CAPS welcomes new staff therapists

Purdue University’s Counseling and Psychological Services has announced the addition of nine new permanent and contract staff therapists.

“We know that fit between student and clinician is important to the therapeutic relationship,” says Kyle Kittleson, assistant director of clinical services at CAPS. “It is important to the CAPS mission that we continue to diversify the services we offer to students, and that we are able to meet the needs of our diverse student population, including our BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) students.”

The new staff therapists are:

Maime Butler, MA, PhD candidate at Western Michigan University, counseling psychology

Butler joins CAPS as a staff therapist and Black student liaison. Originally from Oakland, California, Butler graduated from Dillard University in New Orleans. Butler’s clinical orientation includes treatment from a social justice/equity/multicultural lens, relational cultural theory, acceptance and commitment therapy, mindfulness, and self-compassion. Clinical interest areas include race-based trauma and stress, racial, gender, and sexual identity, LGBTQ+ issues, trauma, mood-related and anxiety disorders, holistic practices, spirituality, first-generation college students, training, outreach and workshop facilitation.

Latrice Baxter, MA, licensed mental health counselor

Baxter is providing therapy services contractually with CAPS this fall and is currently the owner/therapist at A Conscious Chance Counseling and Wellness Center in Indianapolis. Baxter is originally from Philadelphia. Her clinical orientation includes solutions-focused therapy and nutrition and exercise in treatment. Baxter’s clinical interests include trauma, racial trauma and cultural identification, and depressive and anxiety disorders.

Tramaine Presley, PsyD, licensed mental health counselor

Presley has worked in a variety of clinical settings and is providing therapy services contractually for CAPS this semester. Presley’s clinical orientation includes an assimilative integrative model grounded in systems theory and practices assimilated from other theories, such as cognitive-behavioral (CBT), interpersonal, trauma-informed, psychodynamic, and humanistic approaches. Presley’s work at CAPS is aimed at meeting the mental health needs of Black/African-descent students.

Tanisia Crowder, licensed mental health counselor

Crowder is providing therapy services contractually for CAPS this semester. Crowder’s clinical orientation includes solutions-focused therapy. She also uses cognitive behavioral therapy along with other therapeutic techniques to individualize the therapy process for each client. Her clinical interest areas include individual therapy specializing in depression, anxiety and self-esteem issues.

Pamela McCombs-Matlock, PsyD, health service provider in psychology

McCombs-Matlock will be providing therapy services contractually for CAPS this semester. Her clinical orientation includes an eclectic approach to therapy in order to meet the needs of each individual. Her clinical interest areas include individual therapy with people of all age groups, but she especially enjoys working with those who are members of racial minority groups.

Jamie Zalasin, PhD, psychology resident, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; counseling psychology

Zalasin has a background in sport and performance psychology and enjoys working with student-athletes (former/current) on their mental game as well as exploring athletic identity. Her clinical orientation includes cognitive-behavioral therapy and incorporation of interpersonal process and skill building. Her clinical interest areas includes anxiety and stress, trauma, sport and performance psychology and athletic identity and adjusting to life transitions such as graduating, entering school and retirement.

Andrea Gerke, PsyD, health service provider in psychology

Gerke is joining CAPS as a staff therapist, involved in individual, group and crisis management counseling. Her clinical orientation uses an integration of psychodynamic, humanistic, cognitive-behavioral and multicultural approaches. Gerke’s clinical interest areas include outreach and consultation, liaison relationship building, community engagement and groups. She enjoys working with intersecting identities, family of origin concerns, grief and loss, relationship concerns, trauma, life transitions/adjustment and depression and anxiety.

Nazeer (Naz) T. Zerka II, MSW

Zerka is joining CAPS as a staff therapist, involved in individual, group and crisis management counseling. He will be joining the GAME group this semester at CAPS, a group that works with students on the autism spectrum or those with similar tendencies.

Zerka’s clinical orientation includes CBT, strengths-based and solutions-focused therapies, while also understanding the systems that exist in leading a student to his office. He emphasizes a strong bond and safe place to talk with every student. Zerka’s primary clinical interest area is working with individuals on the autism spectrum, in addition to working with students of color and student-athletes.

Natalie Sachs, MA, University of Northern Colorado; counseling psychology (PhD) student

Sachs is joining CAPS as a staff therapist. Her clinical interest areas include working with the LGBTQ community and gender expansive clients, working with chronic suicidality, trauma, and co-occurring substance use disorder. She is also passionate about doing diversity work both in and out of session.

CAPS is a team of multiculturally sensitive professionals delivering comprehensive psychological services to the students of Purdue. More on CAPS ia available here.