The Ohio Counseling Association 2nd Annual Legislative Advocacy Day was held on April 15, 2008 at the Atrium at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio. The special guest and speaker for the day was Dr. Frances Strickland, First Lady of Ohio. The University of Toledo had several Doctoral students who attended the day’s event. Two of these Doctoral students, Amber Lange and Vicki Sepulveda, presented information regarding state and national legislation as part of the day’s scheduled events.
Dr. Kathleen Salyers, Associate Professor in the Department of Counselor Education and School Psychology, has served as the Ohio Counseling Association Government Relations Committee Chair this past year. As part of her duties in this capacity, she served as OCA Legislative Advocacy Day Committee Chair and acted as emcee during the day’s events. One of the highlights of the day was meeting the First Lady and having a picture taken as a memento (see above). Pictured in the photo from left to right are Megan Mahon, Christie Jenkins, Melanie Long, Amber Lange, First Lady Dr. Frances Strickland, Dr. Kathleen Salyers, and Victoria Sepulveda.
Career Services is sponsoring Education Day on Monday, April 7, for students who are seeking a position in K-12 education working for a school district. Please view the Career Services’ website: www.student-services2@utoledo.edu/career and register with Career Services through CareerTRAK on their homepage
The Alpha Omega Chapter of Chi Sigma Iota and the Northwest Ohio Counseling Association are co-sponsoring a day of professional development workshops and presentations for and by graduate students in counseling. The Conference will be held Saturday, April 5, on the campus of the University of Toledo in the Health Science and Human Service Building, room 2302 (go to http://www.utoledo.edu/images/pdfs/map.pdf for directions). The registration table opens at 8:30 a.m. and presentations begin at 9:00 a.m. The cost for advanced registration is $10, while registration at the door is $15. Light refreshments are included in the cost of registration. Contact Megan Mahon for information on the conference or to register. Ms. Mahon can be reached at mcrotte@aol.com.
The UT School Psychology Program, housed in the College of Health Science and Human Service's Department of Counselor Education & School Psychology, is pleased to announce that it was granted FULL APPROVAL by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) Program Approval Board for the period of January 1, 2008, through December 31, 2012. The program began seeking Full Approval in August, 2002. It was granted Conditional Approval in January, 2006, through December, 2007. After making some recommended changes in the program structure and coursework, the faculty submitted a revised portfolio in September, 2007, so the program could be considered for Full Approval. The NASP Program Approval Board carefully reviewed and analyzed the UT program for evidence of compliance with NASP standards. Full approval is granted only to those programs that are able to demonstrate consistency and full compliance with NASP standards.
The reviewers summarized the strengths of the UT program as follows, "It is clear that the program employs a variety of performance-based assessment measures linked to well-articulated program goals and to a sequence of study. A problem-solving approach is emphasized throughout the program. The portfolio was very well organized and clear." The UT program will be listed on the NASP website as having Full Approval and candidates who graduate from the UT program are automatically eligible for the National Certificate in School Psychology (NCSP) pending a passing score on the Praxis II Exam in School Psychology and documentation of an internship consistent with NASP standards.
The American Counseling Association (ACA) just announced the winners of the 4th Annual Ethics Case Study Competition sponsored by the ACA Ethics Committee. The Doctoral level 1st place winner was the University of Toledo team, with Dr. Nick Piazza as the faculty advisor. The Master's level 1st place winner was the University of North Texas team, with Dr. Casey Barrio Minton as the faculty advisor. The UT team consisted of Amber Lange, Tara M. Hill, Christie D. Jenkins, and Megan Mahon. Their winning entry was entitled "The Case of Mixed Up Numbers: Deconstructing the 2008 ACA Doctoral Ethics Dilemma." Dr. Piazza stated that "this year's team was determined to take first place as a follow-up to last year's second place finish. Taking top honors is a credit to the team's hard work and level of scholarship."
Faculty members of The University of Toledo Department of Counselor Education and School Psychology garnered all three major awards at the 2007 All Ohio Counselors Conference. Dr. Martin Ritchie received the David Brooks Award for willingness to serve, teach responsibility and create new paths in the counseling profession. Dr. Kathleen Salyers received the Herman J. Peters Award for achievements that have a significant impact on the counseling profession. Dr. Paula Dupuy received the Charles Weaver Award for her long and distinguished service to the counseling profession. The awards were presented at the state conference in Columbus on November 1 at the Awards Luncheon. There were approximately 1200 counselors and counselor educators in attendance at the conference.
College of Health Science and Human Service Interim Dean Margaret Traband has announced that "Dr. Martin Ritchie has accepted the appointment as Chairperson of the Counselor Education and School Psychology Department. He is replacing Dr. Jane Cox who has taken a position at Kent State University. Dr. Ritchie will be assuming duties as Chairperson effective August 6, 2007."
Dean Traband went on to note that "Dr. Ritchie is a Professor and well qualified by credential and experience. His areas of scholarly interest include Coordinator of School Counseling for the CESP Department, research interests in the areas of accountability practices of school counselors, how GLBT students are treated in schools, and the inclusion of substance abuse training in counselor education. He has served on numerous editorial review boards and is a past editor of the Counselor Education and Supervision journal. He is a past president of the Ohio Association of Counselor Education and Supervision, and the Ohio Counseling Association and is a recipient of the OCA Research and Writing Award, the Charles Weaver Award for Distinguished Service, and the Herman J. Peters Award for Exemplary Leadership in the Counseling Profession. He is co-founder and past president of the International Association for Marriage and Family Counselors and a recipient of their Professional Development Award. In 2007 he was awarded the Thomas J. Sweeney Professional Leadership Award and the David K. Brooks, Jr. Distinguished Mentor Award by the American Counseling Association. He was recently selected to serve a five-year term on the Board of Directors of CACREP, the national accrediting body for counselor education."
Albert Ellis Dies at Age 93Albert Ellis died Tuesday, July 24, in New York City. Ellis was one of the most important figures in cognitive-behavioral psychology and the developer of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). Ellis reportedly died of heart and kidney failure following an illness. You can read an ABC news story on Ellis at http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3410131.
The Spring, 2007, University of Toledo Commencement Exercises were held on Sunday, May 6. The following students received a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Counselor Education: Caroline M. Brackette, Sara Hanson-Lindabury, Melissa K. Dirksen Lanza, Jeffry L. Moe, and Will J. Pecsok. Students receiving a Master of Arts in Counselor Education included Elizabeth Bryant, Christina Dodd, Seth Evearitt, Kristin Farough, Anthony Geha, Linda Glbert, Arielle Land, Ashley Layrisson, Linda Pierce, Andrea Raney, Erin Riley, Nida Shuibat, and Kari Sibbersen. School Psychology Ed.S. student who will graduate in August include Sean Stundon, Lysa Cage, Julia Jones, Julie Foster, Jenifer Klausing, Lisa Nelson, and Sharon Barnett. Congratulations to all our students on the successful completion of their programs!