Michael J. Leskosky's picture

Michael
J. Leskosky

  • YSU ( May-2016 )
  • Canfield, Ohio, USA

About (Summary)

I am currently enrolled in Youngstown State University's Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program in which I am specializing in Child and Adolescent Counseling and hold a 4.0 grade point average. I have approximately four years of full-time clinical experience providing individual and group-based behavioral health intervention services to a demographically diverse contingent of children and adolescents in the school, home, and community environments. Most recently I accepted a Graduate Assistantship at YSU in an effort to direct my professional development foci toward scholarship, leadership, and professional service, as it is my hope to engage in Counselor Education and Supervision doctoral study subsequent to the completion of my masters. I am also highly involved in YSU’s Chi Sigma Iota Eta Chapter (Counseling, Academic, & Professional Honor Society International), hold a committee chair position on the Ohio Counseling Association's (OCA) Executive Council, and serve as a Regional Representative/ally/social justice advocate for a division of the OCA aimed to promote awareness, acceptance, and the equal treatment of sexual/affectional and gender minorities.

Education

Youngstown State University
Clinical Mental Health Counseling
2013 to 2016
Kenyon College
Psychology
2006 to 2010

Your Major

Clinical Mental Health Counseling: Specialization in Child & Adolescent Counseling

Language Proficiency

English (US)
Advanced

Honors and Awards

Chi Sigma Iota (CSI) 2015-2016 Leadership Fellow
A national award and program created by CSI to assist future leaders in developing skills and competencies that can advance the counseling profession.
Pride & Promise Award (2014)
Received for "outstanding contributions in creating a climate of accomplishment, accountability, and value in the Sharon City School District."
Ohio Counseling Association (OCA) "Guidelines" Publication
"Applying theory to practice: Constructing dignity with our words."
Ohio Counseling Association (OCA) Archives Committee Chair
Archive and manage materials to ensure the permanent preservation of records-related documentation.
Ohio Counseling Association (OCA) Graduate Student Task Force Co-Chair
Develop a committee aimed to promote the professional development, leadership, and preparation of the graduate students in counselor education programs in Ohio, and enhance the inclusion and participation of counseling graduate students in the OCA.
Association for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Issues in Counseling of Ohio (ALGBTICO) Regional Representative/Ally/Social Justice Advocate
Accepted to serve as a Regional Representative/Ally/Social Justice Advocate for the 2014-2015 year
2014 All Ohio Counselors Conference (AOCC) Leadership Institute
Accepted and participated in a Leadership Institute
2015 American Counseling Association (ACA) National Conference Poster Session (accepted)
"Enhancing the community and developing counseling skills through a youth mentor program."
Youngstown State University Professional Education Council Graduate Student Representative
Accepted to serve as the sole representative for graduate students.
Youngstown State University Emerging Leader Program
Accepted as a participant.
Youngstown State University Global Perspectives International Student Support Group Co-Facilitator
Accepted to serve as a co-facilitator throughout the 2014-2015 academic year
Youngstown State University CSI Eta Chapter, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and D & E Counseling Center Mentorship Program Coordinator
Accepted to serve as the program coordinator.
Youngstown State University CSI Eta Chapter Volunteer Committee Chair
Accepted to serve as the committee chair.
Youngstown State University CSI Eta Chapter Peer Mentor
Accepted to serve as peer mentor.
Youngstown State University 2014 Quest Forum Poster Presentation
"Exploring the relationship between body image and self-esteem in male athletes and non-athletes: A college-aged sample."
Unsung Hero Award (2010)
Received "in honor of significant leadership contributions to campus life at Kenyon College during the 2009-2010 academic year."
2010 Midwestern Psychological Association Psi Chi Conference Poster Presentation
"Exploring the relationship between body image and self-esteem in male athletes and non-athletes: A college-aged sample."

Grad School Interests

My current graduate study interests may be classified into three primary domains: (1) organizational; (2) theoretical and clinical practices; and (3) research interests. My organizational interests are as follows: (a) utilizing honor societies, other university organizations, and federal grants for community service and mentoring programs; (b) promoting the individual and collective voices of counseling graduate students, their active participation in professional associations, and the greater recognition of, and intentional integration of counseling graduate students within professional associations; and, (c) utilizing in organizations or associations for personal growth, professional development, and for opportunities to engage in social justice advocacy initiatives to combat all forms of isms. My theoretical and clinical preferences are as follows: (a) social constructionism; (b) solution-focused counseling (strength-based); (c) narrative therapy; (d) feminist therapy tenants (critical and relational-cultural theoretical paradigms); and, (e) cognitive-behavioral therapy. My empirical research interests are as follows: (a) counseling graduate students' leadership development; (b) counseling graduate students' professional identity development; (c) counselor educator mentoring practices and students' personal growth, professional development, professional identity, and leadership; (d) counselor educators' integration of feminist pedagogical tenets and student empowerment; (e) effectiveness of solution-focused, narrative, and feminist treatment modalities; and, (f) effectiveness of integrative community mental health school-based programs

Intended Job Path

My career goals may be classified into three primary interest domains: (1) education; (2) clinical practice; and (3) advancing the counseling profession. Ensuing the completion of my master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and doctorate in Counselor Education and Supervision, it is my hope to obtain a tenure track faculty position educating masters-level counselor-in-training students. Throughout my experiences as an educator I plan to serve as a mentor for my students to foster their personal growth and professional development, and promote the enhancement of the counseling program in which I become employed via efforts to meet students' educational and practical needs. Second, I desire to supplement my pedagogical endeavors with clinical practices in which I will be enabled to therapeutically assist children, adolescents, and their families in achieving an optimal degree of wellness in all meaningful ecological domains. In particular, I have specific interests regarding the implementation of community-based mental health provider partnerships with school systems, as I believe such programs can best meet the needs of young persons due to opportunities for comprehensive, preventative, remedial, and interdisciplinary care. Lastly, it is my goal to continuously facilitate the advancement of the counseling profession and the betterment of society as a whole by means of producing empirical literature, engaging in local, state, national, and international-level organizational leadership roles, and operationalizing advocacy initiatives surrounding social justice and respect for human dignity and diversity.

Job Experience

Graduate Assistant
Youngstown State University
August, 2014 to May, 2016
Behavior Intervention Specialist
Vocational & Psychological Services
February, 2012 to August, 2014
Therapeutic Staff Support
Vocational & Psychological Services
December, 2010 to August, 2014
Mental Health Worker (Social Skills Summer Program)
Vocational & Psychological Services
June, 2012 to August, 2014
Operations Manager of Sharon Office
Vocational & Psychological Services
April, 2011 to February, 2012

Volunteering

Mentorship Program Coordinator/Mentor
Youngstown State University CSI Eta Chapter, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and D & E Counseling Center
August, 2014 to May, 2016
CSI Eta Chapter Volunteer Committee Chair/Volunteer
Sojourner House Domestic Violence Program
November, 2014 to December, 2014
CSI Eta Chapter Volunteer Committee Chair/Volunteer
Salvation Army
December, 2014 to December, 2015
CSI Eta Chapter Volunteer Committee Chair/Volunteer
OH WOW! Children's Center for Science and Technology
March, 2013 to October, 2014

Hobbies

I love to spend time with my friends and family. Yes, I do thoroughly enjoy football season, traveling, dancing, and binge watching Netflix with a bucket of wings and large pizza in front of me, but nothing can compare to the value I hold toward the smiles, laughs, and meaning I share with my friends and family.
Michael J. Leskosky - YSU | HonorSociety.org
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