YSU Counseling Program

Big news for the YSU Beeghly College of Liberal Arts, Social Sciences, and Education and Youngstown State Bitonte College of Health and Human Services Counseling and Social Work graduate programs! 🎉✨

YSU has received a $1,995,000 award from the Ohio Department of Behavioral Health to support graduate students preparing for careers in Ohio’s behavioral health workforce. The scholarship will be split evenly between the two programs, helping eligible Ohio resident students with tuition and general fees.

Congratulations to Jake Protivnak and Meghan Bileci on this incredible opportunity! Read more here: https://brnw.ch/21x4tgw

Introducing the new chair of the Psychological Sciences and Counseling Department: Dr. Jake Protivnak! 🧠

Dr. Protivnak has worked at YSU for 22 years, is a distinguished professor in counseling, and currently serves as the president of the counseling academic and professional honor society, Chi Sigma Iota International. His research focuses on counselor education, counseling supervision, and interventions for children, adolescents, and transition-aged adults.

We are excited to start this new chapter in the department!

Congrats to Counseling Program Alumni and past Part-Time Counseling Program Faculty at Youngstown State University for earning her doctorate!

🎉 Congratulations to Tiffany Spisak on her successful Dissertation Defense for her study titled "Striving for Perfection:
A Quantitative Analysis of the Relationships Between Perfectionism, Disordered Eating Behaviors, and Athletic Participation Among Undergraduate University Students".

Her dissertation was chaired by Dr. Matthew Nice, and her committee members were Drs. Holly Branthoover and Dr. Jake Protivnak from Youngstown State University.

Congrats Dr. Spisak! We are very proud of you! 👏🎓

Faculty in the Counseling and Psychology Programs, a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, and a Psychology student research assistant came together to work on the study “Content Validation of the Cognitive-Behavioral Resilience Development Model.”

Research participants are from left to right: (a) Resilience Experts in back row - Dr. Susan M. Miller, Educational Psychologist, Dr. Joy Tang, Social Psychologist, Dr. Sharon Stringer, Applied Developmental Psychologist, and Ms. Katie Kuzmishin-Mast, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, and (b) front row-Ana Hashemipour, Student Research Assistant and Dr. Kenneth Miller, Professor in Counseling and Principal Investigator of the Study at Youngstown State University.

Eta Chapter Chi Sigma Iota (CSI) Officers participated in their first planning/orientation meeting and shared ideas for activities for the Counseling Program students for the upcoming academic year at Youngstown State University!

Sarah DeLucia, Eta Chapter CSI President, and Allie Augustine, CSI member and students in YSU Beeghly College of Liberal Arts, Social Sciences, and Education, participated in Mental Health Awareness 'R U OK Day' at the Mahoning County Career & Technical Center (MCCTC).

Cheers to Lauren Mechling, School Counselor at MCCTC & Valley STEM, who helped coordinate the event and invited us to participate. It involved over 1,000 students and brought together a variety of mental health-related organizations. The event was designed to foster a culture of connection and mental health awareness among MCCTC students. The goal was to move beyond simply asking “Are you okay?” by equipping students with the skills to truly listen, encourage action, and follow up meaningfully with others.

Sarah and Allie led a session on self-care techniques using an interactive Self-Care Bingo game. They also had an information table to share counseling tips and information about pursuing a career in Counseling at Youngstown State University.

Check out the podcast with Dr. Jake Protivnak, Distinguished Professor in Counseling at YSU Beeghly College of Liberal Arts, Social Sciences, and Education, where he has a conversation about mentoring - https://www.ohiocounseling.org/podcast

Your next mentor might be one conversation away — but most of us still hesitate to reach out. 👋

Conversation 41 of Ohio Counseling Conversations is HERE, and it's a good one. We're joined by Dr. Jake Protivnak — counselor educator, past OCA president, and current Chi Sigma Iota International president — to unpack what mentorship really looks like in the counseling profession.

We talk about Jake's own mentorship journey (including the legacy of Dr. Tom Davis 🏆), how mentoring differs from supervision and advising, how CSI connects counseling students to real community and opportunity, and why knowing our profession's history matters more than we think.

If you've ever wished someone would just tell you what to do next — we've got you. 🎙️
Hit the link in bio to listen. Then tag someone who needs a mentor (or needs to be one). 💛

Welcome back to campus for Summer 2026! Our excellent Counseling Program faculty are ready to provide an excellent in-person educational experience at Youngstown State University to help you develop into a Counselor who can serve our community. Take opportunities to connect with your classmates and speak with your faculty. Have a great summer 🌞

Keep going—You’re making a difference. 💚

Mental Health Awareness Month is a reminder of the importance of mental wellness for our clients, our communities, and ourselves. Take time to reflect on your impact as a Counselor and remember: Caring for your mental health is as important as supporting others. Your journey matters, and your voice is needed!