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Counseling Services

Phone(775) 784-4648
Fax(775) 327-2293
Location Thompson Building
202
Address 1664 N. Virginia Street
Reno,  NV  89557-0080
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Counseling Services Staff

Counselors

Administrative Staff

  • Carla Franich - Program Officer
  • Rose du Plessis – Administrative Assistant -Front Desk
  • Shane Carter - Grad Assistant - Front Desk Support

CINDY MARCZYNSKI, Ph.D.Cindy Marczynski

Director

Licensed Clinical Psychologist

Dr. Cindy Marczynski came to University of Nevada, Reno Counseling Services in June 2007, from Washington State University Counseling Services, where she worked for the previous ten years. Originally from the Midwest, Cindy has a B.S. degree from Black Hills State College in Spearfish, SD, an M.A. from the University of South Dakota, and a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Washington State University.

In addition to previous specializations in clinical training and in testing and assessment, Cindy’s professional interests include working with grief and loss, anxiety-related disorders, and suicide prevention. She and her husband have both a son and a daughter currently in college.

Cindy is especially enjoying the Reno area for its variety of activities involving snow, dirt, or water (but not mud). Not that she’s really phobic about mud, unless it’s really squishy…

Contact Dr. Cindy Marczynski

Patricia ChathamPATRICIA M. CHATHAM, Ph.D.

Licensed Clinical Psychologist

Patricia Chatham, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist. In addition to working at the Counseling Services, she is an Associate Clinical Professor of Behavioral Sciences and Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Nevada, Reno where she lectures to psychiatric residents.

For 30 years, she was a staff psychologist and a former director of the APA internship program at the V.A. Sierra Nevada Health Care System of Clinics, Reno, Nevada.

She published a textbook, Treatment of the Borderline Personality Disorder, and recently, a chapter in an edited book. She has lectured and done many workshops on a variety of topics.

She now works with college students on various academic and interpersonal issues and the anxiety and depression that frequently accompany them. She also has seen over 3,000 couples during her career and enjoys working with couples. She teaches skill strategies around test and public speaking anxiety, social shyness, assertiveness, anger management, managing anxiety and depression, coping with difficult feelings, and many other problem areas.

In her leisure time she looks forward to nature walks, traveling, attending music and art events, basketball games, and socializing with her friends.

Contact Dr. Patricia Chatham

SARAH CHIPPS, Psy.D. Dr. Sarah Chipps

Eating Disorders Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Sarah Chipps came to University of Nevada Counseling Services in August 2012. She received her Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from The California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University in San Francisco in July of 2012. Her dissertation focused on African American women who use Alcoholics Anonymous to support their long term recovery from alcoholism.

Sarah is originally from San Diego and holds a B.A. in English from San Diego State University. Sarah completed her internship at the University of San Francisco's Counseling and Psychological Services. She is especially interested in eating disorders, substance abuse, and other problems rooted in emotion dysregulation. While Sarah's work is grounded in cognitive behavioral therapy, she draws from mindfulness, insight development, and humanistic techniques in order to best serve each client's unique treatment goals.

Contact Dr. Sarah Chipps

Yani DickensYANI L. DICKENS, Ph.D.

Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Director of Training

Dr. Yani Dickens came to the University of Nevada, Reno Counseling Services in September 2008 after completing his postdoctoral fellowship at Northern Nevada Adult Mental Health Services. Yani became the Director of Training at Counseling Services in 2011, coordinating pre- and post-doctoral clinical training.

Yani completed his internship at Utah State University’s Counseling and Psychological Services, an APA-accredited professional psychology internship program. He received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas APA-accredited doctoral program in 2007 after completing his dissertation, a sport psychology study on inner experience and golf performance. He received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Nevada, Reno.

Yani considers himself a generalist with some areas of specialty including sport psychology consulting with competitive and collegiate athletes, eating disorders prevention and treatment, and he has interests in diversity as well as applying Cognitive and Dialectical Behavior Therapies to stress, anxiety, depression, eating, and personality disorders.

Contact Dr. Yani Dickens

Diane Moyle PhenixDIANE MOYLE PHENIX, MSW, LCSW

Licensed Clinical Social Worker (University of Nevada, 1994)

Diane completed both her undergraduate and graduate degrees here at University of Nevada, Reno.

Originally from the Northern California Coast and its energized and healing environment, she applies her experience of living mindfully to her professional work. She has taught or counseled for nearly fifteen years with students at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Having a wide range of clinical experience with diverse individuals and groups in the San Francisco Bay Area and Reno Area for the last twenty years, she considers herself a generalist with some areas of specialty including: multicultural issues, mental health/academic performance, holistic health, cognitive-behavioral treatment of depression and anxiety, grief and loss, coping with transitions, spirituality/mindfulness, post-trauma issues, and community resources/referral.

Contact Diane Phenix, MSW, LCSW

Jacque PistorelloJACQUELINE PISTORELLO, Ph.D.

Licensed Clinical Psychologist

Jacqueline Pistorello is research faculty at Counseling Services, where she has worked with college students for over a decade. Dr. Pistorello has been a Principal Investigator on two grants from the National Institute of Mental Health. One of these grants is a 5-year study investigating the impact of a first-year class on UNR freshmen in terms of Adjustment to College and Life. The other grant, which has ended, studied the impact of an intensive (individual + group) therapy on the treatment of college students reporting emotion dysregulation. Dr. Pistorello has become nationally known for the application of two behavioral approaches (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy) towards the treatment of college students in particular.

Contact Dr. Jacqueline Pistorello

BECCA THOMPSON, Ph.D.Dr. Rebecca Thompson

Eating Disorders Specialist

Licensed Counseling Psychologist

Dr. Becca Thompson came to the University of Nevada, Reno Counseling Services in August 2010, after completing her postdoctoral residency at Arizona State University’s counseling center. Becca also did her internship at ASU’s APA-accredited internship program, providing counseling and outreach services to university students.

She received her Ph.D. in counseling psychology from the University of Houston’s APA-accredited doctoral program in 2009; her dissertation focused on cultural factors impacting the way in which people choose their romantic partners.

Becca is originally from the Great Lakes Region, and received her bachelor’s degree from Kalamazoo College. During college, she spent six months in Costa Rica studying the Spanish language and Sustainable Human Development.

Becca is a generalist who loves working with university students on a wide variety of concerns, including relationship problems, adjustment issues and depression.

In addition, she has specialized training in eating disorders, and enjoys working with students who are struggling with eating and body image concerns.

Becca also has a special interest in diversity and multicultural issues. In her free time, Becca enjoys traveling and learning about different cultures, hiking and rock climbing, and spending time with friends and family.

Contact Dr. Becca Thompson

HERIBERTO VALLESCORBO, Psy.D.Heriberto Vallescorbo, Psy.D.

Multicultural Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Heriberto Vallescorbo came to University of Nevada Counseling Services in August 2011. He received his Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco in 2010. His dissertation focused on Latino gay men integration of spirituality after been conflicted by religion.

Heriberto is originally from Puerto Rico. He has a B.A. and M.A. in Counseling Psychology from the Inter American University of Puerto Rico and a M.S. in School Psychology from the Long Island University in New York. He is a certified school psychologist and has extensive experience in counseling with students and conducting psychological assessments.

Heriberto is trained in Medicinal Drumming, a community based evidence practice and is a certified yoga teacher.

He has special interests in multicultural/cross cultural counseling, wellness practices, body-mind and holistic therapeutic approaches and providing psychological services to the LBGT and Students of Color communities. He has expertise working in areas of difficulty with adjustment and life transitions, spirituality, anxiety, depression, trauma and PTSD. He is a bilingual /bicultural provider who conducts sessions in both Spanish and English.

Contact Dr. Heriberto Vallescorbo

Shernaaz WebsterSHERNAAZ WEBSTER, Ph.D., MFT

Licensed Clinical Psychologist

Shernaaz has been working full time at Counseling Services since 2002. She has broad counseling interests, including working with students from diverse backgrounds.
Shernaaz grew up in a small town in India, and first came to the U.S. as a student in 1980. She received her Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley in Educational Psychology, with a specialization in Personality and Stress Management. From Berkeley she moved to Cambridge, England where she taught and counseled for six years. She came to the University of Nevada, Reno in 1994 and since then has been a lecturer at the University for courses in Psychology. Shernaaz is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in both California and Nevada. She is also a Nevada Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist since 2000. In her free time, she loves the outdoors, travel, photography, and gourmet cooking (not necessarily in that order!).
Shernaaz has experience and interests in stress management and holistic health, neuroscience of depression, relationships and family issues, positive psychology, including motivation and personal growth, as well as expertise in diversity and intercultural issues. Shernaaz uses an integrative approach that draws on eastern and western perspectives in counseling, and believes in helping and empowering students to build on their intrinsic strengths to reach their full potential both academically and personally.

Contact Dr. Shernaaz Webster

GRADUATE EXTERNS

  • Casey Catlin
  • Devika Ghimire
  • Sungjin Im
  • Yelena Oren
  • Heidi La Bash
  • Josh Medjuck
  • Jenna Renqvist
  • Erika Shearer

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University of Nevada, Reno

University of Nevada, Reno
1664 N. Virginia Street
Reno,  NV  89557-0208

(775) 784-1110
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