Counselors

Victoria Witaker, M.A. LPC- Associate.

Supervised by Dr. Lori Ryan, Ph.D., LPC-S.

Victoria received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at Texas State University. She continued to receive her Master of Arts in Professional Counseling at Dallas Baptist University. Victoria is a Licensed Professional Counselor-Associate and is passionate about helping the lost and found through restoration and healing under the supervision of Dr. Jordan Davis. Victoria has experience working with various issues such as anxiety, self-development, low-self-esteem, anger management, depression, childhood trauma, and group therapy. She has formed her theoretical approach to counseling by incorporating CBT-TF, Person-Centered, and DBT practices. She believes counseling is a place where individuals find their voice by the stories they share. Victoria believes in creating a space where an individual is seen, heard, and accepted. Victoria believes that true healing takes place when understanding begins.

Wendy Hsu, MAPC.

Supervised by Dr. Lori Ryan, Ph.D., LPC-S.

Wendy graduated from Dallas Baptist University, with her Master of Arts in Professional Counseling. Wendy uses her expertise to help college students who are struggling with academic stress, depression, anxiety, relationship issues, and self-worth issues. Wendy has an extensive background in counseling young students in Taiwan. She utilizes cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and counsels from a Biblical mindset. She strives to get to the root of her client’s problems with a gentle hand and a prayerful heart.

Huy Lam, M.A. LPC-Associate.

Supervised by Candace Chuyou-Campbell, PhD, LPC-S, RPT-S

Huy earned a Master Degree in Counseling from Dallas Theological Seminary. He is currently a Ph.D. student at Texas A&M University - Commerce which he hopes to complete in 2025. His professional interests include: couples, family, and religious and spiritual issues in counseling. Being fluent in both English and Vietnamese, he's also an avid advocate for mental health in Vietnamese community. Huy believes therapy is essentially a relationship which facilitates change. He sees himself as a fellow hiker walking beside his clients as they explore the uncharted territory of life. These terrains can be dangerous and formidable. However, in the depths of our fear lies a tremendous potential for growth. Huy aims to tap into this reservoir of strength that is inherent in every single person, so they can rise to the challenge of life and blossom. In order to do so he wants to understand his clients' wants, needs, fears, dreams and provide strategic skills and insights when necessary.

Elizabeth (Guanghua) Shi, M.A. LPC-Associate.

Supervised by Dr. Lori Ryan, Ph.D., LPC-S.

Elizabeth (Guanghua) Shi was born in China. She received her Master of Arts degree in Pastoral Counseling from the Asian Theological Seminary in the Philippines. She also obtained a Master of Science degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Tarleton State University. In the past, she has conducted counseling with clients from diverse cultural backgrounds. She values each of her clients. She strives to provide a safe and non-judgmental place for her clients to share their concerns and explore their world. Elizabeth seeks to establish a strong connection with her clients. She helps her clients to experience healing through encountering their emotional needs and strengthening their inner selves.

Pennie Raymond, M.A.MFT., M.A. Healthcare Management.

Supervised by Jack David Dickerson, LPC-S., LMFT-S.

Pennie received her Bachelor of Applied Science in Psychology from Dallas Baptist University. She received her Master of Arts in Healthcare Management from Dallas Baptist University and Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy from Northcentral University. She is also SYMBIS (Save Your Marriage Before It Starts) certified. Pennie is a family and marriage behavioral health care service professional with over twenty-five years of experience in premarital and marriage counseling, social work, community service, casework management, family support counseling, teen literary, court-ordered juvenile remediation, adolescence at-risk intervention, and crisis intervention. The hallmark of Pennie’s collaborative client-center professional approach is her biblical orientation and evidence-based perspective of honoring and taking to heart the concerns of the client. In using cognitive-behavior and solution-focused therapy, integrated with biblical principles as interventions for change, Pennie focuses on the treatment of the whole person by considering their emotional, behavioral, contextual, and spiritual needs. With professional assistance and God’s grace, Pennie believes healing, reconciliation, and solutions to our problems can be achieved. Pennie has worked with a diversity of groups in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Texas. Pennie has been married for over 35 years, and with her husband, they have raised one child. Pennie’s areas of concentration include premarital & marital counseling, teen issues, couples, women’s issues, self-esteem issues, parenting issues, depression, spiritual guidance and stress management.

April Aspgren, MABC, Th.M., JD., LPC-Associate

Supervised by Dr. Lori Ryan, Ph.D., LPC-S.

April empowers and equips young adult leaders with healthy coping skills for serving a broken world. She also comes alongside seasoned professionals and caregivers and helps them develop self-care practices for serving sustainably. April believes in leadership by example - How well can you lead people in an organization or help someone understand their story or work through their issues, if you have not invested in yourself first by taking time to understand your story and work through your issues? April practices cognitive behavioral therapy, helping people notice and take captive their thoughts, which may result in changed feelings and behavior. She will also integrate faith and spiritual disciplines for clients seeking a holistic approach. Prior to DBU, April served with a local hospice program and a local residential treatment program and gained experience with processing grief from unresolved losses, processing trauma from unresolved physical, verbal, emotional or sexual abuse, adopting positive coping skills to replace negative coping or numbing skills (substance abuse, overeating, and other forms of addiction), and managing anxiety, depression, bipolar, autism, and neurocognitive decline (dementia, Alzheimer’s). April’s prior educational experience includes a Master of Arts in Counseling and a Master of Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary, a Juris Doctor from American University’s Washington College of Law, and a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Engineering Sciences from Dartmouth College. April’s prior professional experience includes litigating civil defense complex business and insurance disputes at a large international law firm and a small local law firm and serving as a Combat Engineer Officer in the United States Marine Corps.

Miranda Jones, LPC-Associate.

Supervised by Chelsey Kinney, LPC-S.

Miranda received her Bachelors in Psychology and Sociology and continued in her M.A. in Professional Counseling at Dallas Baptist University. She is currently a practicum student and under the supervision of Kelso Kreatschman. Miranda welcomes individuals of all walks of life that are struggling with loss, anxiety, depression, past trauma, relationship issues, shame and self worth issues in her counseling room. In her counseling sessions, she strives to create a warm, judgment-free environment so that the individual feels known, heard and supported. Miranda counsels from a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy approach and seeks to explore the whole person in their mental, emotional, physical, social and spiritual health. As she continues her degree, she hopes to explore her passions in working with sexual assault victims and foster care and adopted children. Miranda has seen how God uses counseling to provide healing and restoration to the broken hearted and desires to be apart of His work.

Alyssa Durham, LPC-Associate.

Supervised by Chelsey Kinney, LPC-S.

Alyssa received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Dallas Baptist University and is currently working to complete her Master of Arts in Professional Counseling. Alyssa's personal experience in undergoing therapy through DBU's Counseling Center changed her life and acts as her motivating force behind aspiring to be a counselor. She is passionate about stepping into clients' concerns with compassion and care coupled with humor and her spunky personality when appropriate. Within a CBT framework, Alyssa values every experience that her clients have walked through in how they have contributed towards understanding who they are today. Her goal is to provide an emotionally welcoming and warm environment to explore their world and promote growth and healing within it. She enjoys working with clients facing depression, anxiety, abuse, shame, and childhood or family trauma. Alyssa believes in the restorative factors that can be accessed through clients committing to themselves and believing they are worthy of their own time, effort, and care.

Grace Hodges, MAPC Intern.

Supervised by Kelso Kreatschman, MA, LPC, LMFT.

Grace completed her bachelor’s in psychology and is continuing in the accelerated program to receive her M.A. in Professional Counseling at Dallas Baptist University in the Spring of 2023. She is currently a practicum student and under the supervision of Kelso Kreastchman. Grace strives to create an environment in her counseling sessions that is characterized by compassion, warmth, safety, and hope. She believes that the same kind of gentleness and graciousness that pours out from the heart of Jesus must also overflow in the therapeutic relationship to create a space for vulnerability and healing. She welcomes clients facing a myriad of struggles including depression, anxiety, grief, heartache, and the many other sufferings that result from living in a broken world. Through the lens of a biblical worldview, Grace embraces the theoretical orientation of cognitive behavioral therapy to walk alongside her clients with an attentive ear and a compassionate heart. Ultimately, she knows that it is the Lord at work through her to grant her “a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary” (Isaiah 50:4). Any glimmer of hope that is instilled through her counseling style is the product of His Spirit at work.

Erica Short, MAPC Intern.

Supervised by Kelso Kreatschman, MA, LPC, LMFT.

Erica received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from William Paterson University in New Jersey and received a Master of Science degree in Communication Disorders from the University of Texas at Dallas. She is currently working towards completing her Master of Arts in Professional Counseling at Dallas Baptist University. Erica presents a warm and open environment, for clients of all ages and all walks of life, to explore and express their thoughts, ideas, emotions, and situations. Through the integration of Gestalt and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy models, as well as biblically based counseling guidance, Erica strives to support her clients in their exploration of self as they continue in their journey of life.

Emily Roszhart, MAPC Intern.

Supervised by Kelso Kreatschman, MA, LPC, LMFT.

Emily is currently pursuing her Master of Arts in Professional Counseling at Dallas Baptist University. She is a graduate-level counselor and under the supervision of Kelso Kreatschman. Emily enjoys working with clients experiencing loss, family/relationship difficulties, transition, shame, trauma, identity confusion, anxiety, and depression. Emily is passionate about creating a safe place for individuals to explore their feelings, thoughts, and concerns. From a cognitive behavioral framework, Emily partners with clients to create lasting change in mind, body, and soul. She seeks to allow each client to feel heard and understood, as Emily celebrates each person’s bravery to pursue change. Emily believes God desires wholeness for His creation, and she is excited to work with individuals to find healing in all aspects of life.

Anna Lee, LPC-Associate.

Supervised by Josh Freeman, M.A. LPC-S.

Anna received her M.A. in Counseling from Dallas Theological Seminary. Anna has worked with clients from various backgrounds, most frequently with those dealing with: addiction, family, depression, pre-marital, and grief. She has a passion for helping clients pursue their mental health needs. In the counseling room, Anna uses the Gestalt and Solution-Focused therapy approaches, a combination of emotionally expressive activities and resources set toward customized goals. On the weekends, Anna spends time with family, taking walks, and having good meals with fun conversations.