Our Staff

 

Heather C. Futral, Psy.D. is a licensed psychologist and Clinical Director of Northeast Georgia Psychological Services. Dr. Futral provides treatment to children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families. She specializes in the assessment and treatment depression, anxiety, trauma recovery, marital difficulties, and interpersonal problems. Dr. Futral has built thriving independent practices in both the Athens and Braselton areas. She annually supervises licensed psychologists and postdoctoral fellows in psychology. She has presented at multiple local and state conferences. Dr. Futral has been qualified as an expert witness in several court jurisdictions in Georgia. She is an active member of the Georgia Psychological Association. In addition to general practice, Dr. Futral has a great deal of experience with complex cases, disability issues, employment and medical screenings, and other fitness for duty evaluations. She supports the community through many forms of philanthropy. Dr. Futral graduated Summa Cum Laude with Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Columbia University, an Ivy league institution. She earned her Doctorate of Clinical Psychology degree from the Georgia School of Professional Psychology. She completed an APA-accredited internship program at the Forest Institute of Professional Psychology in Springfield, Missouri, where she provided assessment and counseling services to children, adults, families, and couples. She completed over 2000 hours of postdoctoral training at Positive Outcomes Psychological Services in Athens, Georgia.

Shelby Byrd, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist and Assessment Director of Northeast Georgia Psychological Services who joined the practice in August 2021. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Georgia College & State University in 2012, a master’s degree in Clinical-Counseling Psychology from Valdosta State University in 2014, and a PhD in School Psychology from Louisiana State University in 2019. She completed an APA-accredited internship at the Nebraska Internship Consortium in Professional Psychology – Boys Town. She also completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Boys Town Center for Behavioral Health in Omaha, where she practiced for an additional year as a staff psychologist prior to returning to her home state of GA. Dr. Byrd provides individual and family therapy for children, adolescents and young adults who are experiencing various social/emotional and behavioral concerns. Her primary areas of expertise include anxiety, OCD, depression, self-harm behaviors, unhealthy eating, interpersonal/family conflict, and habits (hair pulling, fingernail biting, skin picking behaviors). She utilizes evidence-based approaches when working with clients, including acceptance- and mindfulness-based CBT and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). Dr. Byrd also has extensive training and experience in providing parent behavioral management training and parent-client interaction therapy (PCIT) to address behavior problems at home.

Debbie Gunnin, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist who joined the practice in September 2019. She earned a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Kansas in 1996. She completed an APA-accredited internship program in general psychology and a post-doctoral fellowship in forensic psychology at Western Missouri Mental Health Center in Kansas City, Missouri. Dr. Gunnin has over 20 years of experience as a practicing psychologist, and has done forensic psychological evaluations, general psychological evaluations, psychotherapy, and supervision of mental health providers. At Northeast Georgia Psychological Services, Dr. Gunnin provides psychotherapy and general psychological assessments. She uses an integrative/cognitive approach to psychotherapy. She enjoys helping people improve their relationships, increase self-confidence, enhance coping skills, and live life more fully. She specializes in helping people cope with stress, depression, anger, anxiety, interpersonal difficulties, infertility issues, substance abuse, psychotic disorders, and other problems.

Julie LaPointe Pope, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist who joined the practice in 2023. She earned her Doctoral degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of Memphis in 1997. She completed a one-year externship at the Memphis Federal Correctional Institute during her academic residency and fulfilled her APA-accredited internship requirement at Austin State Hospital in Austin, Texas. She holds a master’s degree in organizational psychology from the University of Georgia (1991) and a master’s degree in community counseling from Georgia State University (1993). Dr. Pope has over 20 years of experience conducting psychological evaluation for determination of fitness for duty, disability, vocational rehabilitation, bariatric surgery, juvenile detention disposition, and court ordered mental health. Dr. Pope has over 20 years of experience providing therapy to individuals 18 years old through late adulthood for career and vocational problems, relationship conflict, trauma, anxiety, depression, mood dysregulation, obsessive and compulsive behaviors, problematic substance use, social skills training, attention deficit, grief and loss, phase of life adjustment, and anger management. Dr. Pope’s therapeutic approach emphasizes individual strengths and resiliency within a solution-focused, cognitive-behavioral framework. She helps individuals identify problematic systems, relationships, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and make necessary changes to improve mental health.

Christina Charette, Psy.D. is a licensed psychologist in Georgia and North Carolina. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2000, a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Pacific University in Portland, Oregan in 2004, and a PsyD in Clinical Psychology from Pacific University in Portland, Oregan in 2008. She completed an APA-accredited internship at the Northwest Georgia Internship Consortium in 2008. She also completed a postdoctoral fellowship in juvenile forensic psychology from UMASS-Boston in 2009.  Dr. Charette has provided assessment and counseling to children and adolescents for over a decade in a wide range of settings to include community, residential, and detention settings.  Her primary areas of expertise are adhd, oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, self-harm behaviors, sexual behavior problems, trauma, and autism.  

Candice Gore, Psy.D., L.P.C. is a licensed professional counselor who joined the practice in July 2024. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Georgia (2005) and a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Counseling from Richmont Graduate University in Atlanta, Georgia (2008). She began her doctorate training at the Georgia School of Professional Psychology and completed her diagnostic practicum with the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. She then transferred to the Florida School of Professional Psychology in Tampa, Florida where she obtained her doctorate in Clinical Psychology (2022). She completed an APA-accredited internship at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Tyler, Texas, and completed an APPIC postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Texas Health Science Center, Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Clinic. She has provided mental health services for over 16 years, serving individuals across the lifespan. Currently, Dr. Gore is primarily conducting comprehensive assessments for children, adolescents, and adults, who are presenting with neurodevelopmental disorders and/or psychological disorders. She strives to support those in need and provide individuals and families with compassion and guidance through the evaluation process.  

Gretchen Gendreau, Psy.D. is a licensed psychologist in both Georgia and Washington State. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington, earned her Master’s and Doctorate in Counseling Psychology from Northwest University, and completed an APA-accredited internship through the National Psychology Training Consortium (NPTC-HealthPoint) in behavioral medicine. She has experience working in community health settings, college student counseling services, bariatric medicine, and adolescent outpatient services as a provider in a partial hospitalization pilot program conducted at a major health system in Washington. She started a private practice in 2019 and specializes in providing psychological services to high-risk adolescents who struggle with emotion regulation, interpersonal conflict, and difficulty tolerating distress. Integrating concepts from DBT, CBT, and ACT therapy, she is a solution-focused provider through the lens of adverse childhood experiences, aiming to mitigate and address areas of childhood trauma and distress so clients can regain confidence and take steps toward a better life. At NGPS, Dr. Gendreau focuses on adolescent psychotherapy providing individual and group counseling, psychological assessments, and parent consulting. She enjoys speaking to large audiences, teaching mental health tools such as mindfulness, emotion regulation, healthy habits, goal setting, relationship boundaries, and parenting. Dr. Gendreau has been married to Andrew for 28 years, they have five children—three independent adults and two high schoolers, and they recently relocated to the beautiful state of Georgia.

Vanessa Pellicci, L.C.S.W. is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with twenty years of experience. She graduated in 1999 from Concordia College in Bronxville, New York with a Bachelor’s in Social Work. She then went on to complete her Master’s in Clinical Social Work from Fordham University, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 2001. Shortly after graduation in 1999 she began what would be an 18-year professional career at St. Vincent’s Hospital, a behavioral health hospital that provides various inpatient, and outpatient programs for people with mental illness and substance abuse. In addition to her years working on the inpatient acute care unit, she also worked in the outpatient partial hospital program as a primary mental health therapist providing group therapy, family therapy and individual therapy. In 2006, she started her private practice offering psychotherapy services to children, adolescents, adults, and families. She is licensed to practice both in Georgia and New York. She joined Northeast Georgia Psychological Services in April 2018 working with children via play therapy, adolescents, adults, couples, and family therapy. Her specialties include working with patients who struggle with serious mental illness, substance abuse, first breaks for those suffering from psychosis, trauma, attachment disorders, ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorders. This is where she feels in her element, and she is blessed to work with professional clinicians who care deeply for their patients as well.

Lydia Breer, L.C.S.W.  earned a Master of Social Work degree in 2013 from the University of Georgia, graduating Summa Cum Laude. She holds a certificate in Marriage and Family Therapy.  Lydia served on the Board of Directors of the Tourette Information Center and Support of GA (T.I.C.S. of GA) from 2007-2015 serving in many roles including support group coordinator for the state of Georgia, Chairman of the Board, and staff social worker for Camp Twin Lake’s Camp Twitch and Shout, an international week-long summer camp for children ages 7-17 who have a primary diagnosis of Tourette’s disorder. Her practice focus includes parenting children with ADD/ADHD and/or Tourette’s disorder, women’s issues, couples’ conflict, grief and loss, aging in place, and career and life changes.  Lydia is a proponent of the strengths philosophy which emphasizes drawing upon inherent abilities and strengths to overcome challenges and obstacles.  She feels empowered to establish a partnership with clients so they can reach their full potential. She joined Northeast Georgia Psychological Services in February 2020 after serving as a hospice social worker and a therapist in private practice.

Jamie Allen, L.C.S.W.  is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has experience in the treatment of substance use, depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress.  Jamie graduated from the University of Georgia with a Master of Social Work degree. She has been working in the field of mental health for over 10 years and utilizes cognitive behavioral therapy, expressive arts therapy, and narrative therapy, as well as other evidence-based approaches. Jamie has worked in inpatient substance use treatment and within the court system and has a passion for helping clients live their best lives.

David Johns, L.C.S.W. is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over twenty-five years of experience in direct practice and mental health with youth and adults. He holds a certification in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) from the Cleveland Center for Cognitive Therapy. His education includes a MSW, BBA, and certification in Educational Leadership from the University of Georga.  David has decades of experience in the public schools within the metropolitan Atlanta area. He has a proven track record of working with youth and families with significant mental health needs and students experiencing homelessness, attendance problems, school achievement, and college and career transitions. His roles in the schools included social worker, mental health provider, district leader, school administrator, and school resource officer. David also has over a decade of experience in law enforcement and has held various positions as patrol officer, investigations, crime prevention specialist, and SRO. His work in the criminal and juvenile justice systems has provided him with experience with domestic violence, gangs/youth subcultures, substance addiction, crisis intervention, and working with mandated clients through programs. David’s practice experience includes children/youth and adults in most areas ranging from adjustment disorders to serious mental illnesses. His modality for treatment focused on CBT, strengths based, solution focused, acceptance therapy, and the impact of health and fitness on mental wellbeing. His philosophy of practice is to work collaboratively with clients in identifying specific problems and working toward realistic outcomes.

Heather Mathis, L.P.C. is a Licensed Professional Counselor who has experience with substance abuse, depression, anxiety, severe and persistent mental illnesses, infertility, premarital counseling, and relationship issues. Heather is experienced in working with men, women, couples along with LGBTQ+ community. Heather graduated from Brenau University with a Master’s in Clinical Counseling Psychology and utilizes Cognitive Behavioral and Reality therapy. She has been in the mental health field for over 10 years and is very passionate about her work with the family violence intervention program.

Jordan Keener, L.P.C. is a Licensed Professional Counselor who provides treatment to children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families. Jordan received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of North Georgia. Jordan works with clients with a variation of presenting issues, such as anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship and family conflict, life stress, etc. Depending on the unique differences between clients. Jordan integrates techniques from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and Narrative therapy to her Person-Centered Approach to help the client gain insights toward healing.

Ashley “Kaz” Lundi, L.P.C. is a Licensed Professional Counselor who obtained a Masters degree in Professional Counseling from Liberty University in 2021. She walks alongside adults, couples, and adolescents 15+ to help them make changes aligned with what is most important to them. She utilizes acceptance and commitment, psychodynamic, and person-centered therapies to aid clients with a variety of issues, including obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, trauma, grief, anger, substance use and other addictions, relationship issues, anxiety, and depression. She is also an LGBTQ+ ally. Ashley strives to create a safe space for clients to heal, grow, and reconnect to what matters and is humbled by the honor associated with assisting them in moving forward on their life journey.

Rebecca Bouras, L.P.C. is a Licensed Professional Counselor who provides treatment to children and adolescents ages 4-18. She attended Georgia Military College for her undergraduate studies and Troy State University and Liberty University for her Bachelor and Master level studies. Rebecca received her Master’s degree in marriage and family counseling from Liberty University. Rebecca specializes in children and adolescents who have been impacted by trauma. Her focus includes ADHD, Grief and loss, behavior concerns and trauma. She has certifications in dialectical behavioral therapy and trauma focused cognitive behavior therapy. 

Arika Hefner, L.P.C., RPT™: is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) that graduated from Brenau University in 2018 and is also a Registered Play Therapist (RPT™). She has been working with children ages one and up and their families for over 7 years and practices from a trauma-informed, attachment-based, and child-centered model. She strives to use integrative approaches to meet her client’s individual needs. Arika also has specialized experience in treating toddlers, children, and teenagers that have experienced trauma, sexual abuse, and/or are exhibiting problematic sexual behaviors. She is trained in the use of Trauma Focused-Cognitive Behavior Therapy (TF-CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP), and is a Certified Autoplay Therapy provider.

Shannon O’Carroll, A.P.C. is a compassionate counselor who graduated in 2023 with a Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of North Georgia. Specializing in individual and couples counseling, they use a person-centered approach to create a safe and empathetic environment for exploration and growth. Shannon has experience working with adults facing substance abuse issues co-occurring with mental health diagnoses. They incorporate Brain spotting techniques for deeper emotional processing and utilize Gottman methods to enhance communication and intimacy in relationships. Whether clients are dealing with anxiety, depression, or relationship challenges, Shannon is dedicated to supporting them in finding clarity and empowerment on their journey. Together, they work to create fulfilling lives and meaningful connections.

Sequintae Hope, M.A., referred to as “Hope,” is a psychometrist who became a member of the practice in September 2022. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in 2008. Following this, she pursued further education and earned a Master of Arts degree in Forensic Psychology, specializing in Assessment, from Argosy University in Atlanta in 2014. With over 11 years of professional experience as a psychometrist, Hope has conducted a diverse array of psychological assessments, which encompass neuropsychological evaluations, psychoeducational assessments, competency to stand trial evaluations, fitness for duty assessments, as well as pre-surgical and disability evaluations. Throughout her career, she has delivered assessment services to children, adolescents, and adults across various environments, including private practice and detention facilities. 

Erin Royer, M.A., is a Master Level Psychometrician, who recently joined NGPS in October of 2024. She obtained a bachelor’s degree at CUNY/Queens College located in Queens, New York. She obtained her Master’s Degree at the City University of New York, in general psychology. Erin has been working with special population for the last 25 years, providing a range of services to include psychological and psychosexual testing, and behavior support plan writing and managing