Mark Wells Serves as the Director of Counseling Services

He earned a Master’s in Biblical Counseling from Dallas Theological Seminary in 2004. He provides a hopeful, supportive environment using Biblical Counseling and evidence-based therapeutic interventions to help students make progress towards their goals. Mark has been trained in Biblical Counseling and includes Biblically compatible aspects of Solution Focused Brief Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy, EMDR, Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy, and biofeedback.

When asked about the importance of counseling services in a College, Mark said:

“College is an amazing time full of opportunities and challenges. We know from national data that 1 in 4-5 adults experience mental health challenges (ex. anxiety, depression, trauma) in a given year. And that was before COVID. We are still learning/feeling the impacts. Counseling services in college provide prevention skills to improve a student’s ability to cope with these challenges, and provide supportive interventions if functioning becomes impaired. Of course students should use their natural resources of family, friends, mentors, church, advisers, etc. But if you still are having trouble functioning, consider meeting with a Counselor here at Bryan. It’s free to students. Go to the Counseling Services webpage and click on “Make an Appointment”, fill out the questionnaire and one of the counselors will schedule a time to meet with you. Sometimes you just need one session, other times you need to spend more time working through an issue. You can take a break or stop anytime. Counseling can be like having a personal trainer, but you have to show up and do the work. You will learn how you can move towards the goals you have for your life despite the obstacles you face, but only you can actually take those steps. But you will have support along the way.”

Mark grew up in Louisiana, earned a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Louisiana Tech in 1998. He has worked as an RA and at summer camps (Kanakuk, and Sky Ranch) during undergrad and grad school. He served as Youth Pastor for 2 years after college then studied Biblical Counseling at DTS. After graduating from DTS, Mark lived in Colorado for 13 years and worked as a counselor in various settings including teen group home (Shelterwood), private practice, and Community Mental Health (Aspen Pointe, now called Diversus Health). In 2017 God provided the opportunity to move to Chattanooga to work as a counselor at UTC, and in 2021 God opened the door for Mark to come to Bryan College. Mark is married to Jessica, and they have 3 energetic, adventurous sons, Ben, Asher, and Caleb, and a furry, lovable Spaniel-Poodle named Hero. Mark is a member of Mosaic Fellowship Church in Chattanooga. Mark loves spending time with family and friends, playing sports of all kinds, and loves adventure, rock climbing, mountain biking, paddle boarding, camping, water skiing, and golf.

We welcome Mark Wells to Bryan College and are excited to add his expertise to our counseling team!