Academic Links
The mission of the Counselor Education Program at The Ohio State University is to prepare highly qualified, ethical and culturally competent, professional counselors and counselor educators drawn from a pool of international applicants for careers in schools, agencies, universities and communities throughout the United States using evidence-based best practices, quality pedagogy, and intensive contextual training.
OSU Counselor Education Program Homepage
State and National Counseling Associations & Organizations
The American Counseling Association is a not-for-profit, professional and educational organization that is dedicated to the growth and enhancement of the counseling profession. Founded in 1952, ACA is the world’s largest association exclusively representing professional counselors in various practice settings.
The Ohio Counseling Association is the professional organization representing all licensed counselors, and those in graduate training to be counselors, in Ohio.
The Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES) emphasizes the need for quality education and supervision of counselors in all work settings. Through the accreditation process and professional development activities, ACES strives to continue to improve the education, credentialing and supervision of counselors. The ultimate purpose of the Association, in accordance with the purpose of ACA, is to advance counselor education and supervision in order to improve the provision of counseling services in all settings of society
The Association for Humanistic Counseling (AHC) is one of the four founding divisions of the American Counseling Association. It is made up counseling professionals who use their skills and expertise to empower, advocate, and make a difference. AHC encourages the development of the whole person: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects; promotes the dignity and worth of the individual within the context of community and culture; recognizes and cherishes diversity in an increasingly multicultural society; promotes advocacy within our profession, our home, and world communities; identifies cutting edge issues for counseling and human development professionals; and encourages dialogue and promotes solutions.
The Association for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling (ASERVIC) is an organization of counselors and human development professionals who believe spiritual, ethical, and religious values are essential to the overall development of the person and are committed to integrating these values into the counseling process. ASERVIC has developed a list of competencies for addressing spiritual and religious issues in counseling designed to assist students and helping professionals in working within this complex domain.
Licensure and Certification
The Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage & Family Therapist Board is a State agency responsible for the regulation of counselors, social workers, and marriage and family therapists in the State of Ohio.
Theories that Interest Me
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a unique empirically based psychological intervention that uses acceptance and mindfulness strategies, together with commitment and behavior change strategies, to increase psychological flexibility. Psychological flexibility means contacting the present moment fully as a conscious human being, and based on what the situation affords, changing or persisting in behavior in the service of chosen values.
Emerging adulthood refers to a recently proposed phase of human development that describes how what is experienced between the ages of 18 to 29 years has changed in industrialized societies. The term was suggested by Dr. Jeffrey Arnett, who presented a theory of emerging adulthood in a widely-cited article in 2000. Persons in this age range are no longer functioning as adolescents, but many have also not yet formed the commitments to relationship or careers that characterize stable adulthood. The findings and proposals related to mental health for this demographic are critical to effective support of college student development.
The Mental Health Continuum proposed by Dr. Corey Keyes is foundational to my work in all professional realms. By conceptually separating the construct of mental health from mental illness, Dr. Keyes has been able to articulate emotional, psychological, and social well-being factors that contribute to flourishing (as opposed to languishing) in life.
Motivational Interviewing focuses on exploring and resolving ambivalence and centers on motivational processes within the individual that facilitate change. The method differs from more “coercive” or externally driven methods for motivating change as it does not impose change (that may be inconsistent with the person’s own values, beliefs, or wishes) but rather supports change in a manner congruent with the person’s own values and concerns.
Narrative therapy seeks to be a respectful, non-blaming approach to counselling and community work, which positions individuals as the experts for their own lives. It views problems as separate from people and assumes people have many skills, competencies, beliefs, values, commitments and abilities that will assist them to reduce the influence of problems in their lives.
Self-Determination Theory is a theory of motivation. It is concerned with supporting our natural or intrinsic tendencies to behave in effective and healthy ways. SDT has been researched and practiced by a network of researchers around the world.