Dr. Angie Anderson
Respecting the importance of the unity of families and marriages, Angie developed a five session program “Making Love Last.” Through her program, Angie is dedicated to assisting families and couples with enhanced healthy communication and effective conflict resolution while maintaining mutual respect.
Angie is also collaboratively trained in helping families find balance and peace while going through a divorce. She will work with children as a Child Specialist to learn effective coping skills to deal with the changes in the family as they separate/divorce. She will also work with parents in developing healthy parenting plans to make the transition easier. With the adults going through a divorce, Angie will serve as a Divorce Coach to help the individual cope and deal with the loss of the marriage and meet the client where they need to help the process be as amicable as possible.
Practicing yoga for over 20 years, Dr. Angie enjoys teaching yoga of all levels in a variety of settings. She loves bringing her passion for yoga to many clients, teaching them to listen to their bodies & creating a space for each client to take their practice off the mat into their every day lives. Contact Dr. Angie for private sessions or special events. Utilizing her PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision, she has enjoyed branching out as a counselor educator and clinical supervisor. In this role, Angie passionately brings her experience of counseling to future counselors. Presently, she is Affiliate Professor with Thomas University.
Dr. Brandi Chamberlain
Brandi Chamberlin received her PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision from Liberty University’s CACREP accredited doctoral program. She has worked in a variety of clinical settings since 2004 and has served in administration and leadership positions within higher education for over a decade. Her primary research interests are in online counselor education, wellness, and cultural humility.
She is an active member of the counseling community serving as the Past-President of the Lynchburg Area Counselor’s Association, and the President for the Virginia Association of Counselor Education and Supervision. Dr. Chamberlin has published and presented on counselor education, the Strong Black Woman schema, multiculturalism, and wellness locally, regionally, and nationally. She has expertise in CACREP accreditation processes and assessment.
Dr. Alan Forrest
Alan Forrest, EdD, is a Professor in the Department of Counselor Education at Radford University. Over the past 43 years he has held a variety of positions in both inpatient and outpatient mental health and substance abuse settings. Alan is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist who has extensive clinical experience in the areas of individual, group, couples, and family counseling. Over the years Alan has worked at a state psychiatric facility, two different Community Services Boards, a residential alcohol and drug program, full-time and part-time private practices, and teaching counseling at the graduate level. He has facilitated training seminars, workshops, and retreats in the areas of loss, grief, and bereavement; substance use disorders; couples communication skill training; men’s issues in counseling; and mindfulness/meditation practices in counseling.
Alan has been a consultant for various mental health centers, school districts, hospices, businesses and other organizations. In addition to his personal mindfulness meditation practice, Alan leads, and co-leads, mindfulness retreats/workshops for college and graduate students, medical and nursing students, human service and mental health professionals, educators, young adults and others. Alan’s therapeutic approach resides in his inherent belief in an integrated and holistic body, mind, and heart approach to change and growth. He is grounded in the treatment modalities of: Humanistic/Phenomenological Counseling, Solution-Focused Counseling, Mindfulness/Meditation, Structural Family Systems, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
Dr. Tameka O. Grimes
Tameka O. Grimes is an Assistant Professor of Counselor Education at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. She received her PhD from the CACREP-accredited Counseling and Student Personnel Services, P-16 program at The University of Georgia. She completed her MA in Counseling from Wake Forest University and her BA in Psychology and Communication Studies from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Dr. Grimes is a former middle school teacher, high school counselor, and school counseling coordinator, and has worked in schools in rural, urban, and suburban districts. She conducts research and writes about professional identity construction of practicing school counselors, with a specific focus on school counselors in rural communities; school counselor trainees’ clinical training and, most recently, school counselors’ roles in addressing racial inequities in students’ experiences in rural schools.
Through her service work, Dr. Grimes works with school counselors in Southwest Virginia to support them in developing comprehensive school counseling programs and implementing evidence-based practices. Dr. Grimes has presented at local, national, and international conferences, and has been published in journals both inside and outside of the counseling field.
Linda Grubba
Linda Grubba has 38 years of experience in public education as a teacher, counselor and district supervisor. She has presented trainings and workshops in a variety of settings all over Virginia. Topics included, but are not limited to, issues related to community collaboration, emotional intelligence, parenting, trauma informed schools, conflict resolution and restorative justice, program development, play therapy and the development of resiliency. She was the first in Virginia to earn the credential of School-Based Registered Play Therapist. She has taught at the college level in Sydney, Australia and is an adjunct in the Graduate Counseling Program at the University of Lynchburg. She has retired after twenty-eight years as a counselor and counselor supervisor for Campbell County Schools.
She is a Past-President of the Virginia Counselors Association Her other professional involvement includes: Past-President of Mental Health America of Central Virginia, over thirty-five years as a member of the Virginia Counselors Association, a member of the VCA Foundation Board for five years, membership in Chi Sigma iota, the Lynchburg Area Counselors Association, and the Virginia Association of Counselor Educators and Supervisors as well as the Association for Play Therapy. She has been the recipient of the John Cook Career Service Award, the American Counseling Association Emerging Leader Award, the Virginia Counselors Association Van Hoose Career Service Award, the Lynchburg College Outstanding Alumni Award, the Lynchburg Area Counselors Association Outstanding Achievement Award, and the Virginia School Counselor Spirit Award.
Dr. Justin Jordan
Justin Jordan is currently an Assistant Professor of Counseling at Longwood University, having earning his BS (’08), MEd (’11), and PhD (’21) from Virginia Tech. Having spent last year as a faculty member at University of Wisconsin-Parkside, he is excited to be back in Virginia and attending the VCA Convention in-person this year. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Substance Abuse Counselor in Virginia, as well as being approved by the Board of Counseling to provide licensure supervision. In more than a decade of clinical experience, Justin has worked with teens and adults in the community services board system and in his private practice. He specializes in working with LGBTQ+ clients and in counseling clients with substance use struggles. Specifically, he has provided group and individual counseling for mental health, and at varying levels of care for substance use (outpatient, intensive outpatient, day treatment, and residential).
Justin has co-authored multiple publications focused on older adults in counseling, the opioid epidemic, and Medicare policy, and has been researching counselor perceptions of harm reduction for substance use. He has presented on these, and other topics, at state, regional, and national counseling conferences. Justin has been actively engaged with the Virginia Counselors Association over the last six years, including previously being recognized as a Pete Warren Fellow and as a Michele Dowdy Emerging Leader. Justin is a past president, secretary, and treasurer of the New River Valley Chapter and is a founding member and past-president of the Virginia Association of Addiction Counselors Interest Section. Justin is very much grateful to connect to VCA members and continue cultivating the strengths of counselors and the counseling profession in Virginia.
Dr. Gerald Lawson
Dr. Gerard Lawson is a Professor in the School of Education at Virginia Tech, and a Past-President of the American Counseling Association. Gerard is also past-president of the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES) and the Virginia Counselors Association. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor, a Licensed Substance Abuse Treatment Practitioner, a National Certified Counselor, and an Approved Clinical Supervisor. He is an American Counseling Association fellow, one of the highest professional recognitions in the counseling profession.
Gerard has been a disaster mental health volunteer with the American Red Cross since 2001, and has supported numerous national, state, and local disasters. He was instrumental in helping to coordinate the counseling response to the tragic shootings at Virginia Tech in 2007, and he is the author of Virginia Tech’s Disaster Behavioral Health Plan. He has helped many institutions prepare for crisis response, and works frequently with counselors who have responded, providing debriefing and supportive services. His focus is on building resilience in the individuals (including counselors) and communities that are affected by disasters.
Since joining the faculty at Virginia Tech, Dr. Lawson has published his research in prestigious journals, and has presented at national and international conferences. Gerard is the Principle Investigator on $1.6 million in grants from the National Institutes of Justice, to explore influences on the School to Prison Pipeline. He has been involved in training and consulting across the country to help keep kids in the classroom, and out of the courtroom.
Dr. Terri Mason
Dr.Terri Mason is a Professional School Counselor at Hunt Valley Elementary School in Springfield, Virginia. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the VCAF. In addition to her credentials as an American School Counselors Association Mental Health Specialist, Anxiety and Stress Management Specialist, and Trauma and Crisis Management Specialist, Terri also serves as an Association for Child and Adolescent Counseling Board Trustee for School Counseling.
Terri previously served as Virginia Association of Specialists in Group Work President in 2020-2021 and a counselor education adjunct professor at George Mason University. She was voted VCA Counselor of the Year in 2018 and has provided a variety of presentations at VCA conferences. She is also actively involved in peer mediation. She has taught peer mediation to elementary school students, facilitated sessions at the annual Fairfax County Public Schools-sponsored Peer Mediation/Peace Conference held at GMU and was selected to travel to Israel and the West Bank to present peer mediation programs to school personnel.
Regina Meredith
Regina spent 41 years in public education, 23 of those years were as a classroom teacher and 18 as a school counselor. For the last 5 years I served my school counseling department as coordinator. I felt most proud of the New Student Ambassador Program I started. I always wanted our new transfer students to feel like they immediately belonged in their new school, and this program did just that.
Regina is proud to be a leader for many years in our ROACA chapter and currently serve as treasurer of VASC. I have been on the VCA Executive Board in various positions. Regina is a former NCC, NCSC, and National Board Certified Teacher in the field of Counseling, as well as Virginia Counselor of the Year.
Dr. Lakesha Roney
Dr. Lakesha Roney is a native of Dinwiddie County, Virginia and graduate of Dinwiddie High School. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Virginia State University, Master of Education in Counseling from Virginia State University, and a Doctor of Education Counseling Psychology Concentration in Education and Supervision from Argosy University. She has been a Licensed Professional Counselor in the Commonwealth of Virginia since 2005 and Registered Supervisor for LPC, LMFT, LSAPT, and CSAC.
Dr. Roney is the owner of a private practice, Inner Self Counseling and Consultation LLC, since 2007. She is also an adjunct faculty member at George Mason University. Inner Self offers a wide variety of outpatient counseling services, consulting, trainings, and clinical supervision. As a Clinical Supervisor, she helps organizations with growth of clinical and program development. In her role, she assesses what the clinical and program needs are for the organization and determines how to make them work more efficiently, improve quality, and increase revenue potential. She also provides clinical supervision for residents in counseling and interns.
Dr. Roney’s professional experiences include: outpatient and inpatient case management and psychotherapy, residential therapy, administrative and clinical supervision, clinical management and directing within community and higher education settings, non-profit settings, faculty member, licensure supervision, training/ workshop development and facilitation, curriculum and policy development, accreditation in higher education setting, serving as chair and member of multidisciplinary teams and task forces, as well as consulting.
Dr. Carrie Sanders
Dr. Carrie Sanders is an Associate Professor at Radford University. Dr. Sanders has worked as a teacher, school counselor, director of children & youth programs, community college advisor, special research faculty and counselor educator. As a counselor educator, she has taught and supervised both masters-level and doctoral-level students.
Dr. Sanders has presented her work at local, national and international conferences and has published her work in journals such as Professional School Counseling and Counseling Today. Her areas of research interest include career counseling efforts in PK-12, school counselor development, experiential teaching and learning, and promoting the wellness of school counselors and other helping professionals.
Michelle Smith
Michelle has been providing services in the Lynchburg area as a Licensed Professional Counselor since 2015. Michelle specializes in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and is an EMDRIA Approved Consultant. Her focus is working with those who have experienced complex trauma throughout their lifetime.
Michelle encourages clients to allow the painful past to be unearthed in order to expose truth and wholeness. She believes many people come to counseling with issues related to interpersonal conflict, anxiety, and depression to learn they have been struggling with trauma much, if not all, of their lives. She is a Registered Play Therapy Supervisor and the Virginia Association for Play Therapy (VAPT) Treasurer. She is a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP), a National Certified Counselor (NCC), and an Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS).
Michelle also holds the distinction of being the first President of the newly formed VCA division (now special interest group), the Virginia Alliance for School Counseling (VASC).
Dr. Mike Takacs
Dr. Takacs is a Licensed Professional Counselor, has a Masters in Professional Counseling, a Specialist degree in Education, and holds a CACREP accredited PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision. Dr. Takacs has been working with a wide range of individuals from children as young as 3 years old through seniors in various counseling settings. He also has experience working with couples and families and has been working in the community since 2008. Dr. Takacs has received training with multiple evidenced based models of treatment such as Multi-Systemic therapy, Gottman Couples Therapy and Prepare and Enrich premarital counseling. Dr. Takacs also has advanced education in counseling theories and treatment models. He currently is an assistant professor and operates a private clinical practice where he provides counseling services.
His passions include social advocacy, mentorship, engagement in enriching the counselor related field through his commitment and participation with various professional organizations. His accomplishments have included President Elect of VCA (2022-2023), President of the Lynchburg Area Counselors Association (2019-2021), and President of the Virginia Association for Counselor Educators and Supervision (2021-2022). He is also co-chair of the Virginia Counselors Association Racial Justice and Diversity Committee.