NMAPT BOARD OF DIRECTORS

  President - Courtney Lynch, MA LPCC is a play therapist at the Christian Counseling Center of New Mexico.  She has been trained as a play therapist under the supervision of Carol Brennan, Ph.D LPCC RPT-S and Byron Norton, Ed.D.

President-Elect - Jeff Versaw, LISW

  Past-President - Jessica Patterson, M.Ed. LPCC is a Clinical Care Manager with Value Options New Mexico.  She has provided trainings entitled  "An Introduction to Play Therapy" to both Counselors and Social Workers at Value Options and at The University of New Mexico.

  Secretary - Pat Brown, LMFT is a Clinical Supervisor for Hogares, Inc. in Albuquerque.  Before moving to New Mexico in 2006, she worked for 
John F. Kennedy University and was in private practice.  She is a 
past president of the California Branch of APT and is a CAMFT 
certified supervisor.

Co -Treasurer - Geri Glover, Ph.D. LPCC RPT-S is an assistant professor in the Education Department of the College of Santa Fe.  She had been practicing as a clinical counselor/play therapist for that past 15 years prior to joining the CSF faculty.

Co-Treasurer - Michael Ollom, MSW LISW has been doing play therapy almost seven years. He has been engaged in a Play Therapy Supervision relationship with a Play Therapy Supervisor, and is also in supervision with another clinician from an Art Therapy orientation.  He is collecting his education and supervision hours to become a registered play therapist.  He practices play therapy in Los Lunas, and has recently become an administrator in the agency he works with. Michael hopes to be responsible for the growth of Play Therapy in Valencia County.

  Member - Janet Escobedo, MA LPCC RPT.  After 20-years in the US Air Force, Janet retired in 1997 as a Lt. Col. and became a Counselor in 1999.  She is currently a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC), a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC), a Registered Play Therapist, a Licensed School Counselor, and has a certification in Alcohol and Drug Abuse Studies.  Most of her experience has been as an Elementary School Counselor at Martin Luther King, Jr. in Rio Rancho, NM.  She also has worked at middle school, high school and college levels as a counselor.  She has had internships at Memorial Hospital's Adolescent Challenge Unit, Albuquerque Evening High School, and the Youth Diagnostic Detention Center.  She had a 3-year private practice at the Community Lighthouse as a play therapist and a counselor.  She is the producer and creator of a DVD on Classroom Storytelling and Sandtray and the Power of Play which was developed thanks to two different grants from the PNM Foundation and the Rio Rancho Education Foundation. 

  Member - Risa Lehrer, MA LPCC  RPT has her own practice in Taos, and works for the Taos Day School as a counselor.  She is dedicated to aiding children in becoming all they deserve to be. She looks forward to serving on the board and helping APT in NM grow.

Member - Judy Carter

Member -Mary Hokom, MA, LPCC,RPT, IMH-E®
Mary works with  the Western New Mexico University Early Childhood Programs for the  Family Counseling Center in Silver City, New Mexico as a family facilitator.   The focus of her work is with young children and their families providing therapy and parenting education. She also works with master level interns in the counseling department at the lab site, teaching them play therapy and providing supervision.  She teaches university classes and workshops on the specific techniques of play to parents, providers, teachers and counselors throughout the southwest region.  She has sat on the NMAPT board for the past three years and looks forward to the future growth and development of the association.

Member - Suzanne Kersten

  Part time Board Member - Heather Knox, LISW is a school social worker for the Albuquerque Public Schools and is in private practice. Eclectically trained, she is now studying to be a Jungian play therapist.