“When I look back, I am so grateful for my professors and mentors at FUS that guided and empowered me during my time in undergrad to dig deep and challenge myself.”
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Brittney Buchanan ’21Social Work
“The practical lessons from my classes and internships equipped me to collaborate and ultimately serve others during times of need.”
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Mary Grace Federline ’22Social Work
“My time at Franciscan University Social Work Program provided me with concrete roots, values, and practices that continue to guide me when serving my patients on a daily basis.”
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Dominique Cognetti ’20Social Work
“I find being a social worker in the school setting to be rewarding through building relationships with students and being able to use psychoeducation to teach students and their parents healthy coping skills.”
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Kassidy Kobilsek ’21Social Work
“The social work program at Franciscan University benefitted me both academically and spiritually, challenging my personal knowledge and ability to love as both a professional in the modern world and a contemporary disciple of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
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Emmanuel Gonzalez ’22Social Work, MA Catechetics and Evangelization
Michael Fatula MA ’10 sees his work with people who have substance use disorders and are involved with the justice system as an opportunity to give hope to the hopeless.
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Michael Fatula MA’10MA Counseling
David Younger, associate director of the University of Notre Dame’s study abroad program, studied social work at Franciscan University, hoping to do counseling work after graduation. However, Younger soon realized God was calling him in a different direction.
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David Younger ’01Social Work
Diego Araujo is a youth and young adult minister at Most Precious Blood Parish in Brooklyn.
Diego Araujo ’17Social Work
MA Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Most days, Marcel Lanahan is a “traveling one-man show.” The Catholic Social Services counselor manages his own busy schedule, billing, and client records all while traveling through rural Nebraska.“Attending Franciscan prepared me well for my current position,” Lanahan MA ’11 says .“Thanks to the ongoing integration of the Catholic faith throughout the full course of study, as well as the specific Christian counseling courses, I was able to step into this thriving Catholic agency and integrate faith-based interventions into my counseling sessions.”Through Catholic Social Services based in Lincoln, Nebraska, Lanahan provides professional therapy to the people who live in small towns across the state. He works with people of all ages, dealing with mild adjustment issues and major mental illness, couples’ therapy, and filial play therapy. Additionally, Lanahan also guides recent graduates in exploring new career paths, coaches couples on communication, helps trauma survivors process disturbing memories, and helps borderline clients learn basic affect management skills.“Professor [Milo] Milburn has a gift for teaching both theoretical models and practical skills with incredible lucidity,” Lanahan says. “Professor Jungers’ student-centered pedagogy encouraged me to think critically and take initiative, and Professor [Donald] Kissinger inspired me with his confidence and work ethic.”
Lanahan feels particularly blessed to work in a Catholic environment. “It has made it easy for me to practice from a Catholic moral perspective,” he says.
“I see my job as helping people face and grieve the evil and disorder we experience in this life, so that they are more free to experience the peace, love, and joy we are made for.”
Marcel Lanahan ’11MA Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Josh Elliott was “not your typical Franciscan student.” In addition to studying psychology at Franciscan University, Elliott served as the pastor for the Riverview United Methodist Church in Toronto, Ohio.Part of Franciscan University of Steubenville’s 4 + 1 Program between Undergraduate Psychology and Graduate Counseling, Elliott graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 2014 and a master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in spring 2015.“Franciscan University has provided an opportunity for me to follow my calling,” Elliott says.
Joshua Elliot ’15MA Clinical Mental Health Counseling