Post on 08-Apr-2018
Volume 12
Spring 2017
Clinical Mental Health Counseling Newsletter
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Chi Sigma Iota
Induction 2
GCA/CSI Update
Fatherhood 3
Alumni
Perspective 4
Dynamic Dying
New Leadership 5
Second Year
Superlatives 6
May 13: Graduation!
September 21-23: Catholic Psychothera-py Association National Conference, Fort Lauderdale, FL
November 8-10: All Ohio Counselors Con-ference, Columbus, OH
“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” - St. Teresa of Calcutta
On behalf of all of the counseling faculty, I wish first to congratulate each of the
2017 spring and summer graduates on completing the program! It has been a pleasure
watching each of you develop your professional skills over the past two years. We
hope you that you will use your education—grounded in a Catholic understanding of
the human person—to accompany others to find the courage to change, grow, and
embrace their full human potential through the counseling process.
I want to use this opportunity also to provide some brief updates about changes
that were implemented in the program this past year and that will be forthcoming in
the counseling department starting in the fall of 2017. The process of making
program changes often begins with you, our students. We are interested in knowing
what your experiences are in the program—in what is working and what needs to be
better addressed. Program faculty also consider your feedback in light of our
observations of student learning, CACREP standards, and input from employers, site
supervisors, and alumni. This past year we transitioned our Substance Abuse course
(soon to be retitled “Introduction to Addictions”) to a required rather than an elective
course. In an environment in which addictions counseling is in increasing demand, it
seems important that all students are informed about this clinical area.
Other changes to begin with the new class of students this fall will include the
addition of a counseling skills course in the first year of study and the transition of
the practicum from the spring of first year to the summer between years one and two.
We hope that this will offer students more of an opportunity to settle into the
coursework (and even into the local area for our out-of-towners!) before jumping into
practicum. Other considerations on the horizon include the addition of new elective
courses, such as a course in crisis counseling and possibly a course in counseling
children, both of which are areas of interest that have been noted by current students
and alumni. We will continue to keep you posted about changes, and we genuinely
value student feedback – it is what helps us better our program. My door is always
open – please let me know what you think! Finally, I have to add a plug for our
department Facebook page, especially for our soon-to-be alumni. We want to keep in
touch with you and it’s the best place to share information about job openings and
department happenings.
Check us out on: https://www.facebook.com/FUSCMHC/
CMHC Department Update! By: Dr. Christin Jungers
Page 2 CMHC Newsletter Spring 2017
Chi Sigma Iota ΧΣΙ Induction Ceremony
On April 6, 2017, our Department held its annual Induction Cer-
emony for the Psi Alpha Tau chapter of Chi Sigma Iota. Chi Sigma Iota
is the international honor society for the counseling profession. Its mis-
sion is to promote scholarship, professionalism, leadership and excel-
lence in counseling, and to recognize high attainment in the pursuit of
academic and clinical excellence in the counseling profession.
Fr. Nathan Malavolti, TOR opened the event with a prayer in
which he named each of the new inductees. Next, Dr. Milburn gave a
thoughtful keynote address on phenomenology and how it can relate to counseling. He em-
phasized how not one theory or technique will be effective for
everybody, but rather that the key to success is synthesizing dif-
ferent models and tailoring treatment to the client. All with his
classic sense of humor.
The students who were in-
ducted this year were first years
Chelsea Abrea, Antonia Busch,
Michelle Hunt, John King, Sophie
Lake, Patricia Ona, Kelsey Rick-
etson, and Evelyn Stumphauzer,
and second years Victoria Balcar, Joseph Cionni, and Alison
Wulf. After they received their pins and certificates, CSI
President Valerie Wark administered the membership oath taken by all new inductees. Fi-
nally, Dr. Jungers came up to honor Dr. Milburn for his 25 (and 1) years of dedication to
the department, followed by a social gathering for all in attendance.
Page 3 Spring 2017 CMHC Newsletter
This semester was a busy one for the Graduate Counseling Association and Chi Sigma Iota! We kicked
off the semester with an interdepartmental faculty panel discussion at the end of February, of which our own
Drs. Workman, Kissinger, and Jungers took part, as did Dr. Boerio, one of the undergraduate psychology pro-
fessors and the Chair of the Psychology, Sociology, and Social Work Department. Both CMHC and under-
graduate students interested in pursuing work in one of these fields were in attendance. After spring break,
Dr. Michael Horne returned to talk with our students about what to do when the professional ACA Code of
Ethics does not line up with the morals of the Catholic Church. We also invited Dr. Anthony Isacco from
Chatham University to come and give a presentation on the positive role of fatherhood. In early April we held
our official CSI induction ceremony wherein we welcomed 11 new members and honored Dr. Milburn for all
of his years of dedication to the CMHC program, helping it to become what it is today. Finally, on April 25
we elected our new CSI officers for the coming year. The new GCA cabinet was selected the following day.
Check out page 5 of the newsletter to meet the CMHC leadership for the 2016-2017 academic year!
GCA/CSI Letter from the Presidents Tyler Kramer and Valerie Wark
Fostering the Future of Fatherhood by Antonia Busch
Dr. Anthony Isacco, Ph.D. paid his alma mater a
visit on March 30, 2017 to share his passion for his
research on the role of fatherhood. Dr. Isacco gradu-
ated from Franciscan University of Steubenville in
2002 with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and
Philosophy. In 2004, he received his master’s in
Counseling Psychology from Boston College, and in
2009, completed his doctoral degree in Counseling
Psychology at Loyola University Chicago. Now the
father of four beautiful daughters, a professor, and
one of the co-directors of the Psychology of Gender
Research Team for Chatham University’s Graduate
Psychology Program, Dr. Isacco embodies much ex-
perience and wisdom on the subject of fatherhood.
In his research, Dr. Isacco has focused on the
question of the “essential father hypothesis.” As
American culture has begun over the last several dec-
ades to foster the belief that a father is not necessary
in the home, Dr. Isacco is finding the opposite to be
true. His research has found that positive father in-
volvement, which he defined as the father’s accessi-
bility, engagement, and responsibility in the home,
leads to positive child outcomes. While many fathers
desire to be present in their children’s lives, Dr. Isac-
co emphasized how it may be that many men have
not been given the tools they
need in order to care for their
families.
After highlighting socie-
ty’s failure to teach boys how
to become men, Dr. Isacco left
his audience with several prac-
tical suggestions to help men
learn how to be good fathers.
He emphasized that fathers
will seek help for their children
before themselves, and therefore encouraged offering
programs of a dual nature that might attract both fa-
thers and children. For example, he suggested that
workshops presented as “academic tutoring sessions”
could serve a dual purpose by assisting fathers with
communication skills while concurrently helping
children with their academics.
In sharing his passion and heart for fatherhood,
Dr. Isacco left his audience with a vision to build
communities for men to learn how to love their chil-
dren well. With his message that many men want to
be good fathers but lack the necessary tools, he in-
spired those present with a mission to learn how best
to help men be the fathers that they are called to be.
Dr. Isacco giving his presentation
Page 4 CMHC Newsletter
Client-centered therapy always
seemed easiest to me: all that uncon-
ditional positive regard… empathy…
openness… yeah… er, something like
that. I’m pretty sure we have talked
about openness at some point—must
have been the multicultural counsel-
ing class. Look, all I know is that the
idea of “Openness” has passed
through my mind quite frequently as a
post-graduate professional, and, for
your (hopeful) edification, here are a
few of my thoughts.
After graduating in August 2016,
I did not wait long to get started on
my job search. It may have had some-
thing to do with the “jobs are hard to
come by” mantra ingrained in me for as long as I can
remember. Although this certainly may be true for
some industries or some areas, I learned that for me
this simply was not accurate. Within a week I sched-
uled interviews with a half-dozen companies. My
suggestion: learn about the job market and, if your
circumstances allow, be open to taking some time to
yourself before the big kid job starts (sometimes, I
really wish I had).
Which reminds me, I work with kids. Not on pur-
pose, of course. When I accepted my job, the descrip-
tion read that I would work with individuals and fam-
ilies of all ages. While this is true, a strong 95% of
my clients are under age 18. I felt that I had no choice
but to open my mind to new challenges such as the
art of repackaging coping skills as the next biggest
game and navigating the dark world of child abuse.
Interestingly, as a result I have learned that I will take
a child’s honesty over an adult’s insight any day.
Along these same lines, as I am sure you have
been told, many recent graduates often find them-
selves in less-than-ideal jobs. For example, along the
way I have grown discouraged as I have learned that
children are often taught to see counseling as a pun-
ishment for poor behavior in school; living in a rural
area means the community often sees therapy as friv-
olous or fake; and, frankly, working with certain gov-
ernment agencies all too often
amounts to little more than a head-
ache. Although in my experience the
pros have outweighed the cons, others
might do well to muster up some good
old openness to a temporary stay. Af-
ter all, you do not have to stay there
forever!
Finally, as a new graduate, I
found myself thrust into a new way of
life that I had not previously experi-
enced. Suddenly, I was without my
usual comforts and safety nets: close
friends, intellectual challenges, al-
ready-prepared food…the list goes on.
In fact, if it were not for my fiancée, I
am sure I would have gone crazy. The
comfort and support she provides are irreplaceable,
but having graduated a year and a half before I did,
she reminded me of the importance of being open to
the changes that come with a new phase in life: new
routines, making new friends, new expenses, even
living in a whole new state. It is a work in progress to
be sure, but it is worth it.
So, dear CMHC students, with graduation quick-
ly approaching and new-ness surely right around the
corner for many if not most of you, my challenge is a
simple one: open your hearts and minds to wherever
the Lord might be calling you. And I do not mean to
casually and disinterestedly nudge your conscious-
ness towards openness out of some ego-driven sense
of duty; rather, open your mind and heart with con-
viction and intention. If not now, when? It does not
matter whether you have meticulously planned out
the next 5 years, 5 months, or if you do not even
know what the next 5 minutes will hold—you cannot
escape the new-ness. Nor should you want to. Argua-
bly the most consistent and clear message from God
found throughout the Bible is “be not afraid.” Open
your heart and rest assured that whatever may hap-
pen, you can be certain of the Father’s love for you.
Your fellow companion in this beautiful helping
profession,
Andrew
Openness: An Alumni Perspective by Andrew Koehler, LMHCA
Spring 2017
Andrew displaying his openness to new experiences outside the
counseling office
Page 5 CMHC Newsletter Spring 2017
Dying by Robert Kelty I want to share my experience submitting a proposal to present on a topic of interest to the Catholic
Psychotherapy Association’s conference this fall. For a few years now I have had an idea that just would not go
away about a theoretical hospice group that would work with the dying. Its purpose would be not only to assuage
the fear and grief associated with the dying process, but also to help bring meaning and purpose to what can seem
like senseless suffering. There are and have been other group therapy models for the dying examined in studies
that show its effectiveness in relieving depression and anxiety, and increasing spiritual well-being. The Model is
called Dynamic Dying and is a type of Logotherapy, and it is unique in that it taps into this mystical power that
manifests when all is stripped away and death is certain. This power can call upon the dying in this fellowship to
support and love each other as they embrace the dying process together. The focused prayer of a detached, dying
fellowship would be laser-like in effect and would not only provide an abundance of grace for our hurting world,
but provide meaning and purpose in this last stage of human experience as well.
The impetus for the model came from reading St. John Paul II’s Salvific Suffering last semester in Professor
Pawlak’s psychological and spiritual integration course, and I presented a brief version of Dynamic Dying to our
group therapy class too. My interest in hospice care began when my father died in my nuclear family’s home about
thirteen or fourteen years ago. It was an amazing experience to be with him each day as he progressed towards
death. It was intense at times, as feelings of anger and fear, as well as a growing acceptance took place. I was alone
with him a day or so before he died, and he was experiencing what I believe to be powerful spiritual experiences,
though others might call them delusions. Nevertheless, it was fascinating to be a part of this process as he moved
closer to death. Years later I volunteered at a hospice for a few months, and I have been with other family
members and acquaintances that were actively dying as well. After reading Salvific Suffering and considering our
group therapy assignment, the notion grew in my mind.
When we received the email inviting submissions for the CPA conference, I consulted Dr. Jungers, who
encouraged me to submit. Only after I hit the send button did I think to look and see who presented last year, and it
included major league Catholic thinkers. I felt presumptuous and embarrassed for a few minutes, but then realized
that the model has merit and I believe it is implementable and necessary, so the feeling passed quickly. I also
submitted and presented the idea at the Franciscan GRACE Conference this April to a few judges. I argue that this
is the most important thing to consider when thinking about a submission: the quality of the idea. We are taught
that humility is the foundation for all good work and causes. It follows then that it is the content of the proposal,
rather than the presenter, that is important. What I have learned from these experiences is that if you have an idea
or cause that you believe in, forge ahead and leave the voices of doubt and fear behind.
Welcome New Leadership!
Chi Sigma Iota:
President:
Antonia Busch
Vice President:
Kelsey Ricketson
Secretary
Sophie Lake
Treasurer:
Evelyn Stumphauzer
Graduate Counseling
Association:
President:
Sophie Lake
Cabinet:
Chelsea Abrea
John King
Karina Resendiz
Clinical Mental Health Counseling Newsletter
Spring 2017
Volume 12, Issue 2
Ph: 740-284-7220 Fax: 740-284-7036
Newsletter Editor:
Valerie Wark
Student Loan Forgiveness The National Health Service Corps (NHSC)
offers a student loan forgiveness program.
Licensed mental/behavioral health clinicians can
get up to $50,000 to repay their health profession
student loans in exchange for a two-year
commitment to work at an approved NHSC site in a
high-need, underserved area (some in Ohio). The
payment is free from Federal income tax and is made at the beginning of
service so you can more quickly pay down your loans. Approved sites are
located across the U.S., in both urban and rural areas.
For more info visit: nhsc.hrsa.gov/loanrepayment/
Congratulations 2017 Graduates!
The Clinical Mental Health Counseling Department is proud to graduate 16 talented men and women
from our program this year. As a fun send-off, students have nominated one another for superlative awards.
Born to do this- Always was supposed to be a
counselor:
VALERIE WARK
Funny Bone- Most sarcastic/likely to make
people laugh:
BRADLEY BARKER
Success Story- Most likely to make more
money as a counselor than is thought
to be humanly possible:
TYLER KRAMER
Straight Shooter - This person always tells it
like he sees it:
STEPHEN TUTTLE
The Best Kept Secret- This person stands out,
but does not receive the recognition that is
deserved:
ALICIA SUMMERS
Mother Teresa- Most willing to take on
the hard cases: SR. KATHERINE CALDWELL
Devil May Care- Laid back person who always
goes with the flow:
CALEB KNORR
Casual Monday- The person who
is all about comfort:
VICTORIA BALCAR
Dr. Phil-Most likely to get famous someday
from the trade (books, TV show):
ROBBIE GRIFFIN
The Enigma- Most likely to have been faking
their identity this entire time:
LORENZO RESENDEZ
Mary Poppins- Always prepared for any
classroom temperature:
ESTHER ROMAN
Self-Care Queen- Best work/life balance:
ANDREA STANISLAWSKI
Most Authentic- This person is not afraid to be
herself:
ROSE MILETIC
Nose to the Grindstone- This person has
actually done all the assigned reading for class:
JESSICA MORRISON
The Crossover- Most likely to combine
counseling with another line of work:
LAUREN NOCE
Biggest Caffeine Addict- Most likely to show
up to class with a cup of coffee in hand:
MARIE LESKAUSKAS
The Oscars- Best Actor in a role play:
TYLER KRAMER
The Oscars- Best Actress in a role play:
VALERIE WARK
Best Bromance– We are still not sure which
one is which even after two years:
BRAD AND ROBBIE
The next Dr. Jungers (Kind, Brilliant,
Fashionable, Leader):
JESSICA MORRISON
The next Dr. Milburn (Laid back, Storyteller,
Thought stopper, Professory):
BRADLEY BARKER
The next Dr. Kissinger (Concise, Great laugh,
Always takes the hard cases):
STEPHEN TUTTLE
The next Dr. Workman (Perceptive, Knows his
stuff, Not afraid to speak his mind):
TYLER KRAMER
The next Prof. Pawlak (Passionate, Generous,
Genuine love/concern for all people):
ANDREA STANISLAWSKI
The next Prof. Sass (Knows something about
everything, Just gets people):
LORENZO RESENDEZ