Friday, Aug 16, 2019
Kate McCrane '05, '13 is a counselor at the Community College of Philadelphia
by Keith Fernbach
Kate McCrane '05, '13 changed her career trajectory when she began to develop anxiety while earning a bachelor's in communications from West Virginia University. After seeking help at the school's counseling center, she realized she was better suited for another field.
"Friends and family had always told me I was a really good listener, but that’s when I started to recognize that I could make a career out of counseling — that I could actually make a living listening to people and helping them try to solve their problems,” she says.
After receiving a bachelor's, she wanted to further explore opportunities within the counseling field. She worked at Catholic Charities as a mental health advocate, working with adults who suffer from both substance abuse and mental illness. This experience reaffirmed her desire to become a counseling professional.
When it came time to select a graduate school, it was an easy decision for McCrane. Her mother, Colleen Martin, has worked as an administrative associate in Rider’s College of Education and Human Services since 1995. McCrane grew to know the faculty in the College well over the years.
“I knew that was where I wanted to go,” she recalls. “I just loved and respected the professors so much, and I felt strongly that at Rider I would get a better education than I could have received anywhere else.
“I knew Rider was where I wanted to go," she continues. "I already knew most of the professors through my mom. I knew how great they were personally, but seeing how they taught in the classroom was a whole different experience. They were all amazing, and it made me want to work that much harder — not because my mother worked in the department but because they were just so knowledgeable and they inspired me to do my best. I loved the program when I went there. I absolutely loved everything about it.”
After earning a master’s in counseling services in 2005, she continued on and also earned her educational specialist (Ed.S.) degree in counseling services in 2013 and her licensed professional counselor (LPC) certification in 2019 from Rider.
Today, McCrane’s life has come full circle. Where she was once a college student receiving counseling to help with her anxiety, she is now herself a counselor at the Community College of Philadelphia. In her role, she meets with students and alumni, providing a wide range of services that include academic, career and personal counseling.
She is also an assistant professor in the school’s counseling department and has taught a course called "College 101," which is designed to help first-year students become acclimated to college life. In addition, this year she was also involved in piloting a meditation group at the school, which she hopes to continue in future semesters, with an increased emphasis on health and wellness.
McCrane firmly believes that her Rider experience had a big impact on her counseling and teaching philosophy today.
“When I was at Rider, one thing that I loved was that it was a family experience,” she says. "Everybody cared for each other and looked out one another. Everywhere I went, people were so helpful to me and so warm and welcoming. That’s something that I definitely take with me. I do my job well, but I also try to instill that family-like atmosphere — to be very warm and welcoming, and try to help everybody to the best of my abilities, because I was definitely given that while I was at Rider.”