{"id":789,"date":"2015-12-18T19:18:20","date_gmt":"2015-12-19T03:18:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/healthservices\/?page_id=789"},"modified":"2025-12-08T09:39:45","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T17:39:45","slug":"behavioral-health-counselors","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/healthservices\/behavioral-health-counselors\/","title":{"rendered":"Behavioral Health Counselors"},"content":{"rendered":"<style><\/style><div class=\"staff-member-listing behavioral health counselors\"><div class=\"staff-member even clearfix\">\r\n<div class=\"staff-member-row\">\r\n <div class=\"staff-member-image-container\">\r\n    <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"staff-member-photo staff-member-image-responsive-wide\" src=\"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/healthservices\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2021\/07\/BHCS-Guzman-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Mariana Guzman, LMFT, LAADC, ICAADC : Associate Professor\/Behavioral Health Counselor - Full Time\">\r\n <\/div>\r\n <div class=\"staff-member-info-wrap staff-member-info-container \">\r\n        <h3 class=\"staff-member-name\">Mariana Guzman, LMFT, LAADC, ICAADC<\/h3>\r\n        <h4 class=\"staff-member-position\">Associate Professor\/Behavioral Health Counselor - Full Time<\/h4>\r\n        <div class=\"staff-member-bio\"><p>Mariana Guzman is a bilingual (English &amp; Spanish) Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), Certified Licensed Advance Alcohol &amp; Drug Counselor (LAADC) and International Certified Advanced Alcohol &amp; Drug Counselor (ICAADC). She received her AA at Palomar College in Liberal Arts &amp; Sciences, earned her B.A. in Psychology at CSUSM and her M.A. in Counseling Psychology at National University. She has worked in nonprofit for over 11 years and has experience working in school counseling settings, diversion program, court referred adult programs, and private practice. Areas of expertise and special interest include PTSD\/trauma, anxiety, and substance abuse.<\/p>\n<p>CA License:\u00a0 LMFT 80015<br \/>\nCertification: LAADC\/ICAADC LR02601116<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div> <!-- Close staff-member --><div class=\"staff-member odd clearfix\">\r\n<div class=\"staff-member-row\">\r\n <div class=\"staff-member-image-container\">\r\n    <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"staff-member-photo staff-member-image-responsive-wide\" src=\"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/healthservices\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2023\/10\/BHCS-Tiggs-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Mercedes Tiggs, LCSW : Associate Professor\/Behavioral Health Counselor - Full Time\">\r\n <\/div>\r\n <div class=\"staff-member-info-wrap staff-member-info-container \">\r\n        <h3 class=\"staff-member-name\">Mercedes Tiggs, LCSW<\/h3>\r\n        <h4 class=\"staff-member-position\">Associate Professor\/Behavioral Health Counselor - Full Time<\/h4>\r\n        <div class=\"staff-member-bio\"><p>Mercedes Tiggs is an educator, professor, consultant, and Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). Mercedes received her B.S. in Criminal Justice from SDSU and M.S.W. with a concentration in Community Organizing, Planning, and Administration from USC. She has provided academic services in the education sector since 2016. Previously, Mercedes spent 5 \u00bd years in nonprofit, advocating, mentoring, and providing therapeutic services to marginalized youth. As an interactive, family-systems therapist, she desires to come alongside others to assist them in healing from trauma, building self-worth, improving communication in their relationships, and reaching their goals.<\/p>\n<p>CA License: LCSW 90560<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div> <!-- Close staff-member --><div class=\"staff-member even clearfix\">\r\n<div class=\"staff-member-row\">\r\n <div class=\"staff-member-image-container\">\r\n    <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"staff-member-photo staff-member-image-responsive-wide\" src=\"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/healthservices\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2015\/12\/BHCS-Coil-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Jim Coil, Ed.D, LMFT : Behavioral Health Counselor - Part Time\">\r\n <\/div>\r\n <div class=\"staff-member-info-wrap staff-member-info-container \">\r\n        <h3 class=\"staff-member-name\">Jim Coil, Ed.D, LMFT<\/h3>\r\n        <h4 class=\"staff-member-position\">Behavioral Health Counselor - Part Time<\/h4>\r\n        <div class=\"staff-member-bio\"><p>Jim is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and has provided counseling services for more than 25 years in the form of individual, couples, family and group therapy to families, adults, couples, adolescents, and children. Jim has served as the Director of the Wellness Center and the Director of Counseling Services and Training at Point Loma Nazarene University and teaches graduate psychology courses for the Department of Graduate Psychology at Azusa Pacific University. He has a private practice and is a frequent presenter at college campuses, conferences, seminars, churches, and community organizations.<\/p>\n<p>CA License: LMFT 35598<strong><span style=\"font-family: book antiqua,palatino,serif;font-size: 8pt\">\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div> <!-- Close staff-member --><div class=\"staff-member odd clearfix\">\r\n<div class=\"staff-member-row\">\r\n <div class=\"staff-member-image-container\">\r\n    <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"staff-member-photo staff-member-image-responsive-wide\" src=\"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/healthservices\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2022\/03\/BHCS-Coronado-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Curtis Coronado, LMFT : Behavioral Health Counselor - Part Time\">\r\n <\/div>\r\n <div class=\"staff-member-info-wrap staff-member-info-container \">\r\n        <h3 class=\"staff-member-name\">Curtis Coronado, LMFT<\/h3>\r\n        <h4 class=\"staff-member-position\">Behavioral Health Counselor - Part Time<\/h4>\r\n        <div class=\"staff-member-bio\"><p>Curtis is a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist (LMFT) providing Behavioral Health Counseling Services in English and American Sign Language (ASL). Curtis is a former Community College student himself and went on to receive his B.A. in Psychology at SDSU. Curtis enrolled in the Community Based Block (CBB) program and then completed his master\u2019s coursework in the Marriage and Family Therapy program, also at SDSU. Curtis has experience working in multiple roles in the community college system, as an instructor, football coach, and DSPS counselor. As a counselor, Curtis specializes in relationships, trauma, and addiction.\u00a0 Curtis is eager to aid community college students achieve success, as they pursue their academic and career goals.<\/p>\n<p>CA License: LMFT 114603<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div> <!-- Close staff-member --><div class=\"staff-member even clearfix\">\r\n<div class=\"staff-member-row\">\r\n <div class=\"staff-member-image-container\">\r\n    <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"staff-member-photo staff-member-image-responsive-wide\" src=\"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/healthservices\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2021\/11\/BHCS-Lesnick-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Kimberly Lesnick, LCSW, PPSC : Behavioral Health Counselor - Part Time\">\r\n <\/div>\r\n <div class=\"staff-member-info-wrap staff-member-info-container \">\r\n        <h3 class=\"staff-member-name\">Kimberly Lesnick, LCSW, PPSC<\/h3>\r\n        <h4 class=\"staff-member-position\">Behavioral Health Counselor - Part Time<\/h4>\r\n        <div class=\"staff-member-bio\"><p>Kimberly is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and offers over 25 years of professional experience serving individuals of all ages and their families. She has provided clinical services in substance abuse, inpatient and outpatient treatment facilities, public and private educational settings, and private practice. Throughout the last 10 years she has increased her focus on enhancing her skill set in specializing in work with trauma informed interventions including the use of Animal Assisted Therapy. Kimberly currently holds a private practice and is a board member of the Red Skelton Rescue and Service Dog Society.<\/p>\n<p>CA License: LCSW 23581<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div> <!-- Close staff-member --><div class=\"staff-member odd clearfix\">\r\n<div class=\"staff-member-row\">\r\n <div class=\"staff-member-image-container\">\r\n    <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"staff-member-photo staff-member-image-responsive-wide\" src=\"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/healthservices\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2021\/10\/AJ-2025.png\" alt=\"Alana (A.J.) Lewison, ASW : Behavioral Health Counselor - Part Time\">\r\n <\/div>\r\n <div class=\"staff-member-info-wrap staff-member-info-container \">\r\n        <h3 class=\"staff-member-name\">Alana (A.J.) Lewison, ASW<\/h3>\r\n        <h4 class=\"staff-member-position\">Behavioral Health Counselor - Part Time<\/h4>\r\n        <div class=\"staff-member-bio\"><p>AJ has a BA in Communications from UC San Diego and received a master\u2019s degree in Social Work at Cal State San Marcos. AJ is passionate about counseling, social justice, and intersectionality. Additional social work experience includes private group practice with an emphasis in LGBTQIA+ clientele. Historical roles include TAY clinician at Community Research Foundation and case management at both the Community Resource Center\u2019s Domestic Violence Program, and the Postpartum Health Alliance. AJ is currently the BHCS liaison to the Palomar College Pride Center.<\/p>\n<p>CA License: ASW 103737<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div> <!-- Close staff-member --><div class=\"staff-member even clearfix\">\r\n<div class=\"staff-member-row\">\r\n <div class=\"staff-member-image-container\">\r\n    <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"staff-member-photo staff-member-image-responsive-wide\" src=\"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/healthservices\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2023\/10\/Alison-Ratermann-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Alison Ratermann, ASW : Behavioral Health Counselor - Part Time\">\r\n <\/div>\r\n <div class=\"staff-member-info-wrap staff-member-info-container \">\r\n        <h3 class=\"staff-member-name\">Alison Ratermann, ASW<\/h3>\r\n        <h4 class=\"staff-member-position\">Behavioral Health Counselor - Part Time<\/h4>\r\n        <div class=\"staff-member-bio\"><p>Alison is an Associate Clinical Social Worker with specialized training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). She holds dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in Psychology and Communication from the University of California, Davis, and earned her Master of Social Work from San Diego State University. Alison has a diverse background in providing mental health services across county, non-profit, and private practice settings. She has worked extensively with underserved and underrepresented populations throughout San Diego County, supporting individuals experiencing depression, anxiety, trauma, and substance use disorders. During her time as an intern at Palomar's Behavioral Health Counseling Services (BHCS), she gained valuable clinical experience working with a broad range of clients. Passionate about mental health advocacy, Alison is dedicated to promoting emotional well-being and increasing access to care, particularly for students navigating the challenges of their academic and personal lives.<\/p>\n<p>CA License: ASW 117550<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div> <!-- Close staff-member --><div class=\"staff-member odd clearfix last\">\r\n<div class=\"staff-member-row\">\r\n <div class=\"staff-member-image-container\">\r\n    <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"staff-member-photo staff-member-image-responsive-wide\" src=\"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/healthservices\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2022\/01\/Mayra-T.jpg\" alt=\"Mayra Torres, LPCC : Behavioral Health Counselor - Part Time\">\r\n <\/div>\r\n <div class=\"staff-member-info-wrap staff-member-info-container \">\r\n        <h3 class=\"staff-member-name\">Mayra Torres, LPCC<\/h3>\r\n        <h4 class=\"staff-member-position\">Behavioral Health Counselor - Part Time<\/h4>\r\n        <div class=\"staff-member-bio\"><p>Mayra is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) providing Behavioral Health Counseling Services in English and Spanish. Mayra began her scholastic journey at Palomar College and went on to receive her B.A. in Psychology at SDSU and her M.A. in Forensic Psychology from TCSPP. She has experience working for non-profit organizations offering services to under-served and under-represented populations struggling with depression, anxiety, PTSD, trauma, and substance use. Mayra also has experience working with crisis teams such as the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force as well as the Psychiatric Emergency Response Team (PERT). As a previous student of Palomar College, Mayra is passionate about providing supportive services to students through their college journey.<\/p>\n<p>CA License: LPCC 9256<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div> <!-- Close staff-member --><\/div> <!-- Close staff-member-listing -->\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":464,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-789","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Behavioral Health Counselors - Health Services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/healthservices\/behavioral-health-counselors\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Behavioral Health Counselors - Health Services\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/healthservices\/behavioral-health-counselors\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Health Services\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-08T17:39:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.palomar.edu\\\/healthservices\\\/behavioral-health-counselors\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.palomar.edu\\\/healthservices\\\/behavioral-health-counselors\\\/\",\"name\":\"Behavioral Health Counselors - Health Services\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.palomar.edu\\\/healthservices\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2015-12-19T03:18:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-08T17:39:45+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.palomar.edu\\\/healthservices\\\/behavioral-health-counselors\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.palomar.edu\\\/healthservices\\\/behavioral-health-counselors\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.palomar.edu\\\/healthservices\\\/behavioral-health-counselors\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.palomar.edu\\\/healthservices\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Behavioral Health Counselors\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.palomar.edu\\\/healthservices\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.palomar.edu\\\/healthservices\\\/\",\"name\":\"Health Services\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.palomar.edu\\\/healthservices\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Behavioral Health Counselors - Health Services","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/healthservices\/behavioral-health-counselors\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Behavioral Health Counselors - Health Services","og_url":"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/healthservices\/behavioral-health-counselors\/","og_site_name":"Health Services","article_modified_time":"2025-12-08T17:39:45+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/healthservices\/behavioral-health-counselors\/","url":"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/healthservices\/behavioral-health-counselors\/","name":"Behavioral Health Counselors - Health Services","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/healthservices\/#website"},"datePublished":"2015-12-19T03:18:20+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-08T17:39:45+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/healthservices\/behavioral-health-counselors\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/healthservices\/behavioral-health-counselors\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/healthservices\/behavioral-health-counselors\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/healthservices\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Behavioral Health Counselors"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/healthservices\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/healthservices\/","name":"Health Services","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/healthservices\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/PbhLu6-cJ","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/healthservices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/789","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/healthservices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/healthservices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/healthservices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/464"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/healthservices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=789"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/healthservices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/789\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21258,"href":"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/healthservices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/789\/revisions\/21258"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/healthservices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=789"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}