Page 3 - Biblical Counseling II

Biblical Counseling II
By Cathi Schuurmann

Who am I? Who are you?

“For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am
fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:13-14

Connect…

My name is Cathi Schuurmann, and I am the creator of this Biblical Counseling II course. The plan was for me
to teach this course at AIU at the same time my father, Richard Lauger, was teaching another course. You’ve
had him as a professor in the past (The Pentateuch and The Poetical Books), and I will likely refer to him
during this course. I taught Introduction to Psychology at IBCZ for five summers (2012-2016) but did not teach
the past three. I hope to return next summer providing we all can be on campus together again.

It feels important that you know some background information about me during this distance learning
course, just as you would if we were on campus. I’ll spend a little time here telling you some information
that is helpful as we begin Biblical Counseling II. If we were on campus, I would also learn about you. To me,
this is an important part of the first day of class, especially in a counseling course. Who we are influences
how we see others, which impacts how we help those around us. You will be learning about me while you
also reflect on yourself during this course.

The Lesson ...

Who Am I?

I grew up in a small town (population of 2,300) in the state of Wisconsin, which is in the middle of the United
States. You can see its location on the map. Wisconsin is sparsely populated with many small towns. We
lived in an area that had many lakes, rivers, and forests. It was about a two-hour car trip to a large city. I
grew up in a small neighborhood with around twenty houses. There were several kids in the neighborhood
close to my age. We often played games outside together, built forts in the woods, and went swimming in a
river close to our homes. Wisconsin is very cold in the winter, so we would get several feet (60 centimeters or
more!) of snow from November until March. We would build forts in the snow, go sledding, and play outside
in the winter. (My dad is an excellent snow fort builder.
You’ll have to ask him the next time you see him.)

I am the second-born, second daughter with a younger
brother and a younger sister. My father was a pastor of a
small church (around 150-200 people), and my mother
stayed at home with my three siblings and me. As we grew,
she was a substitute teacher in our school district. I grew
up spending time at church, had many friends at school,
played basketball, ran track, and enjoyed growing up in a
safe community. I was nurtured in a caring Christian home

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