26 Jul August 29 Free Training Event to Launch Townsend Institute

Huntington University’s Townsend Institute for Leadership and Counseling is kicking off its first year by hosting an opening training event on August 29.

Registration for the event begins at 8:00 a.m. in the Merillat Centre for the Arts, with the welcome starting at 8:30 a.m.

New York Times best-selling author Dr. John Townsend will give counseling and leadership training on his Character-Plus-Competency model in the morning. It will be followed by a luncheon at College Park Church, 1945 College Ave., Huntington. Townsend will speak on both topics again in the afternoon. The day ends at 5 pm with a meet-and-greet with Townsend, faculty, and Institute Fellows.

Townsend has assembled a few of his colleagues to be Institute Fellows, who are experts in their field and a few bestselling authors, to add value to Institute students. Institute Fellows Dr. Gary Oliver, Dave Lindsey, Wayne Williams, and Steve Arterburn will speak live at the opening event. The other five speakers–Kenneth Blanchard, Drs. John and Julie Gottman, Dr. Henry Cloud, and John Ortberg–have each created a special video to be shown at the event.

“We are really excited that we can bring such world-class leaders to Huntington University to train not only our students in the Townsend Institute but area leaders,” said Scott Makin, Director of the Townsend Institute for Leadership and Counseling.

This is the first of monthly training events that will take place through the Townsend Institute. Upcoming events will take place on September 18, October 23, December 11, January 22, February 26, March 11, April 29, and May 12.

There is no charge to attend the opening event. However, reservations are required. There is a $12 charge for the luncheon, and seating is limited to the first 200. Reservations and pre-payments are required by Monday, August 24.

The first of its kind, the Townsend Institute offers degree programs based on his Character-Plus-Competency model. The curriculum is biblically based, addresses the internal world of the leader and client, and uses the latest neuroscience research. It focuses on training the adult learner to help others grow and heal in the personal, relational, behavioral, and professional aspects of life. It is designed to be practical and skill-based, allowing the student to become a practitioner who is competent both in theory and technique.

The Institute offers a Master’s in counseling, a Master’s in organizational leadership, and credentials in executive coaching, counseling, and organizational leadership. More than just learning the Townsend model, students in the programs will also be personally taught by Townsend. He will lead sessions that demonstrate the different modules from his character growth model. The program is offered onsite at the Huntington and Fort Wayne campuses, as well as online.

“Dr. Townsend and I have been so excited by the overwhelming response to the programs that the Townsend Institute for Leadership and Counseling is offering this fall,” Makin said. “We have had three times the amount of students enrolling than our highest goals. We will have nearly 120 students in the fall, and we still have room for more if students contact us within the next three weeks.”

The program is drawing both national and international students. For the online programs, students from all across the United States and international students from Africa and Holland are enrolled. There is still space in the program, and applications are due by August.