How can a psychology degree be the roots of a life of ministry? What should a high school student consider when thinking about pursuing psychology in college? Nick Edinger ’13, MA ’18 gives us great answers to these questions. Edinger currently works as a mental health therapist in the Pittsburgh area, but getting to where he is today involved a few rabbit trails. Although he obtained an undergraduate degree in psychology at Geneva, it was several more years before he returned to school and received his masters of counseling from Geneva. However, Nick recognizes the hand of God working in all the decisions that led him to his job as a counselor.
Growing up in Mars, Pennsylvania, Nick found himself leaning toward the study of psychology, and by senior year, he had decided to be a counselor. Nick's family experience with those caught up in mental health and addiction challenges, along with the encouragement of his youth pastor, helped him see where he could minister to others. He says: “I knew I had a desire to help people … I had a passion to be part of the solution and had a heart toward that population.”
What drew Nick to Geneva was a combination of his youth pastor’s great experience there, the prospect of several friends also attending, and his recruitment by the Geneva track coach. Even then, he was developing a passion for others — he fondly remembers his good relationship with his coach, Brian Yowler, and indicates that in choosing a college, he wanted to remain near family but also get the chance to experience campus life. Now, he considers his former coach to be his best friend.
Years later, Nick still keeps up with his closest friends from college, calling some on a weekly basis and even making the time to vacation yearly with them and further cultivate those friendships. He says, “There’s nothing more meaningful to me than the relationships I have with that group of guys … it’s a big blessing in my life that can only come from a group of guys of faith living together day in and day out, supporting one another, loving one another. I’m very grateful to Geneva for that.”
Though Nick felt a pull toward counseling, he did not immediately pursue his masters after graduating, as the intensity of the field gave him pause. His running career expanded into his life after college, and he chose to work a year of retail at Lowe’s post-graduation and then pursue sales and purchasing work through the specialty running industry. Yet, these “in-between” years were not in vain. Through these jobs, Nick was able to narrow down what kind of work he enjoys. For example, he discovered that he thrives when he makes personal connections with people, rather than sitting behind a computer screen. Though he didn’t officially work in the “helping profession” for several years, his jobs helped pave his way there, as they revealed his gift of helping others. When the specialty running industry failed, Nick's wife reminded him of his call to counseling, and, as his passion reignited, he decided to enroll again at Geneva, this time for a masters degree.
Throughout this time, Nick continued running, eventually qualifying for the Olympic trials the same weekend that he graduated from his masters program. Through graduate school and as he built up his private practice and worked at a rehabilitation center, he continued his running training at a high level. However, in 2020 he began to switch his intense focus elsewhere as he phased out of his running career.
Today, Nick partners with Christian Counselors Collaborative, an organization that works with independent therapists across western Pennsylvania. Through CCC, he is stationed at a church that provides him a room where he can meet with those he serves. Nick is grateful for the way this organization allows for the marriage of an integral Christian faith with good, evidence-based science. In this way, he reflects the impact his Geneva professors had on him as they faithfully modeled the integration of faith and learning by taking their jobs seriously as Christians. He believes people’s spirituality is the “most important thing to them” and that they long to have that addressed.
Nick values his capacity to significantly impact someone else’s life and play a role in reducing their suffering. He encourages young people with an inclination toward ministry to carefully examine their skill sets. Though pastoral ministry is an obvious choice, Nick suggests that those who are fueled by deep conversations should seriously consider counseling, as their skill set may be more suited to that form of ministry. Ultimately, Nick finds peace in the knowledge that if you seek to do your job excellently, God will handle the impact you have, whether it is one person or many.
By Sarabeth (Schuck) Sangrey '25
Cover photo: Nick at the Olympic trials with friend, college coach, and former Geneva professor Dr. Brian Yowler
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