Our Staff

Naropa Community Counseling is staffed by a Pre-Licensed Team of post graduate clinicians and third year masters degree interns from local university counseling programs.

All intern therapists undergo rigorous training and clinical supervision. Intern therapists have real life clinical experiences via a required field placement; many have also accrued significant clinical work experience prior to attending graduate school.

Licensed staff members are always available for guidance and emergency intervention. Our Pre-Licensed team is composed of post-graduate practitioners who receive clinical supervision as well.

Jessica Whitesel, LPC ATCS

(she/her)

Jessica is a licensed professional counselor, a board-certified art therapist, and an art therapy clinical supervisor. She is core faculty member at Naropa University, and teaches at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Jessica maintains a private practice working with children, adolescents, and adults, specializing in trauma, dissociation and attachment issues. Her focus includes the integration of EMDR and creative arts therapy, dissociative processes, and Jungian and psychoanalytic approaches to trauma. While working as an art therapist at Mount Saint Vincent Children’s Home in Denver, Jessica co-authored a treatment manual to help clinicians utilize somatosensory approaches in working with traumatized children, called Doodles, Dances, and Ditties: A Somatosensory Handbook, which includes an introduction by Dr. Bruce Perry.

As a clinical supervisor, Jessica is passionate about supporting clinicians in developing and deepening their clinical capacity and understanding, finding their own voice as clinicians, and building a sustainable and sane approach to clinical work through self-awareness and self-care. She aspires to incorporate a feminist, just, and transpersonal lens into both her clinical and supervisory work. She is a painter, beekeeper, and astrologer, and loves yoga, magic, and all things Star Wars.

Anna Hallinan

Anna holds a Masters of Social Work from Metropolitan State University. In her therapeutic practice, Anna firmly believes in the transformative potential of a safe, empowering, and non-judgmental environment. She understands that the therapeutic relationship can be a powerful catalyst for change, and is dedicated to creating a space where clients feel supported, heard, and valued.

Drawing on her background as a social worker, Anna employs a client-centered and strengths-based approach in all her therapeutic interactions. She recognizes the inherent strengths and wisdom within each individual and works collaboratively to help them tap into these resources for personal growth and healing. With a genuine belief in the capacity for change, Anna empowers her clients to engage with their inner strengths, fostering a sense of agency and confidence in their journey.

Anna's therapeutic toolkit includes evidence-based practices such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (MBCBT). By integrating these approaches, she provides clients with practical tools and insights that facilitate self-discovery and promote positive change.

Beyond her professional pursuits, Anna finds joy in her personal life. She cherishes moments spent with her beloved cats and treasures the simple pleasures of nature. Whether it's going for leisurely walks with friends and her spouse or immersing herself in the outdoors, Anna knows the importance of self-care and finds inspiration in the world around her.

Eve Penberthy

Eve has a masters in Body Psychotherapy from Naropa University. Her approach is collaborative, client-centered and incorporates diverse approaches and routes to healing. Drawing from a relational lens, Eve supports clients to come into deeper contact with themselves, their grief, their sense of connection and meaning, and a sense of possibility. She centers an understanding of how trauma and grief (personal, cultural, systemic) impact the nervous system, basic functioning, relationships, and feelings of aliveness; both in individuals and over generations. 

Eve works with practical, present-moment somatic techniques for accessing, deepening, transforming and integrating developmental and traumatic experiences. She has a background in movement-based rites of passage work, is a SomaSource Practitioner, an Acupuncture Detoxification Specialist, and has worked closely with individuals in transitions of birth, death, and illness. Through her work with Natural Highs, Eve has deepened her interest in the neuroscience of addiction, connection, safety, stress, and regulation. She is passionate about the ways that creativity, humor and connection can help us heal and open new pathways. 

Eve came into this work through personal journeys of grief and loss. She is passionate about supporting clients in navigating this territory and believes deeply in the human potential to heal.

Kirsten Norr

(She/Her/Hers) 

Kirsten is a graduate of Naropa University’s Contemplative Psychotherapy and Buddhist Psychology program. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Kirsten has returned to the clinical mental health field after a career in television and documentary work. Between projects that took her all over the globe, Kirsten spent time teaching English at a Buddhist monastery in Nepal which sparked her interest in Buddhist philosophies. Buddhism has become the catalyst for her return to a profession where she can provide support for people in their journeys of emotional growth and well-being. Her most recent work has been in the psychosocial support department of the International Rescue Committee working with women refugees and asylum seekers. 

Kirsten’s experiences have instilled patience and compassion in her, as well as an approach to counseling rooted in humbled curiosity. While being trained in a contemplative approach, she also draws from existentialist and behavioral modalities. Kirsten is inspired to make therapy an accessible and beneficial tool to navigate life’s complex experiences and transitions. Her love of Buddhism informs her approachable, warm, and grounding presence while her New York upbringing provides space for humor and a touch of pragmatic introspection. Kirsten is passionate about working with both individuals and couples.

L. Autumn Robida

She/They

My name is Autumn and I am studying Clinical Mental Health Counseling at The University of Northern Colorado. My approach to counseling is creative, flexible and highly collaborative. I practice from a postmodern, humanistic lens and hope to tailor your therapeutic space to meet your unique needs. I take the stance that you are the expert on yourself, and the counselor is merely a conduit to self-discovery. I am honored to walk alongside you in your healing journey to help uncover and foster your inherent strengths and what makes you uniquely you. I emphasize mind-body integration and utilize several methodologies including narrative therapy, mindfulness-based approaches and internal family systems. I strive to create a space that embraces diversity and allows for honest exploration of one’s various identities, honoring your values, beliefs, traditions and worldviews. I hope to build a safe and trusting environment to assist you with navigating life’s ups and downs and any barriers that have contributed to feeling stuck. With a focus on holistic wellness, I provide compassionate care as we work together to create a healing space that honors and celebrates your unique story. In my free time, you’ll find me spending time with my partner and our two kittens. I love to listen to music or make art, or perhaps get outside and do some hiking or kayaking. I look forward to helping you thrive!

Gabby Rivas-Field

She/Her/Hers

I’m a second-year student at Naropa University’s rigorous graduate program in somatic psychotherapy to continue my love for working therapeutically with the body. As a social justice somatic counselor-in-training, I integrate a holistic, multi-modal, and multicultural approach to offer a range of therapeutic services to clients.

I believe treatments that are aligned with and support a client’s cultural beliefs, values, and worldviews will create a more meaningful and impactful therapeutic alliance. I view the mind-body connection as an entity that is deeply intertwined, incorporating mind, body, and spirit into the therapeutic healing process. I believe everyone holds the innate power to heal themselves however, environment, interpersonal interactions, safety, and respect, all play a significant role in assisting to regulate the mind-body. I bring a lens and orientation of implementing attachment-based approaches, mindfulness-based approaches, somatic psychology/interventions, and parts work, weaving them into the therapeutic process, cultivating resources, support, and recovery through relationship challenges, mental health challenges, and trauma. I operate from a person-centered approach, welcoming the whole person’s experiences and identities, while understanding how our bodies are situated within our unique cultural, social, and political context. My identities: bi-racial, cisgender woman, bisexual, and able-bodied.  

Jake Miller

He/ Him/His

I work with adults, teens, and adolescents who are feeling stuck and are looking for help, and those who are experiencing anxiety, depression, or trauma. Together, you and I create a safe and supportive therapeutic relationship to begin exploring ways of understanding your concerns and pursuing your passions.

I tailor my approach to each client, supporting you as you are. I typically bring somatic, body, and movement exercises to therapy. These approaches offer ways of understanding parts of ourselves without needing to translate into words, where experience is enough to drive healing. This work can help anyone, particularly those who've experienced trauma. Additionally, my work draws from attachment theory, Gestalt therapy, and client-centered/humanistic therapy.

I look forward to working together with you! I offer in-person and video sessions. As a pre-licensed student intern at Naropa Community Counseling, I am able to offer an affordable rate with the benefit of robust support and supervision from the skilled practitioners at NCC and my faculty at Naropa University.

Justin Jones

fluid (he/him/his), (they/them), (she/her/hers)

Justin is a graduate student in the MSW program through the Metropolitan State University of Denver. He received his BSW in 2013 from the University of Nebraska at Omaha before spending the past decade as a “student of life” to enhance his graduate studies. Seeking space to live authentically outside of a conservative military community, this non-binary queer relocated to Colorado in 2015. Shortly after relocating, Justin found a spiritual mentor that opened their mind to alternative spiritual paths which inform their views on gender, sexuality and other intersectional identities in the present day.   

An avid bookworm and self-proclaimed Disney fanatic, Justin believes that everybody has a story waiting to be told in therapeutic session and that everybody has experiences as both the “hero” and the “villain” in the myriad of narratives they navigate daily. She utilizes trauma-informed and harm reduction principles to explore cognitive dissonance between societal norms and individual development while in a safe space. In their off hours, Justin is: an experienced tarot reader, an overzealous cat dad, a temporarily retired Dungeons & Dragons adventurer, an occult scholar, and a connoisseur of nerd culture (anime/videogames) and the macabre. 

Katy Flood

She/Her/Hers

Katy is a masters level intern at the University of Denver, currently working on her masters degree in clinical social work. Katy received her BA in sociology with a minor in Gender Studies from the University of Vermont. Katy has worked with children, families and adolescents in a variety of settings. She is passionate about working with individuals from all walks of life.

Katy uses a strengths based, client centered approach in her therapeutic style. She is passionate about cognitive behavioral therapy and the power of mindfulness within her practice. Katy is interested in the connection between the mind and the body. She feels that the mind-body connection is an important tool in healing and working through trauma. Katy believes that everyone's experience with trauma is uniquely different and therefore, the therapeutic process for every individual should be tailored to their unique lived experiences, cultural beliefs and comfort level.

For the last year, Katy has worked with unhoused individuals living in the Denver area. She is passionate about social justice and utilizing a trauma informed approach within all of her interactions with humans.

Lauren Eisele

She/Her/Hers

 Lauren Eisele is completing her internship for Transpersonal Psychology at Naropa University. Her background consists of over eleven years of bio-chemical restoration in a holistic addiction treatment center. She has a Doctorate Level of Ayurveda and has studied under functional medicine for 11 years. Lauren’s passion in life around holistic health has lead her to further her education in mental health. She believes the body and mind are connected and her work supports awareness practices that align one’s self to their greatest potential, creating a felt sense of freedom and choice. She has over 10 years of experience with equine therapy as a horse handler and recently finished her training for equine therapy. Lauren is inspired by the natural intelligence of the body, mind and spirit. Lauren specializes in Gestalt Therapy which is client centered therapy through the use of somatic awareness, authentic relating and mindfulness approaches.

Rebecca Thompson

She/Her/Hers

Rebecca recognizes that life, with its ever-changing presence, is much like a river and her intent is to support others as they navigate their way through the rapids, currents, and shorelines of their own lives. She does this through the integration of a person-centered approach, mindfulness, and a depth perspective implementing the use of symbolism to uncover parts of the self that influence everyday functioning.

As a world traveler and former educator & school administrator, Rebecca has engaged with human beings from a diversity of backgrounds and is incredibly curious about the nature of the human spirit. She is a third-year graduate student in Regis University's Master of Arts in Counseling Program, and it’s with humble intent that she has dedicated herself to the craft of supporting others in the exploration of their own curiosity and awareness of themselves.

In her free time, she takes solace in the wilderness that our Earth has to offer. Rebecca is a partner and mother of two whom she loves to explore the wild with on foot, bike, surfboard, and skis.

Susana Levy

Susana comes from Mexico City and has felt at home in Boulder for two years. She is in her third year at Naropa University, pursuing her master's degree in the Transpersonal Psychology and Art Therapy program. As a contemplative artist, Susana uses art to understand the self, the world, and the relationship between both, placing art in service of the other. Susana is passionate about rituals and rites of passage in times of challenge and celebration; outside of NCC, Susana is a cacao facilitator and yoga teacher. Susana practices a mindfulness-based and person-centered approach. She values creating a space where creativity and expression can be invited to explore thoughts, emotions, and sensations with a compassionate presence grounded in the present moment. When not at work, Susana enjoys walks with her dogs and spending time with her family.