Personal Counseling Office

Students and staff that have been affected by the Earthquake in Haiti are encouraged to contact the Personal Counseling Center located in D102 and The Women’s Center located in M382 for counseling and supportive services. It is important to remember that the community of care and support offered at the Personal Counseling Center is available to both students and staff that may be experiencing anxiety and personal loss surrounding coping with this devastating event. Following the disaster President Obama was quoted as saying, “This is a time when we are reminded of the common humanity we all share”.

Students and staff affected by this tragedy can contact the following organizations in order to donate: American Red Cross, Catholic Relief Services and Haiti Foundation Against Poverty.

The Counseling Resource Center provides Personal counseling and ESL counseling services to students. We recognize that balancing the demands of school and your personal life can be challenging. As such, the mission of the center is:

Counseling Resource Staff

(Please drag your mouse over any of the staff names for more information about credentials and backgrounds)

Dr. Maria Bartolomeo-Maida Coordinator of Counseling Services	Monday-Friday D-102- Ext. 718-368-5975
Dr. Bartolomeo-Maida is a New York State licensed psychologist. She obtained her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Seton Hall University in South Orange, NJ with a concentration in neuropsychology. She received her Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Fordham University and her undergraduate baccalaureate degree in Psychology and Children and Family studies from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Dr. Bartolomeo-Maida has been working at Kingsborough Community College for close to 10 years, though she is in her current position as the Coordinator of personal counseling and ESL counseling since October 2007. Prior to this position, she had been at the college as an adjunct counselor within the department of student services and instructor of psychology within the department of behavioral sciences. Other professional experience includes two years as a counselor in both the outpatient and inpatient psychology departments at the Rusk Institute of Behavioral Medicine in Manhattan, NY where she provided neuropsychological evaluations with brain injured individuals and individual psychotherapy to individuals with medical illness, pain conditions, psychological trauma, and brain injury. Throughout her training she has worked in various hospitals and mental health clinics where she has worked with a highly diverse population of adults suffering from depression, anxiety, adjustment issues, and a wide range of other emotional difficulties. She tends to use a strengths based approach and focuses on problem solving strategies with her clients. Professional interests include group psychotherapy, diversity issues, coping with trauma, psychological wellness, and caregiver stress. Personal interests include running and cooking.

Dasha Gorinshteyn	ESL Counseling Coordinator	Monday-Friday
Dasha Gorinshteyn is a graduate of Kingsborough Community College in the field of Mental Health and Human Services. She obtained her Bachelors degree from Adelphi University school of Social Work and her Master’s Degree from Columbia University School of Social Work. For the past seven years Dasha has worked in a variety of clinical settings including inpatient and outpatient psychiatric units. She has valuable experience in providing individual, family and group psychotherapy to a diverse, multicultural population of New York individuals with a variety of mental health issues including PTSD, depression, anxiety, adjustment disorders and personality disorders. Dasha became very interested in spiritual and holistic approaches to treating individuals with mental health issues, emphasizing personal strength and internal resources while guiding people in their healing processes. She is currently obtaining her Certificate in Clinical Hypnotherapy and plans to continue acquiring new tools and skills in quickly and effectively addressing mental health issues.
Ilona Fridson	Full Time Counselor	Mondays & Fridays
Ilona Fridson joined the Personal Counseling Center in January 2008. Prior to joining the counseling center, Ilona was a clinical social worker at the Jewish Board of Family and Children Services, Adolescent Program (JBFCS). She attended Adelphi University for her graduate degree and received her Masters of Science in social work in 2001. Shortly after graduation she had become Board Certified in NY State. In addition to her clinical social work license, Ilona Fridson is Board Certified in Clinical Hypnosis and more recently trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Ms. Fridson has been working with teenagers, families, and college students for over 15 years in different capacities: directing programs, teaching, and treating. Ms. Fridson has been trained with a number of world known clinicians and business coaches such as Dr. Bandler –NLP, Dr. Miriam Polster- Gestalt therapist, and Dr. Shapiro - EMDR School. Ms. Fridson, LCSW employs an eclectic approach to counseling utilizing different therapeutic modalities with emphasis on psychodynamic, hypnotherapy, and EMDR. Her clinical interests include interpersonal relationships, trauma, depression, anxiety, and adjustment to college.
Patricia Yoon	Adjunct ESL Advisor	Mondays & Fridays
Patricia Yoon recently joined the Counseling Resource Center in March 2008 as an adjunct academic advisor. She earned her B.A. in cultural anthropology from Cornell University, her M.A. in psychology from The New School for Social Research, and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in clinical psychology at The Graduate Center, CUNY. She is looking forward to teaching ESL classes and working with a diverse student body at Kingsborough.
Orsolya Varkonyi	Adjunct ESL Advisor	Tues and Fri.
Orsolya Varkonyi joined Freshman Services at KBCC in the Summer of 2006 where she served as an adjunct advisor until she was transferred to the Office of Allied Health Careers in January 2007. At the Allied Health Advisement Center she continued to provide academic and career advisement to all KBCC students and particularly students interested in nursing and other health careers. In May 2008, Orsolya was transferred to the Counseling Resource Center where she is currently serving as an academic advisor to the ESL population. Orsolya received her M.A. and Ed.M. in Counseling Psychology degrees from Columbia University where her main research was focusing on exploring relations of identity, sexism, and psychological distress among Latinas. When not at KBCC, Orsolya is completing her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology. She is an avid long distance runner.
Kolone Scanlan	Adjunct Counselor	Wednesdays & Thursdays
Ms. Kolone Ruth Leilani Scanlan, M.A.,Ed.M., is currently working full-time on her doctoral degree in Counseling Psychology. She earned her B.A. in psychology from the University of Hawaii and her Masters degrees from The Teacher's College, Columbia University. Working at Kingsborough offers Kolone the opportunity to combine two of her greatest passions: assisting students in striving for their academic and personal dreams and being near the beauty of the ocean.
Patricia Yoon recently joined the Counseling Resource Center in March 2008 as an adjunct academic advisor. She earned her B.A. in cultural anthropology from Cornell University, her M.A. in psychology from The New School for Social Research, and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in clinical psychology at The Graduate Center, CUNY. She is looking forward to teaching ESL classes and working with a diverse student body at Kingsborough.
Maria Francavilla	Adjunct Counselor	Tuesdays & Thursdays
Maria Francavilla works as an Adjunct Counselor in Personal Counseling, office D102. Since 2006 Maria worked as an adjunct academic advisor in Freshman Services. Kingsborough became a part of her life in 1989, when she was a part-time student here majoring in Mental Health. According to Maria, all of this would not be possible if it wasn't for the caring and concern of her academic counselor Peter Cohen, who is now the Assistant Dean of Student Services. Peter helped Maria to pursue a career in social work, as he encouraged her to go on for her BA at the College of Staten Island. She graduated from CSI in 1996 and obtained her Masters degree in Social Work from New York University in 2005. Maria currently has 17 years in the social work field. She is proud and thankful to Kingsborough because it has made her what she is today. She will continue to enjoy counseling students at Kingsborough and make them feel the "pride" of their success everyday!
Dr.Natalie Rubinton	Adjunct Professor	Mondays & Thursdays
Dr. Rubinton happily has been at Kingsborough since 1972 as a counselor, administrator, and teacher. Prior to that, she worked as a counselor with the military personnel and their families at Fort Hamilton, New York. She received her B.A. and M.S. from Brooklyn College and her Ph.D. from Fordham University. She is a licensed New York State Psychologist. Currently she is providing personal counseling services to our students, both individually, and in groups. Each semester, she offers a group focusing on grief and bereavement issues to students, staff, and faculty. Dr. Rubinton additionally supervises graduate students studying mental health counseling, and psychological counseling. She has published numerous articles related to counseling community college students.
Marilyn Chernin	Adjunct Professor	Tuesdays & Wednesdays
Marilyn Chernin has been at Kingsborough for over forty years. She began her career as a counselor in the Department of Student Development in September 1967. Through the years she has served as the Assistant Dean of Students, the Associate Dean of Students and concluded her full time career as the Dean of Student Life. She retired in the winter of 2001 after a full and rewarding career. She returned to Kingsborough seven years ago as a counselor in the Personal Counseling Center. Ms. Chernin holds a Masters Degree in Higher Education Administration from Teachers College, Columbia and a Certificate of Advanced study in counseling from New York University. In addition, she received a diploma in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy and in Group Psychotherapy from Washington Square Institute. She is currently a New York State licensed Psychoanalyst.
Paulette Braha	Adjunct Counselor	Mon,Wed and Fri.
Paulette Braha is currently working in the Center for Women and Non-Traditional Students as an adjunct counselor. She obtained her BA from Brooklyn College CUNY in 2006, where she attained membership into both Golden Key International Honour Society and Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society. She completed a one year internship in the Counseling Center at Kingsborough Community College, where she worked with a multicultural and diverse population of students. She recently recieved her MA in Mental Health Counseling from New York Universities department of Applied Psychology within the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. She continues to work within the college providing the students with counseling and support, using a variety of Psychological approaches including Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Existentialism.
David Castro	Adjunct Counselor	Mon,Tues and Thurs
Dr. Jennie Roman	Assistant Professor	Mondays & Fridays

Spring 2009 Hours

Mondays 9-8
Tuesday 9-8
Wednesdays 9-5
Thursdays 9-7
Fridays 9-4

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