Logan Vess
Visiting Assistant Professor
Background
Dr. Vess joined John Carroll University in 2016, initially serving as Assistant Director for Academic Internships in the Center for Career Services before transitioning into a full-time faculty role in the Department of Counseling. Throughout his career, he has worked extensively with undergraduate and graduate students, providing career counseling, academic instruction, clinical training support, and professional development. In his current role, he coordinates practicum and internship experiences for Clinical Mental Health Counseling students, working closely with community agencies, clinical supervisors, and university partners to support students' professional growth.
Dr. Vess has also contributed to several major grant-funded initiatives designed to reduce financial barriers for graduate students and expand Ohio's behavioral health workforce. He previously helped coordinate the $278,632 Great Minds Fellowship and a $363,000 Ohio Department of Higher Education Workforce Development grant, initiatives that collectively provided more than half a million dollars in support to counseling students completing clinical training experiences. More recently, he has supported departmental efforts associated with JCU's $1.05 million Ohio Behavioral Health Scholarship award and its historic $3.2 million Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant. These initiatives seek to increase access to graduate education, strengthen clinical training opportunities, and prepare counselors to serve communities experiencing behavioral health workforce shortages.
Areas of Expertise
Dr. Vess' areas of expertise include career counseling and development, career construction theory, narrative career interventions, counselor education, clinical training and supervision, experiential learning, and behavioral health workforce development. His professional interests also include student professional identity development, access to clinical training opportunities, and the transition from graduate education to professional counseling practice. Through his work as Practicum and Internship Coordinator, he has developed extensive experience in clinical placement coordination, community partnerships, professional development programming, and supporting counseling students across traditional and online learning environments.
Research Interests
Dr. Vess' research interests center on career construction theory, life design counseling, narrative career interventions, and the processes through which individuals develop meaning and direction in their professional lives. His doctoral research examined narrative-based career counseling interventions, including the My Career Story and Future Career Autobiography, with particular attention to how individuals construct and communicate their evolving career identities. His scholarship has also explored career counseling supervision, critical moments in career counseling, positive youth development, and career development among underrepresented populations. His research and professional presentations reflect a broader interest in understanding how counseling interventions can promote self-reflection, personal agency, and meaningful career development across diverse populations.
Education
Dr. Vess earned his Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from Kent State University in 2026. He also holds a Master of Arts in Counseling with a concentration in Higher Education (2013) and a Bachelor of Science in Human Services and Sociology (2007), both from East Tennessee State University. He has been a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the state of Ohio since 2017.
Courses Taught
Dr. Vess teaches courses across John Carroll University's graduate Clinical Mental Health Counseling curriculum, with particular emphasis on the development of foundational counseling competencies and the application of counseling theory to clinical practice. His teaching experience includes Career Development and Vocational Appraisal, Counseling Techniques and Practice, Group Procedures, Clinical Mental Health Counseling Practicum and Internship, Family and Relationship Counseling, Clinical Intervention and Ethics, and Research Methods. His instructional approach emphasizes experiential learning, reflective practice, professional identity development, and helping students connect theoretical knowledge with practical counseling skills.Publications
Dr. Vess has authored and coauthored peer-reviewed journal articles, scholarly book chapters, and professional publications addressing career construction, career counseling, life design, and counselor education. His work has appeared in the Journal of Vocational Behavior, Journal of Child and Adolescent Counseling, The Family Journal, and other professional publications. He has also contributed to scholarly volumes published by Routledge and the National Career Development Association and presented research at national and international professional conferences.Selected Publications
- Hartung, P. J., and Vess, L. R. (2016). Critical moments in career construction counseling. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 97, 31–39.
- Hartung, P. J., and Vess, L. R. (2019). Career construction for life design. In N. Arthur & M. McMahon (Eds.), Contemporary theories of career development: International perspectives (pp. 91–104). Routledge.
- Storlie, C., Chan, C., and Vess, L. R. (2019). Examining positive youth development in diverse youth through the Future Career Autobiography. Journal of Child and Adolescent Counseling.
- Vess, L. R., and Lara, T. L. (2016). Career counseling and family therapy: An interview with Mark Savickas, Ph.D. The Family Journal, 24(1), 85–94.
- Lara, T. L., Brant, J. M., and Vess, L. R. (2016). Career counseling group supervision: A new approach in master's level counseling programs. Journal for Career Planning and Adult Development, 32(1), 140–149.
- Lara, T. L., and Vess, L. R. (2015). Using O*NET in career counseling: College students' initial career choices. Journal for Career Planning and Adult Development, 30(4), 36–51.
