The Ben Lippen Podcast is honored to welcome Dr. Seth L. Scott, PhD, LPC, LPC-S, NCC, to our latest episode! Dr. Scott brings a wealth of experience, deep faith, and a heart for Christian education and counseling.

🎧 In This Episode

Parenting today can feel impossible—but what if the real problem isn’t you, it’s the world’s upside-down view of risk and connection? In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Seth Scott, counselor educator, assistant dean, and dad, to unpack why raising kids can feel like sprinting uphill with a phone in each hand. Together we explore the pressures of early independence, eroding community, and digital overload—and how parents can respond with steadiness instead of striving.

Dr. Scott shares a whole-child framework for understanding behavior as communication, not defiance—where sometimes the solution is protein and rest, not punishment. From emotional “reservoir and dam” regulation to rebuilding kids’ resilience muscles, this episode offers practical tools for “good enough” parenting anchored in connection, limits, and grace.

Biography

Dr. Scott joined the Seminary and School of Counseling faculty at Columbia International University (CIU) in 2019, where he now serves as Associate Dean and Counseling Program Director, Professor of Counseling, and Associate Director of Chinese Clinical Counseling. His teaching and leadership focus on areas such as research, faith integration, trauma, counselor identity, and clinical practice—helping prepare the next generation of Christian counselors for kingdom impact.

An active member of professional organizations including the Christian Association for Psychological Studies (CAPS), American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC), and the American Counseling Association (ACA), Dr. Scott remains deeply engaged in both academic and practical ministry. Beyond the classroom, he operates Sunrise Counseling, a private practice where he provides clinical care and supervision specializing in identity development, adolescence, parenting, marriage, and addiction.

Faith and family are at the center of Dr. Scott’s life. He and his wife, Jen, have been married since 2003 and are the proud parents of two Ben Lippen students, Suzie and Caleb. On weekends, you’ll often find the Scott family together at local farmers’ markets and craft fairs, supporting Jen’s pottery business, Sunset Studio Pottery. When he’s not teaching or counseling, Dr. Scott enjoys reading, home projects, camping, and playing board games with his family.

Dr. Scott also serves the local church through teaching, training, and supporting pastors. A longtime pastor and elder himself, he now worships with his family at Riverside Community Church in Columbia, South Carolina.

A Scholar and Practitioner

Dr. Scott’s academic contributions include numerous publications on faith integration, counselor development, and emotional regulation. His most recent work, “The Implications of Context-Dependent Learning for Worldview Formation in Counseling” (2025), continues his exploration of how Christian worldview informs mental health practice.

With advanced degrees from Walden University, Regent University, and Emmaus Bible College, Dr. Scott embodies Ben Lippen’s mission of developing fully devoted followers of Christ who serve and lead wherever God calls them.