Counselors and Staff
Magi McKinnies, Director, LMHC
Magi has an M.A. in Counseling Psychology and a BS in Human Services from Lesley University. Using a holistic, creative approach she aims to assist clients to connect to their deepest selves, be present with each moment, and create integrated and authentic lives. She is interested in how culture and spirituality affect the ways we make meaning in our lives and feels that true transformation takes place in the context of a safe, mutual relationship. She has experience with trauma, loss, autism spectrum disorders, transitions, and sexuality and relationship issues. Magi taught pre-school for many years and has trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy (EMDR) and sand tray therapy. Her interests also include creativity as a vehicle for self-expression and our relationship to the natural world.
Deborah Levans, Associate Director, LICSW
Deborah specializes in working with people who have experienced various forms of trauma, traumatic loss and grief. She has also worked with people from various cultural backgrounds. She views therapy as collaborative dynamic process and her counseling style is interactive with a dash of humor. Her work is informed by a number of theoretical perspectives including Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Psychodynamic Theory and Internal Family Systems. Deborah also values the importance of accounting for environmental and systemic factors which may be impacting your experience.
Jason Healy, LICSW
Jason is interested in how we can work with dilemmas and unhelpful patterns of behavior through creativity, curiosity and empathy as an ongoing practice. He works out of a psychodynamic framework and also makes use of various modalities such as mindfulness and narrative approaches to accompany people in a therapeutic process. He worked as an independent artist for several years and also offers the possibility to work with artistic materials to deepen and enhance therapy. Jason has previous experience working with young adults in an agency providing services to clients with ongoing mental illness. In addition to his position at Lesley, he sees clients in his private practice in Cambridge. He speaks French, Dutch, and Spanish. Jason has an MSW from Simmons School of Social Work, an MA in Art Therapy from City & Guilds in London through the Tobias School of Art and Therapy, and a BA in English Literature from Vassar College.
Douglas Weiskopf
Doug is a graduate from the Professional Counseling program at Lesley University. He is a firm believer in mind-body integration, has trained in mindfulness through the UMass Center for Mindfulness, and continues to expand his approach to integrated wellness through exploration of psycho-spiritual healing practices. Doug is Level 1 trained in Internal Family Systems (IFS) and his approach to counseling also integrates humanistic, relational, cognitive-behavioral, and psychodynamic frameworks. He has experience providing hotline support with The Samaritans, and has helped support LGBTQ youth and families as a volunteer at PFLAG. Doug spends his leisure time hiking, gardening, cooking, and occasionally attempting to improve his guitar skills.
Ellen O’Neill
Ellen has a bachelor’s degree in Education/Human Services from the University of Massachusetts/Amherst. Before joining the Counseling Center staff, Ellen worked in the entertainment/music industry as a management assistant for a singer/composer/actor. She has also worked with a state run agency which assisted in giving individual school placement to students with different learning abilities as well as supporting the school based programs in which they were enrolled. In her spare time, Ellen enjoys baking, live music, movies, and spoiling her beagle Mable.
Interns
Mary Cannon
Mary earned her B.A. in Sociology from the University of San Diego, and is currently in her final year of Boston University’s EdM in Counseling Program. For the past several years, she has worked in various administrative support roles at universities. Her experience working with both undergraduate and graduate student populations has helped her develop empathy and appreciation for each student’s unique experience. Mary understands that college is a time of great personal growth that can come with both challenges and successes, so she is honored to act as a resource for students seeking support. In her spare time, she enjoys going to the movies, reading, and hanging out with her cat Simon.
Gabby Chudnow
Gabby is in her final year of Graduate School at Lesley University, where she is studying Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a Holistic Specialization. As a holistic counselor, Gabby works eclectically with clients, and is largely informed by the mind/body/spirit paradigm as a source of healing and resilience. Through Gabby’s clinical experiences in addictions treatment, chronic mental illness, homelessness, and interpersonal violence, she is endlessly amazed by the human spirit and her clients’ capacity for self-love and change. Gabby firmly believes that all people are innately creative, resourceful and whole. In her free time, Gabby is either dancing, making art, or finding an animal to pet.
Eileen Geiger
Eileen has a B.A. in Psychology from Appalachian State University. She will complete her Masters in Mental Health Counseling and Behavioral Medicine from Boston University School of Medicine in spring 2020. Eileen believes that physical and mental health are strongly connected. She approaches therapy with a feminist, humanistic approach with a love for Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Eileen feels especially passionate about the LGBTQIA+ community and strives to create a safe place for all who enter. She recognizes that strength comes from self-love and self-understanding and that there is a power in community. Her favorite study buddy is her cat Oliver who is never seen without a bow tie.
Karley Petersen
Karley is in the final year of her Mental Health Counseling Master’s program at Boston College, and is grateful to be able to work with the diverse, driven and talented students at Lesley. Prior to her current program, Karley received her B.A. in the fields of Biology and Religion, and she received her M.A. in Theological Studies from Boston College. Her prior education and experience working with survivors of sexual assault has informed her belief in human resiliency and ability to write our own narratives while holding the reality of human suffering. Karley believes in fostering the whole human person, and thus strives to co-create a therapeutic space where people feel free to explore the depths of their own complexity and experience. In her spare time, Karley likes to watch Wed Anderson films, explore new places to caffeinate, advocate for menstrual equality, incorporate some kind of mindfulness and exercise into her day and discuss conspiracy theories at length.
Teresa Yeh
Teresa has a B.A. in Social Psychology and M.A. in Conflict Resolution from the University of Massachusetts Boston. In May 2020 she will complete her M.S.W. in Clinical Social Work with a specialization in Mental Health from the Boston College School of Social Work. Teresa grew up in multiple countries, and is bilingual in Mandarin and English. She is interested in a wide range of issues including those of trauma, culture, identity, relationships, anxiety, and depression, as well as in working with those directly and indirectly impacted by the current climate crisis. Teresa believes in a collaborative process to foster connection to each individual’s inner resources and to help them overcome challenges in order to live their highest vision of a meaningful life. In her free time, Teresa enjoys dancing, laughing with friends & family, reading, and spending time in nature.
