B-W: Counseling Services Staff

Meet the Counseling Services Staff

"What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are small matters compared to what lies within us."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Joy Wyatt, Ph.D., Director I am very excited to join the counseling service staff at B-W and look forward to the opportunity to partner with the rest of the Student Affairs community to enhance the lives of B-W students. I am a licensed psychologist and have over 15 years’ experience working with college students. I love being a part of an individual’s journey in overcoming personal struggles, understanding oneself better and developing healthier ways of being. In particular, I strive to build on an individual’s strength and resiliency. My areas of interest include women’s issues, eating disorders and body image, and relationship struggles. On a personal note, I am an “adult” learner on the piano, enjoy traveling, playing golf, and, most of all, spending time with family and friends.
Gerald Hayes, Psy.D, Assistant Director/Training Director I am a licensed clinical psychologist with experiences in a variety of clinical settings such as community mental health centers, hospitals, universities, and private practice. As the Assistant Director to Counseling Services, I am very involved in supporting B-W's efforts to enhance its ability to meet the needs of students, faculty and staff through outreach, consultation, supervision and the provision of counseling. Some of my professional interests include issues around spirituality, diversity, deaf culture, psychological testing, and clinical supervision. I strongly value and support the ability of an individual to make choices and consider it a privilege to be able to be a part of that process in another's life. On a personal note, I love spending time with my family and friends. I enjoy playing guitar and writing music when I get the chance.
Theresa Novak, M.Ed., PCC-S, Assistant Director/Director of Prevention and Outreach Services Life will bring us both joy and sorrow and it's what we choose to do with it that matters. In addition to the joy and sorrow, we may find the journey of life to be confusing and isolating and counseling can help. I want nothing more than to walk with you through the confusion and discovery. I consider counseling a privilege, and believe that respect of every individual is a must. Don't hesitate, just call whether you have a problem or if you just want to work through what life means to you personally. I have a wide range of interests which include grief and loss, multicultural issues and issues related to adjustment, spirituality, women, relationships, and identity. On a personal note, I'm a social creature so spending time with family and friends is important to me. I love to cook and bake, and when I have time, one of my favorite hobbies is cake decorating. Reading, exercising, the theater and music are some of the other things that bring me joy.
Alia Lawlor, Counselor I'm very happy to be returning to B-W as a member of the counseling staff. I love working with college students (regardless of age) because it is such a pivotal time, and decisions made during this time often have a lasting impact on a person's life. It's important to make those decisions thoughtful, conscious and as healthy as possible. My counseling interests are varied and include women's issues, expression of self through work, anxiety issues, breathwork, meditation, gender, sexuality and general "trying to figure out what life is about and who I am" concerns. I am also a freelance writer/instructional designer and a certified career management coach with a holistic approach to life work. I am passionate about creativity and art and spend almost all of my free time creating in some form.
Elizabeth C. van der Oord, Ph.D, Postdoctoral Fellow Currently, I am completing a postdoctoral fellowship at Baldwin-Wallace College. I received my Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from The University of Akron (APA accredited) and completed a health psychology internship (APA accredited) with rotations in the General Medicine Clinics, Pain Management Center, and Recovery Resource Center at the Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Other professional activities outside of B-W include a clinical postdoctoral fellowship at a pediatric private practice specializing in the treatment of children and adolescents. My clinical interests include motivation and performance enhancement, issues of grief and loss, health promotion (i.e., smoking cessation, weight reduction, stress management, etc), multicultural issues, adjustment to chronic illness, relationships, and clinical supervision. I have experience working with diverse populations; however, I particularly enjoy working with college students. I am excited to be part of the B-W Counseling Services team and consider it a privilege to provide support to students in their endeavors. My free time is spent with family and friends and playing tennis
Natale Badillo, M.A.Ed., Counseling Intern I am a doctoral student trainee from Cleveland State University, and I am very excited to be part of the Counseling Services staff this year! My professional background is in education and school psychology. I have many years of experience conducting psychoeducational evaluations with children and adults in school settings and in private practice. Much of my professional experience has involved helping children, adults, and families understand and adjust to learning-related difficulties. I also have professional interests in stress reduction/self-care, time management, psychological assessment, family-related concerns, sexuality and identity, diversity, academic achievement, and future career concerns. I am looking forward to helping students find techniques and strategies that make it easier to adjust to academic and/or life changes they may face. Let me know what we can work on together to help you gain the greatest benefits from your college experience. When I do have free time, I enjoy being with family and friends, reading, crafting, and baking. I also enjoy decorating cakes and cookies—cookie art is fun to do!
Alissa Banyasz, Counseling Intern I currently possess a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology, and I am continuing to pursue my doctorate in this program at the University of Akron. While I enjoy working with a variety of presenting concerns, I am primarily focused on providing clients with holistic care, paying attention to all aspects of the individual such as culture, religion, and sexual orientation. I believe in working with clients to establish goals and to identify tools in a way that fits for them specifically. Since college life presents its own unique challenges, stressors, and decisions, combined with an individual’s own personal concerns, I strive to enable students to identify how they can think about and deal with these things in a way that helps them to manage their negative emotions, experience growth, and identify meaning in their experiences. Regardless of the type of challenges that an individual may be facing, it is my belief that counseling can be a helpful and enriching experience for anyone who is committed to the process.
Christina Vasilev, Counseling Intern I am currently a clinical psychology graduate student at Case Western Reserve University, and am thrilled to be an intern here at B-W. I believe therapy is a collaborative process, and clients are the true experts in their own life. I hope to create a safe space for students to explore their past, present, and future during this important stage of life development. In the past I have worked with issues such as mood and anxiety disorders, difficulty with managing emotions and stress, self-injurious thoughts and behaviors, relationship challenges, and life transitions. However, I enjoy working with the wide range of struggles often encountered by college students. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, enjoying the outdoors, and developing my creative side through music, cooking, and crafting.
Lindsey Maurer, Counseling Intern I am currently a graduate student at John Carroll University, completing my final year in the Community Counseling program. Some of my interests within the counseling field include grief and loss, relationship issues, mood disorders, and anxiety. I am excited to be working here with B-W’s Counseling Services. The college years are such a unique, inspiring, and even challenging time for all students regardless of age, and I look forward to working with you during this time of growth. In my free time I enjoy spending time with my family, especially with my two nephews. As a Cleveland native, I love exploring new places and restaurants as well as learning about the city’s history. I am also training to run my first half marathon in the spring.
Demetrius Williams, Counseling Intern I am completing my internship year as a counselor trainee in the College Counseling program at Youngstown State University. I love working with college students and have held professional positions in residence life and student activities and as a part time faculty member. My areas of interest include anxiety disorders, first generation college students, at risk students, and multicultural issues.I am excited to return to the Cleveland area to complete my internship here at B-W.
Alan Castro, M.D., Psychiatrist I am a licensed psychiatrist working in the Counseling Center on a part-time basis. I am originally from the Philippines where I obtained my medical degree. I completed my residency training at Case Western Reserve- University Hospitals in 1997. My training and interests include mood disorders, adjustment problems, and cross-cultural influence on mental health. Because of the winning baseball team here in Cleveland, I decided to stay despite the cold weather. I have found the students here at Baldwin-Wallace to be a great group of individuals who make working here so enjoyable.
Julie Dailey, RN, Office Manager Some of you may recognize me from Health Services. I have worked as a nurse at B-W since 2004. I also earned a Psychology degree from B-W and really enjoyed my college experience here. Then I went to nursing school and became a Pediatric Nurse. My favorite interactions have been with youth of all ages. My hope is for all college students to have an enjoyable college experience. In my free time, I love spending time with my family and friends. Hobbies that I enjoy are reading, scrapbooking, exercising, and being outdoors.
Karen Heft, B.S., Part-time Office Manager I've worked with individuals from early childhood all the way through to seniors living out their golden years and therefore; I enjoy meeting and interacting with people of all ages. I find college students very enjoyable because they're making decisions and laying the foundations for their future through learning and exploration. In my free time I enjoy camping, spending time with my husband and family, sewing/crafting, and spending time outdoors.

You don't have to be sick to get better. In other words, you don't need to be knee deep in stress before you come see us.

We can help right now!

Call us at x2180 or just stop by and set up an
appointment - usually with the counselor of your choice.

We are open from 9-8 Monday through Thursday and 9-5 on Friday.