Division News

Three Division Awarded Excellent By Ohio Magazine.  Three division members are among five Walsh faculty recognized for teaching excellence by Ohio magazine in the upcoming December issue.  The division professors to be recognized are Dr. Holly Hartwig-Moorhead, Dr. Bob Humphries, and Dr. Shauntey James. 

Ohio Magazine chose which educators to recognize based on recommendations given by faculty members and administrators from each respective school. Each professor to be recognized in the December edition will have his or her name listed, the educational institution he or she belongs to, and the department of education each professor teaches in. 

Hartwig-Moorhead, an assistant professor in the Counseling and Human Development program, believes that "the true spirit of teaching is passing along knowledge, understanding, insight, and competency to others that have been invested in you."  She also says that the highlight of teaching is helping students to "achieve a long awaited goal."

A well-known interactive professor on Walsh University's campus is Humphries, an associate professor in Psychology.  Humphries takes pride in his creative abilities to present information as he follows the "EE Principle: educational and entertaining."  Humphries also works as a clinical practitioner and is able to bring real life experiences from his outside job into the classroom, which Humphries says benefits the students by helping them learn.  Humphries credits his teaching style to his past professors who made learning come to life for him.  "When I look back on professors who had the most profound impact on my development professionally and as a person, I espouse them as role models when I enter into the classroom," Humphries said.
 

James joined the Walsh faculty in 2002.  She is originally from outside of Philadelphia, PA.  Because of her background, she focuses on the textbook knowledge combined with a strong experimental component in the classroom.  She previously taught at University of Dayton.  Her specialization in criminology criminal justice and feminist theory and service learning orientation make her a favorite among students. She has conducted research specifically exploring female homicide offenders and sexual assault.  Off campus, she focuses on spending time with her family/friends and truly enjoying life.  The laughter often echoing from her classroom and her campus office reflect her on-going commitment to life's enjoyment. 

Division Adds Two New Faculty Fall 2006. The division welcomed Jo Anna Kelly as Assistant Professor of Sociology and Daryush Parvinbenam as Clinical Assistant Professor and practicum supervisor in Counseling and Human Development Program.

Jo Anna earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from the University of Akron with a certificate in Life Span Development and Gerontology. Her first master's degree is in adult education from The Ohio State University. Her second master's is in sociology from Case Western Reserve University. She is currently completing her doctoral dissertation, at CWRU, titled: Bereavement Responses of Caregivers of Institutionalized vs. Community-Living Alzheimer's Patients. Jo Anna has over 12 years experience teaching on the collegiate level at several Northeast Ohio colleges. She spent almost 10 years teaching a variety of sociology courses at Baldwin-Wallace College with introduction to sociology, marriage and family and death and dying as her favorite courses. She is also licensed social worker with ten years experience working in nursing homes and in home and community-based social work with chronically and terminally ill clients. She has worked as a researcher for the Benjamin Rose Institute, a non-profit health and social service agency serving the elderly, in Cleveland, Ohio. Jo Anna's research interests include quality of care in nursing homes, caregiving, advance directives and end-of-life issues. Jo Anna has been married to John Kelly for 16 years and has a daughter, Shannon. Her hobbies include reading, digital photography, art, music and athletics.

Daryush Parvinbenam is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (PCC-S) in Ohio with designation as a supervising counselor. He is also an Independent Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor (LICDC) in Ohio. Daryush is currently serving as Clinical Assistant Professor and practicum supervisor in Counseling and Human Development Program at Walsh University. He specializes in Motivational Counseling, Dynamics of Chemical Dependency, Dual disorder and Trauma issues. He is a training member of the trauma and addiction collaborative of Cuyahoga County. He has a M.A .in Mental Health Counseling, and a M.Ed. in Community Health Education. Daryush received specialized training in motivational interviewing at University of New Mexico from Dr. William Miller, a primary author of Motivational Interviewing: Preparing people for change, and he is a certified Eye Movement Desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) counselor. He has experience in working with clients with a variety of mental/emotional disorders and substance abuse. For the last 16 years Daryush has served in several clinical capacities including: dual diagnoses, mental health, and substance abuse counseling; and clinical/supervisory positions. He has given a number of workshops for the Ohio Counselors Association, American Mental Health Counselors Association, Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction services, Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services Board of Cuyahoga County, North East Ohio Health Services, and Long Ford Health Sources of Massillon Community Hospital. His main professional interests are training mental health counselors and working with clients from diverse backgrounds who present with personality disorders, dual diagnoses, and histories of complex trauma.

Division Revises Undergraduate Majors for Fall 2005. Both Psychology and Sociology majors underwent a revision across the Fall and Spring Semester of the 2004-2005 academic year. Approved for implementation in the Fall 2005 Semester, the revisions include more course selections for the changing needs of students in the 21st century. Psychology's revision included dropping the social/organizational psychology tract which attracted very few majors in recent years. Curriculum improvements included hours of work and allignment with national standards.

Division Adds Two New Faculty Fall 2005.  The division welcomed Dr. Kim Metz as Assistant Professor of Psychology and Dr. Louisa Foss-Pierce as Assistant Professor in the graduate Counseling and Human Development program. 

Dr. Metz completed her BA (1988) and MS. (1991) and Ph.D. (1996) in clinical psychology at Ohio University. She embarked on her internship in South Carolina in 1992. Upon completion of her internship in 1993 she began working for South Carolina's Department of Juvenile Justice where she counseled and administered psychological testing to incarcerated adolescents. Following the birth of her first child in 1996 she moved back to and began working as an adjunct faculty member at Baldwin Wallace College while also seeing clients part time at a private practice and later at a community mental health center. She believes strongly that the two types of work (counseling and teaching) compliment each other. Her position at Walsh University is her first full-time tenure track position. Her clinical interests included working with children and adolescents. She also enjoys working with adults on ways to improve their parenting skills as well as those who suffer from depression, anxiety, and adjustment issues. Her research background includes examining the effects of day care on children as well as examining the efficacy of an anger management group for adolescents. She is looking forward to expanding her research program at Walsh and hopes to involve students in some projects. On a personal note, Kim has been married for 13 years and has two children, Melissa, age 9 and Jared, age 6. She enjoys reading, volunteering at her church, coaching her daughter's softball team, and socializing with friends.

Dr. Foss-Pierce holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the Ohio State University. She earned both her Master of Education degree in Community Counseling and Doctor of Philosophy degree in Counseling and Human Development Services from Kent State University. She is a Professional Clinical Counselor with Supervisor status (PCC-S) in Ohio and is a National Certified Counselor (NCC). Louisa has worked for five years as a professional counselor. Her work has included child and adolescent community mental health, domestic violence treatment, and corrections. Prior to joining the faculty at Walsh, Louisa served as an adjunct professor in the counseling department at Youngstown State University. Her areas of clinical interest include partner violence assessment and treatment, juvenile delinquency interventions, lethality assessment, and crisis intervention. Louisa's areas of academic focus have included group counseling and gender issues. Her counseling theoretical orientation is mainly cognitive-behavioral and includes both feminist and systems perspectives.

Peace Studies Minor Approved and Initiated.  Passing Academic Assembly in March of 2004 and with courses begining in the Spring of 2005, an interdisciplinary Peace Studies minor was initiated to be coordinated by the Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences.  The 21 hour minor includes a variety of courses including those dealing with peace and national and international systems, influences on peace, and the promotion of social economic and environmental justice.  The new minor requires two specific Peace Study courses and cuts across several disciplines including English, Government and Foreign Affairs, History, Jewish Studies, Natural Science, Philosophy,  Theology, and Sociology.  Students from any major are welcomed to enroll in the new minor. 

Political Science Moves to Governement and Foreign Affairs.  Unanimously passed October 2003 by the Academic Assembly and approved by President Jusseaume effective Fall 2004 the Political Science major name change attempts to reflect more accurately what the major has to offer.  The new name captures both the domestic and international political science flavor in the Walsh major.  Present students will have the option to use Political Science on their diplomas or petition the Registrar for their diplomas to state Government and Foreign Affairs.  New students enrolled Fall 2004 will be Government and Foreign Affairs majors.