Former research collaborators, graduates students, and members of the Vocational Psychology Research Team have gone on to accomplish so much after their time at USM. A few are highlighted below.
Benjamin Wright, PhD works in psychology for the VA system. He is from Northwest Arkansas and received his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Brigham Young University. He completed his master’s degree in Counseling Psychology at the University of Southern Mississippi. His research focuses on the work-related experiences of individuals who encounter severe economic marginalization. He has defended his dissertation which explored what combination of decent work and interest congruent best account for differences in job performance, organizational citizenship behavior, and subjective well-being. Ben hopes to pursue a career providing mental health and vocational services to Veterans experiencing economic marginalization in a residential setting.
Erica Mathis, PhD Erica Mathis, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist in Texas with a private practice after several years of experience in the university counseling center setting. Currently, Dr. Mathis provides individual, group, assessment, and crisis intervention services to the students of Texas State University. She also maintains an active role in the center’s Educational Programming and Outreach team by connecting with students through outreach events and speaking engagements. She hopes to continue working in a university setting after completing her postdoctoral position, and to be able to engage in training, assessment, and outreach services in a staff position.
Brianna Werner, Ph.D. graduated from the USM Counseling Psychology doctoral program in August 2019. She is currently a psychologist at the Road Home Program: The National Center of Excellence for Veterans and Their Families at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, IL. Her clinical interests include PTSD, military sexual trauma, and Veteran readjustment.
Jeremiah Andrews graduated with a master's degree in counseling psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi. He obtained his bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Mississippi. He currently works as a Mental Wellness Counselor at USM's Student Counseling Services. Jeremiah participated in Dr. Yowell's Research Team for two years examining the validity of the CASVE-CQ measure with college students, as well as assisting in a study measuring career decision making within Holland’s theory. His research areas of interest include exploring the mental health stigma in the African American community, to exploring the mental health of professional athletes.
Felicia Gray, MS, LPC graduated from the USM Counseling Psychology master's program in 2019. She completed her summer internship in an acute inpatient setting at Gulfport Behavioral Health before moving to Colorado. She currently serves as a licensed professional counselor in a private practice setting, specializing in anxiety, depression, stress, trauma, life transitions, and crisis intervention. Felicia is currently working toward credentialing for yoga therapy to expand services in the area.
Ashley Q. Horn, M.S. graduated from the Counseling Psychology Master’s Program in December 2019. She completed her summer internship at Clearview Recovery Center gaining experience in residential substance use treatment as well as treatment of other addictive and co-occurring disorders. Ashley is currently employed as the Intervention Court Counselor for the Eighth Judicial District Intervention (Drug) Court in Mississippi. Ashley is elated to continue gaining experience in co-occurring disorders as the first ever Intervention Court Counselor for this program.
Lauren Osborne, Ph.D. graduated in 2016 and completed her predoctoral internship and postdoctoral residency at the Bay Pines VAMC in Bay Pines, FL. She currently holds a Staff Psychologist position at the Greenville VA Health Care Center in Greenville, NC. Dr. Osborne serves on the Training Committee for predoctoral internship at this location which is the only APA-Accredited internship program east of I-95 in North Carolina. She also serves as Diversity Champion for the psychology department and primary supervisor for the Mental Health Clinic rotation.
Emily A. Schmidtman, PhD LP graduated in 2016 and completed her internship and formal post-doc at the Hefner VAMC in North Carolina. She has been a full-time outpatient staff psychologist at the St. Cloud VA in Minnesota for over two years and will be starting a full-time outpatient position at the Minneapolis VA in December 2019.
Lindsay Andrews Wiebusch, PhD graduated from the USM Counseling Psychology doctoral program in 2014. She completed a pre-doctoral internship with the Southern Arizona VA and a trauma postdoctoral residency at the Minneapolis VA. Currently she holds a Staff Psychologist position as the PTSD/SUD specialist at the Minneapolis VA.
Kari Leavell, Ph.D. graduated from the USM Counseling Psychology doctoral program in August of 2013. She completed her doctoral internship with the Texas Woman's University (TWU) Counseling Center in Denton, Texas, and entered into a permanent staff position for 3 more years. Dr. Leavell transitioned to private practice in July 2016, which is currently expanding and allows her to provide therapy while teaching as an adjunct with TWU. She is getting involved in the Texas Psychological Association and maintains her commitment to evidence-based practice, life-long learning, and specializing in anxiety disorders.
Chantelle Pseekos, Ph.D. graduated from the USM Counseling Psychology doctoral program in August of 2009. She completed her pre-doctoral internship the University of Houston Counseling Center, where she also completed a Multicultural Postdoctoral Fellowship. She currently serves as Director of the Counseling Center at Becker College (Worcester and Leicester campuses) and maintains a part-time private practice. Dr. Pseekos is as a Licensed Psychologist in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. She is a member of the American Psychological Association, APA Division 17: Society for Counseling Psychology, and APA Division 44: Society for Psychological Study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues. She is also an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy provider and a member of the Visibility Project. She is also listed in the Health Professionals Advancing LGBT Equality/Gay and Lesbian Medical Association Provider Directory.
Satchel Pratt graduated from the Counseling Psychology masters program at USM in the summer of 2017. He is currently a first-year doctoral student at Arizona State University working in the Tran Ethnic & Minority Psychology & Experiences lab. His research interests involve health disparities in mental health. His clinical interests involve neuropsychology (i.e., neurodegenerative disorders and traumatic brain injury) and forensic/correctional psychology (i.e., malingering and risk assessment). He is currently conducting health disparities research on the impact of financial stress on cognitive functioning and decision making.
Christine Boehmer graduated from the USM Counseling Psychology masters program in 2015. She completed a summer internship at Clearview Recovery Center, gaining experience in the treatment of alcohol, drug and other addictive disorders and behaviors. She currently holds a Supported Employment Specialist position at Pine Belt Mental Healthcare Resources in Hattiesburg, MS, where she continues to be involved in providing vocational assessments and counseling, as well as job placement assistance and follow-up.
Mary Buzzetta, Ph.D. graduated from Florida State University’s (FSU) APA-accredited Combined Program in Counseling Psychology and School Psychology in August 2017. In addition, she obtained a Master of Science degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2009. Mary completed her pre-doctoral internship and post-doctoral residency with Texas State University’s Counseling Center. She currently serves as the Director and Licensed Psychologist for Texas A&M University – San Antonio’s Counseling Center.
Whitney Mixon-Webb graduated from the USM Counseling Psychology masters program in 2014. She completed an internship with Pine Belt Mental Health Resources and has worked as a mental health professional providing psychiatric rehabilitation and community psychiatric supportive treatment for children ages 5-13. She currently works for Northshore and Southshore Counseling and Wellness and holds a Provisionally Licensed Professional Counselor certification for the state of Louisiana.
Sara Montague Miller graduated from the USM Master's Program in Counseling Psychology in 2010. She is now a Licensed Professional Counselor and maintains a private practice with a strong assessment focus in Pass Christian, MS. Sara has also obtained her LPC-S (Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor) credential. Plus, she has a part-time photography business, Uninvented Colors Photography, which specializes in fine art and wedding photography.
Chloe Rylee graduated from USM with her bachelor's degree in Psychology and is currently a student in the USM Marriage and Family Master's Program.
Jeanette Santos, PsyD., LPC was born and raised in Venezuela and has been residing in the U.S. for the last fifteen years. She was an undergraduate team member when she received her Bachelor’s degree in psychology from USM in 2009. Jeanette is a Licensed Professional Counselor; she obtained a Master degree in Community Mental Health Counseling from the University of Texas at San Antonio and a Doctorate degree in Counseling Psychology from Our Lady of the Lake University. Jeanette is active duty psychology staff in the United States Air Force and she is stationed in Keesler AFB, Biloxi, MS. She recently completed her internship and is now working on her psychologist licensure application. She has over eight years of experience providing bilingual (English-Spanish) psychological services to diverse populations and her main research interest has focused in multicultural competence.
Harry Wadsworth IV graduated from the USM Counseling Psychology MS program in 2016. Currently, he is a Psychology Instructor for Pearl River Community College and an adjunct at Bluegrass Community Technical College
Mindy Waldrop graduated from the USM Counseling Psychology MS program in 2016 after working as an educator for several years. She is currently a Special Education Teacher and Case Manager at the Yazoo County Juvenile Detention Center with Behavior Specialist duties that serve all students at the JDC and teachers and students throughout Yazoo County.
Brandi McInnis graduated from The University of Southern Mississippi in the spring of 2018 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. During that time, Brandi was an undergraduate team member. Currently, she is attending her first year in the Industrial/Organizational Psychology Masters Program at the University of Houston-Clear Lake. She’s looking forward to starting her first internship next fall.
Benjamin Wright, PhD works in psychology for the VA system. He is from Northwest Arkansas and received his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Brigham Young University. He completed his master’s degree in Counseling Psychology at the University of Southern Mississippi. His research focuses on the work-related experiences of individuals who encounter severe economic marginalization. He has defended his dissertation which explored what combination of decent work and interest congruent best account for differences in job performance, organizational citizenship behavior, and subjective well-being. Ben hopes to pursue a career providing mental health and vocational services to Veterans experiencing economic marginalization in a residential setting.
Erica Mathis, PhD Erica Mathis, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist in Texas with a private practice after several years of experience in the university counseling center setting. Currently, Dr. Mathis provides individual, group, assessment, and crisis intervention services to the students of Texas State University. She also maintains an active role in the center’s Educational Programming and Outreach team by connecting with students through outreach events and speaking engagements. She hopes to continue working in a university setting after completing her postdoctoral position, and to be able to engage in training, assessment, and outreach services in a staff position.
Brianna Werner, Ph.D. graduated from the USM Counseling Psychology doctoral program in August 2019. She is currently a psychologist at the Road Home Program: The National Center of Excellence for Veterans and Their Families at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, IL. Her clinical interests include PTSD, military sexual trauma, and Veteran readjustment.
Jeremiah Andrews graduated with a master's degree in counseling psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi. He obtained his bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Mississippi. He currently works as a Mental Wellness Counselor at USM's Student Counseling Services. Jeremiah participated in Dr. Yowell's Research Team for two years examining the validity of the CASVE-CQ measure with college students, as well as assisting in a study measuring career decision making within Holland’s theory. His research areas of interest include exploring the mental health stigma in the African American community, to exploring the mental health of professional athletes.
Felicia Gray, MS, LPC graduated from the USM Counseling Psychology master's program in 2019. She completed her summer internship in an acute inpatient setting at Gulfport Behavioral Health before moving to Colorado. She currently serves as a licensed professional counselor in a private practice setting, specializing in anxiety, depression, stress, trauma, life transitions, and crisis intervention. Felicia is currently working toward credentialing for yoga therapy to expand services in the area.
Ashley Q. Horn, M.S. graduated from the Counseling Psychology Master’s Program in December 2019. She completed her summer internship at Clearview Recovery Center gaining experience in residential substance use treatment as well as treatment of other addictive and co-occurring disorders. Ashley is currently employed as the Intervention Court Counselor for the Eighth Judicial District Intervention (Drug) Court in Mississippi. Ashley is elated to continue gaining experience in co-occurring disorders as the first ever Intervention Court Counselor for this program.
Lauren Osborne, Ph.D. graduated in 2016 and completed her predoctoral internship and postdoctoral residency at the Bay Pines VAMC in Bay Pines, FL. She currently holds a Staff Psychologist position at the Greenville VA Health Care Center in Greenville, NC. Dr. Osborne serves on the Training Committee for predoctoral internship at this location which is the only APA-Accredited internship program east of I-95 in North Carolina. She also serves as Diversity Champion for the psychology department and primary supervisor for the Mental Health Clinic rotation.
Emily A. Schmidtman, PhD LP graduated in 2016 and completed her internship and formal post-doc at the Hefner VAMC in North Carolina. She has been a full-time outpatient staff psychologist at the St. Cloud VA in Minnesota for over two years and will be starting a full-time outpatient position at the Minneapolis VA in December 2019.
Lindsay Andrews Wiebusch, PhD graduated from the USM Counseling Psychology doctoral program in 2014. She completed a pre-doctoral internship with the Southern Arizona VA and a trauma postdoctoral residency at the Minneapolis VA. Currently she holds a Staff Psychologist position as the PTSD/SUD specialist at the Minneapolis VA.
Kari Leavell, Ph.D. graduated from the USM Counseling Psychology doctoral program in August of 2013. She completed her doctoral internship with the Texas Woman's University (TWU) Counseling Center in Denton, Texas, and entered into a permanent staff position for 3 more years. Dr. Leavell transitioned to private practice in July 2016, which is currently expanding and allows her to provide therapy while teaching as an adjunct with TWU. She is getting involved in the Texas Psychological Association and maintains her commitment to evidence-based practice, life-long learning, and specializing in anxiety disorders.
Chantelle Pseekos, Ph.D. graduated from the USM Counseling Psychology doctoral program in August of 2009. She completed her pre-doctoral internship the University of Houston Counseling Center, where she also completed a Multicultural Postdoctoral Fellowship. She currently serves as Director of the Counseling Center at Becker College (Worcester and Leicester campuses) and maintains a part-time private practice. Dr. Pseekos is as a Licensed Psychologist in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. She is a member of the American Psychological Association, APA Division 17: Society for Counseling Psychology, and APA Division 44: Society for Psychological Study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues. She is also an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy provider and a member of the Visibility Project. She is also listed in the Health Professionals Advancing LGBT Equality/Gay and Lesbian Medical Association Provider Directory.
Satchel Pratt graduated from the Counseling Psychology masters program at USM in the summer of 2017. He is currently a first-year doctoral student at Arizona State University working in the Tran Ethnic & Minority Psychology & Experiences lab. His research interests involve health disparities in mental health. His clinical interests involve neuropsychology (i.e., neurodegenerative disorders and traumatic brain injury) and forensic/correctional psychology (i.e., malingering and risk assessment). He is currently conducting health disparities research on the impact of financial stress on cognitive functioning and decision making.
Christine Boehmer graduated from the USM Counseling Psychology masters program in 2015. She completed a summer internship at Clearview Recovery Center, gaining experience in the treatment of alcohol, drug and other addictive disorders and behaviors. She currently holds a Supported Employment Specialist position at Pine Belt Mental Healthcare Resources in Hattiesburg, MS, where she continues to be involved in providing vocational assessments and counseling, as well as job placement assistance and follow-up.
Mary Buzzetta, Ph.D. graduated from Florida State University’s (FSU) APA-accredited Combined Program in Counseling Psychology and School Psychology in August 2017. In addition, she obtained a Master of Science degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2009. Mary completed her pre-doctoral internship and post-doctoral residency with Texas State University’s Counseling Center. She currently serves as the Director and Licensed Psychologist for Texas A&M University – San Antonio’s Counseling Center.
Whitney Mixon-Webb graduated from the USM Counseling Psychology masters program in 2014. She completed an internship with Pine Belt Mental Health Resources and has worked as a mental health professional providing psychiatric rehabilitation and community psychiatric supportive treatment for children ages 5-13. She currently works for Northshore and Southshore Counseling and Wellness and holds a Provisionally Licensed Professional Counselor certification for the state of Louisiana.
Sara Montague Miller graduated from the USM Master's Program in Counseling Psychology in 2010. She is now a Licensed Professional Counselor and maintains a private practice with a strong assessment focus in Pass Christian, MS. Sara has also obtained her LPC-S (Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor) credential. Plus, she has a part-time photography business, Uninvented Colors Photography, which specializes in fine art and wedding photography.
Chloe Rylee graduated from USM with her bachelor's degree in Psychology and is currently a student in the USM Marriage and Family Master's Program.
Jeanette Santos, PsyD., LPC was born and raised in Venezuela and has been residing in the U.S. for the last fifteen years. She was an undergraduate team member when she received her Bachelor’s degree in psychology from USM in 2009. Jeanette is a Licensed Professional Counselor; she obtained a Master degree in Community Mental Health Counseling from the University of Texas at San Antonio and a Doctorate degree in Counseling Psychology from Our Lady of the Lake University. Jeanette is active duty psychology staff in the United States Air Force and she is stationed in Keesler AFB, Biloxi, MS. She recently completed her internship and is now working on her psychologist licensure application. She has over eight years of experience providing bilingual (English-Spanish) psychological services to diverse populations and her main research interest has focused in multicultural competence.
Harry Wadsworth IV graduated from the USM Counseling Psychology MS program in 2016. Currently, he is a Psychology Instructor for Pearl River Community College and an adjunct at Bluegrass Community Technical College
Mindy Waldrop graduated from the USM Counseling Psychology MS program in 2016 after working as an educator for several years. She is currently a Special Education Teacher and Case Manager at the Yazoo County Juvenile Detention Center with Behavior Specialist duties that serve all students at the JDC and teachers and students throughout Yazoo County.
Brandi McInnis graduated from The University of Southern Mississippi in the spring of 2018 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. During that time, Brandi was an undergraduate team member. Currently, she is attending her first year in the Industrial/Organizational Psychology Masters Program at the University of Houston-Clear Lake. She’s looking forward to starting her first internship next fall.