Joyce Gatson, M.A., L.P.C.
Clinical Manager

It isn’t what happens to you, it is what you do about it. - W. Mitchell

As Clinical Manager, Joyce oversees the Phoenix office while continuing to serve clients as well. Joyce has been in the mental health field for over twenty years, serving a wide variety of populations. Her strength is her ability to meet clients where they are and help them achieve their goals through whatever modality is most appropriate for the person.

Joyce is an Arizona Licensed Professional Counselor and an experienced clinical supervisor and clinician.  She holds an M.A. degree in Professional Counseling from Ottawa University and a M.A. in Educational Counseling from Northern Arizona University. Joyce has over 25 years of experience in the mental health field. During that time she has worked at a counselor and enjoyed teaching psychology and counseling course in the Maricopa Community College system as well as Ottawa University.

She is responsible for the overall supervision of a staff of 30 in the Phoenix office as well as overseeing the newly developed and rapidly growing Casa Grande office and Yuma outreach. Joyce sits on the board for the Arizona Suicide Prevention Coalition and is an American Red Cross mental health volunteer.

Taylor Ninman, M.S., L.P.C., C.R.C.
Program Coordinator

As a Program Coordinator, Taylor supervises clinicians in the Phoenix office. She is an Arizona Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Rehabilitation Counselor. She earned an M.S. degree in Rehabilitation Counseling Psychology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. Taylor utilizes a strength-based approach to help clients and clinicians reach their goals. She also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Behavior Modification and an overall Client-Centered approach to assist clients in the process of change. Additionally, Taylor has experience performing neuropsychological and diagnostic assessments.

Amy Phelps, B.S., C.F.L.E.
Support Specialist

Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. – Mother Teresa

Amy graduated in December 2008 from Southwestern College with her Bachelor's Degree in Behavioral Health, and a minor in Family Studies. She also has a Certificate of Family Life Education. She is currently working as a Support Specialist doing intakes and attending CFTs for our clients. She looks forward to continuing her career in the field and plans to go back to school to get her Master's Degree.

Ashleigh Henneberger, M.S.W.
Consultant

Healthy discontent is the prelude to progress. - Mohandas Gandhi

Ashleigh’s experience is in substance abuse counseling and integrated dual-diganosis treatment (better known as co-occurring in AZ). She has facilitated group treatment in the past -- and hopefully will have a substance abuse group with CCS in the future. Her "go-to" treatment modality is client-driven therapy and motivational interviewing. She has received both her bachelors and masters degree in Social Work at Millersville University in Pennsylvania. Ashleigh also has experience as a certified medical advocate for victims of sexual/physical/emotional/verbal abuse.

Ayesha Davenport, B.A.
Consultant

Ayesha has a Bachelor’s in Psychology from Temple University and is experienced in foster care licensure and case management. She also has a special interest in out-of-home-placement. She works with both DDD and Magellan clients as well as clients with Spanish-language needs.

Caty Starkey, A.A.
Support Specialist

As we work to make our individual lives sane and happy we each contribute to the health of our entire planet.

Caty has worked in the behavioral health field and with people with developmental disabilities for over 30 years.  She has specifically worked with people with dual diagnoses. She is currently working as our Support Specialist doing intakes, observations and facilitating Person Centered Plans and Client Family Team Meetings.

Crystal Susko, M.A.
Consultant

The purpose of life is not to be happy – but to matter, to be productive, to be useful, to have it make some difference that you have lived at all. - Leo Rosten, American teacher and humorist

Crystal earned her Master’s Degree in Counseling and Community Psychology. She is a consultant with the Child & Family Team and specializes in working with children with a behavioral diagnosis and their families.

Dana Flannery, B.A.
Consultant

Courage can't see around corners but goes around them anyway. – Mignon McLaughlin

Dana has worked in the behavioral health field for several years working as a case manager for Value Options and as a behavioral consultant for MedPro. She specializes in counseling for clients with challenging mental health diagnoses, including conducting Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. She works with clients from both DDD and Magellan.

Darren Matusen, M.A.
Consultant

After completing his educational and professional training in Chicago, Boston, and San Francisco, Darren began his work with CCS in Phoenix as the organization’s Autism Spectrum Disorder Consultant in August 2005. His consultation work in Arizona has focused on the provision of comprehensive behavioral intervention programs for children with a diagnosis on the autism spectrum. Specifically, he has provided valuable training and guidance to almost two hundred children and their families on the principles of applied behavior analysis, social integration strategies, and sensory processing activities in homes, schools, and community settings. In addition, he co-facilitates social skills groups for children between the ages of 5 and 12 who face a range of difficulties when relating to both peers and adults.

DeOtis Nunn, M.B.A.
Consultant

We ether influence change or be affected by those who do.

DeOtis has a wide range of experience working with people with developmental disabilities. He specializes in using positive inquiry and positive intervention with his clients with whom he does counseling and consulting as part of the DDD Team.

Ed Ottesen, B.A., C.A.D.A.C.
Consultant

Poetry and Hums aren’t things which you get, they’re things which get you.  And all you can do is to go where they can find you. - Winnie the Pooh

With an AAS in Substance Abuse Counseling and a B.A in Psychology, Ed has 11 years experience serving those in mental health capacities.  Presently completing his Masters of Professional Counseling degree at Ottawa University with a concentration to trauma, abuse, and deprivation, Ed comes with a military background of serving as a Combat Mental Health Counselor and Substance abuse Counselor for the United States Army.  Ed concentrates his counseling services to issues regarding substance dependence/abuse, trauma, abuse, neglect, grief, deprivation, and pervasive developmental concerns.  Ed has come from working with adjudicated sexual problem behavior youth and those with substance dependence. He is also a Certified Addiction Drug and Alcohol Counselor. Ed is active with the Arizona Play Therapy Association and employs these methods through his approach.  Ed’s strength based approach incorporates the family and social system structured around purposeful and goal directed behaviors, within an individual needs philosophy.  Ed is married to his wife Amy of 11 years, enjoying his family of two nephews, two Golden Retrievers, and two cats.

Karmin Fowler, M.A.P.C., L.A.C., N.C.C.
Consultant

Be the change you wish to see in the world. – Gandhi

Karmin is a consultant for the Child & Family Team and works with children, adolescents, and their families. She has experience in Family Systems Approach, Attachment theory, Object Relations Theory, Thera-play, and Expressive art techniques.  She specializes in working with children with Reactive Attachment Disorder. Karmin has training in PCIT-Parent Child Interaction Therapy and co-facilitates social skills groups for adolescents. She received her Master’s degree from Ottawa University after completing a B.A. in Psychology and a B.S. in Family Resources/Human Development at Arizona State University. Karmin is an Arizona Licensed Associate Counselor and is certified by the National Board of Certified Counselors.

Kristen Ward, M.A.
Consultant; Group Coordinator

The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul! – Proverbs 13:19

Kristen graduated with a M.A. in Mental Health Counseling from Boston College.  Her experience in Boston and in Phoenix has been working with children and families on family dynamics and developmental disabilities, and she specializes in group counseling and children with Asperger's.

Lee Martinez, B.S.
Consultant

It's not what becomes of a person, but what a person becomes that truly matters - author unknown

Lee graduated from Brigham Young University with a B.S. in Psychology and is currently working towards his Master's Degree in Mental Health Counseling. Lee has lived in many countries, including Brazil, Germany, and India in the roles of missionary, army officer, and corporate officer, respectively. As a parent for nearly 20 years and as a therapeutic foster parent, Lee has working knowledge of the legal foundation for child welfare services, creating partnership development plans, attachment and child development, behavior management, birth family connections, shared parenting, strengths and needs assessment, parenting sexually abused children, the Adult-Children-Youth-Family (ACYF) Discipline Policy and the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). Lee also has experience working with children considered medically fragile. When working with adults, Lee likes using motivational interviewing (MI) as a pretreatment, as well as episodically throughout cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and conducting CBT in the MI spirit. Also, CBT informed by systems theory for couples and families.

Mychal Tepker, B.A.
Consultant

Courage does not always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying 'I will try again tomorrow'. - Mary Anne Radmacher

Mychal graduated from Concordia University in California in 2004 with her Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Studies with a minor in Child Development. She is a consultant for the developmental disabilities team specializing in positive behavioral support programs for children with a diagnosis on the autism spectrum. She also co-facilitates social skills groups for children with a range of difficulties relating to peers.

Nancy Barkley, M.S.W.
Consultant

If you could choose one characteristic that would get you through life, choose a sense of humor. – Jennifer Jones

As a consultant for the developmental disabilities team, Nancy uses Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Client-Centered Theory, and Family Systems Theory in her approaches with clients. She works with both children and adults in the DDD and Magellan systems.

Ruth Oduori, M.Ed. Counseling
Consultant

Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear. - Nelson Mandela

Ruth has a Bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of Nairobi, Kenya and a Master’s of Education in Counseling from Northern Arizona University in 2004. She has 5 years of experience in the behavioral health field and extensive experience working with troubled youth and their families. Ruth is trained and experienced in Multisystemic Therapy (MST) and has additional experience in HIV/AIDS counseling and working with diversified populations. She specializes in individual, couples, and family counseling, person-centered plan facilitation, developmental disabilities, staff training and Autism Spectrum Disorders. She was a researcher for an international cross-cultural renowned health guide “Where Women Have No Doctor"- A health guide on medical, psychological and reproductive health issues of women. Ruth is bilingual and speaks English and Swahili and can serve immigrants and refugees from Africa.

Sara Dergins, B.A.
Consultant

Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re going to get. - Forest Gump

Sara is currently a Masters student at Arizona State University, receiving her education in Infant Family Practice and Infant toddler mental health focusing on development, family relationships and early intervention and she will be graduating in July 2010.
She has a BA in psychology from Arizona State University as well, and she graduated in 2008. Sara started out in 2003 working child care and then in 2006 changed to working with children with Autism and other developmental disabilities as a Habilitation provider. In 2007 she started working an EMPACT-SPC as an office assistant while completing her BA; once completed she transitioned to a Case Manger working with teens, running groups and child family team meetings. Sara started with Counseling and Consulting Services in 2009 as a support specialist and has loved every moment of being part of an amazing team.

Jeannie Branscome
Administrative Assistant

Jeannie’s background is in Special Education and providing administrative support for site-based psychologists and speech/language pathologists for PVUSD school district. She works on the authorizations for DDD clients as well as other administrative duties.

Martha Gamez, B.A.
Administrative Assistant

To have courage for whatever comes in life - everything lies in that. - St. Teresa of Avila

Martha has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. She provides administrative and program support. Before joining CCS she was a School Governing Board Assistant and Administrative Assistant to District Superintendent. In previous years, she has held clerical, administration, secretarial and customer service positions in several fields. Martha is bilingual in Spanish and English.

Sheri Hall, B.S.
Administrative Assistant

Intense love does not measure, it just gives. - Mother Teresa

Sheri is the first person you’ll see when arriving at CCS as she greets people who come into the office. As one of the administrative assistants, Sheri helps in keeping the office running smoothly through her work in records and billing. Originally from Denver, Sheri has traveled throughout Europe. She is becoming more involved in efforts within the Phoenix community to decrease human trafficking and to help those who have been victims. Sheri holds a Bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Health and Family studies, and she enjoys spending time with her nieces and nephews.

Susana Durnan
File Clerk

Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies. - Mother Teresa

Susana has 12 years of experience working in Cardiology, Endocrinology and Workman’s Compensation. She will graduate with her degree from the Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program at West Coast Ultrasound Institute in June of 2011.