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Latonya Graham, Ph.D. (Director)
| Dr. Latonya Graham is a Board-Certified Counselor. In reference to collegiate mental health, she has served as the Director of Counseling Services and other counseling roles since 2010.
Dr. Graham has extensive counseling experience serving adults and children, as well as couples and families in various public and private settings. However, her most rewarding professional experiences have been providing supervision, counseling, consultation, programming, mentoring, and instruction to diverse student and staff populations in the university setting. Her research interests include ethics, aging population, and racial disparities in mental health.
Personal Interests: Traveling, music, and spending quality time with her family and friends.
Dr. Graham works for the Center full-time. |
Jessica Branch, LCPC (Counselor and Workshop Facilitator)
| Jessica is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor who has worked extensively with college students, adolescents, kids, and families since 1997. She specializes in individual and family work and can provide therapy in Spanish, too. She has a B.A. in Spanish and became fluent by studying and living abroad in both Mexico, and Colombia, South America. She has maintained a private practice in Silver Spring, Maryland, for the past nine years, and likes to really try to understand what each person might need in the therapy process. She really enjoys working with young people, but also those of different ages and backgrounds. She strives to provide kindness, attentive listening, and collaboration in the therapy room.
Jessica received her Masters degree at Virginia Tech in 1997. She has worked in various, university student support services including Career Services, International Student Services, and Women Center positions. She went on to do internship work with the YMCA Youth and Family Services, which placed her in Silver Spring public schools working with students and families coming from different parts of the world, like Central America, South America, the Philippines, Ethiopia, Africa, and the U.S. Working with a variety of folks has shaped her thinking and training choices in Narrative therapy, Family Systems, Mindfulness, and EMDR.
Professional Interests Working with People to Battle the Effects of Anxiety, Depression, Stress, Self-harm, and Trauma on Their Lives and Relationships
Personal Interests: Avid West Coast Swing Dancer and Practitioner of Aikido; Enjoy Being Outside; Reading; and Many Kinds of Music
EMDR Certification
Jessica works for the Center on Wednesdays, 11am - 6pm, and Fridays (virtual only), 12pm - 2pm. |
Lynne Dingle, LCSW-C (Counselor)
| Lynne has extensive experience working with couples, individuals, and families. She has also run groups with a variety of themes, such as self-esteem, empowerment, and the aftermath of being an Adult Child of an Alcoholic. Part of her work has been to consult with counselors who work in an agency setting. She trained addiction counselors in the techniques of family therapy, active listening, and improving communications within the family. Currently Lynne is a volunteer at Give an Hour. She provides free therapy for returning veterans and/or their family. She has experience working with individuals suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Her training in this area has included a multitude of workshops that cover not only veterans, but individuals who have suffered trauma from abuse. She maintains a private practice in Gaithersburg, MD. Lynne's college degrees came while she was raising her family. She has a working knowledge and understanding of the stress of being a returning student while managing the many tasks of a family. Lynne's approach with her clients is open and direct, teaching people to be aware of their outside world and how it impacts their emotions. She uses a psychodynamic approach with theory also based in Gestalt and Object Relations. The environment she hopes to create is one where a person feels comfortable and safe. She is capable of addressing most client concerns that deal with anxiety or depression, PTSD, relationships, and parenting, as well as coping with and learning time management to help deal with the stressors we all experience in our lives. Professional Interests: PTSD; Addiction Issues; Anxiety and Depression; Relationship Issues; Life Stage Developmental Concerns Personal Interests: Knitting, reading and traveling top the list. Love the Washington Nationals and Boston Red Sox! Spending time at the beach. M.S.W., 1983, Social Work, University of Maryland, Baltimore Certificate - Object Relations/Self Psychology, 1988 Certificate - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder/Traumatic Brain Injury, 2012 Lynne works for the Center on Mondays, 12pm - 6pm, and Wednesdays (virtual only), 9am - 3pm. |
Farid El Defrawy, B.A. (Program Management Specialist)
| Farid began his journey with the Universities at Shady Grove as a student, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Digital Media at the University of Maryland, College Park. During his time at USG, Farid has worked as a marketing intern for the Transfer Access Program, promoting USG’s unique campus and assisting transfer students to become acclimated through marketing strategies. Later on, Farid took on a new challenge when he became the Project Assistant for the Manager of Administration in the Executive Director’s Office. He provided coordination and administrative support to members of the Strategy Office in the Office of the Executive Director, as well as to the Executive Director’s Senior Coordinator. Since graduating, Farid took on the role of Program Management Specialist for the Center for Scholarships. He helped maintain an appropriate level of operations, aid for regular outreach development, coordination and updates, event support, operations assistance, and general front desk and administrative support. Now as the Program Management Specialist for the Center for Counseling and Well-being, Farid is excited to venture and expand the recreation side of USG and create a welcoming and inclusive environment for everyone. Farid will implement his knowledge and professional experience from the Shady Grove campus and the Liverpool Academy in Maryland, as a soccer coach, to push the experience in wellness and recreation, both in initiatives and the environment produced by the Center for Counseling and Well-Being. Farid’s background as an Arab-American, living in Egypt for fourteen years and a USG alumni helps the center from a student perspective. Personal Interests: Soccer, traveling, and spending time with friends and family. B.A., Communication, University of Maryland, College Park |
Kheia Hilton, LCPC (Counselor and Outreach Coordinator)
| Hi! My name is Kheia Hilton, and I am glad you decided to learn more about the counselors at the Center for Counseling and Well-being.
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) currently licensed in Virginia. I have worked in various settings, including community mental health, private practice, and university counseling centers.
I use an integrative therapeutic approach, which means I combine many different therapeutic techniques to create a treatment plan specifically tailored to your needs. I empower students to build and utilize their internal strengths and resources to help them navigate their present concerns and have tools for the future to live a happy, healthy, and authentic life.
My area of specialization is trauma, which causes people to experience anxiety, uncertainty, and a lack of confidence. My goal is to create a welcoming space that centers the student’s life experiences and all aspects of their identities to reduce stigma and shame.
I am certified in EMDR, IFS trained, and a certified Daring Way Facilitator.
Kheia works for the Center full-time. |
Roxanne Issurdatt, M.Phil., M.Ac. (Program Manager)
| Roxanne is a licensed acupuncturist and Chinese Medical Practitioner. She has extensive international experience in the fields of education and wellness having worked in Hong Kong, the Middle East, Europe and India. Roxanne has two Master's degrees: an M.Phil. in Gender, Race and Ethnicity from Trinity College, Dublin and an M.Ac. in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine from the Maryland University of Integrative Health. As a licensed acupuncturist in the state of Maryland, her clinical practice focuses on physical, emotional, and spiritual health. Roxanne focuses on stress reduction and helping patients manage chronic illness. At USG, Roxanne focuses on the career competency of personal well-being and promoting health and wellness. Through her acupuncture treatments and her well-being programs she aims to create a deeper awareness of the mind, body, spirit connection. Her well-being programming aims to equip participants with the foundational tools to thrive and navigate life’s challenges with a sense of ease. Personal Interests: Reading, Theatre, Visual Arts, Ocean Swimming, Arabic Pop Music, Herbal Medicine and playing basketball with her twin boys M.Phil., Gender, Race, and Ethnicity, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland M.Ac., Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, Maryland University of Integrative Health Roxanne works for the Center full-time. |
Anchal Khanna, LCMFT (Counselor)
| Anchal is a Licensed Clinical Marriage and Family Therapist with over fourteen years of experience providing individual, couples and group therapy. She is in private practice in Rockville, MD and has worked for many years in college counseling centers. In her most recent experience at George Mason University’s Counseling Center, she served in the role of the Assistant Director managing crisis and clinical services. Anchal has significant experience working with diverse clinical issues including mood concerns, relationship difficulties, trauma, life transitions, cultural adjustments and sexual assault. She uses an integrative approach in therapy with the goal to facilitate a collaborative and solution focused dialogue towards creating change and movement. Anchal has advanced training in the Gottman Method of couples therapy and is also a Gottman Educator trained to work with couples as they transition to parenthood. She is a seasoned presenter and workshop facilitator. Personal Interests: Swimming; Reading; Art; and spending time with family and friends M.S., 2002, Marriage and Family Therapy, Northern Illinois University Licensed Clinical Marriage and Family Therapist, State of Maryland Licensed Professional Counselor, Commonwealth of Virginia Certified Gottman Educator Gottman Method of Couples Therapy, Level III Trained Anchal works for the Center Tuesdays, 10am-4pm, and Thursdays (virtual only), 9am - 3pm |
Chhaya Lagowala (Administrative Assistant)
| Chhaya has been with the USM System for over 25 years. During her extensive career at the Shady Grove campus, Chhaya has gained a diverse experience in her different roles with the UMGC Admissions team, USG Conference and Events Services team, and the USG Executive Director’s office. Chhaya brings her drive to support the student body along with her familiarity with our campus team and work processes to her current role with the Center for Counseling and Consultation at USG. Chhaya is really excited about her current role as it gives her an opportunity to help the students in need and hopes to be part of the team for years to come. In addition to her B.S in Computer Science from NJCU, Chhaya received her second B.S. in Information System Management from UMGC. Personal Interests: Hiking, Traveling, Yoga, Meditation, Spending Time with Family, Cooking, Connecting with People, and Continuous Learning B.S., Information Systems Management, University of Maryland Global Campus B.S., Computer Science, New Jersey City University Chhaya works for the Center Mondays - Thursdays, 10am - 7pm, and Fridays (virtual only) 10am - 2pm. |