Meet the Psychology Pros
Leverage our team of knowledgeable and credentialed contributors while on your path to a psychology degree.
We care about your education success as you pursue a psychology degree and career. Our primary goal is to equip you with the information and insights you seek—and even those you may not have yet considered—on your journey to understand the human mind. We collaborate with esteemed industry professionals, psychologists, therapists, counselors, association leaders—and our team of dedicated editors and writers—to provide valuable resources tailored specifically to your needs.
Meet the psychology, counseling, social work and human services professionals committed to helping you navigate your numerous educational paths and guide you toward a fulfilling career in psychology.
Psychology, Counseling & Social Work Professionals
Dr. Scott Phillips, MD, FACP, FACMT, FAACT, Executive Director/Medical Director
Board certified in both Internal Medicine and Medical Toxicology, Dr. Phillips is now the Executive Director/Medical Director of the Washington Poison Center. Dr. Phillips maintains an active practice in Washington where he was born and raised. As a fellow of the American College of Physicians, the American Academy of Clinical Toxicology and the American College of Medical Toxicology, Dr. Phillips is dedicated to ongoing education and teaching. Dr. Phillips has authored over 200 articles, chapters and abstracts as well as several textbooks on medical toxicology.
Lara Rutledge, LPCC, ATR-P
Lara K. Rutledge, MA, LPCC, ATR-P is a Creative Arts Therapist at National Jewish Health Hospital in Denver, Colorado. She received her MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Transpersonal Art Therapy from Naropa University. Lara supports children facing anxiety, depression, ADHD, trauma and other major medical challenges, such as epilepsy, asthma and pulmonary disorders. She utilizes a child-centered expressive arts therapy approach that integrates yoga and mindfulness to foster self-esteem, resilience, post-traumatic growth and wellbeing.
Stephanie Leftwich-Needham, MS, LMHC, ATR-BC
Stephanie Leftwich-Needham is an art therapist in private practice in Silverdale, Washington. She received her MS in Art Therapy and Counseling from Eastern Virginia Medical School. Stephanie helps adolescents and adults facing grief and loss, trauma, depression, anxiety, and major life transitions.
Luis Santiago, NCC, M.S./Ed.S, Associate Director of Coaching Operations
Luis Santiago is the Associate Director of Coaching Operations at the University of Washington’s Career & Internship Center and has served in this role since 2020. In this role, he leads the team of Career Coaches, a group of staff members who offer career development assistance to the UW student/alumni population. Before this role, he served as a Career Counselor/Coach at two other universities (Florida State University and Florida Atlantic University) where he was able to hone his career coaching skills and leadership skills. He graduated in 2011 from Florida State University with an M.S./Ed.S degree in Counseling and Human Systems, with an emphasis on Career Counseling.
Sattaria “Tari” Dilks, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC, FAANP
Dr. Sattaria “Tari” Dilks received a BSN from West Texas State University in 1978, an MA in counseling psychology from McNeese State University in 1988, an MSN from McNeese State University in 2001 and a Doctor of Nursing Practice in psychiatric mental health advanced practice nursing from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis in 2006. She is currently licensed as an advanced practice registered nurse in Louisiana and is certified as both a psychiatric nurse practitioner and a family nurse practitioner. Additionally, she was licensed as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the state of Louisiana for 35 years. She is a Professor and Department Head of graduate nursing at McNeese State University. She has been employed almost exclusively in the psychiatric mental health since 1975.
Deborah Gerard
Deborah Gerard is a Professional Ontological Life Coach and a lifelong student and practitioner of personal growth and development. One of her favorite places to be in all the world is with one of her clients on a coaching call. Deborah works with both local and national clients, as well as the occasional international client from her office in Seattle, Washington where she currently lives.
Eric Rossen, PhD, NCSP
Dr. Eric Rossen is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist, a licensed psychologist in Maryland and a credentialed National Register Health Service psychologist. Dr. Rossen earned his PhD in school psychology at the University of Florida and has since worked in public schools, independent practice, and as a college instructor and adjunct faculty. He currently works as the Director of Professional Standards at the National Association of School Psychologists.
Bibinaz Pirayesh
Dr. Pirayesh holds a Bachelor’s in Neuroscience and Education from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master’s in Developmental Psychology from Columbia University where her work focused primarily on children’s development of mathematical thinking and cognitive neuroscience. Her doctoral work at Loyola Marymount University focused on educational leadership and social justice. She has worked as a learning specialist and educational therapist in private practice for over a decade. While the emphasis of her work is on remediating learning disabilities in a one-on-one setting, she is also a sought after speaker and community advocate for children and families around learning rights. She works with children grades 1-12 and covers a wide range of learning difficulties including dyslexia, ADHD, and spectrum disorders. In 2020, Dr. Pirayesh launched The Difference is Not Deficit Project to help promote the importance of seeing learning disability as a social justice issue. In addition to her private practice and advocacy work, Dr. Pirayesh is also adjunct faculty at Pepperdine University and is involved with a number of service organizations including The Association of Educational Therapists.
Kristin Barbour, EdD, CCC-SLP, PCET
Kristin’s passion is bringing life-long learning to life and developing independent learners. She is an internationally respected educator and keynote speaker. In addition to being an NILD educational therapist, Kristin is an authorized trainer in the Feuerstein Instrumental Enrichment Program. Prior to becoming NILD’s Executive Director, Kristin was the Director of Discovery Program, Inc (DPI) a community-based organization providing intervention services to students with dyslexia, learning disabilities, and ADHD in Hampton Roads, Virginia. Kristin has also worked as an inpatient speech-language pathologist at Children’s Hospital of the Kings Daughters in Norfolk, Virginia. Kristin recently completed her EdD at Johns Hopkins University in the Mind, Brain, Teaching program.
Jason Horowitz, PhD, LP
Dr. Jason Horowitz, PhD, LP is a licensed clinical psychologist with experience working with children, adolescents, adults, and families. Dr. Horowitz earned his PhD at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee and completed a fellowship at the University of Minnesota. He has previously been on the faculty at the University of Minnesota, and began working in the UW Department of Psychiatry in 2008. Since that time, he has been involved in both our clinical and training missions. He led the effort to create a child psychology track for the UW postdoctoral internship, and he has been the director of that track since its inception. He runs the child therapy training clinic, which provides therapy demonstrations and instruction to interns, postdocs, and psychiatry fellows.
Authors
Kendall Upton
Kendall Upton is a Seattle-based staff writer for All Star Directories. She has written for several publications including Seattle magazine on various topics including arts, news, science, and food. She also worked as the office manager and sponsored content writer for the media company that published Seattle, and later worked at a non-profit early learning center. In her free time she enjoys writing poetry and fiction.
Mariah Beckman
Mariah Beckman is a Seattle-based writer and editor. She specializes in education and lifestyle content, loves a good laugh and aims, above all, to tell stories that might otherwise go untold.
Karen S. Hanson, PhD
Karen S. Hanson writes about education, culture, technology, real estate, home improvement, and health. As a journalist, she has worked as a newspaper reporter, editor, blogger, and content writer. She is the author of a book about the Chicago blues. A former college professor, she has a PhD in humanities and teaches online part-time. She is passionate about understanding how people live, work, play, connect with one another, and form communities. A Chicago area native, Hanson spends winters in Florida.
Paige Cerulli
Paige Cerulli graduated from Westfield State University in Massachusetts with degrees in English and music performance. She works as a freelance copywriter and content writer covering education, health and wellness and finance topics. Her work has appeared in outlets including Business Insider, USA Today, American Veterinarian, and more. In her spare time, Cerulli works on several novels, plays the flute and rides horses.