Isaac Wheeler, MFT
My heartbeat is to see the broken restored and the lost set free through the power of Jesus Christ. For years I have been privileged to observe my father minister to people in a variety of ways, through counseling, speaking, leading, and through education.
 
Currently (2017), I am doing both face-to-face counseling and Skype counseling and working and traveling with my parents in developing a non-profit ministry to minister to the needs of individuals and families through counseling, seminars, consulting, and education: the Family Ministry Institute. In the last month we have ministered at an organization called ACTS in Colorado Springs, worked with three churches in Indiana, a church in Glen Elder, Kansas, and helped with the interim pastor process at Derby Friends Church. I have also been in meetings with key leaders at Focus on the Family.  We work through many different avenues to promote the message of Jesus Christ as the ultimate healer of marriages and families.  I believe that Jesus Christ is the only way, the only truth, and the only life. An important verse to me is Proverbs 3: 5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Spiritual formation and helping individuals and families become spiritually healthy is one of my life callings.

Education
Graduate Degree:
 
Master of Science in Family Therapy (MSFT), Friends University: 2013-2015
The Master of Science in Family Therapy (MSFT) degree provides academic and clinical training for persons seeking competence in the professional discipline of marriage and family therapy. This degree meets the graduate education requirements for the status of Licensed Clinical Marriage and Family Therapist (LCMFT) in Kansas.
 
  • Served on the Student Advisory Council for Cohort 45
  • Delta Kappa Honor Society Inductee: Delta Kappa provides helpful information and resources for marriage and family therapy professionals
  • 60 credit hour program
  • 3.8 GPA
  • Program Director, Dr. Dan Lord: Daniel Lord, Ph.D., a Kansas native, has been widely recognized as an expert in the area of marriage and family therapy. His contribution to the MSFT program at Friends University and the larger MFT profession spans nearly 25 years. He has been honored with professional leadership awards from the Kansas Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and nationally by the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. His primary instructional areas include attachment theory, neuroscience, trauma, Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy, and clinical supervision. As a licensed clinical marriage and family therapist (LCMFT), Dr. Lord maintains a small private practice of couples therapy.
  • Professor Dr. Michelle Robertson oversees and runs the Delta Kappa Honor Society on the campus of Friends University, the one and only honor society for Marriage and Family Therapy in the country.
  • Full-time internship for a year-and-a-half with a four-month extension to complete the 500- hour face-to-face client contact hours counseling at three different sites: HopeNet, The Center for Family Living (CFL) at Friends University, and Barclay College
  • Of those 500 hours, 250 were with couples and/or families and 250 were with individuals
  • This internship is widely recognized as one of the most difficult in the country for this type of degree because of the stringent requirements to complete 500 counseling hours, with 250 being relational hours, meaning with more than one person. For comparison, the internship for a similar degree from George Fox University requires 270 total client contact hours, with 135 individual and 135 relational hours.
  • Trained by elite professionals in the field of family therapy who have practiced for years: Supervised by four different supervisors each week: An individual supervisor, a group supervisor with four other students, an onsite supervisor at Barclay College and an onsite supervisor at HopeNet. There are very few official AAMFT supervisors in the state of Kansas (around 6 in the entire state). Both of my supervisors at FU were official supervisors.

Undergraduate Degrees, Double Major, Barclay College:
 
B.S., Psychology and Family Studies: 2007-2011
  • The final internship for this degree included traveling with my father, Dr. Tony Wheeler, serving and promoting the Dr. John Trent Institute for the Blessing at Barclay College attending family camps, pastors retreats, and marriage seminars. The mission of the Blessing Institute is “To help a new generation of parents bless their children, to see marriages strengthened, past hurts healed, and churches engaged in ‘living the Blessing’ and bringing God’s Kingdom on earth.”
  • During my internship, I assisted with over twenty seminars and camps in four different states developing power points, making copies of booklets, writing emails, calling supervisors and head contacts for ministries and churches, and setting up sound systems/technical support, computers, and chairs, etc.
  • The study of Psychology prepares students to better understand the nature and causes of behavior, feelings, and thoughts, as well as effective techniques for maintaining psychological and social health. The Barclay College program in psychology offers students the opportunity to become acquainted with the principles of psychology in an environment which specifically encourages the critical evaluation of those principles in light of the Bible and God’s desire for man’s redemption and holiness.
  • The Barclay College Psychology and Family Studies major offers an emphasis in family systems, equipping the graduate for ministry to modern families.
 
B.S., Bible: 2008-2013
  • This degree equips a student to understand the need for, meaning, and practice of a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
  • Some of the objectives for this degree include learning to apply several methods of Bible study; recognizing major historical-critical theories of biblical interpretation; developing a foundation in biblical studies on which to build further learning through graduate school.
Work Experience
On Campus Counselor at Barclay College, 2017-Current
  • seeing 8-12 students a week to support them and counsel them through issues such as anxiety, depression, or other common college-age related issues.
 
Children’s Director at Great Plains Church in Wichita, KS., 2013-2015:
  • Oversaw 55-60 children from ages birth to 5th grade
  • Directed the volunteer teaching staff of over 22 adults for nursery, toddlers, preschool, and K-5th grade
  • Researched and chose applicable, Biblical curriculum to meet the needs of each area and held regular meetings to oversee the fulfillment of the curriculum
  • Planned and coordinated children’s music and activities for major holiday events: New Year’s, Good Friday, Easter, Thanksgiving, Mother’s and Father’s Day, and Christmas, as well as planned activities for special church events, such as our one- year anniversary celebration dinner. Worked with a team of pastors and parents to coordinate these different events.
 
Counselor at HopeNet, The Center for Family Living (CFL) at Friends University, and Barclay College: 2014-2015: Year-and-a-half long internships counseling at three sites:
  • Met with supervisors and leaders at each site
  • Counseled both individuals and couples
  • Attended and assisted with special events when needed
  • Worked as technical support at HopeNet with conferences to help pastors understand how to work with individuals with mental health issues in their congregations
  • Assisted with two fundraisers at HopeNet on the tech support team
 
Family and Personal Interests and Skills:
  • My father and mother, Tony and Stacey Wheeler, were both professors at Barclay College for the last seven years before they started their own non-profit: Family Ministry Institute. Tony was the Founder and Director of the Master of Arts graduate program in the Family Ministries concentration, and he taught in the undergraduate programs, and Stacey was a full-time professor and taught English courses. Since 2003, Dr. Wheeler has worked with Dr. John Trent developing and presenting seminars that encourage and strengthen ministry leaders and families. Dr. Wheeler is also President and Founder of the Family Ministry Institute, which provides counseling, consulting, and seminar services. During my internship, I worked closely with my father, including watching him film the DVD series The Blessing with Dr. John Trent for Focus on the Family. I have also helped them develop a master’s level course on marriage and family for Light University Online. I have met many marriage and family leaders and influential authors and speakers through working with my dad and being at Focus on the Family. I’ve been in many meetings to develop family programs in both Scottsdale and in Colorado with Dr. John Trent.
  • I enjoy reading.  As an example of some of the books I have read in the last year, I have enjoyed reading, and really studying, The Sacred Romance by Brent Curtis and John Eldredge, Effective Biblical Counseling and Connecting by Larry Crabb, Hearing the Voice by Ted Hanson, Life Together and another autobiography by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Mere Christianity and the fiction series Space Trilogy Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis, In the Name of Jesus, The Wounded Healer, Angels on Assignment by Roland Buck, Life of the Beloved by Henri Nouwen, and Abba’s Child by Brennan Manning.
  • I’m comfortable using technology and have helped organizations with sound systems, computers, and setting up power points.
  • I am currently counseling in Haviland as opportunities arise. I also counsel through Skype.
  • I plan on pursuing my doctorate in the future and hope to earn an Ed.D.
  • I love God, and I am family oriented and have a passion for family life and leadership.
  • I enjoy completing and tackling tasks and working with a team to achieve goals.
  • I am a unifier and encourager in the church.  I believe in allowing Christ to prompt my vision, mission, and objective in accordance and partnership with the church.

Meet the rest of the team

Wheeler Ministries is a family endeavor
DR. TONY & STACEY WHEELER
Isaac's parents and Founders of WM