Email: epatton@sscc.edu

A member of the Southern State community since 1981, Eric Patton is currently an assistant professor in the Human and Social Services program. He holds licensure as a Professional Counselor in Ohio, and is also credentialed as a National Certified Counselor. His professional memberships include the Ohio Coalition of Associate Degree Human Services Educators, American Counseling Association, Ohio Counseling Association, Greater Cincinnati Counseling Association, National Association of Mental Health Counselors, and he is a charter-member of the American College Counseling Association.

Eric’s professional proficiencies include curriculum development, cultural diversity training, mental-health counseling, crisis intervention, group counseling, and career counseling.

In 1997, Eric was asked to develop the curriculum for a new academic program at the College – Human and Social Services. He spent the next three years composing course objectives and syllabi, reviewing textbooks, and interviewing potential adjunct faculty. In the year 2000, he accepted a full-time teaching appointment in the new Human and Social Services program.

Prior joining the Human Services program, Eric worked as a direct-service provider to Southern State students -- offering personal counseling, crisis intervention, and career counseling. He also directed the College’s Counseling and Career Resources Center on all four Southern State campuses. In that role, he provided one-on-one counseling, group interventions, crisis intervention, and numerous student-development workshops on topics related to mental-health, wellness, and career planning. He coordinated all of the College’s major student assessment programs; including local GED testing, the College’s placement test, and entrance-testing for both the LPN and RN programs. He was also responsible for selection of both print and electronic-media resources for the Counseling and Career Resources Center’s collection. During this period, he initiated a collaborative relationship between the College’s Success Center, Your Place program, Learning Resources Center (LRC), and Counseling and Career Resources Center -- to locate all their mental-health and career-planning resources in one location on each campus (within the LRCs). 

Earlier in his career, right out of college -- Eric served as “Coordinator of Recruitment, Admissions, and Student Activities” at Southern State. In that role he coordinated basic student recruitment activities, edited and published all College marketing and academic publications, and he served as advisor to many student organizations.

Today, as a member of the faculty at Southern State Community College, Eric’s primary focus is on teaching. He dedicates his time and energy to assisting students, fulfilling the mission of the Human and Social Services program, and becoming a more effective instructor. His most recent professional endeavor has been designing and teaching his first online courses.