Counselor Connections
Chi Eta Sigma Newsletter | Volume 1, Edition 4 | Fall 2016
Chi Eta Sigma
Chi Eta Sigma is IPFW's Counselor Education Honors Society. The mission of Chi Eta Sigma is to bring together cohorts and tracks in social and academic settings. Membership is currently open to all second year and third year graduate students, faculty, and alumni. In the spring, an invitation will be extended to first year graduate students who meet the society's academic qualifications.
Warm Welcome to Dr. Wilkinson
By Salisha Keller, October 17, 2016
This year, IPFW's Counselor Education program welcomed two new faculty members: Dr. Rashunda Miller Reed & Dr. Brett Wilkinson. Getting to know our professors can be an excellent way to connect with them, not to mention they are going to be some of the biggest assets to our education and future. For the first two editions of the Counselor Connections newsletter, a Q&A with each new professor will be featured. We begin with Dr. Wilkinson!
Family: My wife’s name is Katherine and my daughter’s name is Elianora.
Where did you grow up? Lexington, KY
Where were you before coming to Ft. Wayne/IPFW (demographically and professionally)? PhD student at the University of Northern Colorado.
What do you like most about Ft. Wayne so far? Lots of fun, family-friendly activities and events! The Rivergreenway is fantastic as well.
What do you like most about IPFW so far? The students. I’ve appreciated their obvious commitment to growth and their willingness to “dig deep” by examining tough ideas. Becoming a good counselor takes hard work, and the students have shown genuine commitment.
What is an area in your field that particularly interests you? I’m most drawn to new and innovative ways that Husserlian phenomenology can inform counseling, teaching, and supervision. That is to say, I like to wrestle with how I directly experience mental phenomena and I seek to push students to do the same. I think the best counseling occurs when we move beyond mere concepts to become immersed in our shared experience with clients.
What are you most passionate about in the counseling field? Being part of a humanistic movement that values self-reflection as an antecedent to change.
What quote do you feel you live by or inspires you to do what you do? “I have always believed, and I still believe, that whatever good or bad fortune may come our way we can always give it meaning and transform it into something of value.” author Herman Hesse, from the book Siddhartha.
What advice do you have for students in the program? Never be afraid to ask hard questions…of instructors, of clients, or of yourself.
Hobbies: I enjoy running, chess, and playing guitar.
Favorite food: Nothing beats my toasted tuna BLT.
Dog or cat person: Cat
Favorite sports team: UK Wildcats...that might not be received too well here, I suppose…
Interesting fact: At ten years old, I was a ball boy for the Chicago Bulls during a pre-season exhibition game in Lexington. I arrived two hours before the game to an empty arena, only to find Michael Jordan shooting around by himself. He let me rebound for him, take a few shots of my own, and even signed a photograph. Incredible experience as a kid, although I probably ought to come up with a more recent “interesting fact”…
Anything else we should know? I’m now working on a new “interesting fact”.
Thank you Dr. Wilkinson for participating in this interview! We look forward to your contributions as a leader and educator for this next generation of counselors.
Where Are They Now?
They graduated last year and are now professionals! Where & how are the program's most recent alumni spending their first year post-grad school?
Julie Stills- Snider High School, counselor
Kyle Patterson- White's Jr./Sr. High School, counselor
Lyla Dean- Garrett Middle School, counselor
Meg Underwood- IPFW International Programs, Assistant Director
Susanne Aschlimann- Horizon Christian Academy, 2nd grade teacher
Alexis Dunlap- Phoenix Associates, counselor
Tina Parker- Children First Center, counselor
Catanna Roberson- Nicolet Counseling & Crossroads
Brittany Becker- Eastbrook High School, counselor
Michelle Wheeler- Park Center
Bethany Foerg- Wabash Valley Alliance
Cassie Antos- IPFW, Academic Advisor
Stephanie Lewis- moved to Washington, Counselor
Mike Campbell- Concordia, Counselor
Kacie Gauby- Payette High School (Boise, Idaho), Counselor
Janae Webb- Crosswinds Counseling
Chi Eta Congratulates...
Newest Additions
Oliver
Kinslee
Everly
Cassie & Matt Antos
From the President
Money for Conference Travel
For the past few years, Chi Eta Sigma has been very successful at receiving money requested for conference travel through a generous opportunity provided through IPFW’s Funding Committee. This opportunity has allowed many of Chi Eta Sigma’s members to be participants in professional development conferences for FREE! Some of these opportunities have taken place at local, state, and even national levels. For those interested in requesting money for conference travel, here is some helpful information! All the info you need, including the application, can be found at http://www.ipfw.edu/travel/.
To help you get the best results from your funding request, I have included a few insider tips that have been learned along the way:
- Each club/organization on campus is allowed to spend up to $7,500 per year for travel and each individual is allowed to spend up to $1,500. This money comes from a giant pool of cash and is distributed on a "first come - first served" basis, so this money is not guaranteed, which means, you will need to make our requests EARLY in the school year.
- You will need to submit your request 1 month before the IPFW Funding Committee's meeting. Their first meeting of the year is always in August.
- In order to make a request, you need to fill out the online survey and provide detailed information about the trip: https://purdue.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_81X5QubNWdF9A9f.
- During this request (and during the presentation of the request), the committee (who decides how much of the requested money to give us) PRIMARILY wants to see how this trip will benefit the students of IPFW. A few buzz-words/phrases that I like to mention are: "professional development opportunity"; "IPFW students use the IPFW Community Counseling Center, where we directly serve the students through counseling service"; "IPFW is a big part of the greater Fort Wayne community, which we service in our practicum, internship, and beyond"; etc.
- Create a PowerPoint and hand-outs for the presentation request. You are limited to only 5 minutes, so you need to make it meaningful and succinct. They can see the numbers, so don't spend a lot of time presenting on cost. Present on how great the opportunity is and what you will do with the opportunity to serve others. If they have questions about the budget, they can ask you in the Q&A.
- You are able to request funding for ALL aspects of your travel - including gas, food, hotel stay, registration, etc. However, I never request for gas or food - just the BIG dollar stuff, because they will ask how you are going to help pay for the trip. I always like to say, that individuals are paying for travel/gas, food, and all other amenities and incidentals. I also state that Chi Eta Sigma has an active Fundraising Committee, but that we like to reserve this money for group versus individual need and "helping others". Also, be sure to remember to include taxes when requesting money!
- If you are requesting money for travel within Allen County, you will need to fill out this form instead: https://www.ipfw.edu/affiliates/stugov/legislative-branch-(senate)/funding. This request will be through the Student Senate (ISPGA). The above tips and tricks will work for this request a well.
If you have any questions, or would like help creating this request, don't hesitate to ask me or the Professional Development Chairs!
Nicole D. Howard
President, Chi Eta Sigma
Submit Your News!
Marriages, new babies, new jobs, conference experiences, special interests, or Chi Eta/ Counselor Ed events- we want to know about them! Please send information to Alicyn or Allison at the emails below. We are also interested in pictures of Chi Eta events or cohort activities that we can feature in the newsletter! Please send them our way.
Alicyn- alicynervin13@gmail.com
Allison- joyam01@students.ipfw.edu
Chi Eta Officers & Committee Chairs
President
Nicole Howard
Vice President
Gianna Casaburo
Secretary
Ashley McMahon
Treasurer
Alex Harvey
Professional Development
Logan Ellowsky & Alyssa Hale
Fundraising
Susan Geels & Brittany Neireiter
Newsletter
Alicyn Ervin & Allison Joy
Social
Cassie Halbert & Brooke Wright
Faculty Advisor
Dr. Kerrie Fineran