Around the Region:
News & Events
Office of
Regional Higher Education
Quick LInks
Chillicothe
Eastern
Lancaster
PIckerington
Southern
Proctorville
Zanesville
Phone: 740.593.2551
Regional Campus Spotlight
Barbara Mahaffey, assistant professor and coordinator of Human Services Technology , Chillicothe
April 2010
In recognition of her ability to mentor and inspire students, Ohio University-Chillicothe faculty member Barbara Mahaffey has earned the Training and Mentorship Award from the International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors. The award recognizes the contribution of an IAMFC member whose role as a trainer and mentor has helped to ensure the future of the family-counseling profession.
She was recognized during a luncheon at the American Counseling Association's conference March 20.
Mahaffey is an assistant professor and coordinator of the Human Services Technology program. She was nominated by two of her current students, Jessica Grant and Lee Anne Benson, with input from other students.
Grant, a Ross County resident, is pursuing a master's degree in community and rehabilitation counseling.
"Barbara is an inspiration who always puts the student first," said Grant. "She will go to the edge of the world to make sure that students have what they need to increase their experience and knowledge." Grant added, "She does a great job of bringing experiences to life for students. I love the way that she brings a diversity element into all of her classes. Students learn from each others' cultures and backgrounds."
Benson, a Zane Trace High School graduate, is also pursuing a master's degree in community and rehabilitation counseling.
"I have had the privilege of being mentored by Barbara, and I now get to watch as she mentors others on a daily basis. She is always available for students. We can email her any time of day or night and get a quick response."
The students rave about practical lessons they have learned from Mahaffey that they can apply in their own careers, particularly in regards to their interactions with others.
"In the classroom, we have seen how skilled she is at using everyday examples to demonstrate a skill or technique. I think of these experiences as object lessons," Benson said. "I have learned that all people have good qualities in them and that it is my job as a counselor to bring that out and convince clients of their self-worth."
Grant considers herself fortunate to have had Mahaffey as an internship coordinator.
" She has taught me to teach people to think for themselves and never jump to conclusions," Grant said. "We never know where people are coming from, where they have been or what they have been through."
Mahaffey, who earned her master's degree in education in community counseling from Ohio University, taking courses at OU-C, has been a faculty member there since June 2005.
"Working with students is so very rewarding for me," Mahaffey said. "The students deserve the praise as they are the ones who have worked
hard. My wish is for all students to continue their education so they can
be successful. Both Lee Anne and Jessica are completing their Master in
Education in counseling this next week. I am very proud of them and my
many students who have or will complete degrees in Human Services
Technology at OU-C."
Mahaffey is a licensed professional clinical counselor with supervising counselor credential. Mahaffey's specialty is marriage, couples and family counseling.
Barbara Mahaffey has technique on couples counseling
published in professional journal
An article authored by Ohio University-Chillicothe faculty member Barbara Mahaffey has been published in a recent edition of the professional journal The Family Journal: Counseling and Therapy for Couples and Families. The title of Mahaffey’s article is “Couples Counseling Directive Technique: A (Mis)communication Model to Promote Insight, Catharsis, Disclosure, and Problem Resolution.”
As the abstract explains, the article proposes a psychoeducational model for improving communication for couples. An important goal in couples counseling is to assist couples resolving communication conflicts. “The proposed communication model helps to establish a therapeutic environment that encourages insights, therapeutic alliance formation, catharsis, symptom relief, and positive outcome.”
The article points out that counselors who are involved with couples counseling often notice that the clients display troubled communication. In fact, researchers report that communication is a main reason for individuals to seek marriage counseling, and wives rate communication as the highest-ranked problem in marriages.
In the article, Mahaffey notes that, in studying couples communication, a gap exists between information that is available in literature and what is discussed in the training and practice of counselors. Mahaffey’s article states that what is missing are “techniques that addressed how to help clients acquire insight into the missed, misconstrued, negative, or dysfunctional communication patterns they had prior to counseling.”
Mahaffey proposes communication techniques that first educate the couple about what goes wrong before working on how to better communicate and providing a helpful and therapeutic environment that encourages a positive outcome in resolving communication conflicts.
