Jessie Byelich, LLMSW - Counselor

Jessie Byelich, LLMSW (she/her)

EAP Counselor

bailey10@msu.edu

517-355-4506

Jessie is a Limited-Licensed Clinical Social Worker with the State of Michigan. She earned her Master of Social Work degree from MSU and joined the staff following her internship with the EAP in 2023. Jessie's areas of practice include working with adults and children navigating significant life transitions, grief and loss, chronic illness, trauma, neurodivergence, stress and overwhelm. Her clinical interests include acceptance commitment theory (ACT), mindfulness-based therapy, stoicism, somatic practices, internal family systems (IFS), neuropsychology and neurobiology. Jessie strives to meet clients where they're at and partner with them to assess their needs, set goals, or simply hold space for the full range of human emotions.

Jessie holds a BS in General Management from Oakland University, and a BA in Interior Design from MSU. She enjoyed a fulfilling career as an Interior Designer, and made a career change to pursue her lifelong interest in mental health counseling following her husband's life-changing health challenges. Jessie is the proud mom of two great kids, and finds joy in swimming, being outdoors, watching movies, reading, and spending time with her family and friends!

Arthur Cicalo, LMSW - Counselor

Arthur Cicalo III, LMSW, CAADC (he/him)

EAP Counselor

cicaloar@msu.edu

517-355-4506

Arthur is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with the State of Michigan and a Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor through the Michigan Certification Board for Addiction Professionals. Arthur received both his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Social Work from Grand Valley State University. Arthur has worked primarily in the areas of outpatient counseling, residential addiction treatment, and independent living, with a focus on working with individuals with disabilities and Veterans. He works with individuals as well as couples. 

Arthur’s clinical interests include anxiety disorders, depression, addictions, relationship issues, personality disorders, and adjustment concerns. His counseling approach is eclectic, however primary evidence based modalities of therapy utilized include: Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Exposure and Response Prevention, Solution-Focused, and the Gottman Method. Arthur is a level 2 trained Gottman Method Couples Therapist, an approach that is based on 40 years of research with thousands of couples.   

Goals of the Gottman Method include increasing a couple's friendship behaviors, addressing conflict productively, and building a life of shared meaning together. The Gottman Method involves customizing principles from Drs. John and Julie Gottmans' research to each couple’s particular patterns and challenges.

Christian Ramirez, LMSW - Counselor

Chris Ramirez, MSW, LMSW (he/him)

EAP Counselor

ramir416@msu.edu

517-355-4506

Chris is a licensed clinical social worker with the State of Michigan. Prior to joining the EAP program at MSU, he worked in an outpatient counseling setting. His past work focused on counseling teens and adults in areas such as depression, anxiety, life transitions, personality disorders, and interpersonal/relationship conflicts. Chris uses a strength-based, solution-focused approach to ensure therapy focuses on what is most relevant to the client. He uses an integrative model, utilizing modalities including Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). Chris has a passion working with the Latino community. He has worked on local projects to increase mental health treatment utilization within the Lansing Latino population. Chris is bilingual and can provide therapy in both English and Spanish.

Outside of work Chris enjoys cooking new recipes and trying the newest food places in town. He also enjoys biking, reading, and spending time with his French bulldog.

Darryl Steele, LPC - Counselor

Darryl Steele, PhD, LPC (he/him)

EAP Counselor

steeled5@msu.edu

517-355-4506

Darryl is a Licensed Professional Counselor with the State of Michigan. Darryl earned a MS.Ed. in Counselor Education with a focus on School Counseling from Southern Illinois University and a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from Western Michigan University. He has practiced as a professional counselor in university and community settings since 2009 with a wide range of populations. While Darryl pulls from several modalities of therapy, he tends to engage in a client centered approach to address issues related to stress and anxiety, life transitions, relationship issues, racial identity, and disability. At the core of Darryl’s approach is active listening and offering reflective insight with the purpose of assisting folks reach the goals they identify as meaningful.

On a personal note, Darryl enjoys date nights with his wife, learning activities with his two daughters, and small gatherings with family and friends. Darryl is also a bit of a stand-up comedy enthusiast.

Jonathon Novello, LMSW/ACSW - EAP Director

Jonathon (Jon) Novello, LMSW, ACSW (he/him)

Employee Assistance Program Director

novelloj@msu.edu

517-355-4506

Jon is not accepting clients at this time.

Jon is a licensed clinical social worker with the State of Michigan. He has been a practicing counselor since 1996, working in a number of different capacities, including psychiatric crisis management and outpatient counseling. Jon's areas of practice include working with adults and children dealing with depression, anxiety, addiction, major life transitions such as divorce, grief and loss, and physical illness and debilitation. He works with individuals as well as with couples and whole family systems when appropriate. His approach tends to be eclectic, drawing from a wide range of theoretical techniques including cognitive behavioral and family systems models. However, underneath his approach lies a basic set of principals that speak to how we all operate psychologically -- that all of us have our own answers, but that sometimes our understanding and beliefs of the past or the future get in the way of seeing those answers.

Jon has many interests outside of work that keep him plenty busy. He is married (to another social worker!) and has three beautiful children, and likes playing with all of them as much as he can. He is passionate about music, reading, movies, and biking around town.

To set up a meeting with Jon, please contact Nicole Martin.

Nicole Martin - Office Manager and Assistant to Jon Novello

Nicole Martin (she/her)

Administrative Assistant II

elenba19@msu.edu

517-355-4506

Nicole Martin serves as the Administrative Assistant for the Employee Assistance Program and directly supports the EAP Director, Jon Novello. Nicole has been a part of the EAP since 2014, and worked in several other administrative support roles at MSU before that.  Nicole received an Associate Degree of Business from Lansing Community College and a Bachelor Degree from Ferris State University.

Nicole enjoys spending time with her husband, children, and helping her husband on their hobby farm.