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OFFICE HOURS

Monday-Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm

CONTACT US

Phone: 662-915-3784
Fax: 662-915-7831
E-mail us: counslg@olemiss.edu

Staff


The staff at the University Counseling Center believe in the dignity and individual self worth of each person. To that end we respect, nurture and honor diversity in all those we work with and serve.




Marc Showalter, Ph.D., LPC, LMFT is the Director of the Center.  Marc has worked with college students for more than twenty years, and still thinks it’s a great job. 

After beginning his career in special education, Marc became interested in working with students as a counselor.  Prior to coming to the University of Mississippi, he worked as a counselor at the University of Arkansas at Monticello and then came to Ole Miss to work on a Ph.D.  What began as a short stay for graduate school has become a wonderful opportunity to serve the Ole Miss community. 

The director is responsible for all aspects of the work of the Center, but primarily he tries to stay out of the way of the talented staff here so that they can do their jobs.  Whether counseling students, teaching a class, speaking to a group, working with Orientation, visiting with parents or just strolling across campus, he thinks being a part of this community is quite an honor.

He is a big sports fan, especially of the Lady Rebels, and enjoys playing golf and the guitar. 



Susannah Furr, M.Ed, LPC, LMFT, is the Associate Director of the University Counseling Center.  Susannah has been a member of the University community as both student and employee for over two decades.  She brings to the center her love of working with clients to assist them on their lives journeys.  Susannah works with clients from all ages, backgrounds and cultures.  She also works in the larger community for businesses and corporations as a trainer for Stress Management and Conflict Resolution and other pertinent topics.  Susannah helped develop and continues to offer The Way of the Heart, a program for groups and communities to practice reconciliation of conflicts and divisive issues.  She has also offered many classes and workshops in Meditation as a Personal Enhancement practice. Susannah has a special interest in women's issues as well as couples counseling, but her greatest fulfillment comes from working with all types of people to serve their inner growth and well-being.


Vicki Mahan, M.Ed., LPC, LMFT is the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Coordinator and Counselor. Vicki completed her Bachelor's degree in Special Education and Master's degree in Educational Psychology at Ole Miss. Vicki was a special educator in both elementary and secondary levels in public schools for many years. Vicki has been the EAP Coordinator since 1997. She is licensed in Marriage and Family Therapy and is certified in clinical hypnotherapy. Since 2001 Vicki has been the coordinator of the U of M ALLIES Program, which is a network of informed faculty and staff who are visibly supportive of all students regardless of their sexual orientation or identity. ALLIES foster a campus community in which all members may feel safe, supported, respected and valued.




Dean Worsham is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Licensed Professional Counselor, and National Certified Counselor. He currently sits on the Mississippi Board of Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapist.

Dean also leads the "Just One Breath" meditation group held at UM Counseling Center.



Tricia Barrios, MSSW, LCSW, is one of the Counseling Center’s Staff Counselors. With a history as a high school teacher and in many Oxford non-profit community service agencies, Tricia was constantly inspired by the strengths of the people she worked with, and from there, it was a natural step to follow her heart into counseling. Pursuing an MSSW, Tricia joined the UCC family for a field placement in 2000 and was honored to become full-time staff in 2001.

Tricia aspires to see the unique strength in every individual and dedicates the merit of that practice to her late husband and beloved UCC colleague, Billy Barrios. She thanks him for his examples of lifelong learning, loving kindness, his bodhisattva spirit and, especially, for the greatest of all his gifts....their little daughter, Emory.

 


Amy Fisher, JD, LCSW, is the Substance Abuse Services Coordinator as well as a Certified Clinical Addiction Professional.  After practicing law for the better part of a decade, Amy changed career courses and obtained a Masters’ of Science in Social Work from the University of Tennessee in 2004.  After graduating, Amy worked at a residential substance dependence treatment facility.  She came to the University Counseling Center in 2005 and assumed responsibility for the B.A.S.I.C.S. program, a brief intervention for college students who were sentenced to attend by various courts.  After B.A.S.I.C.S. left the Counseling Center, Amy designed and implemented the Center’s current Substance Abuse Services.  In addition to coordinating those services, Amy enjoys opportunities to combine both her legal knowledge and her counseling by working with the legal field on matters of personal psychology.

 


Emily Riemer, LPC, received her masters in Counselor Education from the University of Mississippi in 2001.  She has worked with a variety of populations in both residential and outpatient settings. One of her primary experiences was serving as the Clinical Program Director of a residential treatment center for chemical dependency in New Orleans, Louisiana.  Emily is a Licensed Professional Counselor in both Mississippi and Louisiana.  She believes therapy should provide a safe environment for self-discovery and exploration, so that inner conflicts may be resolved and emotional distress decreased.  She has specific experience with grief, trauma, marital conflict, sexuality, and other clinical diagnoses.



Scott Kreeger, MSSW, is a part-time Counselor with the Counseling Center.  He completed his bachelor's degree at the University of California at Los Angeles and his master's degree in social work at the University of Tennessee, Memphis campus.

In addition to counseling students, he assists Vicki Mahan with the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), counseling university faculty and staff members.  He also devotes some
of his time to helping coordinate the University of Mississippi ALLIES program, which is a network of informed faculty and staff who are visibly supportive of all students, regardless of their sexual orientation or identity.


Janice Stetz, mother of 7 adult children, grandmother of 20, and great-grandmother of 13, serves the Center as Secretary for Outreach Programming. 

After being a stay-at-home wife and mother, for more than 30 years, Janice’s husband died suddenly of a massive heart attack.  She moved from their home in the Chicago area to be closer to family in Mississippi.  In 1991, she decided to go back to school.  She attended Northwest Mississippi Community College, where she obtained an Associates Degree in Business Administration.

Janice and the Outreach Programming staff provide various programs for students on campus.  Outreach Programming also plans and coordinates the Annual Jean Jones Walk/Run for Cancer.



Graduate Students and Part-time Staff

 

Linda Abbott, M.M.F.T., received her B.A. in Journalism from Ole Miss and a Masters of Marriage and Family Therapy from Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville. An Oxford native, Linda returned to her hometown in 2006 after living in Nashville for 9 years. She is currently working with the Crossroads Program as well as seeing individual clients. Linda is currently working toward licensure as an LPC.

 


Emily Derrick is currently a doctoral student in the Counselor Education program here at Ole Miss. She completed a Bachelor’s in Psychology at Blue Mountain College in 2002, and a Masters in Counseling Psychology with a specialization in Marriage and Family Therapy, at Mississippi College in 2004.  Emily is a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC) as well as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). She has experience working with families, couples, children, and individuals, as well as those struggling with alcohol, drug, and nicotine addictions.

Emily has been happily married for 10 years to her husband, Jason; and, they have two children, Jacob and Samuel.



Gail Baumhardt earned her BSW at the University of Mississippi.  After she graduated, she returned to her home state of Texas, where she worked as a social worker for a year.  Gail then took the alternative teaching route and obtained a certification, which allowed her to both teach, and serve as a Varsity volleyball coach.   She did this for three years; then decided to return to Ole Miss, where she is currently working on a master's degree in Higher Education. Gail is a graduate assistant for the Counseling Center.


Karen Rhudy, is a second year graduate student in Leadership and Counselor Education on the school counselor tract.  Karen completed her Bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi.  She is interested in working with children who have been deemed unmanageable within the school setting.  Karen enjoys playing sports, doing anything outdoors, and loves spending time with family and friends.  She is an active member of the Baptist Student Union and attends First Baptist Church Oxford.

 


Audra Blackbourn, is a receptionist for the Counseling Center. Audra is a Senior Communicative Disorders major. She graduated from East Mississippi Community College, where she was a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, Campus Coordinator for the Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi, and a member of the EMCC cheerleading squad.



Meghan Anderson, M.Ed, NCC has served the Univeristy Counseling Center as a part-time counselor for 2 years. During her time in the Master of Education program, Meghan began providing drug and alcohol services for the B.A.S.I.C.S program as well as additional counseling services to Ole Miss college students.  Currently, Meghan continues to work in the field of drug and alcohol counseling and is working towards an LPC licensure.  Further, Meghan has extensive experience working with children and is also working towards an RPT (Registered Play Therapist) licensure.


Mike Hirschel is a graduate student therapist at the Counseling Center. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of North Carolina, receiving a double major in psychology and computer science. After spending five years working in Washington D.C., Mike returned to school to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology here at Ole Miss.  Mike's research interests include multicultural and disaster psychology.




Lindsey Cagle is a second year master’s student with the Counselor Education program, with a focus on Community Counseling. She completed her Bachelor’s degree at the University of Mississippi with a major in Psychology.  Lindsey works with Outreach Programming at the Counseling Center.  The biggest and most exciting part of Lindsey’s year is coordinating the Jean Jones Walk/Run for Cancer. Lindsey helped coordinate the race last year, and is ready to hold the reins of this year’s race. This year will be the 10th annual race, and Lindsey is thrilled to be part of such an amazing event. Along with the race, Lindsey and Outreach Programming have a new project on the horizon, which involves Student Media. Look for her and other Counseling Center staff members on the UM television station for updates, information, and fun times, regarding the Counseling Center and all of the wonderful things it has to offer. 

 

Nadia Kholomeydik, is a second year master’s student with the Counselor Education program, with a focus on Community Counseling. She has a Master’s in Social Work from Far Eastern State Technical University (FESTU), Vladivostok, Russia. Before coming to the United States, she worked as a Student Affairs Specialist at the FESTU for three years. In 2006, she was the only one chosen out of 4000 applicants for the Edmund S. Muskie Scholarship, which allows one to study in the United States. Nadia wants to learn how to set up a Career Counseling Center at her home University in Russia.

Nadia is doing her practicum at the Counseling Center as an Intercultural Connections Project Coordinator.  She is responsible for four major blocks of the project: 1) Cultural Connection/Conversation Group, 2) International Ladies Club, 3) International Ambassadors Program, and 4) Practical Workshops for Adjustment and Socialization on Campus.   She is also an officer of the International Students Organization and a Community Representative of Chi Sigma Iota, the Honor Society for Counselors.


Daphne Ingene, M.Ed,.  Daphne is an individual, couples, and group counselor. Her research interest areas are multicultural counseling with couples and groups. Currently, Daphne facilitates theInternational Ladies' Club and the International Graduate Students' Conversation Group.  She is also working on the project of Cook, Eat, Share to promote culture exchange over the dinner table, and is pursuing her PhD in Counselor Education.

 

Laqwanda Roberts-Buckley works as a therapist intern at the Counseling

Center and is a second-year Master of Science in Social Work student at the University of Tennessee in Memphis. Laqwanda received a BA in Sociology with a minor in Political Science from Jackson State University. Currently, Laqwanda serves as the National Association of Social Workers Representative for the Student Government Association at UT, a Sexual Assault Victims Intervention Advocate for the U.S. Coast Guard, and Co-Chair of a local Get Out The Vote Committee.


Marc Bourgeois, M.S. comes to us from Lafayette, LA. He completed his Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing in 2001. He took a position in the financial sector and then as a church youth director working with adolescents. He obtained a Master of Science Degree in Counselor Education at the University of Louisiana Lafayette in 2006. Upon graduating, Marc was employed as a counselor at Acadiana EAP, where he helped individuals who were experiencing depression, anxiety, and relationship problems. He is currently enrolled as a doctorate student in the Counselor Education Program at Ole Miss.