Aces of Trades: Leah Shirer helps students understand themselves and mental challenges

NEW CONCORD – She knew she wanted to help people. It just took some time to figure out how.

“I was a kid who was always outside with my dog and my older sister,” recalled Leah Shirer. “We would go creeking, swing, jump on the trampoline, explore the woods, etc. I was really involved in many types of activities, 4-H, piano lessons, gymnastics, softball, volleyball, clubs, camps, etc. I remember telling people I wanted to be a vet because of my love for animals. Then I wanted to do something that involved helping people.

Today, Shirer is director of counseling services at Muskingum University.

“I manage the counseling center,” she explained. “I see students for individual counseling but also get to interact with them outside of the counseling office. We do education programs and trainings on mental health. I stay current with treatments and trends for mental health and counseling and bring that to campus.“It’s something I genuinely enjoy,” she noted. “It’s something special to sit in a room with a person who trusts you to open up about their life. College is hard and when a student is struggling with their mental health, that can be an additional challenge. My goal is to provide a space where they can speak openly and learn more about themselves as well as skills and knowledge to take with them about their mental health.”

Shirer grew up in Barnesville, graduated from Barnesville High School in 2005, then earned her undergrad degree in psychology and a master’s in education, both from Kent State University.

“I knew I wanted to work with people,” she said, “but I just didn’t know what that looked like. I changed my major in college four times. The first time I considered being a counselor was in my abnormal psychology class and recognizing that people went to counseling and received treatment for mental health concerns. I’ve always been a listener and an observer, and my friends and other people would just naturally talk to me.

“I was set to move to Cincinnati,” she added. “I had just accepted a job there in community mental health when I was offered my job at Muskingum. I started in 2013 as a counselor feeling like working with college students was what I wanted to focus on. College age is such a time of transition and finding out who you are and what you’re about, but it can also be challenging and stressful.”

Shelley Amstutz-Szalay is vice president for the student experience at Muskingum University.

“Leah is very committed to the mental well-being of Muskingum students,” assessed Amstutz-Szalay. “In addition to providing one-on-one counseling, she also offers innovative campus programs to help students develop skills to support their mental health and to increase awareness of mental health issues and available resources.”

“It’s about the students,” Shirer responded. “They’re the ones doing the work and are brave to make changes and to come in and open up. Muskingum is a community of folks who are very supportive of students.”

For more information about Muskingum University, log on www.muskingum.edu.

Aces of Trades is a weekly series focusing on people and their jobs – whether they’re unusual jobs, fun jobs or people who take ordinary jobs and make them extraordinary. If you have a suggestion for a future profile, let us know at trnews@zanesvilletimesrecorder.com.

This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Leah Shirer helps students understand themselves and mental challenges