Lana was an ATSA intern and Adventure Camp assistant in 2022, and also served as an AC Counselor after completing her training in the Adventure Camp selective mutism intervention protocol last summer. In addition to serving as an AC Counselor this summer, Lana also joins another intern alum in co-managing this year’s summer interns. Currently a rising senior at Kalamazoo College in Michigan, Lana is double-majoring in Psychology and English. At Kalamazoo, she is a co-editor in chief of two newspapers and was a part of a research lab studying women’s leadership aspirations. Lana’s desire to work with the SM population led her back to ATSA, and she has decided to complete her capstone project on selective mutism. Her past experiences at ATSA have solidified her interest to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology focusing on the child/family population. Lana is really excited to be a part of camp again this year and help the campers find their brave!

Brianna Banks is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in clinical psychology, with a specialization in developmental psychopathology, at Northern Illinois University (NIU). She earned a bachelor of science degree in psychology from the University of California, Davis. Prior to beginning the NIU doctoral program, Brianna worked with children ages 2 ½ to 5 years old and their families as an assistant preschool teacher. Her time there inspired her current research exploring the relationship between the parents of children exhibiting internalizing and externalizing behaviors in early childhood and their child’s teacher. For the past two years, Brianna worked as a clinician at NIU’s Psychological Services Center where she provided therapeutic and assessment services to children and adolescents. This experience has exposed her to a wide variety of treatment approaches and presenting concerns, including anxiety disorders, such as selective mutism. Brianna has participated as a counselor in Adventure Camp 2022 and Winter Adventure 2023, and she is grateful to return once again for Adventure Camp 2023 to support all the brave campers and their families as they learn and grow at Adventure Camp!

Meena is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in clinical psychology, with a specialization in rehabilitation psychology, at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT). Meena completed her undergraduate and early graduate education in Australia, where her clinical and research interests were in positive psychology (particularly the role of courage in facing fears) and evidence-based treatments for anxiety disorders. Since beginning her doctoral studies at IIT, Meena’s research has focused on exploring best practices for supporting children with disabilities. Furthermore, for the past year Meena has been working with children and adolescents at UI Health’s Craniofacial Center providing assessment, therapy and consultation services. Meena is very passionate about supporting children and their families, and is so grateful to be able to serve children with selective mutism as an Adventure Camp Counselor this summer. She is excited to meet the brave campers and their families, and cheer them on through their learning journey at Adventure Camp!

Allie Jessen, M.A., earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychological science from Northern Arizona University. Currently, she is pursuing her Ph.D. in clinical psychology at Northern Illinois University with a focus on trauma. Her doctoral research focuses on the role of duty-related trauma on the wellbeing of first responders. Prior to pursuing her Ph.D., Allie worked as a case manager for individuals diagnosed with a serious mental illness (SMI), connecting them to various resources in the community, as well as working with families affected by domestic violence. Allie has spent the last year as a clinician in NIU’s Psychological Services Center providing evidence-based therapy to individuals and couples with a variety of mental health concerns. Regarding selective mutism, Allie remembers a student in her elementary school who never talked and used a white board to communicate. After learning about selective mutism, Allie wonders if her classmate may have been experiencing this anxiety disorder. She learned about Adventure Camp Counselor Training through her NIU colleagues and became interested in pursuing the opportunity to learn how to help patients with selective mutism so that they don’t have the same experience as her classmate, never speaking in school. Even though Allie’s main interest is in trauma, and selective mutism is not caused by trauma (a common misconception), there is overlap in terms of treatment and the benefits of exposure therapy, specifically facing one’s fear, sitting with it, and learning to manage anxiety. Allie is motivated to help the Adventure Camp campers recover and grow so they can have a typical childhood experience. Allie loved working as a camp counselor last summer and winter and she’s excited to return this summer at Adventure Camp and meet all the wonderful campers and their families!

Joanna Keane, M.A., is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in clinical psychology at Northern Illinois University (NIU) with a specialization in developmental psychopathology and trauma psychology. Before receiving her master's degree at NIU, she graduated from Villanova University with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in counseling. While she was there, she volunteered with children in a domestic violence shelter and engaged in research examining the effectiveness of a parenting intervention for families experiencing homelessness. Her current research focuses on how the family unit can promote resilient child outcomes in families experiencing adversity. She previously worked as a clinician in NIU’s Psychological Services Center where she offered therapeutic services to clients presenting with a variety of concerns including anxiety disorders, and at Susan Myket, Ph.D. & Associates where she provided psychological assessments to children and adolescents. She enjoyed working with campers to use their brave in Adventure Camp 2021-2022, Winter Adventure 2022-2023, and Courage Club. Joanna is excited to return and combine her passion of working with children and providing accessible, evidence-based treatments through her work as an Adventure Camp Counselor!

Riley Laffoon is pursuing her Ph.D. in School Psychology at Northern Illinois University. Prior to attending NIU, she graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. While pursuing her doctorate, Riley has worked with children of various ages and backgrounds in both the school and clinic setting. She has experience in utilizing cognitive behavioral therapy principles to lead group counseling sessions focused on emotion regulation, as well as intervening to de-escalate students in emotional distress within the school setting. As a budding school psychologist, Riley is an ideal addition to the Adventure Camp team, where she will gain hands-on experience working with students with selective mutism. Riley’s research interests include parent involvement in education and student-teacher relationships, and how the two are related to child outcomes. Given her background experiences and research interests surrounding school, Riley understands the importance of accessing your education and is passionate about helping students do so. She is very excited for the opportunity to support children with selective mutism and their families through Adventure Camp!

Laura Liden is pursuing her Ed.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Loyola University Chicago. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from Loyola University Chicago. She was previously a psychology intern at the Anixtey Center, a center focused on mental health recovery. Laura led small group sessions at the Anxiety Center and also supervised members on weekly outings. She also has previous experience working with children as an ESL tutor at the Madonna Mission. Laura is passionate about helping children and adolescents with anxiety disorders, and she learned more about selective mutism in her diagnostics course. As selective mutism is a little-known and often misunderstood condition, Laura appreciates that one of ATSA’s goals is to bring awareness and share information about selective mutism to the public. Laura is excited to bring the new knowledge and experience she will acquire about selective mutism to her future internship and career. Laura is looking forward to working as an Adventure Camp counselor this summer and cannot wait to meet all of the children and parents!

Bridget is a special education inclusion teacher who was inspired to pursue training through Adventure Camp to learn more about how to help students with selective mutism. Teaching in a self-contained classroom, Bridget aims to provide differentiated interventions to meet the diverse needs of her classroom. Therefore, learning more about the anxiety disorder selective mutism, and evidence-based interventions is consistent with her goals as an inclusion teacher. Bridget holds a master’s degree in Special Education and also in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, making her an ideal addition to the Adventure Camp team. She consistently pursues ways to integrate techniques to help students struggling with anxiety in the classroom setting. Combining her special education and clinical mental health counseling degrees, Bridget aims to bridge the gap of understanding with educators, school personnel, and families about anxiety and how to most effectively meet anxious students’ needs. In her school, Bridget works with the school social worker, speech pathologist, teachers, and an outside clinical team to develop programming that best meets the needs of those struggling with anxiety. Anxiety can be an overwhelming emotion that children with selective mutism experience, and which they attempt to regulate by staying quiet. However, as Bridget understands first-hand through her own teaching experience, selective mutism can interfere with a child’s academic and social development. Bridget believes that identifying tools and strategies to help children will help educators and clinicians build a partnership of communication in development and implementation of treatment planning in the school setting which will greatly impact the success of the child. That is what motivated Bridget to serve as an Adventure Camp Counselor, so she can gain hands-on experience in addressing selective mutism effectively and take those tools back to her classroom, help her students, and be a resource to her school team. Prior to teaching, Bridget worked as an Education Coordinator at a hospital where she acted as a liaison between the hospital and schools, gathered and accommodated schoolwork, as well as collateral information for treatment planning, and assisted with parent trainings. Bridget has experience working with children with autism, ADHD, generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, and PTSD in clinical and classroom settings. Bridget looks forward to learning more about resilience and bravery through the kids of Adventure Camp!

Brandon Davis is pursuing a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Northern Illinois University (NIU). Prior to beginning his doctorate, Brandon served as a research coordinator at Northwestern University studying stereotypes, social cognition, and parent-child interactions. At NIU, he is in the trauma lab and most recently completed a rotation on the child track, where he provided therapy and assessment, including training in the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule. Brandon’s overarching research and clinical interests are interpersonal violence, trauma, and alterations in cognitions and identity. Specifically, he’s interested in how people’s sense of identity can shift as a result of trauma. Though selective mutism is not caused by trauma (which is a common misconception), being known in school as the kid who doesn't talk can certainly impact identity development. Brandon is looking forward to working with the children of Adventure Camp and helping them develop a healthy sense of self through their AC experience!

Gloria Arteaga, B.A., is currently employed as a Kindergarten Teacher at Horizon Science Academy Belmont. Gloria realized she wanted to work in a school setting with diverse learners after working as an Intake Coordinator at Advanced Therapeutic Solutions for Anxiety (ATSA) where she also served as a counselor for Adventure Camp in 2019 and 2021, Winter Adventure in 2020-2022, and also facilitated Classroom 1 for Adventure Camp 2020. Gloria is bilingual in English and Spanish, and she has also completed two years of instruction in American Sign Language. Her diverse language skills have enabled her to expand the diversity of children she is able to teach. Gloria holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in sociology from the University of Illinois in Chicago, and she intends to pursue graduate studies in the near future. Gloria's dream is to open her own clinical practice in Mexico, where she has witnessed a lack of mental health services and the stigma behind mental health issues. She is very excited to be part of Adventure Camp for a seventh time! She is eager to continue to gain knowledge and skills about the treatment of selective mutism, which she will carry into her current role as an early elementary teacher, her future training as a clinician, and for spreading awareness to Spanish-speaking communities.

Melissa Bunda, LCSW, currently works as a school social worker primarily with preschool and kindergarten students, though she also has years of experience working in a middle school setting. As a school social worker, Melissa has seen an increase in a need to have a greater specialized understanding of selective mutism, which is an anxiety disorder characterized by the failure to speak in public settings, such as in school, despite having the ability to speak. Melissa is excited to participate in Adventure Camp to gain intensive hands-on experience in its unique, school-simulated exposure therapy program, work directly with students with selective mutism, and hone her therapeutic skills. It is because of dedicated school social workers, like Melissa, that more schools are learning about how to effectively support students with selective mutism in the school setting. Melissa earned her master’s degree in social work from Loyola University Chicago, and before working in schools, she worked as a clinician in a temporary shelter for DCFS wards with children ranging in age from eight to 18. She obtained a Certificate in Mindfulness in the Helping Professions from Governors State University in 2017 and utilizes many of the concepts learned not only with her students but with herself. Melissa looks forward to expanding her knowledge and understanding of selective mutism as an Adventure Camp Counselor and applying her knowledge to practice as a school social worker where she plans to share her knowledge with colleagues and families.

Chynna Dubuclet is pursuing her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Northern Illinois University (NIU) with a focus on child development and trauma/PTSD. She is a member of the Families and Development in Context Lab where she conducts research on development and factors that positively and negatively impact development. She is also currently completing her practicum rotation at Susan Myket, Ph.D. & Associates, providing therapy services. Prior to attending NIU, she graduated from Xavier University of Louisiana where she majored in Psychology and minored in African American and Diaspora Studies. Chynna’s clinical and research interests include trauma and anxiety-related diagnosis and treatment in children and adolescents as well as resilience factors that buffer the development of disorders. Over the past year, she has worked with children and adults conducting psychological assessments and evidence-based treatment for a variety of mental health concerns. Given that her interest is in child development and trauma/PTSD, learning about selective mutism is important. Even though selective mutism is not trauma based (a common misconception), it is maintained by an anxious-avoidance coping pattern. Learning about selective mutism as an Adventure Camp Counselor will help Chynna consider anxious avoidance patterns that can manifest in PTSD and other trauma-based disorders, while also learning how to identify, assess, and differentiate selective mutism. After serving as an AC Counselor in 2022 and in Winter Adventure 2023, Chynna returns for Adventure Camp 2023. She has loved working with kids since being a camp counselor in high school and is very excited to continue to build her clinical skills and serve the campers and families once again this summer!

Jordan Kaye has a history of interest in studying child and family relationships. Before pursuing her doctorate, Jordan was a Research Assistant with Child Mind Institute’s Healthy Brain Network where she assisted in CMI’s big data/open science initiative aiming to identify biological markers for psychopathology from the participation of 10,000 children and adolescents ages 5-21. Before CMI, she was also a Research Assistant for Chronis-Tuscano and Rubin’s Preschool Shyness Study which compares two early intervention programs for children with severe social anxiety/behavioral inhibition. These post-baccalaureate experiences inspired Jordan to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology at Northern Illinois University (NIU) with a specialization in developmental psychopathology. Jordan’s current research focuses on parent-child relationships and associated longitudinal child outcomes, parenting behaviors, and emotion- and self-regulation. At NIU, Jordan worked as a clinician at the Psychological Services Center for two years providing therapeutic and assessment services to children and adults with various diagnoses. Outside of NIU, Jordan has assisted with group therapy in other private practice settings, and recently completed a rotation at ATSA serving as an intake clinician. As the intake clinician, Jordan worked with parents of children with SM and other anxiety disorders conducting intakes, parent-child observations and training sessions, and feedback sessions. Even though Jordan wanted to participate in CMI’s Brave Buddies program while she was there, scheduling conflicts interfered with the opportunity. Jordan was thrilled to participate in Adventure Camp’s version of Brave Buddies last summer, and is excited to return as a counselor this summer!

Susan Kunkle is certified in Special Education and English as Second Language, and holds a B.A. in Early Childhood Education from National Louis University. Early in her career, Susan taught Kindergarten for the Chicago Public Schools system in a highly impoverished neighborhood. Her classroom consisted of an average of 32 students each year, with little to no resources. Approximately 90% of the children Susan taught suffered extreme anxiety and post-traumatic stress from exposure to complex, or continuous, traumas. Susan incorporated social-emotional learning and trauma-focused cognitive behavioral techniques into her teaching style. However, she felt more and more pulled to contribute in a more direct way, which led her to leave her teaching career to pursue a Masters's degree in Forensic Psychology at the Chicago School of Psychology. As a forensic psychologist, Susan plans to continue supporting children and families exposed to trauma and complicated family systems by providing forensic assessments and treatments. She is particularly interested in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), which is one of the most common court-appointed treatments due to the strong empirical evidence for its effectiveness in building rapport and repairing attachments within the parent-child relationship. PCIT has been adapted for treating other conditions, such as selective mutism, by facilitating a strong rapport during the child-directed interaction phase in order to foster confidence in the child to face their fears during the verbal-directed interaction phase. Susan is looking forward to combining her previous experience as a Kindergarten teacher with that of her role as an Adventure Camp counselor applying the PCIT-SM intervention so that she can follow her goal of contributing more directly to children’s positive health outcomes.

Jean Lee, M.M., is a professional flutist! She holds flute performance degrees, including a Master of Music and Artist Diploma from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and her bachelor’s degree in music from Wheaton College Conservatory. Jean has also served in the Illinois Army National Guard’s 144th Army Band, whose mission it is “to raise troop morale and promote esprit de corps.” As a professional flutist, Jean has taught music to students ages eight and up, as well as to adults. As a musician, Jean witnessed many of her fellow musical-performing friends struggling with anxiety, particularly performance anxiety, and other career-related mental health challenges. As a teacher, she also noticed how anxiety can impact students’ confidence and performance. It is because of these observations that Jean became interested in pursuing a second Master’s degree, this time in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, at Wheaton College. Jean is learning how emotion regulation relates to anxiety through her work as a summer practicum clinician at ATSA. She is noticing how social anxiety and selective mutism interact with performance anxiety, and she is enjoying the hands-on training she is receiving helping children approach their fears and increase their confidence. Jean is excited to be a part of the Adventure Camp team to expand her learning about selective mutism and how to apply evidence-based treatments for anxiety. If we’re lucky, maybe she will play her flute for us at Adventure Camp!

Cassandra (Cassie) Mick, M.A., M.Ed., holds master's degrees in clinical psychology from Northern Illinois University and in child studies from Vanderbilt University. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in clinical psychology also at NIU. Cassie completed ATSA’s selective mutism intervention training in 2021 and has subsequently worked with ATSA as an Adventure Camp Counselor, Winter Adventure Counselor, and was a co-facilitator for our Courage Club group therapy. She previously worked as a Behavior Specialist at Rogers Behavioral Health – Nashville serving children with OCD and anxiety disorders and their families using exposure therapy, and at Susan Myket, Ph.D. & Associates providing psychological assessment services to children and adults. Cassie currently works at The OCD and Anxiety Center in Oak Brook providing cognitive behavioral and exposure therapy to clients of all ages. She enjoys working with children and families coping with selective mutism and is looking forward to returning as an Adventure Camp counselor once again this summer!

Peter Tappenden is pursuing his Ph.D. in clinical psychology at Northern Illinois University (NIU) with a trauma psychology focus. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Colgate University. Prior to his time at NIU, Peter worked as a research coordinator at the James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Hospital in the Bronx, NY, where he assisted with research on the biological correlates and treatment of PTSD. Over the past year, Peter has served as a clinician in NIU’s Psychological Services Center (PSC). At the PSC, Peter has provided psychodiagnostic assessments and evidenced-based therapy to individuals in the DeKalb community. His current research interests center on factors that promote risk and resilience to PTSD following trauma exposure, as well as experiences of moral injury in first responders. In a developmental psychopathology course at NIU, Peter learned about selective mutism and what a debilitating disorder it can be. This, combined with his love of working with children he gained through work as a camp counselor and volunteering at a local elementary school throughout college, inspired him to be part of the incredible Adventure Camp mission. He cannot wait to serve as a counselor this summer and to see the amazing growth of each brave camper!