Counseling Staff
The UHS Counseling staff is a multicultural group of professional counselors and psychiatrists. Counselors include psychologists, social workers, and advanced-level trainees. We try to accommodate students’ preferences regarding counseling gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation.
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Biography |
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Tegan Adams, PsyD Licensed Psychologist Pronouns: she/her |
Tegan (she/her) is a licensed clinical and sport psychologist, who recently joined CAPS in 2022. She has spent her career in college counseling and has a background in working with undergraduate and graduate students in individual (and partner) brief therapy, crisis assessment, and support; working on performance, mental skills, and mental health and wellness with student-athletes; and has led graduate and undergraduate therapy groups. Tegan earned her master's degree in Sport Psychology and a doctorate in Clinical Psychology. She is also a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC-AASP) through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology. Tegan's approach is supportive, culturally informed, strengths-based, and solution-focused. She enjoys collaborating with students to identify and share what they need or want and empower them to head in a direction that feels better through building self-awareness, self-acceptance, and self-confidence. She is very excited to be here supporting UC Berkeley students. |
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Laura Alie, PsyD Licensed Psychologist Assistant Director, Hospital/High-Risk Team Pronouns: she/they |
Laura Alie (she/they) joined the UHS CAPS team in 2012 as a postdoctoral fellow and was hired as a staff psychologist in 2013. Laura received a BS in psychology from Texas Woman’s University, where she was an intercollegiate athlete and a doctorate in psychology from John F. Kennedy University. In 2018 Laura received the Chancellor’s Outstanding Staff Award at UC Berkeley for her work with queer and TGD communities on campus. In 2019 Laura joined the CAPS management team as the Assistant Director of High-Risk & Post Hospital Treatment Programs. Since 2007 Laura has served in multiple roles on the Executive Board of the American Psychological Association’s Division 44 (LGBTQ+ Psychology.) Before becoming a Psychologist, Laura had a fulfilling career as an organic farmer. Laura still enjoys growing fruits and vegetables in their backyard garden and loves spending time with family and friends outdoors. Laura’s dog Charlie always comes along! Clinical Interests: Transgender/gender diverse (TGD) identity development, multicultural identity development, post-hospitalization care, first-generation college student concerns, crisis response, and creating clinical systems that reduce barriers to care. |
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Licensed Psychologist Assistant Director, Satellites, Partnerships, and Special Populations Program |
Adisa Anderson, Ph.D., is a licensed counseling psychologist who joined the UHS CAPS team in 2014. Dr. Anderson earned his BA in Cognitive Psychology from UC Irvine and his PhD in Counseling Psychology from Washington State University. He completed his doctoral internship and post-doctoral fellowship at UHS CAPS. Dr. Anderson was then hired as a senior staff psychologist at CAPS in 2016. In 2021, Dr. Anderson transitioned into a CAPS leadership and management team role as the Assistant Director of Satellites, Partnerships, and Special Populations Program. Dr. Anderson has engaged in extensive efforts at UC Berkeley to promote the mental health and well-being of Black, Indigenous, POC, as well as other underserved communities. These efforts have been advanced by serving on numerous committees over the years including the Chancellor’s Committee for developing an anti-racist campus framework, the Chancellor’s Independent Advisory Board on Police Accountability and Community Safety, Black Leadership Collective, Black Staff & Faculty Organization, and the African American Mental Health Team. Over the years, Dr. Anderson has also served at the national level in various leadership capacities with the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Association of Black Psychologists (ABPSI). In 2019, Dr. Anderson was selected as the Leadership Development Institute Fellow for the Society of Counseling Psychology, highlighting his social justice, leadership, and advocacy skills, while demonstrating a commitment to promoting mental health and well-being within underserved communities. Dr. Anderson’s clinical work and research are grounded in an integrative praxis of a liberation psychology framework, anti-oppression lens, and social justice philosophy. His research interests and publication areas include Black racial identity, equity and inclusion, psychological oppression, and academic persistence. Dr. Anderson specializes in providing culturally competent mental health services, including psychotherapy (holistic health and wellness, complex trauma, relationships, family of origin concerns, substance use, men’s concerns, Black, Indigenous, POC), consultation, group therapy, professional development workshops, and continuing education training on multicultural mental health competency, as well as social justice, leadership, and advocacy. |
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Elizabeth Aranda, PhD Licensed Psychologist Wellness Coordinator at Multicultural Community Center & bridges Multicultural Resource Center |
Elizabeth Aranda joined the UHS CAPS team in 2015. She completed her undergraduate education at The University of Texas at Austin and her Master's and Ph.D. degrees in psychology at Texas Woman’s University. Dr. Aranda currently serves as the Wellness Coordinator for the Multicultural Community Center and bridges Multicultural Resource Center where she engages in culturally informed therapy that utilizes a holistic and decolonized lens. In 2018, Dr. Aranda received the Chancellor’s Outstanding Staff Award at UC Berkeley for her dedicated service to the campus community, and in 2016 and 2020 she was honored with Presidential Citation(s) from the National Latinx Psychological Association for her leadership-centering sexual and gender diverse Latinx persons. In her free time, she enjoys running, reading tarot cards, and creating new traditions with her wife. Dr. Aranda is committed to addressing healing and wellness within queer communities of color. Her clinical focuses within these communities include academic performance, anxiety, coping skills, family issues (challenges), identity development (race/ethnicity, sexuality, gender, and spiritual), “people-pleasing," relationship concerns, and stress management. |
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Cansu Badstubner, LMFT Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Pronouns: she/her Referral Coordinator |
Cansu (she/her) joined the UHS CAPS team in 2024 as a Referral Coordinator. Cansu received her Bachelor of Arts degree double majoring in Sociology and Psychology at Koc University, Istanbul/Turkey. She did study abroad programs at the University of Wollongong and San Francisco State University during her undergraduate Junior year. After graduating, she volunteered in a non-profit in the Boston area called Horizons for Homeless Children for 1 year before moving to San Francisco for her graduate degree. Cansu returned to San Francisco State University and graduated with a Masters of Science in Clinical Psychology. |
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Bianca Barrios-Montoya, PhD Licensed Psychologist Undocumented Student Program Counselor |
Bianca Barrios-Montoya earned her PhD as a first-generation college student from Washington State University’s Counseling Psychology program. She joined the CAPS team in 2018 as a postdoctoral fellow and as a licensed psychologist for the Undocumented Student Program in 2019. Bianca grew up in Los Angeles County with a mixed-status family. As a licensed psychologist, her areas of focus include students of color and undocumented/immigrant students college adjustment and persistence, Latinx mental health, LGBTQ affirmative therapy, and women’s concerns. She possesses an unwavering commitment to social justice and advocacy. When working with students she aims to co-create a space built on trust and compassion where students can feel comfortable bringing in all parts of themselves to begin the process of exploration, learning, and healing. Additional Languages: Spanish |
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Monica Becerra, PhD Licensed Psychologist Pronouns: She/Her/Her |
Monica Becerra (she/they/ella) first joined UHS in 2021 as a postdoctoral fellow and has continued to be part of the Student Mental Health team after becoming a licensed psychologist in 2023. She completed her doctoral internship training at the University of Oregon Counseling Center. She received her Ph.D. and M.A. in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Career Counseling from Southern Illinois University and her B.A. in Psychology and Social Behavior from the University of California, Irvine. She is also a former transfer student from Riverside City College. |
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William Berkhout, PsyD Licensed Psychologist Pronouns: he/him |
Bill is a licensed psychologist who joined the CAPS team in 2022. Before coming to CAPS, Bill was a staff psychologist and served as the Assistant Director of Outreach and Prevention Services at the Counseling Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign. He graduated with a PsyD in clinical psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology in 2018 and earned both a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign in 2011. Bill’s experience in various community mental health and university counseling settings has furthered a passion for community-based intervention, predominantly through the lenses of critical theory, as well as feminist and liberation psychologies. These same theoretical frameworks also inform Bill’s individual and group counseling approaches as well, striving to create affirming and inclusive therapeutic spaces where empathy and insight work in partnership with empowerment and advocacy. When away from work, Bill enjoys time with family, hiking, other outdoor activities, traveling, organic gardening, music, cooking, and being cautiously optimistic about his hometown Chicago sports teams. Clinical interests: critical theory and liberation psychologies; community psychology; expressive arts; antiracism and mental health; personal/cultural/academic/professional identity exploration and development; Latinx student mental health; Native and Indigenous student mental health; Fine and Applied Arts student mental health; supporting undocumented students; trauma-informed healing; mindfulness and meditation. |
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Sasha Blum, PsyD Licensed Psychologist |
Sasha Blum started her career at CAPS as a postdoctoral fellow in 2002. After spending three years in private practice, she joined CAPS as a staff psychologist in 2006. Sasha received her bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Florida and her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Akron. From 2006-2016 she served as the psychologist for the Incentive Awards Program, a scholarship program for first-generation, low-income, underrepresented students. Since 2016, Sasha has served the general student population, providing both individual and group services. She has also been active in the training program and served for one year as the Interim Postdoctoral Training Coordinator. Sasha enjoys running, racing, and spending time with her friends and five children. Clinical Interests: Consensual non-monogamy and polyamory, sex-positive subcultures (eg., the kink community), identity development, and first-generation and low-income college students. |
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Nicole Buitrago, PsyD Licensed Psychologist Pronouns: She/her |
Nicole Buitrago, PsyD (she/her) is a licensed psychologist who identifies as a Queer femme, Latinx, SF born native, neurodivergent, social justice wounded warrior, first generation former college student. She obtained her doctorate in psychology in 2019 from Alliant International University, California School of Professional Psychology, San Francisco Campus. She is a trauma informed, culturally affirming therapist with 7 years of university counseling experience. She previously worked at SF State for 4 years prior to coming to UC Berkeley. Nicole completed her pre-doctoral internship at Stanford University, where she worked closely with the Native American Cultural Center. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship focused on community outreach at San Jose State University. She completed a practicum at Mills College where she became an undocually. She has primarily served Queer and Gender Expansive folx of Color, first generation college students, and is also a skilled generalist having worked at diverse universities in the Bay Area. |
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Don Capone, PsyD, JD Licensed Psychologist Haas School of Business Counselor Pronouns: he/any |
Don Capone (he/any), PsyD, JD, is a first-generation, queer-identified, Italian-American who grew up in NYC in a largely immigrant home. Don has lived and worked in the SF Bay Area for almost 20 years. He is a full-time staff psychologist at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business with specialized training in anxiety reduction (including mindfulness-based stress reduction), conflict resolution, and leadership wellness coaching. Don particularly enjoys working with students in psychology, business, and law. His counseling style is warm, curious, collaborative, culturally responsive, LGBTQI2S- affirmative, gentle but direct, humorous, and very interactive. Don is experienced in insight-oriented/dynamic, cognitive-behavioral, and solution-focused approaches. He typically customizes his supportive, engaged approach to meet students’ important needs and preferences. Don’s overall goal is always to increase students’ self-awareness, help alleviate emotional burdens, improve relationships with self and others, and enhance the quality of life so that students can realize their potential at Berkeley and beyond. Wellness and success are intertwined! Clinical interests: Couples counseling, conflict resolution, relationship challenges, cognitive-behavioral approaches to reducing anxiety, brief psychodynamic psychotherapy, LGBTQ+ stressors, strategies for managing ADHD, mental health law, coping with a loved one's mental illness, and self-esteem/body image. |
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Kin Ming Chan, PhD Licensed Psychologist Pronouns: he/him |
Kin Ming Chan, Ph.D., joined CAPS in 2009. He is Chinese and from Hong Kong. He received his doctorate in Counseling Psychology from Western Michigan University. His main roles in CAPS are providing counseling services for students, offering drop-in consultations, running counseling groups, and providing supervision to training staff. He is bilingual in English and Cantonese. Clinical interests: multicultural issues, LGBTQ issues, mindfulness, unconditional self-love, and self-empowerment. Additional Languages: Cantonese |
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Richard Chiovarelli, PsyD Licensed Psychologist Pronouns: he/him |
Richard (he/him) is a licensed psychologist who joined the UHS CAPS team after working at several schools and universities in the Bay Area as a teacher and mental health counselor. He grew up in the Northeast of the US and moved to California for graduate school. Richard greatly enjoys supporting students through transitions and life events and assisting students in further developing their sense of identity. One of Richard's strongest interests is helping graduate students navigate the ups and downs of life, grad school, and career development. In addition to supporting students in individual counseling, Richard has also been facilitating the Graduate Men's Support Group at CAPS since 2013. Richard has a practical, action-oriented, solution-focused, culturally responsive, interactive, and collaborative counseling style. He deeply values respect, empathy, and equity, and interweaves his empathic nature and strategic thinking into his counseling and committee work. Clinical interests: Fulfilling one's academic/career potential, life transitions, relationship challenges, couples therapy, stress/anxiety, family issues, and multicultural counseling.
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Mar Chung, PhD Licensed Psychologist Pronouns: they/he |
Mar Chung (they or he) joined CAPS as a licensed staff psychologist in 2022, and was previously a postdoctoral fellow from 2020-2021. From the Bay Area, they went to UC Davis for their undergraduate degree in Psychology and minor in Sexuality Studies. They received their Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Mar identifies as many things, including nonbinary/trans, queer, Asian American, thin, temporarily able-bodied, and middle class. A child of refugees/immigrants was raised in a multi-lingual, multi-generational home. From this upbringing, they learned the power of community and collaboration, and believe in the importance of context in understanding people. Since their practicum training, they sought to work with BIPOC QT university students and continue to grow their expertise in supporting these populations. They have worked in university counseling centers for most of their clinical training and practice. In a session, Mar is validating, warm, genuine, and collaborative. They try to model compassion and honesty with their clients. For fun, they play guitar, write songs, take naps, and spend time with loved ones. Clinical interests: shame, perfectionism, procrastination, self-acceptance, family of origin concerns, gender, queerness, navigating differing levels of power and privilege in relationships with self and others, self-compassion, codependency, social anxiety, and spirituality. |
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Ebony Ellis, LCSW Licensed Clinical Social Worker Pronouns: She/Her/Hers |
Ebony Ellis joins UHS with over ten years of experience in community mental health, specializing in crisis intervention, trauma-informed care, and program development and implementation. Personal Interests: attending concerts, sporting events, traveling, shopping, tacos, and resting. |
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Laura Gramling, PsyD Licensed Psychologist Pronouns: She/Her/Hers |
Dr. Gramling earned her doctorate in clinical psychology from Palo Alto University after completing her predoctoral internship with the Memphis VA Medical Center. Her training emphasis has been in neuropsychology and she completed a 2 year fellowship in neuropsychology at San Francisco Neuropsychology. Dr. Gramling's area of expertise is in neuropsychological assessment. She has worked with patients with neurodevelopmental disorders (Autism, ADHD, and learning disorders), traumatic brain injury, stroke, neurocognitive disorders, and various psychiatric disorders. |
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Denise Goitia, LCSW Licensed Clinical Social Worker Pronouns: she/her |
Denise Goitia joined UHS in 2020 as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She was previously working for the University of Massachusetts Amherst at the Center for Counseling and Psychological Health. Denise received her BA in Anthropology from Georgetown University and her MSW from Smith College. She has a background in massage, holistic health, and herbalism. She loves supporting local farms, hiking, cooking, and riding her bike. Clinical Interests: Trauma and resilience (EMDR trained), somatic and spiritual work, internal family systems/integrating parts work, person in community, holistic approaches including mindfulness practices, LGBTQIA+ support, anti-racism, and cultural humility, international students including undocumented and refugee/asylees, couples and families, graduate students, transfer students, non-traditional aged students, feminist theory, and identity development. Additional Languages: Spanish |
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Matt Goodman, PhD Licensed Psychologist Assistant Director Quality Assurance and Research Pronouns: he/him |
Matt Goodman (he/him) joined the CAPS staff in 2008. Matt received a BA in Psychology from UCLA and a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Oregon. Matt is the manager of the CAPS Data and Quality Assurance Program. In this role, he is exploring how to utilize data with a heart to support the development of CAPS services that promote student wellness. Matt is excited about identifying meaningful metrics for students and staff and integrating quantitative and qualitative methods into his work. Matt’s clinical interests include working with men and emotions, exploring spirituality as a resource for wellness, and supporting students experiencing grief and loss. Matt frequently integrates mindfulness and self-compassion into his work. When not working, Matt enjoys being with his family, hiking amongst the redwoods, exploring Bay Area beaches, reading science fiction, cooking (he is especially proud of his matzah ball soup), and Jewish Meditation. |
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Carrie Guthrie, LCSW Licensed Clinical Social Worker Clinical Director Pronouns: she/her |
Carrie Guthrie, LCSW, (she/her/hers) joined UHS in 2007. She completed her BA in Psychology and Anthropology at UC Berkeley and her AM in Clinical Social Work at the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration. After completing a postgraduate fellowship at CAPS, she worked in community mental health for 7 years in San Mateo County in an outpatient adult psychiatric clinic. During that time, she completed comprehensive training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and post-graduate study in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy. Carrie returned to CAPS as the Hospital Coordinator working with students hospitalized for mental health concerns and providing general counseling services. Concurrently, Carrie worked as a foster care/adoption home study social worker. In 2015 she moved into a management role as the Assistant Director of Community Resource Development and High-Risk Programs. Carrie transitioned to the role of Interim Clinical Director in 2017 and became the permanent Clinical Director in 2019. When not working, Carrie enjoys spending time with her family and friends, hiking, biking, playing music, gardening, and cooking. Clinical interests: Affect regulation, mood and anxiety disorders, trauma, young adult development, the family of origin issues, relationships, multicultural counseling, intersecting identities, mindfulness, LGBTQIA+ support, and identity development, mental illness early intervention and recovery, first-generation students, transfer students, student parents, clinical operations and administration, clinical supervision and consultation. |
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Amy Honigman, PhD Licensed Psychologist Graduate Assembly Counselor |
Interests: Transitions, graduate student issues, anxiety, mindfulness and meditation, stress, wellness and resilience, diversity and belonging, and being an LGBTQ ally. |
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Amber Jaiza Jones, LCSW Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Pronouns: they/she |
A. Jaiza Jones (they/she) joined the CAPS team in 2019. They completed their undergraduate education at Wesleyan University with a dual honors degree in Anthropology and African American Studies and received their master’s degree in Clinical Social Work from the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration. They went on to complete a post-graduate fellowship with the Yale School of Medicine Child Study Center. Jaiza has over 10 years of experience providing individual, group, and family therapy for historically marginalized and underserved communities. Jaiza’s approach to clinical work is grounded in collective liberatory and social justice frameworks that consider an individual’s lived experience within their sociopolitical, cultural, and environmental context. Their practice is relational, strengths-based, and client-centered. It's informed by psychodynamic, feminist relational, family systems, mindfulness-based, trauma-informed, and cognitive behavioral therapies. Additionally, Jaiza has spent many years cultivating a mindfulness meditation practice and enjoys considering the importance that spirituality and connectedness can have as part of our collective well-being. In their free time, Jaiza rests and restores by reading (especially young adult science fiction), hiking, learning to play the ukulele, and dancing. |
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Holly Landsbaum, LCSW Licensed Clinical Social Worker Pronouns: she/her |
Holly Landsbaum, LCSW (she/her), joined CAPS in 2005 as a post-MSW fellow. She was hired in 2006 as the interim hospital coordinator and in 2007 as a staff counselor. Holly served on the UHS High-Risk Hospital Team for 12 years where she supported and advocated for students in crisis. She spearheaded the expansion and further development of the post-MSW fellowship program and served as its program coordinator from 2018-2021. Holly received her BFA from the University of New Mexico and her MSW from San Francisco State University. She completed comprehensive training in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and intensive study and consultation in contemporary relational psychodynamic theory/practice. Before becoming a psychotherapist, Holly worked in the Bay Area non-profit sector in organizations focused on immigrant rights and community organizing. Holly’s approach to counseling is collaborative, relational, strengths-based, and justice-oriented, and focuses on centering students' personal goals and values and the cultural and sociopolitical contexts of our lives. Clinical interests: Anxiety, depression, adjustments and transitions, grief and loss, family issues, integration of therapeutic approaches including mindfulness-based cognitive behavioral modalities (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy/DBT and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy/ACT), and contemporary relational psychodynamic psychotherapy. |
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Jeff Lee, LCSW Licensed Clinical Social Worker Pronouns: he/him |
Jeff Lee (he/him) grew up in the Bay Area and is a 5th generation Asian American. He comes from a background in community mental health and NPOs, with previous experiences working with emancipated foster youth, homeless populations, and the AAPI community. Clinical interests: anxiety, holistic wellness, adjustments/transition, identity development, and sports psychology. |
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Karen Lee Tsugawa, LMFT Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Clinical Coordinator Pronouns: she/her |
Karen Lee Tsugawa (she/her) joined the CAPS team in 2008. Karen graduated from UCLA with a major in Psychology and a minor in Applied Developmental Psychology and then received her Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy from Northwestern University in Chicago. She currently sees individuals and couples for counseling at CAPS and enjoys working with the diverse student population at UC Berkeley. Karen also serves as the CAPS Clinical Coordinator assisting with day-to-day clinical operations and various projects supporting our clinical programs. Clinical interests: Mental health, college adjustment, transitions, relationship issues, family dynamics, multicultural identities, and Asian/Asian American identity development. |
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Sara Lipton-Carey, LCSW Licensed Clinical Social Worker Pronouns: she/her |
Sara Lipton-Carey (she/her/hers) joined UHS in 2022 as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She completed her BS in Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her MSW at Smith School for Social Work. Before joining CAPS, Sara worked for ten years in community mental health and schools in Oakland as a clinician, counselor, and health educator. Prior to becoming a clinical social worker, Sara worked for a Bay Area non-profit organization focused on serving first-generation students. |
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Chris McLean, PhD Licensed Psychologist Assistant Director, Career and Academic Programs |
Chris joined CAPS in 1994 after completing a Ph.D. in counseling psychology from the University of Minnesota. He manages career development programs which include holistic individual career counseling, career assessments, and a collection of resources to support student academic and career planning in the Career Counseling Library. Chris is also a mental health liaison to Cal Athletics. He has expertise in performance psychology and uses a culturally affirming and strengths-based approach to promote the personal growth and professional development of university students, high-performance athletes, and adults in career transition. Chris received a Chancellor's Outstanding Service Award in 2014 for contributions as a founding planning committee member for UC Berkeley's inaugural NOW Career Development Conference. Clinical Interests: Multicultural counseling, academic and career development, college student mental health and wellness, first-generation college students, clinical supervision and training.
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Cynthia Medina, PhD Licensed Psychologist |
Interests: Integration of mindfulness, meditation, and cognitive-behavioral interventions for reducing depression and anxiety, family of origin issues, attachment, relationship concerns, career development, Latina/o mental health and academic persistence, multicultural identity development, sports psychology, discrimination and microaggression, and working with underrepresented student communities (students of color, undocumented, LGBTQ, first-generation, transfer). Additional Languages: Spanish |
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Kusha Murarka, PsyD Licensed Psychologist Director of Training Pronouns: she/her |
Kusha (she/her) is a licensed clinical psychologist and the Director of Training for Student Mental Health. She received her PsyD at the Illinois School of Professional Psychology in 2007 and joined the UC Berkeley team in 2017. Kusha is committed to supporting and innovating the mental health training program with an anti-oppressive framework and values of collaboration, equity, inclusion, and belonging infused throughout. She is active in the training director community locally and nationally. Kusha is grateful for the privilege of working with university students across the US since 2005 and enjoys providing brief counseling, group therapy, and outreach to students as well as supervision, training, and mentorship to mental health professionals. She strongly believes in providing service that is culturally centered with an intersectional social identity lens. She formerly served as the SSWANA wellness counselor providing support and advocacy for this population on campus. Originally from the Midwest, Kusha appreciates the opportunity to be active indoors and outdoors in CA throughout the year and loves spending time with her family through cooking, singing, dancing, and hiking. Clinical interests: Multicultural counseling, inclusion, identity development, family of origin, relationship and interpersonal concerns, SSWANA mental health, immigrant families, low socioeconomic backgrounds, depression, suicide prevention, social anxiety, group therapy, wellness, balance, and graduate student life. |
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Tobirus Newby, LCSW Assistant Director of Campus Outreach & Engagement |
Tobirus M. Newby is a licensed clinical social worker and the Assistant Director of Campus Outreach & Engagement. Over the past 17 years, Tobirus has worked in the field of violence prevention and intervention by supporting the healing journeys of survivors and by educating and fostering change with those who have caused harm in their relationships and communities. In addition, he is an educator at UC Berkeley Extension and the University of San Francisco and has a private consulting practice through which he provides organizational equity and inclusion services. A quote that guides his life and his practice comes from James Baldwin: “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” |
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Veronica Orozco, PhD Licensed Psychologist Satellite Office Coordinator |
Interests: Resilience of Latina/o and first-generation students, low-income, underrepresented, and undocumented students, adjustment issues, anxiety, depression, career development, loss and grief, relationship concerns, family of origin issues, and being an LGBTQ ally. Additional Languages: Spanish |
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Diana Peña, PhD Licensed Psychologist Undocumented Student Program Counselor Centers for Educational Equity and Excellence Counselor Pronouns: she/they |
Diana Peña (she/they), received their PhD as a first-generation college student from the University of Oregon and joined the CAPS team in 2013. Diana coordinates the Undocumented Student Program’s mental health services at UC Berkeley, providing counseling support to undocumented students and consultation with the campus at large. As a queer Chicanx psychologist who applies Liberation Psychology and Social Justice frameworks to practice, their areas of focus include undocumented student resilience, LGBTQ-affirming therapy, spirituality, and somatic/body-centered healing. Diana stands on the shoulders of her Mexican immigrant parents and is committed to decolonizing mental health practices in the service of Black, Indigenous, Undocumented, and POC communities. Clinical interests: Immigrant and undocumented student mental health, QTPOC-affirmative therapy, spirituality, Latinx family health, grief and loss, chronic health conditions, mindfulness-based stress reduction. Additional Languages: Spanish |
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Junichi Shimaoka, PsyD Licensed Psychologist |
Junichi joined the CAPS team in 2019. Before joining UHS, Junichi was a CAPS psychologist at UC Santa Barbara and the University of Michigan. He received his PsyD from Widener University and serves on the board of the Association for College Counseling Center Outreach. Junichi is passionate about Balinese Gamelan music and he’s a beginner rock climber. He used to volunteer to raise/train service dog puppies! Clinical interests: Social/cultural/personal identity issues of all types (race/ethnicity, LGBTQIA+, immigration/national origin, ability status, etc.), Asian Pacific Islander/Desi-American communities, couples and relationship concerns, outreach/prevention/community engagement, grad students, international students, and other marginalized and underserved students. Additional Languages: Japanese |
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Xiaoxia Song, PhD Licensed Psychologist, PhD |
Xiaoxia Song joined UHS in 2020. Xiaoxia received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Ohio University and completed her internship at the University of Texas at Austin.
Clinical Interest: complex trauma, depression, anxiety, family issues, identity development, multicultural and diversity issues.
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Emily Taplin, LCSW Care Manager |
Emily graduated from UC Berkeley’s MSW program in 2011. Before joining CAPS in 2022, she worked in a variety of roles, with a focus on community mental health, complex care coordination, palliative and hospice care, and supporting LGBTQIA+ people and families.
Emily strives for an approach that is rooted in warmth, humility, and respect, and that pays attention to how the complex intersections of identity, culture, family of origin, and privilege/oppression impact how we experience and navigate the world. With clients' goals and values at the forefront, she appreciates the opportunity to offer connection, support, and resources in her role as both a counselor and care manager. Outside of work, Emily enjoys noodling around on the guitar, watching over the grill at backyard parties, spending time with loved ones, and playing in a basketball league for adults 5’6” and under! Clinical interests include: identity development, self-care/self-compassion, navigating life transitions, processing new medical/mental health experiences or diagnoses, trauma-informed care, queer/trans/gender diverse well-being, anxiety, depression, bipolar spectrum, emerging psychosis and/or unusual mind states/sensory experiences, harm reduction approaches |
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Nancy Ellen Tavolacci-Arista, LCSW Licensed Clinical Social Worker |
Nancy earned her Master's degree in Social Work (MSW) from San Francisco State University in 2003 and has been a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) since 2011. Before that, she studied Secondary Education and Spanish at the State University of New York in Geneseo, NY, earning a Bachelor's Degree and Secondary Education Teaching Credential in New York State. Before coming to CAPS at UC Berkeley, Nancy worked for the last 20 years in community-based and school-based non-profit settings in San Francisco and Oakland. Additionally, Nancy also works as a mental health evaluator for immigrants seeking asylum and other kinds of immigration-based protection in the United States. She has a background in working with foster youth, newly immigrated families from Mexico and Central America, survivors of intimate partner violence and sexual assault, and youth and families from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds represented throughout the Bay Area. Nancy uses a compassionate, relational approach to connecting with people and helping make mental health services highly accessible and personable. She uses culturally informed narrative and solution-focused orientations to support people in understanding themselves in the context of their families, communities, and environment while helping them explore resources and their inherent strengths and abilities to create positive, empowered changes in their own lives. Areas of clinical interest: Developmental life cycles and transitions, supporting immigrants and children of immigrants, healing from trauma and vicarious trauma, parenting, self-care and stress management, CBT and DBT skill building, healing through activism and social justice work. |
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Sam Tourek, PhD Licensed Psychologist |
Sam joined the CAPS team in 2013. He received his MA from Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois, and his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. Sam completed his doctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship training at UHS. His approach to therapy is dynamic and experiential in nature and uses existential psychotherapy, attachment style, multiculturalism, and emotional content to help clients develop a deeper understanding of self and others. Sam enjoys working with clients to explore patterns in relationships to make changes in the interest of growth. Sam is particularly interested in working within the athletics community at UC Berkeley. As a former student-athlete, Sam understands the unique challenges of being both a scholar and an athlete, and he commits a significant portion of his time as a CAPS counselor to working with student-athletes, coaches, and trainers to help students and teams thrive while at UC Berkeley. Sam's doctoral dissertation examined multicultural competence and mindfulness in the therapeutic process, and he runs the mindfulness meditation group nearly every semester. Sam also enjoys developing relationships with campus partners and communities and working to ensure that underserved populations at UC Berkeley get their needs met to the fullest extent possible. In his spare time, Sam enjoys playing sports (most often baseball and golf), hiking and camping, and doing crossword puzzles. Clinical interests and campus partnerships: Working with student-athletes (injury, performance, retirement, etc), mindfulness meditation, men’s issues, existential psychotherapy, multicultural competence in counseling, attachment, and brief/accelerated and experiential psychodynamic psychotherapies. Sam is the liaison to the Athletics Department and the Cal Band and holds Let's Talk drop-in hours (virtually and/or at César Chávez Student Center). |
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Sheela Vashishtha, LCSW Licensed Clinical Social Worker |
Sheela received her Master's in Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the Paris School of Business. Sheela is trained in sensory motor psychotherapy. Her clinical experience includes community mental health as well as PHP and IOP settings. Sheela specializes in supporting folks with depression, anxiety, trauma, racial and cultural identities, and attachment wounding. Additionally, she works with first and second-generation clients who are navigating bicultural and multicultural identities and experiences. She has a holistic approach that is trauma-informed and social justice-oriented. |
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Linda Zaruba, PhD Licensed Psychologist Berkeley Law School Counselor |
Dr. Zaruba was a first-generation college student who majored in education and dance at Miami University in Ohio. She received her MA in Counseling from the University of Colorado and her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Minnesota. Dr. Zaruba has worked at UHS for the past couple of decades in many different roles. She's currently a psychologist at Berkeley Law School. Dr. Zaruba has also facilitated the Graduate Women’s Support Group for the past 15 years. Dr. Zaruba’s counseling style is collaborative, culturally responsive, engaging, and focused on helping clients meet their goals with an eclectic toolbox of interventions — mindfulness, CBT, trauma-informed, family systems, and humor to name a few. Clinical interests: Couples counseling, multicultural factors, family relationship challenges, graduate student's academic and personal concerns, body image, eating disorders, and career and work struggles. |
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Christine Zhou, PhD Licensed Psychologist Director of Operations, UC Berkeley Global Institute for Counseling and Student Mental Health College of Engineering Satellite Office Coordinating Counselor |
Shuangmei (Christine) Zhou joined CAPS in the summer of 2012. She received her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Minnesota, completed her internship at UCLA CAPS, and her post-doc at UC Berkeley CAPS. She was a staff psychologist at Michigan State University for three years before returning to Berkeley. Christine is the lead psychologist coordinating the CAPS satellite office at the College of Engineering (CoE). She has been working with CoE since 2012, providing counseling to students and consultations for faculty and staff. Christine also directs the Global Institute for Counseling and Student Mental Health where CAPS staff collaborate with partners both nationally and internationally. In her role as director, she's been conducting research and providing training and consultation on the latest topics related to college students' mental health. Clinical interests: multicultural counseling, working with underserved/marginalized populations, working with science and engineering students, international students, and AAPI students. Additional Languages: Mandarin Chinese |
