a few years to focus on motherhood, she began building her clinical experience. At first, finding clients seemed impossible. She had a passion and heart to reach her South Asian community but very few people were willing to pursue counseling. The stigma was too strong.
This difficulty stirred doubts in her heart: If she was called, why was the Lord not providing people who needed her ministry? Had she misheard the Lord? Amid the doubts, a small bit of wisdom she had once heard echoed repeatedly in her heart: “Be faithful with what you have been entrusted.”
She pressed forward, faithfully serving her small clientele. After a few years of practicing counseling, Nancy pursued a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision. Soon after completing her PhD, Nancy filled a faculty position at Colorado Christian University. In January 2023, she became Program Director for their CACREP-accredited Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program.
In her current role, Dr. Thomas serves in academic, administrative, and counseling settings, providing guidance and training to the next generation of counselors. Her position affords her greater opportunities for advocacy within minority communities, especially her South Asian one; Dr. Thomas leverages solution-focused and cognitive behavioral therapy to meet the cultural distinctiveness of those she serves. She works to minimize barriers so everyone can experience the freedom of a life lived in abundance, the kind of life God desires for all image-bearers.
DTS played a pivotal role in establishing Nancy’s faith foundation, underpinning not only her clinical and advocacy work but also her entire life as a counselor, professor, administrator, mother, and wife. Growing up in a very legalistic atmosphere, she was inclined to see God as nothing more than an authoritarian law enforcer. Her biblical studies at DTS transformed her heart and drew her into encounters with God like never before.
Dr. Thomas cannot pinpoint the moment when the tides shifted from very few clients to a booming practice where most of her clients are Indian. As she looks back, Dr. Thomas sees the difference between her early career and her opportunities now for advocacy and teaching. She thanks God for his work in her life. She still reminds herself daily: “Be faithful with what God has entrusted to you, and let him pave the path.”
