Helping Anxious and Discouraged Youth

Dr. Jim Rex recently retired as president of Columbia College in Columbia, South Carolina. Prior to that he was the Vice President for Institutional Advancement at the University of South Carolina, the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at Coastal Carolina University, and the Dean of Education at Winthrop University and at Coastal Carolina University. Jim was also on the faculty of the University of Toledo and taught high school English and coached varsity football in Ohio.

Susan has worked as a social worker, and school counselor at the elementary, middle and high school levels. She has also worked as a counselor for incarcerated youth and started a non-profit, faith-based organization (Youth Hope Foundation) to help these young people. In 2005, the GED Testing Service awarded Susan with its highest honor, the Cornelius P. Turner Award, presented annually to a GED graduate who has made outstanding contributions to society in education or public, or social service. The award is named for Cornelius P. Turner, the founder of the GED Testing Program.

Susan has written 20 books and has led professional seminars throughout the U.S. and abroad on topics such as mentoring, challenging adolescents and self-injury. Susan’s remarkable life-story has been an encouragement to young people and professionals. She ran away from home at age 14. By age 19, she was divorced, on welfare and the mother of three children. Yet, with only a 7th grade education, a mentor encouraged her to pursue her education and she eventually earned a GED, then a BA degree, and finally an Ed.S. degree in counseling. Her experience as a runaway and teen mom has helped her to reach some of the most distraught youth in juvenile detention facilities.

Dr. Bowman started his career as a school teacher and school counselor. Since that time, he taught in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of South Carolina for more than 20 years and is currently an Emeritus Professor. He has authored numerous articles in professional journals and has written more than 24 books and programs that help troubled youth bring about positive changes in themselves and their peers. He is widely recognized for his distinctive contributions to the fields of mental health and education with an emphasis on developmental school counseling. He is especially known as a prolific creator of creative and insightful approaches and programs for helping young people. Today, Dr. Bowman continues his work as a collector of effective practices that work with youth when “all else fails.”

Dr. Bowman has conducted professional seminars, conference keynotes and/or motivational presentations in 42 of the United States and in Kenya, Canada, Belgium, England, Italy, West Germany, Puerto Rico, St. Marten, St. Thomas, and Malaysia.