Fall 2014 Newsletter - West Chester University

WEST CHESTER
UNIVERSITY
SPECIAL
POINTS OF
INTEREST:

Michelle
Obama on
school counseling

Dr. Parsons &
Zhang new text
(pg. 2)

Dr. Hodes’
publications
(pg. 2)

Chi Sigma Iota
changes (pg. 4)

2014 NARACES New
Professional
Award (pg. 4)

Top Ten Reasons people
decline counseling (pg. 6)
INCLUDED IN
THIS ISSUE:
“Just So You
2
‘No’”
Hunt For
3
October
“More on
3
Michael”
Latest in “Pop 4
Culture”
“From Edu to 4
UMBC”
Word on the
5
Street
“Fall Favor-
7
ites”
Fall Conferences
8
Fall 2014 Newsletter
D E P A R T M E N T
O F
C O U N S E L O R
E D U C A T I O N
O C T
2 0 1 4
Message from the Faculty
Welcome back to a busy
Fall semester! We hope
it is off to a good start.
In this edition you will
find important dates,
information about faculty and their research
activities, spotlights on
our alumni and current
students, interactive activities and an invitation
to make your own contributions to the newsletter. Make sure that
you check our D2L
counselor education site
for job announcements,
certification require-
ments, internship or
graduate assistantship
opportunities, and im-
“What is your favorite aspect of the Fall season?”
portant dates. Also,
make sure you schedule
an appointment with
your advisor to ensure
you have all of the prerequisites needed to
keep you on track. Final-
ly, we would like to welcome our newest graduate
assistant, Jennifer Toby
(School Counseling) to the
counseling department.
She will be joining our current GA’s Kelsey Brooker,
Emily Devivo, Emma Harrison, and Jameeka Wilson.
Best wishes for a successful academic semester and
remember this quote by T.
Bernard: “Being happy
doesn’t mean that everything is perfect; it simply
means you’ve decided to
look beyond imperfections!”
School Counseling is a Necessity!
At the 2014 ACSA National
conference guest speaker and
First Lady Michelle Obama
spoke up about the need for
school counselors saying,
“School counseling is a necessity to ensure that all our
young people get the education they need to succeed in
today’s economy.” During
her speech she introduced
the Reach Higher Initiative,
which is designed to inspire
all students to pursue postsecondary education. She has
called on school counselors
to fulfill the role of encouraging students to seek some
form of higher education. The
Reach Higher Initiative is part
of the White House’s plan to
have the highest proportion of
college graduates in the world
by 2020. Viewing school counselors as key leaders in reaching this goal brings increased
awareness for the need to hire
more school counselors.
Thank you Michele Obama!
P AGE
Just So You “NO”...
2
“Many hands make
light work”
~John Heywood
Together Dr. Neale-McFall and
Dr. Owens might be the dynamic duo when speaking of
scholastic contributions to the
counseling field. This year alone
they published Counselor
identity development: Toward a model for the formation of professional
identity in the Journal of Counselor Leadership and Advocacy.
Moreover, they have upcoming
presentations, “Counselor
Identity Development: Toward
a Model for the Formation of
Professional Identity” and
“Professional counselor development: Difference between
CACREP and non-CACREP
programs” which have been
regionally accepted and another
presentation, “Preventing Burnout through Supervision: A Process of Collaboration and Togetherness” which has been
accepted by the state. To complete the trifecta, Drs. NealeMcFall and Owens have a
presentation “Counselor selfcare: Let’s practice what we
preach!” scheduled for 2015
which just so you “NO”, has
been nationally accepted! Dr.
Neale-McFall can fly solo however, contributing a publication
“Let’s practice what we
preach” (Spring, 2014) to the
North Atlantic Region Association
of Counselor Education and Supervision Newsletter. But don’t
worry, the two professionals
are still working together to
obtain a $75,000 grant from
The Center for Rural Pennsylvania to fund policy research on
secondary school counseling
services. Keep up the great
work!
Dr. Parsons & Dr. Zhang share spotlight!
“Writing serves as
a vehicle to not
only share
perspective but to
invite feedback…”
Dr. Rick Parsons and Dr. Naijan Zhang are pleased to announce that their series of
professional texts “Counseling
and Professional Identity” (Sage Publications), now
has seven (7) text in print and
four (4) more for release this
spring. Among the four due
out this spring is their text:
“Transitioning from Student
to Professional” (Sage Publica-
tions, 2015). This book will be
used in field courses such as
practicum and internship.
When asked how he felt about
their latest publication, Dr.
Parsons noted, “We believe
that field experience is not
only a place to hone one’s
skills, but it is where one’s
attitude about themselves as a
professional as well as their
awareness of the uniqueness of
the profession come alive. It is
this focus on helping those in
field mentally transition from
being a student directed by
others to professionals who are
self-directed in service of others
that excites me. Finally, writing
serves as a vehicle to not only
share [our] perspective but to
invite feedback and hopefully
increased clarification”. What a
vision?! Way to go!
“She works hard for the money!”
Dr.
Jackie
Hodes
Congratulations to Dr.
Jacqueline Hodes who
has two (2) publications
in print this year. You
can find the first publication “Angelic troublemakers: Making
change on campus” (Hodes, 2014) in
the NASPA GLBT
Knowledge Community
FA LL
2014
Newsletter and the second,
“Teaching and training
tips: Surprise lessons
from the gym” (Hodes &
Ruchti, 2014) in the
MACUHO (Mid-Atlantic
College and University Housing Officers) Newsletter.
Additionally, Dr. Hodes
submitted a publication,
“Lessons from summer
camp: Tips for student
affairs professionals” (Hodes & Ozechoski,
2014) for print in the PCPA
(Pennsylvania College Personnel
Association) Newsletter. Dr.
Hodes is scheduled to present
at two upcoming conferences
in September and October.
Cleary a woman on a mission
to educate a nation! Great job!
DEP A RT MENT
OF
COUNSE LOR
EDUCA T ION
P AGE
Hunt for October
Major League Baseball (MLB) won’t
be the only place to find hard
working professionals making a
solid push this October. Our very
own professors seem to be in a
“tight division” when it comes to
Fall conference presentations. They
will be shining bright at the following upcoming conferences: 1. NARACES (Providence, RI); 2. ACCA
Conference (San Antonio, TX); 3.
Navigating Success for Adult Students Conference (Eastern University, St. David's, PA); and 4. Pennsylvania Counseling Association
(State College).
Higher Edu League
If the semester ended today the
standings would like this… and Dr.
Alessandria
School Counseling League
would take
it home for Player Sept Oct Nov
higher education! So
K.D.
2
0
1
good luck
to you all
M.S.
0
1
1
and have
fun presenting!
Player
Sept
Oct
Nov
T.A.
1
3
0
V.M.
0
1
0
J.H
1
1
0
E.O.
2
0
1
C.M.
3
0
1
“To help other
counselors
(See page 8 for more details)
grow in their
professional
Presenting….DR. DICKINSON!
development
and give school
counselors
This fall, Dr. Karen Dickinson will be
a presentation machine! This September she is teaming up with department faculty to present at the NARACES Conference in Rhode Island.
Alongside Dr. Hodes, she will be
presenting “Emerging Adults as
Counselors” which will focus on
Jeffrey Arnett’s stages of emerging
adulthood. Additionally, she will be
collaborating with Dr. Eric Owens to
present “Challenges and Approaches of Teaching the ASCA
Model”. This presentation will focus
on strategies to teach the ASCA
model in a way that is realistic and
applicable to school counselors. In
November, Dr. Dickinson will enlist
the help of her graduate assistant
Jennifer Toby to present “Using
Collaboration to Empower
School Counselors to be leaders
as Agents of Change and Advocacy” at the PCA Conference in
State College. In the meantime, Dr.
Dickinson is awaiting publication of a
More on Michael
Most of us are familiar with the
role Professor Barbara Michael
plays within the department of
Counselor Education. In short story
form: SHE IS A LIFE SAVER! As the
department Field Experience Coordinator, Professor Michael manages
field services for our students and
works hard to ensure every student finds placement. She even
keeps track of all field experience
paperwork and we all know how
rough that can be! Interestingly,
when she’s not tracking down students, supervisors, or paperwork,
Professor Michael loves to read,
bake, try new recipes, and call Dave
Casterline for tech support. Her
favorite movie is “War Horse” and
her favorite song is “Amazing
Grace”. For Professor Michael, a
typical fun weekend is spent going
new textbook, Working with Students with Disabilities, in which
she has authored two chapters.
When asked what inspires her hard
work and dedication to the counseling field, Dr. Dickinson replied, “ I
just want to help other counselors
grow in their professional development and give school counselors
better foundations for special education”. Thank you Dr. Dickinson!
better
foundations…”
to the mountains and kayaking. She
also enjoys officiating track and
cross-country meets.
Most of all, she enjoys
her family who give her
life much meaning and
happiness. We can
thus assume they are
as lucky to have her as
a mother, grandmother, and friend as we
are to have her as our
(Professor Barbara Michael,
Field Experience Coordi- Field Placement Coordinator)
nator!
3
P AGE
4
New Faculty Advisor-Chi Sigma Iota
Dr. Tina Alessandria is now
the faculty advisor for Chi
Sigma Iota. CSI which is an
international honor society
strives to promote academic
and professional success in
all of its members. As a
member, you will have opportunities to attend professional conferences and
workshops, fundraise, network, and attend social
events and informational
panels on topics important
to counseling students.
Alumni are encouraged to
stay involved. To join, students
must have completed at least 9
is easy, go to csi-net.org to
apply for membership today! If
you have any questions regarding membership, qualifications,
etc. please contact Dr. Alessandria at [email protected]
credits in a counselor education degree program and have
a GPA of 3.5 or above. Joining
Latest in “Pop Culture”
Fan-dom (n): all
the fans; the state
or attitude of
being a fan
-Merriam-Webster
What does Dr. Lynn Zubernis
and teen boy band One Direction both have in common?
They both know fan psychology first hand! Now although
we may not actually see “fans”
chasing after her car or
screeching over her work,
there is something spectacular
to be said about Dr. Zubernis’
research on “fandom” (a/k/a
the subculture of fans). This
past April, she presented her
views at the National Popular
Culture Association Conference in Chicago as part of a
roundtable panel. Dr. Zubernis
was also interviewed about her
work on fan psychology for a
few other pieces, including one
in “New Statesman” and one
on “io9”. Interestingly, Dr.
Zubernis belongs to a
“fandom” of her own and will
openly admit to an obsession
with the popular television
show, “Supernatural”. Of course
we know she recently published
a new book, “Fan Phenomena: Supernatural”, which is a
collection of essays about
“Supernatural” from academics,
fans, and the actors who star on
the show. Is there a supernatural
force causing her fandom? There
is one only one way to be
sure… find Dr. Zubernis for the
scoop! In the meantime, lets
congratulate Dr. Zubernis for
her latest achievements!
And the winner is...
(Gov. O’Malley with UMBC’s Roy
Meyers, Hannah Schmitz –
WCU alum and Michele
Wolff )
Congratulations to Dr. Eric Owens who became the 2014 recipient of the
North Atlantic Regional Association for Counselor Education and Supervision New Professional Award
From EDC to UMBC
Recent Department of Counselor Education graduate student Hannah
Schmitz (pictured in photo) attended a ceremony celebration at the Maryland
State House in Annapolis on Thursday, August 7, 2014. The celebration concluded the summer success of the Governor’s Summer Internship Program
(GSIP). Hannah works for the University of Maryland, Baltimore County
(UMBC) and helps run the internship program.
FA LL
2014
DEP A RT MENT
OF
COUNSE LOR
By: Emily DeVivo
The September/October issue of
ASCA School Counselor magazine
features various articles on student
mental health. One in particular,
“Students with Anxiety: Help
struggling teens”, identified anxiety as the most common mental
health issue affecting about 10 percent of adolescents today. As a
result, the role of counselors in
helping students cope and pointing
out positive aspects of anxiety is of
the utmost importance. While
some students will need outside
EDUCA T ION
Word on
support and treatment such as cognitive behavior therapy, a school
counselor can assist students in
seeking treatment by reducing the
stigma(s) associated with therapy.
For students with mild anxiety,
creating a safe place to talk, using
positive stress management strategies, and teaching coping strategies
such as exercise and relaxing
breathing can be effective. For an
informational video about strategies
counselors can use when working
with students who are anxious see
P AGE
the Street
www.schoolcounselor.org/magazine. For
a sample stress management place go to
http://
www.fosteringresilience.comstress_mana
gement_plan.php. Giving major attention
to student mental health and how you as
a practitioner can intervene is a definite
WORD UP!
(This information was summarized from the
original article “written by Kenneth Ginsberg,
Sara Kinsman, and the American Academy of
Pediatrics and published in ASCA School
Counselor September October 2014
Volume 52 Number 1.)
“Remember
there's no such
Special Thank You to Alum Recruitment
thing as a small
Nicole Conley (Temple)
Nate Diehl (Haverford College)
Austin Duckett (Widener)
Alicia Hahn-Murphy (WCU)
Gene Kelly (Lafayette College)
Ian Magill (Immaculata)
Marion McKinney (WCU)
Will Miller (Community College of
Jackie Aliotta (UM Baltimore
Philadelphia)
County)
Mita Patel (Drexel University)
Stephanie Allen(WCU)
Dawn Reitz (WCU)
Lauren Bolden (LaSalle)
Fran Boshell (Cedar Crest College) Hannah Schmitz (UM-Baltimore
County)
GC Brugnolo (Philadelphia Uni)
Elizabeth Schroeder (University of
Megan Camp (Neumann)
the Sciences)
Marcie Cohen (WCU)
creates a ripple
Dr. McCoy and Dr. Hodes would
like to thank the following Higher
Education Counseling/Student
Affairs alumni who are serving as
Recruitment Ambassadors for
our program:
Michelle Strawley (Penn StateBerks)
Colleen Valerio (Ursinus College)
act of kindness.
Every act
with no logical
end”
For more information on the Recruitment Ambassador program
contact Dr. McCoy or Dr. Hodes.
Important Dates!

Comprehensive Exam
Date: Due before
11:59pm on Sunday, November 2, 2014.

Fall Break: October 6October7, 2014

Thanksgiving Break:
Wednesday, November
26 – Friday, November
28, 2014.

Field Placement Contracts for Practicum and
Internship are due by the
end of the semester.

Make sure you apply to
graduate! You have to
apply before
the end of December if you
are planning to
graduate in
May.
Seal of Importance
5
P AGE
Procrastinators Creed
6
I believe that if anything is worth doing, it would have been done already. I shall never
move quickly, except to avoid more work or find excuses. I will never rush into a job without a lifetime of consideration. I shall meet all of my deadlines directly in proportion to
the amount of bodily injury I could expect to receive from missing them. I firmly believe
that tomorrow holds the possibility for new technologies, astounding discoveries, and a
reprieve from my obligations. I truly believe that all deadlines are unreasonable regardless
of the amount of time given. I shall never forget that the probability of a miracle, though
infinitely small, is not exactly zero. If at first I don't succeed, there is always next year. I
shall always decide not to decide, unless of course I decide to change my mind. I shall always begin, start, initiate, take the first step, and/or write the first word, when I get
around to it. I obey the law of inverse excuses which demands that the greater the task to
be done, the more insignificant the work that must be done prior to beginning the greater
task. I know that the work cycle is not plan-start-finish, but is wait-plan-plan. I will never
put off until tomorrow, what I can forget about forever... (taken from http://
www.ahajokes.com/)bus142.html
Top 10 Reasons People Say No To Counseling
“I believe in the
Read the following top ten (10) reasons people decline therapy. In the blank space, rank
the responses from 1-10 (1 = highest, 10 = lowest).
resistance as I
believe there can
be no light without
1. _____ a. “If I talk about my problems, I’ll make them worse, or completely fall
apart.”
shadow; or rather,
no shadow unless
there is also light.”
2. _____ b. “I may want to go to graduate school and having been in counseling
could get in the way of my being accepted”
~Margaret Atwood
3. _____ c. “People who go to counseling are crazy. I’m not crazy.”
4. _____ d. “I don’t believe just talking can do any good.”
5. _____ e. “I can’t afford to pay for counseling.”
6. _____ f. “I’m betraying my family.”
7. _____ g. “The community is too small - everyone will know what I talk
about.”
8. _____ h. “I wouldn’t even know what to talk about.”
9. _____ i. “Receiving counseling is a sign of weakness.”
10. _____ j. “I can always talk to a friend. I don’t understand how talking to a
stranger can be helpful.”
Reflection Question: How can you help a client get past these concerns?
(answers: a = 9, b = 10, c = 2, d = 7, e = 5, f = 8, g = 3, h = 4, i = 1, j =6)
FA LL
2014
NEW SLETT ER
DEP A RT MENT
OF
COUNSE LOR
EDUCA T ION
P AGE
Conference Reimbursement!
The following conditions will apply:

Students must be in good academic standing

Students must incur the expense
first and save all receipts

Must complete application within
the semester of attendance
Funds are limited so once the allotted
amount has been distributed, the GSA
will not be able to process additional
applications until funds become available. Return form(s) and receipts to the
GSA, Sykes Union Room 216.
Fall Favorites
It is that time of year again when we watch the leaves fall and the temperatures drop! Even more joyous, it is the time when some of our favorite holidays bring candy, food, family, and fun. When thinking
about the “Fall Holidays” (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years), reflect on which ones
are your favorites and why. Perhaps you like Halloween because it’s the one day when you can dress-up
and eat unnecessary amounts of candy! Or maybe you prefer a classical Thanksgiving dinner with your
family as you watch an NFL game. Whichever you choose, its always good to have company!
We surveyed department professors and staff to determine which holidays are their fall favorites. Try
to guess what they came up with and compare results to your own favorites. Circle your responses.
You might find that you more in-common with your professors than a love for the counseling field!
1.
Dr. Chris Blazic
a. Halloween
b. Thanksgiving
c. Christmas
d. New Years
2.
Dr. Kristine Bronson
a. Halloween
b. Thanksgiving
c. Christmas
d. New Years
3.
Dave Casterline
a. Halloween
b. Thanksgiving
c. Christmas
d. New Years
4.
Prof. David Hayes
a. Halloween
b. Thanksgiving
c. Christmas
d. New Years
5.
Prof. Janice Janosik
a. Halloween
b. Thanksgiving
c. Christmas
d. New Years
6.
Prof. Diane Massey
a. Halloween
b. Thanksgiving
c. Christmas
d. New Years
7.
Sherry Marvil
a. Halloween
b. Thanksgiving
c. Christmas
d. New Years
8.
Dr. Jeffrey Laughlin
a. Halloween
b. Thanksgiving
c. Christmas
d. New Years
9.
Prof. Judith Schmitz
a. Halloween
b. Thanksgiving
c. Christmas
d. New Years
10. Dr. Matthew Synder
a. Halloween
b. Thanksgiving
c. Christmas
d. New Years
11. Dr. Paul Starling
a. Halloween
b. Thanksgiving
c. Christmas
d. New Years
12. Prof. Carol Warren
a. Halloween
b. Thanksgiving
c. Christmas
d. New Years
(answers: 1 = Thanksgiving, 2 = Halloween, 3 =
Thanksgiving, 4 = Thanksgiving, 5 = Thanksgiving, 6 = Christmas, 7 = Thanksgiving, 8 = Halloween, 9 = Thanksgiving , 10 = Halloween, 11
= Thanksgiving, 12 = Christmas)
The Graduate Student Association
(GSA) is honored to provide and
support students as they grow
professionally. The Association has
a Conference Reimbursement
Program for currently enrolled
graduate students.
For each academic
Conference Reim- year enrolled, students can receive up
bursement
to $300 reimburseProgram
ment when attending a conference OR
up to $500 reimbursement if they are presenting.
These funds are allocated by the
GSA Executive Board to help students acquire beneficial professional
experience. Upon event attendance, students can submit an application to receive reimbursement.
7
Fall Conferences
Alessandria, K.P. (October, 2014). “Peer Interaction Influences on Italian American College
Students Ethnic Identity”, presented at the ACCA Conference, San Antonio, TX.
Owens, E.W., Alessandria, K.P. (October, 2014). “Culture Clash: Counseling and Millennials in
the Digital Age”, presented at the ACCA Conference, San Antonio, TX.
Osburn, M. & Alessandria, K.P. (October, 2014). Postvention: A Guide for Response to Suicide
(and Disasters) on College Campuses” , presented at the ACCA Conference, San Antonio, TX.
Alessandria, K.P., Neale-McFall, C.W. (September, 2014). “Counselor Education in the Digital
Age: Professional Identity and Responsible use of Social Media”, presented at the North Atlantic Regional Association for Counselor Education and Supervision Conference, Providence,
RI.
Hodes, J., Bowler, M. Dolan, M., Hodge, L., Shipp, D., Tunstall, C. & Wright-El, W. (October,
2014) “Navigating Graduate School: Strategies for Working with Non-Traditional Aged Students. Navigating Success for Adult Students Conference”, Eastern University, St. David's, PA.
Hodes, J. & Dickinson, K. (September, 2014). “Emerging Adults as Emerging Counselors: Working Through the Transition”. NARACES Regional Conference, Providence, RI.
Dickinson, K., & Owens, E. (September 2014). “Challenges and Approaches of Teaching the ASCA Model”, NARACES Regional Conference, Providence, RI
Dickinson, K., & Toby, J. (November 2014). “Using Collaboration to Empower School Counselors to be Leaders as Agents of Change and Advocacy”, PCA Conference, State College, PA
Quick Announcements


If you have any news or announcements that you would like to be
featured in the next newsletter,
please e-mail any of the GA’s.

Kelsey Brooker at
[email protected]

Emily Devivo at
[email protected]

Emma Harrison at
[email protected]

Jennifer Toby at
[email protected]

Jameeka Wilson [email protected]
We are on LinkedIN. Join the
“West Chester Counselor Ed-
ucation Group” on LinkedIN.



Check your D2L daily. Please
check your D2L for department 
announcements and updates

Make sure to follow West
Chester University’s Graduate
Student Association on Facebook and Twitter
If you are a school counseling
student who is seeking PA certification remember that you are
eligible to register on Teacher
Information Management System
(TIMS) the month of graduation
to begin your application. For
mor information about applying
for certification go to http://
wcupa.edu/_academics/coed/
onlineapplication.asp
Be your best and be good at it!
Have a great semester!

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