Background: Kathy Kaysen Murzyn
Kathy Kaysen Murzyn's passions keep her focused on teaching, coaching and writing to help people maximize their lives and talents. Her professional experiences include counseling, community fundraising, writing, small business management, project management and higher education adminstration. No matter the title or pursuit, she is drawn to serve others...
Kathy holds a Masters Degree in Counseling from DePaul University where she worked as a residential facility manager. Her clinical practicuum, required for the Masters, was completed at Women Employed Institute in downtwon Chicago. It was there where she worked within a wealfare-to-work program counseling displaced women through personal, educational and vocational obstacles in order help them attain and maintain gainfull employment. This experience solidified Kathy's belief in a "systems" perspective and service approach.
Kathy also holds a Bachelors Degree in Psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and is certified and/or qualified to adminster numerous career/vocational/interest tests and inventories. She is an active member of the National Career Development Association (NCDA) which is a SIG of the American Counseling Association (ACA).
While working her way through her undergraduate years, Kathy was a Residence Advisor, a Wellness Educator and a Research Assistant to some of the top Professors within the Psychology Department. It was at UIC where she first trained for and performed counseling triage, crisis management and counseling interventions.
Over the past twelve years Kathy has performed fundraising for health and human service agencies, ran multiple living facilities, coached MBA candidates and college alumni on career issues, counseled wealfare-to-workforce women, facilitated support groups, taught college classes, delivered workshops on everything from job attainment to non-technical metric formation--and so on. Not to seem "snobbish", Kathy has aslo held the prestigious titles of "pizza girl", "lawn maintenance chick", and let's not forget "Bucky The Beaver"--the mascot of the Ameican Dental Association--don't ask!
Currently, Kathy is on the Counseling Faculty of Joliet Junior College , where she teaches courses around the topic of career and lifestyle development, provides workshops on wellness to staff and is an advisor to the Early Childhood Center on wellness. Kathy is a guest lecturer in the Graduate Program of DePaul University's School of Education and runs two small businesses: k2 Career & Wellness Services and Juice Plus+. In her "free" time she writes non-fiction--most published in Family Time Magazine-- and is active with her various alumni associations.
Kathy lives in Orland Park, Illinois, with her husband CJ, two children and two cats.
Resume
Education
Masters of Education, DePaul University School of Education
Bachelors of Arts, Psychology, University of Illinois-Chicago
Leadership Certification, Illinois Institute of Technology
Lincoln-Way Community High School, New Lenox, Il
Training
Vocational Counseling for High Risk Populations, Women Employed Institute
Career Occupation Preferences Inventory (COPP)
Meyers' Brigg Type Indicator (MBTI)
Strong Interest Inventory Certification, CPP
Military Leadership Training, Air Force Reserved Officer Training Core, Illinois Institute of Technology
Sexual Predator Training, Archdiocese of Chicago
Wellness and Nutrition Training, 50 hours from Juice Plus+/Prevention Chicago
Professional Experience
Founder and Principle Project Manager, k2 Project Management, Inc.
Adjunct Faculty, Joliet Junior College Counseling Department
Contributing Writer, Family Time Magazine
Project Manager, DePaul University Alumni Relations & Networks
Career Counselor, DePaul University Career Center
Division Director-Campaign, United Way/Crusade of Mercy,
Counselor, Job Developer & Instructor, Women Employed Institute
Presentation & Training Topics
Career Mentoring
Professional Networking
Communicating for Success
The Role of Alumni in Student Services
Non-Technical Metrics Formation
Publications
"Peanutbutter and Jelly Managment", Book Review for National Career Deveolopment Association of the American Counseling Association eZine, published 2006
Monthly Columnist, Family Time Magazine, 2006
"Communicating Grades For Impact" Joliet Junior Colleges Best Faculty Practices Guide, published 2005
"Fundraising 101: The Average Joe's Guide to Making Your Goal"written for the Susan G. Komen Foundation, 2005
"History of Vocational Services for Women in the Chicagoland Area", Master's Thesis, published 1997
"You Can Go Home" published in the University of Illinois Alumni Magazine, 2000
Interests
Reading--Favorite authors include Harriot Lerner, David Sedaris, Amy Tan, Anne Rice
Geneological Research
Wellness, Nutrition and Exercise
Politics, Local and National
Travel--12 countries down, countless to go!