Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) provides a range of mental health services to help RISD students improve emotional, interpersonal, and academic functioning, including:
- individual and group counseling, at no additional cost, to any matriculated undergraduate or graduate student.
- recommendations to off-campus providers.
- consultation to faculty, staff, and parents who may have concerns about a student.
- outreach events, and training, related to educating and improving mental health within the college community.
- a counselor on call (for after-hours mental health emergencies).
- psychiatric services (upon recommendation from a CAPS counselor).
Emotional wellbeing is essential to personal development and integral to the creative process. Counseling provides students with a space to address issues that may be interfering with your work, and helps you respond to situations befores they escalate.
Staff and provider info
Indira McCall
CAPS Department Coordinator
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imccall@risd.edu
Director, Sherrie Bruner
Education: VS, Johnson University; MA, Johnson University; PhD, University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Clinical interests/specializations: Relational Cultural Theory and Internal Family Systems, LGBTQIA+ mental health, Neurodiversity (Autism/ADHD), and Religious/Spiritual Trauma
Languages spoken: English
Associate Director, Clinical Care, Kellin Cavanaugh
Pronouns: She/Her
Education: BA, Bennington College; MA, University of Saint Joseph; PhD, Syracuse University
Clinical interests/specializations: relational, attachment-based, and feminist perspectives, specialize in working with folx navigating queer and gender diverse identities, non monogamous relationships, weight stigma, body image, perfectionism and grief and loss.
Languages spoken: English
Associate Director, Training, Vanesa Morales
Pronouns: She/Her
Education: MA/CAGS, Counseling and Educational Psychology; LMHC, Licensed Mental Health Councelor (RI); LPC, Licensed Professional Counselor (MD); NCSP, Nationally Certified School Psychologist; NCC, Nationally Certified Counselor
Clinical interests: adolescents and young adults navigating life transitions, with a focus on mood, anxiety, executive functioning, and adjustment, as well as crisis response, prevention and postvention, and school and community safety.
Languages spoken: English
Staff Counselor I, Eben Hilpert, LMHC
Pronouns: He/Him
Education: BA, Goddard College; MA, Antioch University
Clinical interests/specializations: working with transgender, nonbinary and queer folks, anxiety, depression, grief, identity exploration, substance use
Languages spoken: English
Psychiatrist, Dr. Harold Woodcome, MD
Pronouns: He/Him
Education: Brown University, Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons
Psychiatry Residency: Brown University/Butler Hospital
Areas of Interest: Young Adult Psychiatry
Languages spoken: English
Staff Counselor III, Kristina Lavoie
Pronouns: Sher/Her
Education: BFA, RISD; AS, Community College of Rhode Island; MSW, Rhode Island College
Clinical interests/specializations: Polyvagal theory, trauma treatment including EMDR, neurobiology of human behavior, ADHD, human rights, women's health, public health, law.
Languages spoken: English
Intercultural Specialist, Lilyanah Gomes, LMHC-A
Pronouns: She/Her
Education: BS, Howard University; MA, Antioch University
Clinical interests/specializations: post-modern, process-oriented, & person-centered approaches, social justice and sociocultural attunement, embodied living, mindfulness, somatics and body work; serving students with diverse intersecting identities, first generation students, BIPOC students
Languages spoken: English
Psychiatric Resident, Megan Wendolowski
Pronouns: She/Her
Education: BS, Boston College; MD, New York Medical College
Psychiatry Residency: Brown University
Clinical interest/specializations: Child and adolescent psychiatry
Languages spoken: English
Part Time Counselor, Mike Petrarca, LMHC
Pronouns: He/Him
Education: BA, Suffolk University; MA/CAGS, Rhode Island College
Clinical interests/specializations: OCD/anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, ADHD, existential issues, autism spectrum disorders
Languages spoken: English
Part-Time Counselor, Yatyee Lee, LMHC
Pronouns: She/Her
Education: BSSc, the Chinese University of Hong Kong; MA, Rhode Island College
CAGS, Rhode Island College
Clinical interest/specializations: Adjustment, acculturation, relationship, depression, anxiety
Languages spoken: English, Mandarin, Cantonese
All appointments with CAPS can be in person or through telecounseling. Students are encouraged to call CAPS directly at -.
Students must be escorted to the CAPS office. Please call the office when you arrive in the lobby.
For non-crisis referrals: Please encourage students to contact us directly to schedule a needs assessment appointment. Offer to let the student call from your office; calls made outside of office hours will be connected with our after-hours support.