Ohio Counseling Conversations
The official Ohio Counseling Association podcast. Our mission is to host experts from our membership, leadership, and throughout the counseling field to bring listeners relevant conversations around what it means to be a counselor in Ohio. In addition, this podcast will provide a platform for Ohio Counseling Association divisions, chapters, and committees to share information and updates. Made for counselors by counselors, we hope to highlight important conversations in the profession that will inform our work as we continue to grow as professionals and as people. Thank you for tuning in! Views, beliefs, or references mentioned in episodes do not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by the Ohio Counseling Association. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Views and opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the view of the Ohio Counseling Association or any of its officials.
Episodes
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 infrastructure, higher education as...
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 validation
• nuanced...
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 door to vicarious transformation. Rather ...
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 processing, VA mental health servi...
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 counselor's credibility...
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 divisions, regions, and specialties is es...
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 Medicare telehealth waivers and...
The biggest behavioral health workforce in Ohio is paid the least—and it’s not because counselors lack skill. We pull back the curtain on the legal and structural gears that keep reimbursement low: antitrust limits that fracture our voice, opaque contracts with nonnegotiable rates, paneling delays that outlast statute, clawbacks that drain small practices, and documentation games that reward downcoding over good care....
A Supreme Court showdown is poised to answer a question that could reshape our field: is counseling regulated health care or “just speech”? We sit down with Dr. Chase Morgan-Swaney—assistant professor, clinician, and OCA president-elect—to break down Chiles v. Salazar, the research on SOGICE, and what a ruling could mean for minors, licensure boards, and everyday clinical practice.
We trace the legal core—spe...
We track how Ohio’s SB1 reshapes higher education, how HB 347 collides with reproductive rights rulings, why school mental health screenings matter, and how misinformation about Tylenol and autism spreads fear. We close with a direct push to protect telemental health flexibilities before they expire.
• SB1’s impact on DEI offices, syllabi transparency, and training climate
• Program cut thresholds and rip...
Ever wondered how Elsa might benefit from therapy? Or what psychological diagnosis would fit Simba after witnessing his father's death? Our latest episode dives into "The Disney Diagnostic Manual," where we playfully explore beloved animated characters through a therapeutic lens.
Animation provides the perfect canvas for examining complex emotions. Characters display exaggerated expressions tha...
When mental health and criminal justice systems intersect, what happens to those caught in the middle? Dr. Em Ribnik, Director of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Center of Excellence at Neomed, takes us deep into this complex terrain where vulnerable individuals often find themselves navigating confusing and sometimes contradictory systems.
Drawing from over 15 years of experience in mental health and crisis services...
The policy landscape shaping mental health services is shifting dramatically, with counselors and clients caught at the intersection of progress and concerning rollbacks. The Counseling Compact's expansion to 39 states signals a breakthrough for interstate practice, promising new professional mobility by fall 2025. This advancement stands in stark contrast to troubling federal decisions that threaten vulnerable p...
"Is it self-care, self-sabotage, or something else entirely?" In this thought-provoking episode, counselors Marisa and Victoria tackle the complex reality behind our wellness practices. They unravel how the genuine professional concept of self-care has been transformed by pop culture into something often unrecognizable – and sometimes counterproductive.
When bubble baths and retail therapy dominate ...
Governor DeWine's action on Ohio's state budget brings mixed implications for counselors, with vetoes protecting LGBTQ+ resources but remaining provisions limiting gender-affirming care coverage and establishing binary-only sex policies. The national budget bill (HR1) delivers significant Medicaid cuts that will affect 2.57 million Ohioans enrolled in the program, potentially increasing the number of uninsur...
Superheroes may save the world, but how do they save themselves? For years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has built spectacular stories on foundations of trauma without truly addressing the aftermath. From Bruce Banner's offhand mention of a suicide attempt to Thor's depression played for laughs, Marvel has historically struggled to portray mental health with authenticity and care.
This episode dive...
Mary Vicario, LPCC-S and Certified Trauma Specialist, established Finding Hope Consulting in 2007. Recognizing a critical need within community training, she pioneered the translation of complex relational neuroscience into accessible, practical tools for fostering healing, resilience, and hope. Her global influence extends beyond her Cincinnati-based practice, encompassing international lectures and training. Mary co...
Protections for LGBTQ+ youth in Ohio face significant threats through budget proposals and legislative actions that may fundamentally alter counselors' ability to provide ethical, affirming care. Recent developments include proposed restrictions on gender-affirming care, resource access, and support services that would directly impact vulnerable youth populations and create ethical dilemmas for mental health prof...
Counselors Victoria Frazier and Marisa Cargilll tackle "the tissue issue," unpacking the subtle yet significant implications of how counselors handle tissues when clients cry. They explore opposing perspectives about whether handing tissues to crying clients is supportive or potentially disruptive to emotional processing as well as how:
- More traditional counseling approaches advise against handing tissues...
AmandaLynn Reese has dedicated her career to creating positive change in her community, a Cincinnati, Ohio native and a graduate of the Ohio State University. She is the Chief Program Officer at Harm Reduction Ohio (HRO), a national government affairs consultant, and subject matter expert (SME) specializing in harm reduction, naloxone access, and policy development.
Growing up in rural Appalachia with parents who stru...
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