CLINIC LEADERSHIP
Dr. Kelsey Hargrove (she/her/hers)
Clinical Supervisor
Kelsey Hargrove is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Supervisor (LCMHCS), 500-hour Certified Yoga Teacher (CYT), and the founder of Living for Synergy Wellness, an embodied wellness practice dedicated to holistic psychotherapy, yoga, and clinical supervision. Based in Durham, North Carolina, Kelsey’s work focuses on integrating storytelling, mental health, cultural consciousness, and embodiment, to create accessible learning environments and wellness spaces.
With over a decade of experience across inpatient, outpatient, and partial hospitalization settings, Kelsey has provided therapeutic care to individuals and families navigating body image dissatisfaction, disordered eating, and acute eating disorders. Her unique perspective—shaped by years of serving in fitness and wellness spaces—fuels her passion for addressing mental health disparities among BIPOC populations through the integration of mindful movement and embodiment practices.
When she’s not teaching or leading yoga and group fitness classes, Kelsey enjoys being outdoors/hiking, trying new restaurants, watching thriller movies, car karaoke, trying not to over or under water her houseplants, reading, and spending time with loved ones!
Dr. Helen Lupton-Smith (she/her/hers)
Faculty Liaison
Dr. Lupton-Smith is a Professor in the Counselor Education Program at North Carolina Central University. She received her Ph.D. in Counselor Education from North Carolina State University. Before coming to North Carolina Central University, Dr. Lupton-Smith was a faculty member in the Counseling Program at North Carolina A&T State University and then the Counselor Education program at NC State University. While at NCSU, Dr. Lupton-Smith served as Co-Director of the Community, Counseling, Education, and Research Center (CCERC), NCSU program’s community counseling center where counseling services are provided to underserved populations who can’t afford services as well as training experiences for graduate counseling students. Dr. Lupton-Smith has counseling experience in both school and agency settings with teens and adults. Her interests are around supervision and teaching strategies that facilitate the development of counselors in training as well as a counseling model that promotes access, engagement, and wellness of underserved community members.
STUDENT COUNSELORS
Michelle Martells
Student Counselor
Michelle Martells is in her third year in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program. She completed her undergraduate degree at East Carolina University and began studying at NCCU in the Fall of 2023. Michelle sees it is a privilege to be able to do counseling work and provide the community with resources. As a counselor-in-training, Michelle is very passionate about working with adolescents. Michelle approaches counseling from a person-centered, humanistic, and multicultural approach.
Tamika McCollum (she/her/hers)
Student Counselor
Tamika McCollum is in her last year of the Clinical Mental Health Program at North Carolina Central University (NCCU). Tamika's lived experiences have led her to the counseling space for herself, which she affirmed has changed her life! As a counselor, Tamika embodies an integrative approach to counseling, acknowledging that what works for one person may not work for another. Her approach to counseling also includes cultural humility, advocacy, and trauma-informed care. She lives by the philosophy that we all have a story to tell and desire to know ourselves and be known by others. She considers the counseling space sacred ground and believes having a non-anxious and non-judgmental presence is healing within itself!
Hind Ouammou (she/her/hers)
Student Counselor
Hind Ouammou is a graduate student pursuing her master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at North Carolina Central University. Born and raised in Morocco, she brings a rich multicultural perspective that informs her therapeutic approach and deepens her understanding of diverse lived experiences.
As a multilingual professional fluent in Arabic, French, and English, Hind offers clients the invaluable opportunity to engage in the therapeutic process using the language they feel most comfortable expressing themselves in. These multilingual skills, combined with her cross-cultural background, enhance her ability to form meaningful connections with individuals from varied cultural contexts and lived experiences.
With a profound respect for client autonomy, Hind recognizes that individuals are the foremost experts on their own lives. She creates a safe, supportive therapeutic environment where clients feel genuinely seen and heard, facilitating their journey toward healing and personal growth at a pace that feels comfortable and sustainable for them.
Kyla Saunders (she/her/hers)
Student Counselor
Kyla Saunders is a graduate student at North Carolina Central University pursuing a masters degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. As an undergraduate student, she attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she majored in psychology and minored in African American studies. At UNCG, she did extensive research on Black mental health and suicide rates in Black men. From a young age, Kyla knew she had a passion for helping people, so it was no surprise when she set out to pursue a career in mental health. She has background in Applied Behavior Analysis, providing therapeutic interventions for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. As a counselor in training, Kyla strives to provide clients with person centered, solution focused, and cognitive behavioral approaches to counseling. As an individual, Kyla enjoys traveling, reading, listening to music, and going to the gym during her spare time.
Trent Stamer (he/him/his)
Student Counselor
Trent Stamer is a student counselor at the Eagle Counseling, Consultation, and Research Clinic (ECCRC) and is currently enrolled in NCCU's Clinical Mental Health Counseling program. Trent's interests within the field of counseling include existentialism, multiculturalism, rural mental health, systems therapy, and many others. As a clinician, he believes that therapy is a humanistic process and works to assist his clients in increasing awareness of themselves in order to become their full and authentic selves. Trent began his journey at the ECCRC in 2024 when he began working as the graduate/research assistant at the clinic. Throughout his experience, he conducted–alongside Dr. Lupton-Smith and Dr. Beckwith–the ECCRC's inaugural research study, Examining Client Access, Satisfaction, and Wellness at NCCU's Eagle Counseling Clinic, which was recently accepted to present at the 2025 ACES Conference. Regarding this ECCRC study, Trent received first place in NCCU's 2025 Graduate and Undergraduate Research Symposium for his research poster presentation. In 2023, Trent graduated from Illinois College with a degree in psychology and art & design.
Caroline Crumpler
Student Counselor
