14 D'MENSIONS MAGAZINE ALUMNIMAGAZINE.OSU.EDU | 29 support, resources and funding they need to gain independence and fulfillment in their daily lives. “It’s unfortunate what happened to me. Sometimes I get sad or frustrated,” says Ryan, a team captain, all-Big Ten and All-America player during the final two seasons of his Ohio State football career that spanned 2010 through 2014. “It hurts that I can’t play football anymore, but it has been a blessing that I was able to recover and can now help other people.” A first-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Ryan was a two-time All-Pro linebacker when he was injured December 4, 2017, while making a tackle during a Monday night game in Cincinnati. He sustained a spinal contusion, or a crushing of the spinal cord, which paralyzed his lower body and led to two surgeries and three months in the hospital. Feeling eventually returned to Ryan’s legs, and he regained the strength to not only walk, but dance with his bride, Michelle Rodriguez, at their wedding in May 2019. His new life came with a fresh perspective. “My injury definitely allowed me to be more relatable and allowed me to see through other people’s eyes,” Ryan says. “As an athlete, I was kind of just focused on how I see things and trying to get better at my craft every single day. Well, since I’ve been injured, I see what other people go through — what their lives are like and how tough things can be. It’s allowed me more empathy and understanding.” Curiosity led to that broadening of his view during his intensive rehabilitation at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Rehabilitation Institute. Ryan befriended fellow patients and wondered why some weren’t at rehab sessions five days a week, as he was. They told him about systemic barriers, such as a lack of transportation to appointments and insurance coverage limiting them to 20 or 30 rehab sessions. “It wasn’t fair for those individuals to not get the same opportunities as me,” says Ryan, who had 130 rehab sessions while covered by NFL insurance. Moved to action by those patients and their caregivers and families, Ryan created his foundation, which has grown to serve Pittsburgh, western Pennsylvania and, most recently, eastern Ohio and Columbus. Photos, Jodi Miller (left), Corey Wilson Wolf is one of the 14 students enrolled in the first cohort of D’Youville University’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling master’s degree program, which launched last fall alongside a new Clinical Psychology Doctoral program. Both come at a time when the U.S. and the state of New York are facing a mental health crisis with a significant shortage of professionals in the field. A recent survey of the American Psychological Association revealed that 56 percent of the nation’s practitioners have no openings for new patients, and average wait times for those new patients to book an appointment are roughly three months. Clinical Mental Health Counselor Paige Schultze (left), talks to a student in a private room in the university’s Wellness Lodge. D’Youville is currently constructing more counseling rooms for students and members of the community. That first class of masters students has paved the way for a larger class this summer thanks in large part to D’Youville’s involvement in New York’s Career Pathways Training program, which will provide tuition assistance in several health care fields, in addition to mental health counseling. Students in the program will also be the first to work in the university’s soon-to-be-completed mental health clinical lab in the Academic Center, which will provide affordable (potentially free) counseling to students and the community while training future counselors in the process. Adding mental health further solidifies D’Youville’s positioning as a health care leader in higher education, says Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Benjamin “BG” Grant, who also points to the school’s recent public plans to launch a school of osteopathic medicine. “D’Youville will become the university for your health care degree in western New York,” Grant says. “Keeping in line with our holistic approach, we’re operating on the idea that mental health care is the same as physical health care. Interprofessional education is a big part of what we do here — whether you’re a nurse, a pharmacist or a chiropractor, we can embed the mental health side into their training as well and further break down the pre-existing societal stigma attached to those who seek counseling.” As a veteran instructional designer in higher education, Wolf speaks from experience when she says D’Youville’s two-year curriculum is “thoughtfully designed,” compared to other programs that take three to four years. “It makes the most out of every day,” she says. “Personally, I’m excited about the clinic opening to allow students like me to practice and benefit the community we’re in, allowing easier access to mental health care. I feel like this school is investing huge resources to make this happen.” DR. HELENA BOERSMA UNDERSTANDS the impact of limited access to mental health professionals. Boersma was a professor at Medaille University when she first traveled to Lilongwe, Malawi as part of the National Board of Certified Counselors, to help instruct graduate students at the Africa University of Guidance, Counseling and Youth Development. Malawi, like many countries in that region, has a large population of men and women suffering from mental, behavioral and neurological disorders — as well as drug-related mental health problems — yet access to mental health professionals is extremely limited. New York, which ranks a modest 17th in the nation in access to mental health care, has roughly 39 psychiatrists, psychologists, licensed clinical social workers, counselors and therapists per 10,000 residents.
