Thomas Zigo
Thomas Zigo ’14 ’16M is a psychotherapist at a university counseling center in Michigan.
“What I love most is working with students to overcome challenges or barriers so that their college experience is pleasant and enriching,” he says. “Students make decisions during college that have implications for the rest of their lives, so I feel especially excited about my role for that reason.”
He also loves the variety of work in what he does, which includes individual therapy; group therapy; crisis intervention; and providing outreach presentations and consultation to students, parents, faculty and the broader community. And he supervises Master’s level interns, too.
Academic Path
Zigo graduated with his B.A. in Psychology and minor in Sociology from the College of Arts & Sciences, then earned his Master’s in Social Work from the College of Health Sciences and Professions at Ohio University.
He describes his experience at Ohio University as helping him with everything related to what he does now: undergraduate psychology courses, volunteer opportunities at a psychiatric hospital, involvement in psychology research labs, leadership opportunities through Ohio University Club Baseball and Psychology Club / Psi Chi, graduate social work courses, access to scholarships, opportunities to present his own research, terrific faculty, and Master of Social Work field placement at Ohio University Counseling and Psychological Services.
He adds that he took courses with “some really awesome sociology professors” that fueled his interest in human behavior from a different perspective than psychology, noting that Dr. Debra Henderson was very influential and always accessible.
Biggest Challenge?
Forging his own path was Zigo’s biggest challenge.
“Attending a wonderful school like Ohio University offers a lot of different options and opportunities for students,” he explains. “It can be easy to become complacent in the midst of everything going on. But for me, finding a niche, challenging myself, and having the end in mind was what helped me to get where I am today.”
Advice
If he could give his student self advice, it would be to “choose a path and try it out. It’s a lot like dating: worst case scenario, you learn about yourself and decide to go in a different direction. Best case scenario, you find a really fulfilling and meaningful path.”
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