Meet the Staff

Dr. Denise Lucero-Miller began at the TWU Counseling Center in 1996 and has served in a variety of roles.  Currently, she is the Director of the center.  Dr. Lucero-Miller received her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Oklahoma.  She completed her predoctoral internship training at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in San Antonio.  Her professional interests include women's issues, trauma recovery, multiculturalism, and supervision/training.

Dr. Carmen Cruz is Assistant Director and Director of Training.  She has been part of the Counseling Center team serving in different capacities since 1997.  Dr. Cruz completed her undergraduate studies in Psychology and Criminal Justice at Florida International University in Miami, Florida and received her doctoral degree from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  She completed her predoctoral internship training at the Texas Woman's University Counseling Center.  Dr. Cruz's professional interests include training/supervision, the psychology of gender, sexual orientation identity issues, multicultural psychology, cultural/spiritual development, existential theory and the impact of the stigma of psychotherapy.

Dr. Linda Louden has been a TWU Counseling Center staff member since 2004.  After serving as the Cultural Diversity Liaison, she transitioned to the Dallas Counseling Centers and currently provides counseling services to the Parkland and Presbyterian TWU campuses.  Dr. Louden received her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of North Texas, and her predoctoral internship training took place at the TWU Counseling Center.  Her professional interests include university student development, women's issues, trauma recovery, spirituality, multiculturalism, and supervision and training of future psychologists.

Dr. Betty Duson has been the full-time psychologist at the TWU – Houston Counseling Center since 2004.  She received her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin where she also served an internship at the U.T. Counseling Center.  In addition to being licensed as a psychologist, she is also a marriage and family therapist and an Approved Supervisor for the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.  Her professional interests include multiculturalism, relationship issues, managing stress and depression, and support for students in the health sciences.

Dr. Santhi Periasamy started working at the TWU Counseling Center in August 2007, and she is currently the part-time licensed psychologist at the Counseling Center at the Houston campus. She received her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Georgia State University. She completed her predoctoral internship at University of Akron in Ohio, and she completed the multicultural post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Houston. Her professional interest include trauma, eating issues, self-esteem concerns, interpersonal relationships, substance abuse issues, and managing multiple life stressors.

Dr. Erin Hammond joined the TWU Counseling Center in August 2009 and is currently serving as the Practicum Coordinator.  Dr. Hammond received her Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from George Washington University in Washington, D.C.  She completed her predoctoral internship training at the Pennsylvania State University Counseling and Psychological Services.  Her professional interests include trauma, eating disorders, supervision and training, group therapy, and multicultural issues.

Dr. Gayla Sahl started working at the TWU Counseling Center in May 2010, and she is currently a part-time licensed psychologist at the Dallas Counseling Centers. Gayla currently provides counseling services to the Parkland and Presbyterian TWU campuses. She received her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Texas Woman’s University and completed her predoctoral internship at Allendale Association. Her professional interests include women’s issues, interpersonal relationships, spirituality, sexual orientation identity issues, parenting concerns, and training/supervision.

Dr. Neetha Devdas has been working at the TWU Counseling Center since January 2011.  She is currently serving as the Outreach Coordinator for the center.  Dr. Devdas received her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Texas Woman's University and completed her pre-doctoral internship at Texas Tech University.  Dr. Devdas's professional interests include trauma and abuse, gender issues, training and supervision, multicultural/diversity awareness, advocacy, and outreach services.  Dr. Devdas has a special interest in topics related to trauma and abuse among South Asian American women.

Dr. Jaya Mathew joined the TWU Counseling Center as the Cultural Diversity/Staff Psychologist in January of 2011.  She received her Ph.D. in counseling psychology from Fordham University, Lincoln Center in New York.  Dr. Mathew completed her pre-doctoral internship with the Dallas Metropolitan Consortium in Psychology at Southern Methodist University and the University of Texas at Dallas counseling centers.  She is also a licensed social worker with undergraduate and master's degrees in social work from the University of Texas at Austin.  Dr. Mathew's clinical and research areas of interest include multiculturalism, diversity training/supervision, women's issues, trauma recovery, depression, maladaptive coping, and interpersonal relationships.

Dr. Nina Belfrom joined the TWU Counseling Center as a post-doctoral resident in November 2011. She received both her M.A. in Counseling Psychology and her Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Dr. Belfrom completed her pre-doctoral internship with The Southern Louisiana Internship Consortium where she split her time between the Louisiana State University Mental Health Services and Eastern Louisiana Mental Health System. Dr. Belfrom's professional interests include multiculturalism/diversity, women's issues, trauma, identity development, and existential theory.

 

 

Manijeh Badiee is a predoctoral psychology intern at the TWU Counseling Center. She obtained her master's degree in Counseling at St. Edwards University, and is currently a doctoral candidate in Counseling Psychology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her professional interests include multicultural and women's issues, acceptance and mindfulness interventions, sexuality concerns, psychological trauma, spirituality, and creative therapies.

Kim Jorgensen is a predoctoral psychology intern for the 2011-2012 academic year at TWU. Kim received a master’s degree in Psychology (Clinical Science) from the University of Northern Iowa and is currently a doctoral candidate in Counseling Psychology at the University of North Dakota. Kim’s interests include cultural identity development, sexual health, severe mental illness, forgiveness, couples counseling, and psychological assessment.

Ginny Maril is a predoctoral intern at the TWU Counseling Center.  She completed her undergraduate and master’s degrees at University of Dallas and is currently a doctoral candidate in Counseling Psychology at TWU.  Her professional interests include chronic illness, concerns of caregiving, traumatic stress, and multiculturalism.

Jill Vahl is the Senior Secretary serving the TWU Counseling Center since April 2011.  She recently relocated to Texas from South Dakota and has enjoyed the area thus far.  Jill's personal interests are caring for her 2 children, attending her son's sporting events, and exploring the area.

Audrena Kelley has been with the TWU Counseling Center since June 2007.  She is currently the Secretary and Webspinner for the TWU Counseling Center.  Audrena has a Bachelors of General Studies degree with concentrations in Criminal Justice and Sociology from Texas Woman's University.  She is also working on obtaining her master's in social work from University of Texas at Arlington.  Audrena's personal interest are caring for her 3 children and being a great support system for her friends and family.

Helen Johnson is the Secretary in the Houston Counseling Center as well as the Houston Student Life Office. She provides support to the psychologists in the Counseling Center, processing confidential client data as well as support to the Coordinators of the Office of Student Life. In both of her positions she interacts with students, faculty and staff giving professional, yet caring service. She has been privileged to work at TWU for 8 years.