Staff

Director of Student Health & Wellness:

Laura Fariss, MSN

Email: llfariss@sbcc.edu
Phone: (805) 965-0581 x 2298
Fax: (805) 897-3409

Medical Director: Dr. Susan Lawton
Senior Office Assistant: Angela Otriz

Medical Team:

MSN,FNP, Brenda
RN, Mary          
                   

Mental Health & Wellness Faculty and Staff: 

Alyson Bostwick , LMFT
Personal Counselor
Pronouns: She/her/hers

Education: 
B.A.  Psychology, University of California, Santa Barbara 
M.A. Clinical Psychology, Marriage and Family Therapist, Antioch University Santa Barbara

Areas of Interest or Specialty:  stress/anxiety management, relationship issues, self-esteem building, assertiveness training/boundary setting, couples counseling, mood disorders, conflict resolution/mediation, performance/sports psychology,  crisis intervention and management, multicultural issues, developmental issues in adolescence and young adulthood, identity exploration and development.

 

Lacey Peters, LMFT
Personal Counselor 
Pronouns: She/her/hers

Education: 
B.S. Health Promotion, Community Health Education, Northern Arizona University 
M.A. Clinical Psychology, Marriage and Family Therapist, Antioch University Santa Barbara

Areas of Interest or Specialty:  Anxiety, mood disorders, mood dysregulation, addictive disorders, co-occurring disorders, grief and loss, crisis intervention and management, relationship concerns, motivational interviewing, strength based interventions, resiliency and empowerment, developmental issues in adolescence and young adulthood, identity exploration and development.

 

Elizabeth Phillips, LCSW
Pronouns: She/her/hers 

Education:  
University of Utah, MSW, UCSB, BFA, Modern Dance, 
Carleton College, Latin American Studies
Languages: English and Spanish

Areas of Interest: Counseling college students who struggle with anxiety, family issues.  Counseling international students, multicultural counseling, Elder counseling, Somatic work with many years of teaching Yoga, Pilates, Dance.

 

Rebecca (Becky) Bean, ASW
Student Program Advisor, Student Health & The Well
Pronouns: She, her, hers

Education: 
UC Santa Cruz graduated 2007 
Columbia University School of Social Work graduated 2017

Areas of Interest or Specialty: 

Mindfulness and stress management, trauma-informed care support groups, cognitive-behavioral and family systems approaches, skills based psychotherapy, 

empowerment based therapeutic interventions, re-entry counseling, somatic psychology, addressing relationship issues, identity and career exploration and development for young adults and adults.

 

Part-Time Personal Counseling Staff and Clinical Associates :

Katrina Pesl, MA. AMFT
Pronouns: she/her/hers

Education:
BA in Global and International Studies, Minor in Spanish, University of California, Santa Barbara 2012
MA in Counseling Psychology, Pacifica Graduate Institute, 2018 

Areas of Interest or Specialty: anxiety, depression, child and adolescent development, school issues, relationship issues, women's issues, trauma, self-harming, peer relationships, life transitions, family conflict, self esteem, grief, stress, loneliness, career counseling, codependency, coping skills, multicultural issues, divorce 

 

Pallavi Kumar, MA, AMFT
Pronouns: she/her/hers

Education:
B.A. Psychology, English and Geography, Lucknow University, India
M.A. Psychology, Lucknow University, India
M.A. Clinical Psychology, Marriage and Family Therapist, Antioch University Santa Barbara, California

Languages: English and Hindi

Areas of Interest or Specialty: substance abuse and other addictive behaviors, addictive disorders, anxiety and mood disorders, relationship issues, multicultural issues, developmental issues in adolescence and young adulthood, identity exploration and development.

 

Renato Marques, MA, AMFT
Pronouns: He/him/his

Education:
B.A. Communication, University of California, Santa Barbara 
M.A. Clinical Psychology, Marriage and Family Therapist, Antioch University Santa Barbara

Areas of Interest or Specialty: Cultural identity issues, anxiety, depression, interpersonal relationships, stress/anger management, spirituality, diversity issues, body images & self-esteem, LGBTQ+, relationship issues, career counseling, multiculturalism, mindfulness, social skills, divorce, and substance abuse.

Languages: Spanish & Portuguese

 

Yvette Cabey, M.S. PhD Candidate Antioch University
Pronouns:she/her/hers

Education: 
B.A. Liberal Studies concentration in Psychology, Thomas Edison State University, Trenton, NJ 
M.S. Clinical Psychology, Capella University, Minneapolis, MN

Areas of Interest or Specialty: Cognitive Beahvioral Therapy (CBT), Somatic psychology, holistic psychology, trauma (tf-cbt), neuropsychology, positive psychology and utilizing strength based interventions.

Kuldeep Kaur, A.M.F.T.
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Education: B.A. Psychology University of CA, Santa Barbara
M.A. in Counseling, Pacifica Graduate Institute, Carpinteria

Areas of Interest or Specialty: Trauma, trauma and race/identity, anxiety, depression, identity, empowerment, grief, women’s (gender-related) issues, substance use, mindfulness, and people dealing with homelessness. I view things with a Depth Psychology lens in order to look at all of the factors and I work with Clients to see what works best for them.

 
Adriana Sánchez, MA, PhD Candidate UCSB
Pronouns: She/her/hers

Education: 
B.A. Psychology, University of California, Santa Barbara 
M.A. Counseling Psychology, University of California, Santa Barbara 

Languages: Fluent in Spanish and English

Areas of Interest or Specialty: Adriana Sánchez is a doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology emphasis at UC Santa Barbara. She received her B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Applied Psychology in June 2016 and her M.A. in Counseling Psychology in June 2018 from the UCSB. Her research interests include educational attainment and persistence, resilience, and thriving in underrepresented and under-served populations. She has clinical experience using evidence-based and strengths-based interventions to help clients address trauma, adjustment issues, grief and loss, stress, anxiety, and depression.

 

Caitlin Merrill, MA
Pronouns: She/her/hers

Education:
A.B. Psychology, Harvard University; Minor in Women, Gender, and Sexuality
MA Counseling Psychology, University of California, Santa Barbara

Areas of Interest or Specialty: LGBTQ+ issues; gender identity; sexuality; social justice and multiculturalism; relationships; self-compassion; strengths-based; resilience & coping, mood disorders

 

Adrian M. Valadez, M.S.
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Education: 
B.A. Psychology, California State University, San Bernardino; Minor in Gender and Sexuality Studies M.S. Clinical Psychology, California State University, Fullerton 

Areas of Interest or Specialty: Challenges related to LGBTQ+, Trans* and Non-binary identity, Intersectionality, Consensually Non-Monogamous Relationships, Suicidality, Anxiety, Depression, Emotion-Focused Psychotherapy, Mindfulness, Self-Compassion, Trauma, School/ Adjustment stress, and Multicultural Issues.