2006-2007 Academic Year Accomplishments and Events
Congratulations to all our students and faculty!

Counselors from Ohio at the ACA Legislative Institute. Note OSU Doctoral students: Justin Fields, Beth Camp, Demetra Taylor (& Mel Butler, not pictured).
Click here for more pictures

This picture is of all of the counselors from Ohio who participated in the ACA Legislative Institute. In the middle of the group (blue shirt/red tie) is Representative Michael Michaud (Maine) who was one of the recipients of the ACA Federal Legislative Service Award for demonstrating leadership on behalf of the counseling profession. Representative Jerry Moran (Kansas) also received the award but could not be at the presentation. Representatives Michaud and Moran worked to establish explicit recognition of licensed professional counselors as mental health service providers within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). In May 2006, Reps. Michaud and Moran introduced H.R. 5396, the Veterans Mental Health Care Access Improvement Act. In December 2006, Congress passed S. 3421, the “Veterans Benefits, Healthcare, and Information Technology Act,” which included the provisions of H.R. 5396. 

The OSU Counselor Education Reception at the All Ohio Counselors Conference was held on Thursday, November 2nd, from 7:00-9:00pm at the Hilton Hotel, Easton. What a great celebration of alumni, students, and friends. The 2006 Susan Sears Distinguished Alumni Award was presented to Dr. William Nemec.
Click here for pictures of the reception
Click here for an invitation (pdf).

The Annual Picnic was a great success! Thanks to all who planned and organized the event, everyone who brought delicious food to share, and all the friends and significant others who were there to support their students! Click here for pictures (also available from the "pictures" link on the left)

The New Student Orientation was Tuesday, September 19. More information about starting the program is available from the "information for incoming students" link on the left side of the page. Click here for pictures (also available from the "pictures" link on the left)

Once again, OSU is well-represented at the All Ohio Counseling Conference (AOCC), which will be held November 1-3, in Columbus. Click here for a listing of student, alumni, and faculty presentations at AOCC 2006.

Congratulations to Mel Butler, Beth Camp, Sibyl Cato, and Julie Nelson (doctoral students) who received third prize for their essay in the ACA 2007 Ethics Case Competition. Click here to read the essay (pdf).

Congratulations to Ann Deffenbaugh, the newest faculty member at Walsh University. Ann accepted a position as Assistant Professor of Counselor Education and will begin at Walsh in the autumn.

Congratulations to Barbara Mahaffey, a doctoral candidate in counselor education. Barbara is the newly elected co-chair of newly-formed Ross County Suicide Prevention Coalition. An article about the work of the group appeared on the front page of Sunday, January 14th Chillicothe Gazette. (Weblink no longer available)

Welcome to Dr. Colette Dollarhide, our new visiting assistant professor! Dr. Dollarhide comes to us from the University of South Carolina, where she was as Assistant Professor of Counselor Education. We are thrilled to have Dr. Dollarhide join us - and be sure to check out her new book,  "Comprehensive School Counseling Programs" - published by Allyn & Bacon in March, 2007 - http://www.ablongman.com/catalog/academic/product/0,1144,0205404413,00.html

Congratulations to Dr. Paul Granello, who received a $1.2 million grant from the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration to assist with suicide prevention programs throughout Ohio and to provide screenings (with parental consent) for youth ages 11-18 who are at risk for suicide.

Congratulations to Dr. Darcy Haag Granello, who received a $225,000 grant from the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration to develop and implement a comprehensive suicide prevention plan for the OSU campus.

Click here for the press release about these two grants (pdf)

Congratulations to Beth Camp, who wrote a piece on bullying for the on-line newsletter, The Principal's Office. Click here to go to the article.

Congratulations to Drs. Darcy Haag Granello and Paul Granello, who published a book entitled Suicide: An essential guide for helping professionals and educators (Allyn & Bacon, 2007). http://www.ablongman.com/catalog/academic/product/0,1144,0205386733,00.html

Student Happenings and Upcoming Events -

Thank you to the doctoral students who organized the Counselor Education workshop on Saturday, January 27th. It was a great day of workshops with lots of information to share, and the participants were overwhelming in their approval and appreciation. Click here for some pictures from that day.

Thank you to the OSU Counselor Education student volunteers who provided free mental health and depression screenings to 108 members of the community at the NBC4 Health Expo at the Convention Center on a weekend in October. The Mental Health Association of Franklin County, who coordinated the screenings, was really thrilled with our students and the work they did.

Thanks to student volunteers:
Laura Begue
Nikol Bowen
Mel Butler
Jason Durell
Amanda Fox
Cathleen Johnson
Tricia Love
Nicole Smathers