Meet Dr. Ronald Welch
Degrees and Experience
- Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology, Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, MI (APA Accredited), 1995
- M.A. in Clinical Psychology, Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, MI, 1989
- B.A. in Psychology and Speech Communication, University of Denver, Denver, CO, 1986
- Licensed Psychologist, State of Colorado (2003–present)
Biography and Professional Achievements
Dr. Ron Welch earned the Psy.D. and M.A. degrees in Clinical Psychology from Central Michigan University and has worked in the fields of clinical psychology and counselor education for over 25 years, having been a licensed clinical psychologist since 1997.
Dr. Welch recently rejoined the faculty of Colorado Christian University in October 2024, having previously served on the faculty of CCU from August 2003 through June 2008. During that time, he initially held the role of Assistant/Associate Professor and later became the Chair of the Psychology Department.
Dr. Welch transitioned to Denver Seminary in 2008, where he served until 2024. During this time, he served in several roles, including Associate Dean of the Counseling Division, Co-Chair of the Counseling Division, and Professor of Counseling. He had previously also taught at Crichton College.
Dr. Welch is the author of 10 Choices Successful Couples Make (Baker/Revell, 2019) and The Controlling Husband (Baker/Revell, 2014).
Dr. Welch began his postdoctoral career in the Federal Bureau of Prisons, where he worked for seven years as a clinical psychologist. Since 2004, Dr. Welch has served the local community by offering counseling services. Since 2011, he has owned and operated his own private counseling practice in clinical psychology, Transformational Marriage, PLLC (transformational-marriage.com).
He specializes in marital and family therapy, as well as individual men’s issues. He is the author of many journal articles and book chapters and has presented numerous papers at professional conferences. His current research and writing focuses on control and power in marital relationships and effective models of marriage.
Dr. Welch has been married to his lovely bride, Jan, for over 39 years. Jan is retired, having been a teacher by calling and trade, specializing in children facing unique educational challenges. The couple has two sons, Britton and Brevin, and four grandchildren, all of whom they adore.
Publications
- Welch, R. (2019). 10 choices successful couples make: The secret to love that lasts a lifetime. Ada, MI: Baker/Revell.
- Welch, R. (2014). The controlling husband: What every woman needs to know. Ada, MI: Baker/Revell.
Faith and Learning
My personal faith influences my instructional strategies as a professor and counselor educator in numerous ways.
First, I believe in authenticity and vulnerability in my interactions with students. This means that I don’t feel I can ask students to share their hearts and selves without doing so myself. In that vein, I share a great deal about my own journey as a Christian and as a human, which I hope makes the classroom a safer and more authentic space for students to share their stories.
Second, I strive for exceptionalism in all areas of my work. I try to be fully prepared for each class session, attempt to give feedback that is thorough, personal, and relevant to the students’ personal and professional growth, and respond to student requests in a timely and efficient manner. Holding myself to a high standard aligns with my belief that my faith should empower me to offer my best self to students as much as is humanly possible.
Third, I strive to be honest, flexible, open, vulnerable, and spiritual in my interactions, so that students feel they can have hard conversations with me in a safe environment. I hope this allows them to learn how God is using the educational experience to help them grow into the men and women He has created them to be.
Fourth, I integrate Biblical truth with the latest cutting-edge knowledge in the field. I feel that students receive two classes in one in this approach, as they learn both the best techniques available in the counseling field, as well as Scriptural truth. This allows students to become authentic individuals and professionals who don’t have to separate what they believe from who they are. I walk alongside students to work through ethical struggles to help them understand how to work with clients who may hold beliefs that are much different than their own. This helps them serve their communities and their clients in a holistic and authentic manner.
Finally, I work very hard to create a classroom environment that includes critical thinking. I utilize lecture, discussion, small group analysis, large group takeaway discussion, and follow-up course shell submissions to this end. I believe this leads to extensive critical thinking in a Socratic process that allows multiple ideas to be considered and compared with Biblical truth. I also believe that it creates exceptional students who don’t accept easy answers to complex questions. In addition, I hold my students to very high academic standards in their written work and other submitted assignments, while interacting extensively with them about their submissions and the quality of their work.
I hope this educational approach creates an expectation of excellence and a high level of rigor in the classroom experience, while also allowing students to learn and grow as they develop in their skill sets. I strive to be the same person in the classroom that I am in my everyday life, so that God’s love shows through in an authentic fashion.