Koser receives Rollo May Scholarship

Nate Koser, an assistant professor in Eastern Mennonite University’s masters in counseling program and a doctoral candidate at Saybrook University, was chosen as the 2012 Rollo May scholarship winner by Saybrook and will receive a $5,000 award.

To be a candidate for the scholarship, Koser had to complete a 25-page essay on the relationship between his work and its connection to Rollo May, an existential psychologist and co-founder of Saybrook Graduate School.

“I drew from a number of different cases,” said Koser. “The essay wove together direct clinical work with qualifying essays and what happens in a relationship between a therapist and client.

“As a practicing psychoanalyst, Koser stated that “Psychoanalysis has been historically categorized by most people as belonging only to the white, upper-class community,” added Koser. “I want to subvert this presumption by bringing psychoanalysis to the underrepresented and reach people that it hasn’t in the past – not just in academics but also in clinical work. Psychoanalysis is a radical approach that applies to each unique subject.”

Koser, who earned his undergraduate in psychology and graduate degree in counseling from EMU, said his work as a student and faculty member “greatly influenced his doctoral work.”

“I did not grow up Mennonite, but what resonated with me is the focus on relationships and community that is found in the Mennonite faith.”

A student of Jacques Lacan and Sigmund Freud, Koser said winning the award is a significant professional accomplishment, but its meaning has changed over time.

“Initially, I felt that receiving this award would provide me with some sort of authorization, as if winning it would provide a kind of credential,” said Koser. “However, because I am unable to refuse analyzing such things, the award has provided me with yet another opportunity to learn something about myself, my motivations, and my desire. This seems much more important to me than any kind of credential.”

Article by Mike Zucconi. Photo by Lindsey Kolb.