As demand for behavioral health professionals continues to rise across Ohio and the nation, Kent State University is preparing graduates to not just enter the field right away, but to advance, lead and make a lasting impact in their communities.

For three Kent State alumni — Cassandra Galloway, Victoria Giegerich and Jason Joyce — their paths may differ slightly, but their experiences at Kent State reveal striking parallels. Together, their stories illustrate how Kent State connects education to real-world outcomes.

With more than 174,000 Ohio youths reporting mental health struggles in 2025, and more than 2.1 million Ohio adults (nearly one-quarter of the state's population) experiencing some form of mental illness, the need for support resources has never been greater. The demands in Ohio have been driven by several factors, including an opioid overdose epidemic and the increased mental health struggles that followed the loss and isolation of living through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kent State's College of Education, Health and Human Services offers a number of degree programs for students looking to pursue a career in this field, including master's degree programs in clinical mental health counseling, clinical rehabilitation counseling and school counseling, as well as a doctoral program in counselor education and supervision. The three master's degree programs and doctoral degree program are nationally accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs. A non-degree certificate in addictions counseling is also offered.

Entering the Workforce with Confidence

Rather than feeling overwhelmed entering behavioral health roles, Galloway, Giegerich and Joyce each describe a sense of preparedness after graduating from Kent State, which carried them through early career transitions.

For Jason Joyce, who earned his master's degree in community counseling from Kent State, the university helped launch a career that quickly progressed into leadership roles. He was recently named chief executive officer (CEO) of the Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) Board of Cuyahoga County. Knowing since high school that he wanted to be a therapist, Joyce said pursuing dual licensure at Kent State helped him advance quickly. He also credits the real-world skills learned during practicums and internships for helping him hit the ground running after graduation.

"One of the things that really stood out when I first started at Kent State was how they really focused on practical knowledge. It wasn't all theoretical; you were able to take what you learned and then sort of quickly sort of translate it to what it would be like at a job," Joyce explained. "An example of that was that they start you off in the counseling program and you get sort of the base skills you would need but then they kind of quickly move you to your practicum, your internship."

Joyce explained that having counseling sessions recorded with instructors and supervisors providing feedback helped him feel better prepared.

"When I got out there, I felt that I had a leg up on the competition – one, for interviews, I was able to land the job pretty quickly, so that was great. And then two, when I started out in the field, it was easier to be more successful because I already had some of those reps in that practice before [I graduated.]"

Joyce also emphasizes the value of his specialized training during his internship, which positioned him for success in an emerging area of practice.

"One of the things that my internship did was — and this is something that you have to sort of look into as well — at the time, that was actually really rare," he said, referring to integrated behavioral health training. "So, I was able to get that first job being a co-occurring sort of therapist, that you do both sort of things. That helped me sort of launch there."

His career progressed from direct clinical service to executive leadership, including multiple roles within the same system. "I had multiple roles … I was able to [advance] within that system," Joyce said. Most recently, he served as president and CEO of The Hitchcock Center before taking his current role at the ADAMHS Board.

As a leader, Joyce continues to give back by mentoring students and supporting the next generation of professionals, reinforcing Kent State's role as a workforce pipeline that extends well beyond graduation.