University Counseling Center Director “The animals in the Forest don’t think too much. They just Are”– From The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff Dr. Peter Emerson, Ed.D., LPC-S Dr. Emerson received his B.S. in Psychology from Brigham Young University and his Master’s in Counseling and Doctorate in Counselor Education from Idaho State University. His University work experience began with Upward Bound and Special Services at Southern Utah State College (now Southern Utah University) where he was Director of those programs for four years. He came to Southeastern in 1987 as an Assistant Professor in Counseling. He went to the University of New Orleans from 1988-90 to work on CACREP accreditation for UNO which was accredited prior to his leaving. He returned to Southeastern and worked to revise the counseling program from 36 to 48 hours and gain CACREP accreditation at Southeastern. Currently, he is Director of the University Counseling Center and is also teaching in the Counseling Program. Emerson’s professional involvement in Louisiana started with his appointment to the Louisiana Professional Counselors Board of Examiners where he was appointed for two consecutive four-year terms, first by Governor Buddy Roemer and then Governor Edwin Edwards. While on the LPC Board he was elected Chair for six one-year terms. He served as Executive Director of the American Association of State Counseling Board for two years and was then elected President of the Board. Dr. Emerson is a past President of the Association for Adult Development and Aging and served as their first Journal Editor and as their Newsletter Editor. He has also served on the American Counseling Association’s National Ethics Committee and started the Louisiana Journal of Counseling of which he served as editor/co-editor until 2020. Dr. Emerson has worked as a counselor at a home for multi-problem male youth, as a counselor in an alternative school and has also been in private practice, primarily marriage and family counseling. He served as the director of a drug prevention program for junior and senior high school students, and while working on his doctorate, served as co-director of the Idaho State University Parent Education Program. Dr. Emerson has five children, twelve grandchildren and a wonderfully understanding wife of thirty-eight years. His specialty areas are marriage and family counseling, professional/personal development of the counselor and supervision. | Assistant Director of LION UP Recovery and Intervention “Doing what you like is Freedom. Liking what you do is Happiness” – Frank Tyger Annette Newton-Baldwin, M.A.,LPC, LMFT Annette Newton-Baldwin is the Assistant Director of the LION UP Recovery Program (Collegiate Recovery Program) and Intervention. She has been employed at Southeastern Louisiana University since 2003. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor as well as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.
In 1997, Annette earned a Masters of Arts in Counseling from the University of Louisiana at Monroe. She has a special interested in trauma, substance misuse as well as helping with long term recovery for substance misuse and process addictions. Annette is ARISE Trained with Arise Continuing Care as an interventionist. Annette has worked in a variety of settings including Bancroft Neurohealth Rehabilitation Center in Covington and New Orleans, Straight and Narrow Treatment Center of Baton Rouge, and Lifestreams Behavioral Center of Leesburg, Florida. Annette has worked as grant coordinator with Transforming Youth in Recovery, National Highway Safety Commission, and Tobacco-Free Living. She completed the 2018 Leadership Tangipahoa. She has also served as TRACC Coalition Chair, Roomie’s Merry Market Chair, Terrell Conference Chair, as well as President of the Junior Auxiliary of Hammond. She currently serves as project director of the Louisiana Collegiate Recovery Expansion Grant through the Louisiana Department of Behavioral Health. She also serves on the Board for the Association for Recovery in Higher Education as the Southeast Rep and Finance Committee. Annette is a native of Slidell, Louisiana. |
Assistant Director of Athletic Mental Health and Wellness “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom” – Viktor E Frankel Paige Lebleu, M.S., LPC, LMFT, NCC Paige LeBleu is an Assistant Director of the University Counseling Center, and the Director of Mental Health and Wellness for the Athletic Department. Paige is a Licensed Professional Counselor, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a National Certified Counselor. She is also a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional with extensive training and clinical experience in the therapeutic modalities of E.M.D.R. , and Brainspotting. She also is a Certified Integrative Health Professional. She is a former executive secretary of the Louisiana Counseling Association and a former member of Chi Sigma Iota. Paige is currently a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors, Louisiana Counseling Association, Louisiana College Counseling Association, and Southeast Brainspotting Institute. Paige enjoys working with individuals, couples, and groups. She also enjoys public speaking and has been a speaker for Women Mean Business, Lake Charles Mayors Commission for Women, Livingston Parish Women’s Leadership Special Event, and Jump Start Your Health Conference for Women. | Assistant Director of Clinical and Crisis “That’s a way to see it, and there is also another way to see it” – Insoo Kim Berg Courtney Williams, M.A., LMFT, LPC-A Courtney Williams serves as an Assistant Director with a focus on clinical areas of the UCC, and she serves as a full-time counselor at the University Counseling Center. She graduated from Southeastern in 2014 with a BA in Psychology and a minor in French. She completed her Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at the University of Louisiana at Monroe in 2016. Courtney is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and a Licensed Professional Counselor with Appraisal Privileges (LPC-A). She has previous experiences working in Juvenile Drug Court, Supervised Visitation, and Substance Abuse. Courtney has received training in Brainspotting Phase 1 and 2.. Courtney has a special interest in working with families, couples, and young adults. Courtney has experience working with a variety of relationship dynamics including polyamory, open, monogamous, LGBTQIA+, and heteronormative. Courtney approaches clients from a systemic, interactional perspective, with a focus on behavioral changes while considering the whole of the individual, family, or couple. |
Coordinator of Outreach “He who has a ‘why’ to live for can bear almost any ‘how'” – Friedrich Nietzsche Marcela Spicuzza, M.S., LPC-A Marcela Spicuzza is a full time Counselor and Coordinator of Outreach at the University Counseling Center. She graduated from Southeastern in 2013 with a BA in Spanish. She completed her Master’s degree in Counseling with an emphasis on Marriage, Family, and Couple’s Counseling at Southeastern in 2017. Marcela is a Licensed Professional Counselor with appraisal privelege (LPC-A). Marcela received training in Brainspotting Phases 1 and 2 and utilizes this modality with a variety of clients and issues. She enjoys working with those who are open to exploring past experiences, family and relational issues, identity concerns, and trauma. Marcela employs a humanistic perspective, and often pulls from existential, family systems, psychodynamic, and cognitive behavioral approaches. | Crisis Coordinator “This pain is part of being human. The fact that you can feel pain like this is your greatest strength” – Albus Dumbledore Kayleigh Underwood, M.S., LPC-A Kayleigh Underwood is a full time Counselor and Crisis Coordinator at the University Counseling Center. She graduated from Southeastern in 2013 with a BA in Psychology with a minor in French. She completed a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in Addiction Studies at Northwestern State University of Louisiana in 2015. She also completed a Master’s degree in Counseling with an emphasis on Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Southeastern in 2018. Kayleigh is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Counselor Education from UNO. Kayleigh is a Licensed Professional Counselor with appraisal privilege (LPC-A). She has experience working with many diverse clientele including the presenting issues of identity development, trauma, and crises which she works with through an existential lens. Kayleigh received training in Brainspotting Phase 1 and utilizes this modality with a variety of issues. |
Mental Health Counselor “The pain of staying the same has to be greater than the pain of change” – Tony Robbins Wes Errington, M.S., LPC Wes Errington is a full time Mental Health Counselor at the University Counseling Center. He graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette with a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology and as well as a Master’s of Science in Counselor Education. Wes is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). He has previous experience working in the University setting, as well as in-home therapy working with families, children, and adults of all ages. Wes has continued interest in working anxiety and depression, and helps coordinate support and psychoeducational groups on issues such as anxiety and depression. Wes is trained in Phase 1 Brainspotting, and currently working towards certification in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). Wes also has had passion for working with trauma related concerns including survivors of assaults, abuse, as well as interest in working with military families and the traumas they encounter. | Mental Health Counselor “Meanings are not determined by situations, but we determine ourselves by the meanings we give to situations” – Alfred Adler Dalina Dahlmans, M.S., LPC, NCC Dalina Dahlmans is a full time Counselor at the University Counseling Center. She graduated from Southeastern with a Bachelor’s of Arts in Psychology and as well as a Master’s of Science in Counseling with an emphasis on Clinical Mental Health Counseling in 2021. Dalina holds a National Counselor Certification (NCC). Dalina has experience working with substance use issues among adult population, trauma, anxiety, body image, depression as well as serving the LGBTQ community. She is currently a member of the Louisiana Counseling Association and the American Counseling Association. |
Mental Health Counselor “The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of ” – Blaise Pascal Mauricio Salazar, M.S., PLPC, NCC Mauricio Salazar is a full time Counselor at the University Counseling Center. He graduated from Florida International University (FIU) with a Bachelor’s of Arts in Psychology and from Southeastern Louisiana University with a Master’s of Science with an emphasis on Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Mauricio has experience working with students in a college setting who are experiencing concerns with anxiety, depression, grief, and trauma as well as experience working with substance use issues among the adult population and is also certified in Phase 1 Brainspotting. Additionally, Mauricio holds a Master of Arts in Theology (M.A.) and a Masters of Divinity (M.Div.) and is open to talk about spirituality concerns (if any) that students may bring to counseling. He is currently a member of the Louisiana Counseling Association, the American Counseling Association, and holds a National Counselor Certification (NCC). | Mental Health Counselor “Freedom is man’s capacity to take a hand in his own development. It is our capacity to mold ourselves” – Rollo May Randi Ditta, M.S., LPC Randi Ditta is a full time, Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC) and Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) at the University Counseling Center. Randi earned a Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts with a concentration in Fine and Performing Arts from the Louisiana Scholar’s College at Northwestern State University in 2014 and graduated from Southeastern with a Master’s degree in Counseling in 2018. Randi utilizes a multiculturally-informed humanistic and existential approach to counseling and is passionate about working with trauma, neurodiversity, LGBTQIA+ issues, transitional concerns, and identity exploration. Randi has completed training in Brainspotting Phases 1 and 2 and utilizes this modality with a variety of client concerns. |
Operations Manager Lauren Chandler, B.A. Lauren started her time at the University Counseling Center as a student worker in 2018, and she currently serves as Operations Manager for the University Counseling Center. Lauren is a resident of Baton Rouge, and she graduated Fall 2020 with her Bachelor’s in General Studies and is currently enrolled in the MBA program at Southeastern. Lauren has a passion for helping children with special needs. | Link Coordinator John LeMaire, M.A., PLPC, NCC John LeMaire serves as the Lion Intervention Network (LINK) and Student Advocate Coordinator, contributing as a team member of The Office of Advocacy and Accountability, while also providing counseling services at the University Counseling Center. John holds a Bachelor of General Studies from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and a Master’s in Counseling from Virginia Tech. Additionally, he has served in the Louisiana Army National Guard. John is a National Certified Counselor (NCC) and holds memberships with the Louisiana Counseling Association and the American Counseling Association. With experience ranging from his role as an early intervention specialist in substance misuse to his recent position as a Southeastern First Year Success Instructor and Advisor, John has experience in higher education working with diverse student and faculty populations. He finds fulfillment in walking alongside others through challenges and personal struggles, valuing the building of trusting relationships in therapy. John has an interest in helping others navigate anxiety, depression, grief, substance misuse, trauma, and overall wellness. |
Administrative Coordinator Oh yes, the past can hurt. But from the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it. – Rafiki Rachel Hagan Rachel is currently our Administrative Coordinator 3 at the University Counseling Center. She resides in Hammond and is pursuing her bachelor’s degree in Psychology at Southeastern Louisiana University. Rachel’s unwavering dedication to serving others and assisting those in need is the driving force behind her commitment to wholeheartedly serve the diverse communities she encounters. | |