About Us
Counseling Center Staff
The Counseling Center Staff are experts in using different counseling approaches to assist college students with a variety of concerns. Because we are generalists, you probably don’t need to find the exact issue you are experiencing under a certain counselor. This page will provide you a little more information about our staff as people, because they can sometimes help students feel more comfortable coming to the Center.
Welcome from the Director!
My name is Joe Abhold, Ph.D. I am the Director of the UW Oshkosh Counseling Center. I spend most of my time working with the staff and the entire campus to ensure that our services and campus climate are conducive to student well-being and student success.
I was born and raised in Freedom, Wisconsin and am a graduate of UW Oshkosh, so I have a long and deep commitment to our campus and feel like I really understand what our students need to thrive and succeed. The most common comments students make on our evaluations are: how “nice” everyone is at the Counseling Center, how “comfortable” it is and how clear it is that we want to “help students”.
If you want to read more about me click here or continue reading about the outstanding Counseling Center Staff. I am sure you will find a number of people you can connect with.
University Counseling Center Staff
| Kathleen Mueske, EAP Director, Associate Director |
| Michael Altekruse, Counseling Psychologist |
| Kim Charniak, Clinical Social Worker |
| Hongying Chen, Counseling Psychologist |
| Denise Engel, Counseling Psychologist |
| Nathan Gump, Counseling Psychologist, Career Coordinator |
| Mary Mattson, Clinical Social Worker |
| Elena Petrova, Counseling Psychologist |
| Shelly Rutz, Clinical Social Worker, Outreach Coordinator |
| Laura Sandberg, Clinical Social Worker |
| Sherman, Therapy Dog |
Barb Kargus, University Services Associate
Barb Kargus keeps our Counseling Center afloat. Her goal is to help students know our services and to get connected. She works tirelessly to help our students feel welcomed and comfortable. Her other responsibilities include: answering students' and staff member’s questions, helping students find resources in the Self Help and Career Resource Libraries, supervising our student workers, scheduling appointments, and keeping our data up to date…just to name a few.