Hiram resident Jamie Sitko understands how services can change lives
Jamie Sitko, M.Ed, PC-CR, is the owner and counselor at Sitko Counseling in Hiram, which she established in 2010. Due to her own experiences of surviving abuse and depression, Sitko has made it her life’s purpose to help others who have been victimized.
“I have experienced trauma, the black hole of depression, life-disrupting anxiety and panic attacks. Counseling enabled me to progress from victim to survivor to thriving. In my practice, I now help people, who have experienced similar challenges, go from victims to thriving,” Sitko said.
Her reasons for joining the Mental Health & Recovery Board are closely associated with her recovery: eliminating the stigma of mental illness through education; and working to ensure services are available so that individuals and families can lead productive lives.
She earned her Master of Education in Community Counseling from Kent State University. She trained at Valley Counseling in Warren and through the Counseling and Human Development Center at KSU. Sitko received her undergraduate degree in Elementary Education from Hiram College. She worked with students who had learning and developmental disabilities at Windham Elementary School and Windham High School. She lead several grant programs for the district.
From the perspective of a mental health professional, she believes strongly that communities benefit when they have the resources provided by the Mental Health & Recovery Board and its agencies to help citizens with mental illnesses or addictions function better, stay employed and contribute to the life of a community.
Sitko is a member of the American Counseling Association, Ohio Counseling Association, Eastern Ohio Counseling Association and the Chi Sigma Iota Counseling Academic and Professional Honor Society. She is a former leader and lifetime member of Girls Scouts of Northeast Ohio and is a La Leche League leader of 23 years. Active members of the Hiram community, Sitko and her husband, Steven, have two adult children.
