Offices & Services
Home >
The staff of the Counseling Center are experienced mental health professionals dedicated to the personal growth and development of Colgate's students. If you're interested in knowing more about us, take some time and browse the biographies below. Feel free to inquire about your counselor's background and training. It is important that you have confidence in your counselor and her/his ability to help you.
Mark Thompson, Ph.D.
Director
mdthompson@colgate.edu
Welcome and thanks for visiting our Counseling Center website. It has been my privilege to serve as director of Colgate's Counseling Center since 1997. I am a counseling psychologist and earned my Ph.D. from the University of Arizona in 1987.
I enjoy working with students both in direct clinical interactions--individual and group therapy, along with having contact through educational and developmental workshops, programs, and informal exchanges. In addition to serving as the director of the Counseling Center, I also co-chair Colgate's Wellness Initiative, serve on the steering committee for our chapter of the National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI), and co-advise our men's group on campus--Men at Colgate (MAC).
My areas of professional interest include acquaintance rape prevention, bereavement and loss, men's issues, dissociation and trauma, and identity concerns. The psychological theories and orientations that most heavily influence the way I work with students include cognitive-behavioral, systems, Adlerian, and humanistic approaches. All that being said, I do my best to establish genuine, respectful, and authentic relationships to help the students I work with to make the changes they want so life can be more the way they want it to be.
My professional activities include membership in the Association of University and College Counseling Center Directors (AUCCCD), where I will be serving as co-chair of the Elements of Excellence Committee from 2009-12. As a member of the American Psychological Association, I participate in Divisions 17 (Counseling Psychology) and 51 (Men and Masculinity).
On a personal note, my partner/spouse works as an administrator at a neighboring college. We have two wonderful daughters, one a graduate student and another getting ready to head off to college soon. Family life fills up most of my non-work time and is very important to me. I enjoy lots of sports, both as a participant and an observer. I love to read, listen to music, and spend time in the out-of-doors. Even though I was raised on Long Island, I've grown to love living in a small town.
Shelly Lear, Psy.D.
Associate Director
slear@colgate.edu
I joined the staff at the Counseling Center in 2000, and am the Associate Director. I have a doctorate in clinical psychology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, with a specialty in family and couples therapy.
Prior to finishing my graduate program, I worked 17 years in inpatient drug and alcohol treatment programs, outpatient mental health centers and college counseling. My theoretical orientation is Integrative, meaning that I see value in a variety of therapy approaches (including family sytems, cognitive behavioral, interpersonal, feminist, solution-oriented, psychodynamic and twelve-step philosophies) and seek to use the approach best suited to the person and to the particular concerns s/he brings to counseling.
I am interested in a wide variety of professional topics, including relationship concerns, women’s issues, diversity issues, substance abuse, LGBTQ issues, rural psychology, professional ethics, eating disorders and body image concerns, grief/bereavement, anxiety and depression. I coordinate our clinical programs at the Counseling Center and our outreach efforts for eating and body image issues. I enjoy working with Colgate students -- some of the best and brightest young adults I've ever known.
From a more personal perspective, my husband, Jim, is a drug and alcohol counselor/supervisor in Oneida County. Together, we have a "family" of two cats and two crazy dogs. I’m originally from Pittsburgh, PA, and have lived in Minnesota, Montana, and Colombia, South America, as well as in the Finger Lakes area of New York. Although a little “rusty” now, I used to be fluent in Spanish and like to get the chance to practice conversational Spanish when I can. I’m partial to quilting/sewing, gardening, reading, needlework, and computer stuff. I'm still a dedicated Steelers, Pirates and Penguins fan.
Dawn LaFrance, Psy.D.
Associate Director
dlafrance@colgate.edu
I have been on the staff at Colgate's Counseling Center since 2001. I enjoy working with college students and helping them through their many life experiences.
After completing my undergraduate degree at Lafayette College, I earned a
doctoral degree in clinical psychology at the University of Indianapolis. During
my training, I worked primarily in community mental health and university counseling centers. I spent my internship year at Utah State University's Counseling Center. My therapeutic orientation is a combination of cognitive-behavioral, interpersonal, and systems perspectives. Existential and humanistic theories have also influenced my work. Although I am a generalist, I am especially interested in diversity issues, college adjustment, sexual abuse trauma, women's issues, ADHD, depression, and anxiety.
I am responsible for coordinating the outreach efforts of the Counseling Center. Outreach is a very important part of our mission. Trainings, workshops, and brownbag lunches are offered on a variety of topics. I support Colgate's diversity initiatives through my work as co-chair of the ALANA Affairs committee and my membership on Colgate's National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI) team.
I live with my family in Hamilton. I love country living, especially spending time outside. In my free time, I enjoy playing with my children, working in the garden, reading, walking, and spending time with my family and friends.
Jane Jones MA, CASAC, NCACII
Coordinator of Alcohol and Drug Education
jajones@colgate.edu
I first came to Colgate in 1988 as a student intern to complete an internship requirement for a master’s program in counseling psychology at Chapman College. After fulfilling the internship requirement, I continued part-time here while continuing to work as a clinical director of an outpatient alcohol and drug rehabilitation program in a county based program.
Gradually I realized I enjoyed working with students more than I did dealing with HMOs and state mandates. Eight years ago I moved from part-time to full-time, never regretting that choice.
As Colgate's substance abuse counselor I am continually learning from my contacts with students. Although I’m not a prohibitionist, I am deeply concerned about individuals whose use of alcohol and other drugs isolates them from fully experiencing college. The work I do also includes helping students with relationship issues, family-of-origin issues, and personal growth and developmental issues.
Home is 12 miles south of here in Sherburne. My husband, Bob, is great dealing with the work demands of my schedule. Our son, Brian, is in a MD/PhD program at Dartmouth. One dog and two cats finishes up the family.
 |
| Susan Nolen |
Susan Nolen, M.S.W.
I received a bachelor’s of social work from James Madison University in 1982, and a master’s of social work from Temple University in 1986. Both my undergraduate and graduate programs focused on systems theory which serves as a foundation for my work with students here at Colgate.
I enjoy working with the variety of issues our students are dealing with including body image concerns and eating disorders, depression, anxiety, grief, developmental issues, relationship concerns, and family issues. I’ve had the pleasure of helping students work through the problems associated with these significant developmental years on a part-time, adjunct basis since the fall of 1989.
Although I’m originally from Virginia, I’ve lived in Hamilton a long time now with my husband, three children, and golden retriever. I love spending time with my family and can be found along the sidelines of all the local softball and baseball fields. For my own musical therapy, I enjoy playing traditional Irish music on my hammered dulcimer, tin whistle, and bodhran.
Kendall R. E. Smith, MA LPC
Staff Counselor
ksmith@colgate.edu
I am delighted to return to Hamilton, NY to work as a member of the clinical team at the Counseling Center. I graduated from Colgate in 2002. I was a Religion and Psychology major here, and in my ten years away I have continued to develop and pursue those interests.
I earned my master's degree in transpersonal counseling psychology, with a focus on wilderness therapy, from Naropa, a small Buddhist University in Boulder, Colorado. One of the theoretical underpinnings of transpersonal psychology is that on some level the experiences we have as human beings are universal. Regardless of how different we may appear to be, many of the core issues we struggle with are beyond the individual experience. In other words: our individual experiences are understood as within the larger and universal human experience.
I have worked in a variety of settings including public health and addiction recovery, residential therapeutic schools, with adjudicated youth, in community programs designed to decrease violence, and as an equine assisted psychotherapist. I am interested in helping people to increase self-awareness and self-regulation.
My area of specialty is in somatic interventions for stress, anxiety, depression, and relationship issues. I also continue to be interested in family systems work and identity development.
I love spending time in nature, whether it is on a farm, in the woods, or on a lake. Colgate’s trails were an essential component of my own well-being and emotional health when in college. Today, my dog Ollie keeps me company as we explore beautiful CNY.
Jung Yi, Psy.D.
Staff Psychologist
jyi@colgate.edu
I joined the Colgate Counseling Center in 2011 after having worked in both community mental health settings and university counseling centers. I received my doctoral degree in clinical psychology from Pepperdine Graduate School of Education and Psychology. My therapeutic orientation is mostly psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral. I consider myself to be a generalist with experience helping college students from diverse backgrounds with acculturation challenges, mood difficulties, relationship concerns, and loss.
Amanda Bridge
Office Manager abridge@colgate.edu