Meet the Social Services Staff

Social Services Counseling Staff

The UHS Social Services Counseling staff provides compassionate, specialty counseling. Support services include alcohol and other drugs, chronic medical conditions and new diagnoses, eating disorders and body image, medical withdrawal administration, nutrition, pregnancy resources and referrals, relationship violence, stalking, sexual health, sexual violence, and victims of crime.

Our counselors provide education, counseling, advocacy, referrals and assistance with academic, financial and related issues that may arise as a result of the above.

Counselors

	Justin Castello, PhD Licensed Psychologist	Interests: Harm reduction therapy, alcohol and other drugs counseling, trauma counseling, couples and family counseling, multicultural issues, and LGBTQ+ issues.
	Maayan Greene, LCSW Licensed Clinical Social Worker	Interests: Eating disorders, trauma issues, healthy relationships, identity development, mindfulness practices (including MBCT and DBT techniques), depression and anxiety, and wellness and self-care.
	Zenaida Hernandez, LCSW Licensed Clinical Social Worker, University Village	Interests: Trauma-informed care, first generation and transfer students, student parents, students of color (specialty in working with Latinx population). Additional languages: Spanish
	Shanta Jambotkar, LCSW Licensed Clinical Social Worker	Interests: Healing after trauma, sexual violence and intimate partner violence interventions, health conditions, LGBTQI and non-binary issues, women of color and SSWANA communities, and EMDR. Pronouns: she/they
	Tobirus M. Newby, LCSW Social Services Manager	Interests: Alcohol and other drugs counseling, domestic violence and sexual assault intervention, sexual health risk reduction, LGBTQ issues, trauma counseling, spirituality, intersectionality, and multiculturalism.
	Erin O'Connor, LCSW Licensed Clinical Social Worker	Interests: Trauma-informed and trauma-specific care, relationship and sexual violence, mindfulness, self-care, integrated health & wellness, self-image, sociocultural identity, mental health among Muslim Americans and other underserved communities.
	Karen Tsai, LCSW Licensed Clinical Social Worker	Interests: Trauma-informed counseling, psychodynamic psychotherapies, multicultural and social-justice oriented counseling, mind-body-spirit wellness.
	Viviana Urdaneta Melo, LCSW Licensed Clinical Social Worker	Interests: Trauma, survivors of sexual assault, intimate partner violence, and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). Additional languages: Spanish
	Robin Walley, LCSW Licensed Clinical Social Worker	Interests: Alcohol and other drugs and harm reduction.

1st Year Post-MSW Clinical Social Work Fellows

Andrea Godinez, AM

University of Chicago

Interests: Emotional awareness, empowerment, resilience, healing, relationships and intimacy, sexual health, anxiety, depression, intimate partner violence, loss and grief, trauma, transition and adjustment, career development, multicultural identities, underserved populations (students of color, first-generation college students), LatinX, international students, immigrant & next generations, refugee, and transfer students.

Additional Languages: Spanish

Lisa Quach, MSW

Columbia University

Interests: Trauma counseling, couples and family counseling, alcohol and other drugs counseling, Intimate partner violence and sexual assault intervention, sexual health risk reduction, navigating intersectional identities and intergenerational healing.

Jason Straussman, AM

University of Chicago

Interests: Families, religion and spirituality, cultural identity, stress management, depression, relationships, and trauma-informed healing.

2nd Year Post-MSW Clinical Social Work Fellows

Paola Arroyo, MSW

University of Michigan

Interests: Multicultural counseling, Latinx/Chicanx, immigrant and undocumented students’ mental health, underserved populations (students of color, first-generation college students), identity development, adjustment and transitions, body image and disordered eating concerns, trauma-informed care, sexual violence and assault, relationship concerns, family of origin, grief and loss.

Additional Languages: Spanish

Registered Dietitians

The UHS Registered Dietitians provide medical nutrition therapy and nutrition counseling for any UC Berkeley student with nutrition-related health concerns.

	Elizabeth Aong, MPH, RD	Elizabeth Aong joined UHS in 2017 as a part-time clinical dietitian. She completed her undergraduate degree at UC San Diego and received her MPH in Nutrition from the University of Washington. Elizabeth has a special clinical interest in community public health, food security, and weight management
	Karen Johal, MSc, RDN	Karen Johal joined UHS in 2018. She received both her BS in Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics and her BA in Psychology from UC Berkeley, completed a Dietetic Internship at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and received her MSc in Health Psychology from the University of Surrey. Karen serves as the Diversity Liaison for the Bay Area District of the California Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and volunteers with a UC Berkeley club that organizes free health clinics across the Bay Area (she also volunteered here as an undergraduate). She has a special clinical interest in weight management for overweight and underweight individuals, plant-based lifestyles, holistic health, and behavior change.
	Sarah Minkow, MPH, RD	Sarah Minkow joined UHS in 2017 as a clinical dietitian. She completed her BA in Psychology with a minor in Exercise and Health Science at UC Santa Barbara (2006) and her MS in Nutritional Science at California State University, Long Beach (2016). Sarah has a special clinical interest in nutrition for disease prevention and treatment, mindful eating, and food security.
	Toby Morris, MS, RD Lead Clinical Dietitian	Toby Morris has been the lead clinical dietitian for students at UHS since 2012. She received her BA in Communication Studies from UCLA, her MS in Nutrition from San Jose State University, and completed her dietetic training at UCSF Medical Center. Toby specializes in eating disorders and mindful eating.

Social Services Administrative Staff

Kimberley Mims

Medical Withdrawl & Academic Adjustments Resource Specialist

Gerald Suarez

Administrative Assistant

Additional Langauge: Tagalog

Contact Us

UHS Tang Center, Social Services
2nd floor, Room 2280
2222 Bancroft Way #2280
Berkeley, CA 94720

Phone: (510) 642-6074

*Due to public health recommendations to mitigate the transmission of COVID-19, our office hours, services & operations are limited until further notice (10am-4pm). Although this is the case we are still able to check our office phone voicemail intermittently.*

>>Meet the Social Services staff
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Topics

Social Services topic page

Meet the Social Services Staff

Social Services Counseling Staff

Our counselors provide education, counseling, advocacy, referrals and assistance with academic, financial and related issues that may arise as a result of the above.

Counselors

Justin Castello, PhD

Maayan Greene, LCSW

Zenaida Hernandez, LCSW

Shanta Jambotkar, LCSW

Tobirus M. Newby, LCSW

Erin O'Connor, LCSW

Karen Tsai, LCSW

Viviana Urdaneta Melo, LCSW

Robin Walley, LCSW