Scholarships and Awards CCE Board Certified-TeleMental Health Provider (BC-TMH) Program

Dr. Courtney Alvarez is a counselor educator in the master's in professional counseling program at Carlow University in Pittsburgh. She is also a Licensed Professional Counselor and Registered Play Therapist – Supervisor, who works part-time in private practice at Summit Psychological Services. She completed her Bachelor of Science in psychology at the University of Houston, and both her Master of Science in marriage, family, and couple counseling and Doctor of Philosophy in counselor education at Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi.

Dr. Alvarez currently serves as the treasurer for the Greater Pittsburgh Counseling Association. She is a National Certified Counselor and Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor. Her clinical experience has primarily been with children and families involved in the child welfare, foster care, and criminal justice systems. She specializes in counseling children and adolescents affected by complex trauma, intergenerational poverty, abuse, neglect, violence, and substance use. Her research and teaching interests also involve preparing students and new professionals to advocate for and provide services to children, adolescents, and their families. Her goal as a Board Certified-TeleMental Health Provider is to improve the quality and accessibility of telemental health services available to children, adolescents, and families through her practice, research, teaching, and supervision. Dr. Alvarez became acutely aware of the deficit of mental health professionals available to serve children and adolescents in need of care in western Pennsylvania during the COVID-19 pandemic. She hopes that the increased adoption of telemental health services will increase accessibility of services to children and their families in the region.

Monique Barber is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Idaho and a National Certified Counselor. She is a clinician at The Counseling Center at Tree City Church and facilitates poetry therapy for individuals with substance use disorders at Ashwood Recovery in Boise. She is currently pursuing certification as a poetry therapist—an expressive form of counseling that offers people another way to achieve their therapeutic goals. She is president of the Idaho Association for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling, a division of the Idaho Counseling Association. She graduated from the Marriage and Family Counseling program with an addictions emphasis at Northwest Nazarene University. In 2018, she was named as an NBCC Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) Addictions Counseling Fellow. During her time as an MFP Fellow, she researched the strengths of young, minority couples in recovery.

Barber is a part of a research team that is researching the needs of American Indians and caregivers who live in rural Idaho and on Tribal land. As part of this group, they are examining barriers to treatment for individuals to obtain telehealth counseling services. With this award, she plans to seek the appropriate training and bring her newfound expertise to the group in order to reach individuals who otherwise may not receive services. As a professional counselor, she has experience with most mental health disorders, including anxiety and depression. Other areas in which she has additional training include addictions, premarital counseling, couple/marriage and family counseling, and supporting the mental health needs of caregivers. And she will soon add to this list, telemental health provider.

Darryl Black graduated from Kansas State University with a BA before joining the U.S. Army as an officer. He served 3 years active duty followed by 7 years reserve in the medical service corp. After earning an MA in counseling from Fairleigh Dickinson University, he worked in all levels of treatment while working as a substance awareness coordinator in both Newark and Paterson Public Schools for over 14 years as well as maintaining a private practice part time. The BC-TMH credential will assist him in providing telemental health services to a wider network of individuals, especially for those who have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meagan Clark is a counselor and private practice owner based in Denver, Colorado. She received her Master of Arts in school and clinical mental health counseling from Adams State University and holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degree in English from Colorado State University-Pueblo. She is a National Certified Counselor and has experience working in urban school systems and private practice. Her passion is in serving teen and adult women who are affected by trauma, anxiety, depression, and chronic stress produced by gender-based discrimination and issues in relationships, college/career, caregiving, or illness. To meet the needs of her clients across the state of Colorado, she provides therapy services exclusively via telehealth. With the BC-TMH credential, she hopes to make her practice, Her Time Therapy, LLC, a premier women's counseling center that aids in closing the accessibility gap to quality mental health care by offering online counseling that is convenient, holistic, and empowering.

Dr. Wynn Dupkoski is a counselor educator and counselor providing specialized counseling in the areas of trauma, reproductive loss, and transgender/non-binary experiences. She received her bachelor's in psychology with counseling emphasis from Lander University in Greenwood, South Carolina, and her master’s in community counseling from Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina. She earned her PhD in counselor education and supervision from the University of South Carolina in Columbia. She is a National Certified Counselor and licensed professional counselor in North Carolina and South Carolina. Dr. Dupkoski plans to continue her efforts supporting LGBTQIA+ clients and enhancing maternal mental health service access and support using telehealth services, which provide increased access.

Silvia Espinosa is a National Certified Counselor, a Licensed Professional Counselor in Missouri, and has over 22 years of experience in the mental health field. She earned an EdS degree in counseling and assessment. She is certified as a psychological examiner and is a K–12 certified school counselor. Currently, Espinosa is a virtual counselor for Launch, Missouri’s largest public virtual education provider. In the past year, Launch has served over 20,000 virtual students. Espinosa is leading the development of the expansion of a virtual comprehensive counseling program to include synchronous social-emotional lesson delivery, providing psychoeducational counsel to families by hosting parent webinars, and speaking at mental health trainings and conferences.

She is invested in raising awareness of risk factors associated with childhood abuse, specifically incest, and the prevalence of domestic violence. Espinosa is also an EMDR-trained therapist and enjoys providing evidence-based therapy to the diverse clientele she serves in her private practice. This BC-TMH award will allow her to maintain high standards of clinical practice as she provides telemental health services to virtual students, their families, and the clients requesting her care. She is especially grateful this credential will make her bilingual therapeutic services more accessible to the Latino community who have limited access to quality mental health services.

Dr. Becky Hartwig is a National Certified Counselor residing and practicing in rural Arkansas. She received her Bachelor of Science in business management from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia; Master of Science in clinical mental health counseling from Capella University in Minneapolis, Minnesota; and PhD in counselor education and supervision from Capella University. Working toward her professional counseling licensure in Arkansas makes receiving training on the use of telemental health resources a necessity. Dr. Hartwig's goals as a Board Certified -TeleMental Health Provider include increasing access to mental wellness services for a marginalized rural population, enlarging her own market reach as a rural practitioner, and offering telemental health care with confidence.

Diana Hoover is a licensed professional counselor with experience serving children, adolescents, and adults, providing individual, family and group counseling to individuals struggling with a variety of issues such as anxiety; depression; trauma; and emotional, sexual, and physical abuse, in the Jackson, Mississippi, area. She is very passionate about helping others learn to inspire growth within themselves. She received her bachelor’s degree in childcare and family education, her master’s degree in community counseling, and her specialist degree in psychometry, all from Jackson State University. She is committed to serving individuals of all ages. Hoover has experience working with early childhood ages through adults, utilizing her knowledge and experience with families and encouraging and teaching skills in family support, team building, mental health counseling, and psychometric testing. She also has experience working with psychosocial rehabilitation services with adults and day treatment services for youth and adolescents. She plans to use her BC-TMH credential to apply her skills to implement services in local and rural areas that will help parents and individuals identify signs and symptoms of social, emotional, and behavioral problems in their early stages.

Siobhan McCullough is a licensed clinical professional counselor for a private practice telehealth agency in Illinois. She received her bachelor's degree in psychology and her master's degree in community counseling and has been providing professional counseling services for the last 12 years. She is a National Certified Counselor and has experience working in a variety of settings, including community, private practice, and hospital-based settings. In each of these experiences, she has had the opportunity to aid clients seeking assistance for a wide range of concerns and symptoms within individual and group therapy environments. As a recipient of the BC-TMH Training Award, her goal is to increase her knowledge and abilities in providing telehealth services to better serve the adult population looking to find assistance in leading a healthier and more engaged life.

Dr. Arien Muzacz practices existential counseling and humanistic education and supervision through a multicultural social justice lens, celebrating intersecting identities while confronting societal systemic oppression. She has been a licensed professional counselor for over 10 years and has served students as a faculty member in CACREP-accredited counseling programs since 2016. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology and political science from Barnard College and worked in non-profit fundraising before pursuing a master’s in mental health counseling at the City College of New York. After working in an integrated behavioral health setting and earning her license in New York, she became a clinical director for several prevention programs at a community-based social service agency and completed Oregon State University’s (OSU) hybrid PhD program.

Dr. Muzacz is now a clinical assistant professor at OSU, teaching in the master’s and PhD programs and conducting research in the areas of sexuality, marginalization, and health disparities. She is a National Certified Counselor (NCC), a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), and registered supervisor in the state of Oregon, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) qualified to supervise in the state of New York, and an Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS). Her goal as a BC-TMH is to advance her current work as a counselor serving clients who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender expansive, queer, intersex, asexual, or polyamorous (LGBTGEQIAP+) by expanding her reach into more rural or conservative communities via telehealth. She can also supervise pre-licensed or licensed counselors in the areas of sexuality, gender affirmation, and compulsive behavior in the states of Oregon and New York.

LaShonda Oates Milsap is a mental health therapist for a group practice in North Carolina, where she is licensed as a Clinical Social Worker Associate. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from Fayetteville State University and Master of Social Work degree from Smith College. She is a licensed clinical social worker associate with extensive experience working with diverse underserved communities, including individuals, children, and families impacted by mental health disorders, domestic violence, trauma, substance abuse, and other serious issues. She is also a co-author who helps and motivates others to pursue their goals and aspirations and recognizes their strengths. Her goal as a Board Certified-TeleMental Health Provider is to increase her professional competency to offer online therapy services in addition to increasing her knowledge of the various ethical, legal, and practice considerations specific to telemental health to those with limited access to mental health services.

Robin Pee is a counselor in her hometown of Kosciusko, Mississippi. She sees children, teens, and adults through individual, couples, and family counseling. She received her Bachelor of Science in psychology from Mississippi University for Women, a Master of Science in guidance and counseling from the University of West Alabama, and an Education Specialist degree in counseling from Mississippi College. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor, a member of the Mississippi Counseling Association, a summa cum laude graduate of the University of West Alabama and a magna cum laude graduate of Mississippi College.

Pee is on the Kosciusko Attala Partnership (KAP) board for her hometown and recently received the award for "Public Servant" in the Best of the Beehive competition. Pee sees individuals for counseling who need help recovering from trauma and addiction as well as clients dealing with depression, anxiety, ADHD, behavioral issues, post-partum adjustment, parenting difficulty, and phase of life problems. With the BC-TMH credential, she intends to develop a community access program through collaboration with local physicians and doctors’ offices. This credential will pave the way for Attala County residents as well as other Mississippi residents to access a therapist who will have their best interests at heart; someone to advocate for them, acknowledge their struggle, and validate their feelings. As the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the harmful effects of isolation, Pee wants rural communities, such as her own, to find peace in having access to the help they need.

Marcy Redden is a grief and bereavement counselor in private practice based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she is a Licensed Professional Counselor. Redden treats children, adolescents, and adults in individual, couple, family, and group therapy sessions, both in-person and via telehealth. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and Master of Science in clinical counseling from Northeastern State University in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. She is a National Certified Counselor and Fulbright Scholar, and has extensive experience working with people experiencing anxiety, depression, burnout, trauma, cancer, terminal illness, existential crisis, and other issues. She plans to utilize the BC-TMH credential to be accessible to her clients in the hospital and from the comfort of their homes. Her main passion is integrating therapy, mindfulness, yoga, and meditation into the lives of her clients to help facilitate transition and adjustment through all facets of grief and loss.

Raphael Fredric Roxas Samson is a Behavioral Health Clinician at CPC Behavioral Healthcare and a private practice clinician at Navesink Counseling Associates, both in Red Bank, New Jersey. Additionally, Samson is an independently contracted clinician. He holds a Master of Science in mental health counseling with a specialty area in alcohol and drug counseling from Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey, and a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from De La Salle University in Metro Manila, Philippines.

He is a Licensed Professional Counselor, a Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor, an Approved Clinical Supervisor, a National Certified Counselor, and is a member of the American Counseling Association. In 2015, he was awarded an NBCC Foundation Minority Fellowship Program for Addictions Counselors Fellowship. Samson has extensive experience working with individuals with mental health and substance use disorders with a wide array of clientele, utilizing evidence-based and client-centered modalities such as cognitive behavior therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and motivational interviewing, all from a multicultural perspective. His goal as a Board Certified-TeleMental Health Provider is to provide telemental health services to the diverse populations he serves and help bridge the gap. His research interests primarily include the impact of privilege and oppression in mental health and substance abuse, Asian and Asian American identity, immigrant well-being, and identity. He currently resides in Tinton Falls, New Jersey, and takes trips to his native Philippines.

Stefanie Walker has been a Licensed Professional Counselor for 20 years. She earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a Master of Human Relations-Counseling both from the University of Oklahoma. Walker has experience working with children and adolescents in underserved populations in both urban and rural areas of Oklahoma providing individual, group, and family therapy. She is currently a telehealth therapist working with adults and teens and also collaborates with a rural school district in Oklahoma providing supportive counseling and crisis intervention services. Walker's counseling style is strength based. She works with her clients to develop coping skills while empowering clients to live their best life. She considers the client/therapist relationship to be one of the most important aspects of counseling and believes in treating all people with dignity and respect, while being sensitive and compassionate to client's needs. She is excited about receiving the BC-TMH training award and is passionate about learning all aspects of telehealth to continue to provide services that are of high quality and ethical in care.

Kelly Warner is a Licensed Professional Counselor, National Certified Counselor, and a school counselor in Texas. Outside of school counseling, she runs a small private practice exclusively online. She graduated with her Master of Science in clinical mental health counseling from Tarleton State University in Fort Worth, Texas, and is currently pursuing her PhD in counselor education and supervision from Capella University with plans of becoming a counselor educator. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, she has worked on a variety of telemental health platforms with clients dealing with crisis, increased stress and anxiety, depression, and trauma. With training as a BC-TMH Provider, Warner hopes to grow her practice and strengthen her skills as a telehealth clinician to provide the best possible counseling experience for her clients.

Dr. Todd K. Whitman is a National Certified Counselor, Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC-PA, LCPC-MD) and Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS) with over 20 years of direct client experience working with adolescents, adults, and families. He received his bachelor’s degree from Colgate University in 1990, his master's degree in counseling services from SUNY Oswego in 1997, and his doctoral degree in counselor education and supervision from the University of Virginia in 2004. He worked for 5 years as a school counselor for Fairfax County Public Schools in Alexandria, Virginia. Additionally, during his master's and doctoral graduate training, he worked as an addictions counselor at an inpatient rehabilitation center and community service board that coordinated a drug court program. He continues to see clients and provide supervision services to individuals seeking licensure.

Dr. Whitman joined the Department of Counselor Education at Shippensburg University in 2005, and he teaches master’s-level coursework in DSM-5/abnormal psychology, assessment and appraisal, drug and alcohol counseling, research and statistics, counseling practicum, and field/internship. He also teaches doctoral-level coursework in quantitative research methods, statistical applications, and program evaluation. He has written numerous evaluation reports for grants funded by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board as well as the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), among others. He also serves as the IRB Chair at Shippensburg University and is now Chair of the Department of Counselor Education. By obtaining the BC-TMH Provider training and credential, Dr. Whitman hopes to bring that knowledge directly to students in his courses, so they are as well equipped for virtual and telehealth modalities as they are face-to-face clinical work.

Taneika Williams is a substance abuse counselor for Georgia Regional Hospital in Atlanta, where she is licensed as an associate clinical professional. She received her Bachelor of Science in psychology from the University of Georgia and a master’s in clinical counseling and psychology from Troy University Global Campus. In Spring 2022, she will be pursuing her PsyD in psychology at Walden University.

Williams is a National Certified Counselor and Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor. She has experience with individual counseling, group facilitation, conducting assessments, and treatment planning. Her experience includes work with underserved populations such as those with mental illness, eating disorders, substance abuse, and victims of domestic violence. She currently is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Psychological Association (APA), Alcohol and Drug Abuse Certification Board of Georgia (ADACBGA), Licensed Professional Counselors Association of Georgia (LPCGA), and The Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC). Her goal as a Board Certified-TeleMental Health Provider is to start an online consulting LLC, providing wellness services to adolescents and adults from underserved groups. She intends to work with this population to address concerns of trauma, life adjustments, relationships, career goals, and overall wellness.