Season 4 Ep. 2: Finding the Spark in Others w/ Dr. Thomas Frantz & Dr. James Donnelly

Mentor Moments Season Four Story Moments: Everyone has a story to tell. Dr. Frantz, a graduate of East Aurora High School in 1959, earned his BA from Grinnell College and his MA and Ph.D. from the University of Iowa before joining the University at Buffalo’s Counseling Psychology Department in 1967, where he served for over 40 years until retiring in 2008. Throughout his career, he held numerous leadership roles, including Department Chair and Acting Dean, and focused on teaching and research, advising over 80 Ph.D. dissertations and publishing more than 50 works. A specialist in grief counseling, Dr. Frantz worked closely with Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and founded multiple bereavement support groups, including Compassionate Friends. He led crisis response teams in schools and delivered over 1,300 presentations on bereavement and crisis intervention across the Northeast. Dr. Frantz also served on the boards of several hospice and mental health organizations and remained an active athlete, earning a skydiving certificate and completing solo cross-country bike trips, until a hip replacement sidelined him at age 65. He is supported by his wife Donna and children Karen, Wendy, Brian, and Serena. James P.Donnelly, Jr. grew up in Clarence, NY, a small town near Buffalo, and the hometown of Professor Kiener. Jim received his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Allegheny College in Meadville, PA, master’s in Social Psychology from Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, CA, and Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University at Buffalo. A licensed psychologist, Jim has held academic, clinical and research positions at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, the University at Buffalo, and Canisius University. Mentoring experiences include many practicum, internship, masters’, doctoral, and post-doctoral students. He served on 110 doctoral dissertation committees, chairing 32. His primary focus has been on chronic health conditions, as well as research methods. He is co-author of three widely used books on research methods, author or co-author of more than 150 journal articles, chapters, reviews and abstracts, and has made over 100 national and international presentations at refereed conferences. Jim has been a consultant to the Institute of Medicine, the Centers for Disease Control, Children’s Hospice International, among others. He is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Counseling and Human Services and continues as Director of Measurement and Statistics at the Institute for Autism Research at Canisius. Welcome to Mentor Moments, the podcast where distinctive journeys shape the individuals we become. Join us for engaging counseling conversations that delve deep into personal journeys while focusing on pressing professional issues. In this season of Mentor Moments, we're honored to feature remarkable individuals who not only introduce you to the world of rehabilitation counseling but also tackle current topics and issues that matter. Each episode invites you into the minds of our guests as they share their unique perspectives. Follow us at: Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Instagram: @mentor.moments Website: https://www.mraeasternchapter.com/maryvillerc