This past December, a man and woman crossed PLNU’s commencement stage together with arms raised in celebration. These people were Roslene Curtis (25) and her son, Isaiah Phillips (25), who earned their master’s degrees in clinical counseling (MACC), marking the first time in the MACC program that a parent and child have graduated together.
“It makes it that much richer; it makes it that much more special,” Phillips said. “For me, a lot of the pride comes from not just me doing this, but me doing this with my mom.”
Curtis said this moment in time with her son feels almost unreal. “You can’t write this,” she said. “You don’t bring a child into the world and hold them in your arms and think to yourself, ‘Oh, baby, we’re gonna go to grad school one day.’”
For both, the moment is not a mere coincidence.
It reflects a calling that began long before either of them considered graduate school — rooted in faith, shaped by compassion, and strengthened by the bond between mother and son.
Exploring the Why?
Curtis remembers being captivated by human nature at a young age — asking “Why?” long before she learned the language of psychology.
“I’ve always been intrigued by what makes humans do what they do,” she said. “I just saw people go through so much, and a lot of times they weren’t able to get the help that they needed.”
She grew up in Southeast Church of the Nazarene, where service and community shaped her early experiences. Even as a child, people opened up to her. “God just gave me that heart to be a listening ear,” she said.
That spirit shaped her mothering. Phillips said that long before he studied counseling, he was formed by conversations with his mom that invited emotional honesty.
“I know that a lot of sons don’t have that type of connection with their mom,” he said. “Having an emotionally vulnerable and emotionally safe household was important.”
Together, they talked about people, motives, healing, and grace. Little did either know that those conversations were preparing them for the profession they would one day share.
Heading in a Divine Direction
Curtis had studied journalism earlier in life and even worked for the Southeastern Sun, but paused her education to raise her two boys. Returning to school was unexpected.
“I realized this was my calling,” she said. “This is actually how God wanted to use me to help people.”
Her path to a master’s in clinical counseling meant starting over — first completing her bachelor’s, then stepping into graduate work. It was a huge step, but Curtis was determined to push through her fears of keeping up with classes and technology and embrace counseling as her vocation.
“You’re gonna have the fears, but I think you have fears even when you’re young,” she said. “You get in, and you just take every day one day at a time. And you figure it out.”
After hearing about the MACC program from Steve Rotor Haverberg — her pastor, who is also a PLNU professor — she decided to apply. She enrolled in the MACC spring start program, which is 2.5 years long.
“I realized this was my calling. This is actually how God wanted to use me to help people.” — Roslene Curtis
During that time, Phillips finished his bachelor’s degree at Azusa Pacific University. He felt drawn to the same work and applied to several graduate schools, but PLNU stood out — in large part because of the experience his mom was having. He entered the MACC program as well and finished in two years.
“We didn’t know that our dates were going to line up,” he said. “It was complete happenstance.”
Curtis could have graduated with her original cohort, but she asked to walk in December so she and her son could finish together. The MACC program granted that request for the first time.
Theology Meets Psychology
For both, the MACC program’s integration of theology and psychology wasn’t just attractive — it was essential.
“When you’re learning in an environment where Jesus is at the forefront of it all, that means a lot,” Curtis said.
“They did a really good job of the faith integration piece and the clinical counseling piece,” Phillips said. “Where do these two aspects of your life meet? For me, they mesh because God is intertwined in everything that I do.”
Reflecting on her experience in the MACC program, Curtis said that her learning started from within.
“You start with yourself. The mirror is at you the whole time,” she said. “I’ve grown mentally, emotionally, spiritually. It’s holistic.”
Curtis and Phillips recount their shared experience with faculty like Dr. Jenkins, Dr. Ben Coleman, Dr. Allison Brownlee, and Dr. Kenyon, just a few of the professors who played a crucial role in their MACC journey by showing up for them with wisdom and compassion — in and out of the classroom.
“How do you get all of these wonderful people in one place that are there to see you through?” Curtis said. “They’ve been wonderful supporters of Isaiah and I. It’s just been a phenomenal journey.”
“You start with yourself. The mirror is at you the whole time,” she said. “I’ve grown mentally, emotionally, spiritually. It’s holistic.” – Roslene Curtis
In addition to the faculty, Philips explains that his MACC cohort had an indelible impact on his master’s journey.
“Those people were just so important,” he said. “We went through life together. Those connections are lifetime connections.”
And the unique gift of having his mother just two doors away?
“She would stop into my class on breaks or bring food and snacks,” he said. “She became the class mom.”
Healing in Action
Curtis completed her MACC practicum at the PLNU Counseling Center, and she loved working with college students.
“It was phenomenal,” she said. “To be able to walk alongside another person as they navigate their life experiences is an honor; it’s a privilege.”
Her PLNU practicum expanded into community work as well. She helped facilitate the Living in Color Women of Color Process Group and participated in the Southern Civil Rights Pilgrimage.
She then stepped into professional practice through a clinical internship at Renewal Counseling, supervised by Christopher “Bucky” Bateman, LMFT. That work will continue post-graduation as she completes the hours needed to become licensed.
“[Bucky] asked me to come on board as an AMFT, and I was like… absolutely!” she said. “It was a complete honor to be asked to come and work with him. He’s an amazing supervisor.”
Phillips completed his internship at Stronger Together Community Services, working under PLNU professor Dr. Allison Brownlee, in a practice committed to making therapy accessible to all people.
“We offer services to people who otherwise couldn’t afford therapy,” he said. “We provide very reduced fees and sliding scales.”
Through this work, his conviction around representation deepened — especially in communities where therapy holds a stigma or affording it is out of grasp.
“Representation is so important,” he shared. “Me as a male, as a person of color, as a Christian … all of that is so important to how I connect with my clients. I’ve already been blessed to see the difference that makes with my clients of similar backgrounds.”
Phillips hopes his work communicates that “it doesn’t make you weak to go to therapy. It takes more strength to face your struggles than to avoid them.”
Post-graduation, Phillips has a job lined up as well. He’ll continue working with Dr. Brownlee at Stronger Together as a Counseling Associate.
“It doesn’t make you weak to go to therapy. It takes more strength to face your struggles than to avoid them.” — Isaiah Phillips
Shared Vision for the Future
Curtis and Phillips don’t see therapy as a career path; they see it as a ministry they hope to live out side by side.
“We have been so close all of our lives, and to be able to, like, do this together is just a blessing,” Phillips said. “It just makes me love it that much more.”
He already imagines what their shared work could become.
“I’m very much excited about us working directly together in the future,” he said. “And the fact that we are mom and son therapists, I feel like it brings such a unique perspective to the field.”
Curtis shares that vision — and her heart gravitates toward the relationships they hope to serve.
“We have been so close all of our lives, and to be able to, like, do this together is just a blessing. It just makes me love it that much more.” — Isaiah Phillips
“One of the things that Isaiah and I talked about is potentially doing work with mothers and sons,” she said. “Maybe help them on their healing journeys, like, if there are broken relationships of any kind.”
“This bond between mother and son is just so precious,” she said. “I don’t want any mother and son to miss out on that. Ever.”
Curtis sees healing as something God makes possible through therapy — and something that has shaped their relationship from the beginning.
A Journey They Couldn’t Have Scripted
Walking across the graduation stage side by side was a moment far more than a milestone. It was a manifestation of God’s presence across decades.
“Our family, friends, and people we had come to know along the way all got to see us cross the finish line together, which is so much more important to me than if everyone were just there for me,” Phillips said.
Reflecting on graduation day, Curtis said, “Seeing my son in his regalia and seeing us side by side, it was this profound sense of awe. We were standing in a statistically rare moment. A moment that was so much bigger than us.”
God had orchestrated “something larger, something generational, and something bigger than I could have pictured,” Curtis shared.
“We went on stage and held our hands together. That was really symbolic of our journey together. ‘Mamas never gonna leave you, and you never have to do this alone.’”
