Ohio Counseling Conversations

Send us Fan Mail Surprise insurance clawbacks, fast-moving Medicaid rule changes, and a growing stack of bills that reshape client access can make it feel like the ground is shifting under counselors’ feet. We lay out what’s changing in Ohio right now and translate policy language into practical realities for counseling practices, community agencies, and the people we serve. SB 162 (SUPPORT) Third...

Send us Fan Mail A three-minute song can do something a 50-minute conversation struggles to pull off: it tells the truth fast. We’re exploring “accidental music therapy,” the tracks that were never designed to teach counseling skills, yet somehow nail grief, self-compassion, boundaries, identity, and resilience with a few lines and a melody that sticks. To be clear, this is not a replacement for c...

Send us Fan Mail Talk therapy is powerful, but sometimes words are the slowest route to the truth. We sit down with Amanda Cole, LPCC-S, counselor educator, and doctoral candidate, to unpack psychodrama as an experiential action method that helps clients move from “thinking about it” to actually feeling it safely in the room. Amanda breaks down what psychodrama is (and what it is not), why warm-up...

Send us Fan Mail Policy can feel far away until it lands in a session as grief, fear, shame, or burnout. Join the Ohio Counseling Conversations Team as we bridge the gap between the clinical couch and the Ohio Statehouse with a rapid, practical briefing on the bills most likely to affect counselors, and clients across Ohio. We start with House Bill 698 and its push to withhold public university fu...

Send us Fan Mail Sunshine can feel like a promise: more energy, better mood, fewer heavy days. But we’ve learned the hard way that seasonal change, especially the spring shift into warmer weather, can also bring real mental health risks and clinical surprises. Victoria Frazier sits down with Jared Sparks, clinical counselor and supervisor at Cleveland Sex and Intimacy Counseling, to talk about wha...

Send us Fan Mail Your next mentor might be one conversation away, but most of us still hesitate to reach out. We sit down with Dr. Jake Protivnak, counselor educator at Youngstown State University, past president of the Ohio Counseling Association, and current president of Chi Sigma Iota International, to talk about what mentorship actually is and why it shapes who we become as counselors. We star...

Send us Fan Mail Send us Fan Mail A payer suddenly demands money back, lawmakers debate how long clawbacks should even be allowed, and the Supreme Court redraws the lines around counseling regulation when speech is the treatment. We walk through the urgent CareSource of Ohio recoupment news and the concrete steps we recommend right now: push for claim-level specificity, document everything, review...

Send us Fan Mail “If they wanted to, they would.” “Be the bigger person.” “Time heals all wounds.” These lines can sound clean and confident, but when you’re living real life with limited capacity, messy relationships, and actual grief, they can land like a brick wall. We sit down as two counselors who hear these sayings in sessions, group chats, and counseling rooms, and we pull them apart with t...

Send us Fan Mail You can be skilled, ethical, and deeply caring, and still end up overwhelmed if you try to do counseling alone. We’re joined by Dr. Charity Anne Kurz, counselor educator and clinician, to make the case for the “collaborative counselor” and to get painfully practical about what collaboration looks like when it’s more than a nice idea. We talk about why collaboration is both a minds...

Send us Fan Mail Laws passed in Columbus do not stay in Columbus, they show up as stress, grief, fear, and conflict in our clients’ lives. We sit down as Ohio counselors to translate what just moved at the Statehouse into what it changes in the therapy room, from school-based messaging on pregnancy to new barriers that can delay or derail care. If you want a clear, clinically grounded Ohio legisla...

Send us Fan Mail Your next conference can feel like a recharge, not a marathon. We’re sharing the playbook we wish we had sooner—how to plan with purpose, protect your energy, and turn both sessions and hallway chats into momentum you’ll feel back at your desk. We start with simple planning moves that pay off: choose sessions tied to your CEU needs and your core why as a counselor, then add a wild...

Send us Fan Mail What if your first lesson about therapy came from a horror villain or a five‑minute breakthrough montage? We dive into the stories that taught us what counselors are supposed to be—stoic saviors, boundary‑blurrers, or secret masterminds—and compare them with what ethical care actually looks like. From Ted Lasso’s Dr. Sharon holding firm lines to the seductive manipulation of Hanni...

Send us Fan Mail When the headlines won’t quit and the room feels charged, how do we stay grounded, ethical, and genuinely helpful? We sit down with counselor educator and MI trainer Kim Barrella to explore motivational interviewing as more than a technique—it’s a way of being that centers autonomy, partnership, and compassion, even when politics enter the session. Together, we unpack how MI helps...

Send us Fan Mail Policy moved fast this month, and we break it down so you can protect clients and plan your next steps with confidence. From real wins on Medicare telehealth to high‑stakes proposals that could reshape LGBTQ care and counselor ethics, we connect the dots between statutes, board guidance, and day‑to‑day practice in Ohio. We start with clarity on the Consolidated Appropriations Act...

Send us Fan Mail Your feed offers endless tips, bold diagnoses, and confident scripts—but what happens when all that noise walks into the therapy room? We dig into the real-world impact of mental health content on client expectations, counselor boundaries, and the ethics of showing up online. With guest counselor Lauren Collins-Knight, we examine the tension between short-form advice and the slow,...

Send us Fan Mail Certainty can feel like safety, especially when life hurts. Our conversation with Laura Dunson Caputo, an assistant professor and trauma counselor, and Alexis Gilan, a newly licensed clinician whose research centers on cultic dynamics, digs into how high-control groups trade belonging for obedience and why that bargain is so hard to recognize from the inside. Rather than chasing s...

Send us Fan Mail We share major wins and warnings for Ohio counselors: streamlined licensure, a new path to cross-state practice, civil rights amendments with clinical stakes, a brief but chilling federal funding scare, and a push to document insurer barriers that block care. We close with a reminder to seek support, protect your capacity, and stay engaged. • new single-exam pathway from LPC to LP...

Send us Fan Mail We share the metaphors that help clients grasp complex ideas fast, from skill trees and storm shelters to gumballs and garden care. We focus on choosing images that fit culture, age, and context so insights translate into action. • coping as skill trees and gym habits • grief as a ball in a box with changing hits • safety and boundaries with weather and field conditions • attachme...

Send us Fan Mail Laws and budgets rewired the counseling landscape this year, and the ripple effects reached every waiting room in Ohio. We unpack what changed, what stalled, and where small advocacy moves can still flip outcomes—especially around parity, youth privacy, LGBTQ protections, and the counseling workforce pipeline. We start with the three forces that kept shaping care: access as infras...

Send us Fan Mail We play Unpack or Put It Back to test “therapy rules” against context, ethics and real human needs. From snacks and coffee tables to hugs, swearing and self disclosure, we explain how intention and relationship guide what helps and what harms. • modeling self care with snacks and breaks  • room design signals safety and collaboration  • measured praise that scaffolds internal vali...

Send us Fan Mail Feeling the squeeze of staffing shortages, rising acuity, and endless admin while trying to hold real space for clients? We sat down with Dr. Alicia Hall—counselor, supervisor, and advocate—to talk about a path forward that doesn’t rely on grit alone. The conversation centers on vitality, a grounded sense of aliveness that fuels resilience, powers meaning making, and opens the doo...

Send us Fan Mail Policy isn’t background noise—it’s showing up in our sessions as missed appointments, longer waitlists, and clients afraid to speak. We take you inside the real-world consequences of Ohio’s latest bills and federal shifts, translating headlines into the clinical realities counselors and clients face every day. We start with the federal shutdown’s lingering impact on Medicaid proce...

Send us Fan Mail Why is it so hard for counselors to take their own advice? Despite preaching self-care and healing to clients, many mental health professionals struggle to prioritize their own therapy. Victoria Frazier and Marisa Cargill dive deep into this paradox with refreshing honesty and vulnerability. The hosts challenge the harmful misconception that seeking counseling somehow diminishes a...

Send us Fan Mail What if cultural responsiveness wasn’t a training you attend, but a posture you carry into every session? We welcome Carmella Hill, current president of the Ohio Counseling Association, to unpack how engagement, competence, and identity come together to strengthen counselors and the communities we serve. Carmella traces her path through OCA leadership and shows why unity across di...

Send us Fan Mail We unpack how the federal shutdown, expired telehealth waivers, and looming SNAP delays intersect with daily counseling practice in Ohio, then analyze state bills that could reshape access and privacy. We close with clear actions to protect clients, support communities, and engage policymakers. • impact of the federal shutdown on counseling care • expiration of Medicaid and Medica...