Jennifer Isiko

Jennifer Ojiambo Isiko, Ph.D., LPC, is a Counselor Educator and licensed professional counselor in the state of Ohio. She earned her Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from Ohio University and holds a masters in Counseling Psychology from Uganda Christian University. Dr. Isiko teaches graduate-level counseling courses including counseling theories, counseling techniques, career development, lifespan counseling, and counseling for couples, families, and children. She is passionate about mentoring counseling students and preparing counselors who practice ethically and provide culturally responsive care to diverse communities.

Dr. Isiko’s research interests include social justice in counselor education, the development of advocacy interest and commitment among counselor trainees, and trauma-informed counseling practice. She is particularly interested in empowering counselors-in-training to understand clients’ experiences through a trauma-informed lens and to integrate advocacy and culturally responsive approaches into their work. Her scholarship also explores the lived experiences of individuals with psychosocial disabilities and strategies for strengthening inclusive mental health support systems.

Dr. Isiko is a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Certified Solution-Focused Brief Therapy Practitioner. Prior to entering academia, she spent more than 15 years leading community development and mental health initiatives across several African countries, focusing on HIV and AIDS response, disability advocacy, and community-based psychosocial support. These experiences continue to shape her commitment to integrating global perspectives, social justice advocacy, and trauma-informed care into counselor education, research, and clinical practice.

• Ph.D., Counselor Education and Supervision, Ohio University, Athens, 2023
• M. A Counseling Psychology Uganda Christian University, Mukono, Uganda, 2013
• Post Graduate Diploma, Project Planning and Management,  Uganda Management Institute, Kampala, Uganda 2008
• Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences Majoring in Sociology and Social Administration Makerere University, Uganda

• Isiko, J. O., & Bhat, C. S. (2025). Predictors of social justice interest and commitment in counselor trainees. Journal of Counselor Leadership and Advocacy, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/2326716X.2025.2450044
• Isiko, J. O, Singhani, S. & Urkmez, B. (2024). The Lived Experience of Adult Women with Psychosocial Disability in Uganda. Int J Adv Counselling 46, 519–537. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-024-09560-5
• Urkmez, B., Pinkney, C., Amparbeng, D. B., Gunawan, N., Isiko, J. O., Tomlinson, B., & Bhat, C. S. (2021). Experience of Graduate Counseling Students During COVID-19: Application for Group Counseling Training. The Professional Counselor, 11, (4), 475–492. https://doi.org/10.15241/bu.11.4.475

• Isiko, J. O. Predictors of interest and commitment to Social Justice Advocacy. ACA Conference, 2026
• Isiko, J. O. “Finding My Voice”, Group Interventions for Self-Advocacy and Mental Well-being Rooted in Lived Experience. ASGW Conference, February 2026
• Isiko, J. O., Chavez, J. Learning by Doing: Training Counseling Students in Social Justice Advocacy. ACA Conference, 2026
• Bhat, C., Isiko, J.O. Counselor as a Social Justice Advocate; Keynote speaker at CSI Omega Mu Gamma Chapter, Antioch University-Seattle Seattle, Washington, 2024
• Radd, T., Bhat, C., Isiko, J.O. Effective Anxiety Interventions Using the Schoolhouse Systems Model. “AOCC Week” Virtual Conference, October 26-30, 2020