James Mandala, PhD
Director of the James A. McClintock Center for Counseling and Psychological Services
NJ Licensed Psychologist
Holloway Annex 21 (adjacent to the Health Center across from the University Commons)
Ext. 3398
Email: jmandala@drew.edu
My approach to college counseling starts with a commitment to community psychology. Students and their problems need to be understood in a context that includes not only their own individual selves, but also the family and community systems that they are a part of.
Clinically I practice individual, family, couple and group psychotherapy. Though rooted in an existential-phenomenological framework, my approach to therapy is integrative - informed by developmental, psychodynamic, interpersonal, experiential, cognitive behavioral, and systems theories.
Special interests: cross-cultural issues; abuse and trauma survivors; eating disorders; depression; anxiety disorders; severe psychopathologies/crisis management; adult learning disabilities; family systems, including couples work; burnout prevention; religious and spiritual issues, conflict resolution and mediation.
George-Harold Jennings, MS, PhD
Clinical Psychologist
Sycamore Cottage 101
Ext. 3392
Email: gjenning@drew.edu
Personal Website: http://www.users.drew.edu/~gjenning/
My counseling is primarily based on the tenets of humanistic, existential and transpersonal (i.e., spiritual) psychologies. I embrace the idea of interacting with the client in a way that helps the individual self-actualize. My work with the client is aimed at promoting greater comfort with the inner sense of one’s self in relation to the wholeness of one’s being, and her or his place in the world.
I am very aware of the spiritual dimension in human nature, and I encourage the interested client to explore this aspect of her or his being. I also employ techniques that serve to help the individual explore his or her values, particularly as these may relate to one’s sense of identity, one’s relationships and/or one’s interest in healthy and purposeful living.
Dr. George-Harold Jennings is also a professor in the Department of Psychology at Drew University where he teaches the following courses: Theories of Personality, Abnormal Psychology, Small Group Dynamics, Introduction to Psychology, a College Seminar, and a Senior Seminar. Dr. Jennings’ current research is in response to the following question, “Is there a difference between struggling with a spiritual crisis and having a mental illness?” Read about his thoughts on this matter in an article published in 2008 that can be viewed on the website of the Palo Alto, California based Institute of Transpersonal Psychology.
Audra J. Tonero, MS Ed, SAC, LCAD
Coordinator of Substance Awareness and Educational Programs
Holloway Annex 21 (adjacent to the Health Center across from the University Commons)
Ext. 3318
Email: atonero@drew.edu
My primary function on campus is to assist students who believe they have a substance abuse issue. I provide assessment and education to students who self-identify or who are identified by other members of the Drew community. I offer education and training to staff, faculty and administrators in the process of identifying substance abuse problems and raising awareness about the use of drugs and alcohol. I provide support to deal with direct use, or on how a person is affected by another’s use. Substance abuse is such a hot topic recently that students are feeling scrutinized. I provide a safe, judgment free environment respecting each person’s individuality.
My counseling style incorporates different theories. I employ the tenets of cognitive behavioral theory, client-centered, and reality therapy. This provides a person the ability to start and run therapy at their own pace while using a factual approach to identify self-defeating behaviors and making necessary and appropriate changes.
Carol Gernat, PhD
Staff Counselor/Psychologist
Holloway Annex 21 (adjacent to the Health Center across from the University Commons)
Ext. 3984
Email: cgernat@drew.edu
Li Faustino, PhD
Staff Counselor/Psychologist
Holloway Annex 21 (adjacent to the Health Center across from the University Commons)
Ext. x3154
Email: lfaustino@drew.edu
My theoretical approach to counseling and psychotherapy is predominantly relational-psychodynamic and based in a contextual framework. The contextual consideration means that I believe each individual’s sense of themselves is malleable depending on their past experience and current situation, including in psychotherapy sessions. The many ways that we identify ourselves, such as with age, ethnicity, cultural background, family system, sexuality, and relationships, may alter according to context and with whom we are interacting. When possible, I also utilize relational techniques to inform and guide the counseling toward the meaningful issues and help learn how our behaviors impact others and influence our interactions. With these paradigms in mind, I strive to build an alliance with each student and allow the counseling sessions to take shape in ways that meet their needs best.
Special interests: bipolar disorder, depression, psychosis, relationship issues, body image, issues of femininity and masculinity, sexuality and sexual identity, trauma, cross-cultural issues, family systems, development and parenting, issues of later life, and support groups. I practice individual, couples and group psychotherapy.