Meet the Staff

Psychologists

Bethany

 

 

 

 

 

 

Name: Bethany Wellman, PsyD
Position/Areas of Responsibility:

Psychologist, Sr. 

 

APA Training Coordinator
Degrees: Doctor of Psychology (Clinical Emphasis)- Marshall University  
Licensure and Certifications: Licensed Psychologist NM PSY-1541/ TX PSY-39070
Professional Interests and Areas of Expertise: My primary training and experience has been working with individuals navigating socio-economic stressors, including housing and food insecurities. I also enjoy working with non-traditional students (ex: previously incarcerated individuals, youth aging out of foster care, students with serious and persistent mental illness). I have also received specialized training in working with undocumented clients and mixed-status families.
Theoretical Orientation:

My primary theoretical orientation is humanistic/person centered, grounded in attachment theory. I frequently utilize interventions from feminist-multicultural theories and third wave CBT approaches.  
Personal Interests: I enjoy visiting road-side attractions, live music, and ghost hunting.

Alejandro

Name: Alejandro Cervantes, PhD
Position/Areas of Responsibility:

Psychologist & Practicum Facilitator
Degrees: Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from New Mexico State University, 2020
Licensure and Certifications: Licensed Psychologist (NM PSY-1739)
Professional Interests and Areas of Expertise: First-generation college students, students of color, men of color, men's mental health issues, relational concerns, and group therapy.
Theoretical Orientation: Relational Cultural Theory and Multicultural Feminist within a social justice and multicultural lens. I also utilize gestalt therapy, interpersonal process therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and systems approach in my clinical work. Because my therapeutic approach integrates Relational Cultural Theory and Multicultural Feminist, I assist students through creative and experiential interventions to best navigate and understand their multiple intersecting identities within oppressive structures. Through this integrative approach, I help students increase awareness of internal and external interruptions to accept and understand how they feel. Finally, I enjoy working with all students and presenting concerns.
Personal Interests: I enjoy watching sports, particularly teams from Los Angeles, California. I also enjoy playing tennis, and I hope to be more involved in the Las Cruces Tennis Association one day. I am a fan of awards shows and cooking shows. My partner and I love to watch movies and television shows together, whether the shows are comedy or drama. My partner and I are getting ready to have a baby, so we learn how to be parents. Therefore, my current personal interest is preparing how to be a father!

Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner

 

Name: Bernice Becerra, MSN, APRN, PMHNP-BC 
Position/Areas of Responsibility:

 Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Degrees:

Post Master's Certificate Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, UTEP 2022
Master's of Science in Nursing - Nursing Education, UTEP 2018
Bachelor's of Science in Nursing, UTEP 2013
Licensure and Certifications:

Advanced Practice Registered Nurse - Certified Nurse Practitioner, NMBoN 73382 

Counselors

 Callum

Name: Callum Grevas
Position/Areas of Responsibility: Counselor
Degrees:

MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Fort Hays State University, 2022
Licensure and Certifications: Licensed Mental Health Counselor in New Mexico
Professional Interests and Areas of Expertise: Anxiety, Perfectionism, Grief, Mindfulness, Student-Athlete Mental Health
Theoretical Orientation: My theoretical approach stems on the cognitive therapy model as well as mindfulness practices. I like to work with clients on accepting their struggles and learning to live with them in a healthy way. I reach into the bag of multiple different counseling therapies during sessions and often pick and choose depending on the client’s needs.
Personal Interests: Sports ranks high at my list of hobbies and interests. I enjoy following my favorite sports teams closely throughout the year. If I am not watching sports, I am probably watching movies or TV shows with my wife. I was born and raised in Kansas and am looking forward to exploring the beauty that New Mexico has to offer.

Vanessa

Name: Vanessa Paz, LMHC
Position/Areas of Responsibility: Counselor & Outreach Facilitator 
Degrees: MA in Counseling from New Mexico State University 2014
Licensure and Certifications: Licensed Mental Health Counselor in New Mexico 
Professional Interests and Areas of Expertise: Identity-based, empowerment-focused, trauma-informed approaches
Theoretical Orientation: Feminist Therapy, Multicultural Counseling
Personal Interests: Family, furry friends, finding beauty through art, enjoying live music, and cooking for pleasure.

 

 

Name: Marie Zubiate 
Position/Areas of Responsibility: Counselor 
Degrees:

MEd in Counselor Education (Community Counseling Emphasis) from Texas Tech University; Doctoral Candidate in Counselor Education (Career Development Emphasis) from Texas Tech University
Licensure and Certifications: Licensed Mental Health Counselor (New Mexico), Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor (Texas) 
Professional Interests and Areas of Expertise: First-generation students, career counseling and assessment, stress management, international students, multi-cultural issues, life transitions, anxiety, sandtray, women’s mental health, group counseling, emerging adults, grief, bilingual counseling (Spanish), outreach, counselor education and supervision. Since 2017, I have taught counseling courses at Texas Woman’s University, Texas Tech University, the University of Texas at El Paso and Midwestern State University.
Theoretical Orientation: Solution-focused brief counseling model exploring strengths, barriers, and creative arts interventions; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; Sandtray Therapy
Personal Interests: Originally from El Paso, I enjoy reading a good book, cooking, traveling, shopping, tea and coffee drinking, and lounging with my Golden Retriever, Duchess. 

Psychology Resident 

 Elysa

Name: Elysa Fraginals, PsyD
Position/Areas of Responsibility: Psychology Post-Doc
Degrees:

Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology

M.A. in Clinical Psychology
Licensure and Certifications:

 
Professional Interests and Areas of Expertise:

My professional interests include working with young adults, group and individual therapy, neurodiverse clients, assessments, anxiety, depression, identity development, working with individuals of varying cultural backgrounds, and creating a space where individuals feel comfortable to connect and practice interpersonal/social skills.
Theoretical Orientation:

My theoretical orientations include Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Humanistic Therapy, practiced through a multicultural lens.
Personal Interests:

My personal interests include traveling, attending music events, spirituality, trying new foods, being in nature, practicing mindfulness and being a cat mom (: 

Psychology Interns

Name: Katherine Giraldo Escobar (she/her/hers)
Position/Areas of Responsibility: Pre-Doctoral Intern 
Degrees:

M.A. Professional Psychology
Licensure and Certifications:
Professional Interests and Areas of Expertise: Intersectionality, life transitions, anxiety, depression, spanglish services, grief, autism, adhd, LGBTQ+
Theoretical Orientation: I practice utilizing an integrative approach while incorporating techniques from humanistic, person centered, CBT, solution-focused, ACT, strengths-based, narrative, and mindfulness. Through an integrative lens, I adapt my approach based on student needs and presenting concerns.
Personal Interests: traveling, binge watching tv shows, listening to music, and going to the gym

Name: Christopher Perez
Position/Areas of Responsibility: Pre-Doctoral Intern 
Degrees:

Doctoral Candidate, Psy.D. at Loma Linda University M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Loma Linda University B.A. in Psychology from California State University, Long Beach
Licensure and Certifications:
Professional Interests and Areas of Expertise: My professional interests include working with adolescents and adults, diversity and inclusion, group and individual therapy, mindfulness, attachment theory, and cognitive-behavioral therapy. I take a collaborative approach to therapy with the hope that my clients will feel safe, valued, and validated.
Theoretical Orientation: My theoretical orientations include Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness and Humanistic Therapy, and Attachment-Based Therapy.
Personal Interests: My personal interests include outdoor activities such as hiking, cycling, and mountain biking. I’m also interested in nature, animals, and general biology. I love all pets, but dogs are my favorite! I enjoy watching movies and exploring local businesses/restaurants with my partner.

Practicum Counselors

Name:  Gabrielle Balek
Position/Areas of Responsibility: Practicum Counselor
Degrees:

B.S. in Clinical/Community Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Licensure and Certifications:  
Professional Interests and Areas of Expertise: My populations of interest include multiply marginalized populations (such as queer and trans people of color) and survivors of sexual and/or domestic violence. I strive to provide social justice-oriented and trauma-informed care to help individuals with a variety of issues, such as processing past trauma, relationship concerns, identity exploration, anxiety/depression, and more.
Theoretical Orientation: I primarily use a person-centered and psychodynamic approach, in which I focus on building a strong counselor-client relationship and exploring how a client’s early experiences might affect their present relationship to self/others. I also use a multicultural feminist lens to consider a client’s social/cultural identities and the profound impact of systemic oppression. In general, I try to remain flexible in my approach to provide individualized care for each client.
Personal Interests:

In my free time, I enjoy reading/writing poetry, crocheting, and watching TV or playing video games with my partner. I also enjoy exploring different coffee/bubble tea shops, and going to indie rock, emo, and punk concerts for the emotional catharsis!
Name: 

Taylor Roberts
Position/Areas of Responsibility: Practicum Counselor
Degrees:

B.S. in Psychology from Virginia Tech (Concentration in Clinical Neuroscience) M.S. In Counseling Psychology from Tennessee State University
Licensure and Certifications:  
Professional Interests and Areas of Expertise: Psychology of work, stress management, emerging adults, identity exploration and development, anxiety, depression, complex trauma, PTSD, mindfulness, trauma-informed care, crisis intervention, suicide intervention and risk assessment, LGBTQIA+ mental health, multicultural counseling, geek therapy, therapeutically applied roleplaying games, psychodrama therapy, and health psychology.
Theoretical Orientation:

My primary theoretical orientations include Solution Focused Therapy with a strengths-based approach, Existential-Humanistic Therapy, and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). Though I frequently pull and integrate other therapeutic interventions where appropriate (e.g., mindfulness-based techniques, art therapy, Gestalt therapy).
Personal Interests:

Some of my personal interests include cooking and baking, reading (wuxia/xianxia novels these days), anime, video games, music, and TTRPGs. I'm always open to learning about new topics or areas of interest; and I'm not opposed to being outdoors. I'm a big fan of water-based activities, so visiting oceans or lakes/streams has been a big past time of mine!
Name: 

Noelle Filoteo
Position/Areas of Responsibility:  Practicum Counselor
Degrees:

 BA in Psychology MA in Clinical Psychology
Licensure and Certifications:  
Professional Interests and Areas of Expertise: Immigrant mental health, Asian American (specifically Southeast Asian) mental health, Womxn in academia, trauma work, positive psychology
Theoretical Orientation: I ground my practice in person-centered theory, believing that each person is the expert and ultimate authority in their lives. I also highly value techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and solution-focused therapy. I strive to develop warm and trusting therapeutic relationships with my clients, with the goal that clients feel empowered to be an active participant in the therapeutic process
Personal Interests:

I love to watch sports, particularly professional tennis and football (soccer). I also value fitness and enjoy Pilates, barre, and Lagree. I am an avid traveler and enjoy learning new languages. I have been on five of the seven continents and hope to make it to Antarctica someday! I am also on a never-ending quest for the best desserts, particularly cheesecake – I always appreciate leads!
Name: 

Sheena Merino 
Position/Areas of Responsibility:  Practicum Counselor
Degrees:

 Bachelor in Science (Counseling and Community Psychology)

 Currently in the Clinical Mental Health Masters Program.
Licensure and Certifications:  
Professional Interests and Areas of Expertise: My professional areas and expertise include working with adolescents/young adults. With an interest in working with multiculturally diverse groups, LGBTQ+, trauma, stress-management, and difficult life transitions.
Theoretical Orientation: I practice using an integrative approach through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Solution Focused Brief Therapy. Cognitive and mindfulness interventions depending on each students needs and exploration.
Personal Interests:

In my free time I love to read, go to the gym, and watch lots of reality TV! Huge coffee and chocolate lover. I also enjoy cooking and spending time with loved ones!