Counseling Services of New Orleans Marriage, Family, Counseling Therapy Team| Louisiana

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Asa R. Sphar III, Ph.D. Founder / Director
In addition to currently serving as Director of CSNO, Dr. Sphar has also served as acting Chair and Professor of Psychology and Counseling in the Department of Psychology and Counseling at the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (NOBTS) and as Director of Clinical Training (1992-2007). Dr. Sphar also occupied the Baptist Community Ministries Chair of Pastoral Care and Counseling during his tenure at the seminary. He holds the following degrees: Master of Divinity (M.Div.) in Psychology and Counseling; Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy (MAMFC); and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Psychology and Counseling. At the completion of his graduate studies he received the Outstanding Student Award and the Broadman Seminarian Award for his graduating class. His other credentials, memberships, and recognitions include the following: Licensed Professional Counselor in Louisiana; Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas; Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Louisiana; Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Texas; National Certified Counselor; Approved Supervisor/Clinical Member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT); Charter Member of the American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC); and a member of the Christian Association for Psychological Studies. In order to continue his commitment to professional development, he continues to attend numerous workshops and conferences emphasizing a variety of individual and family issues and serves as a presenter for these as well. For two years he co-hosted a weekly Christian radio program called "Insights to Life" which helped to address the emotional, relational, and spiritual needs of the greater New Orleans area. His fifteen years in clinical practice and ongoing role as Director of Clinical Training at the seminary continue to help sharpen the application of his clinical skills. Dr. Sphar and his wife Donna celebrated their 29th wedding anniversary this past year. They have two daughters, ages 22 and 26.

Assistant Director: Courtney Putnam, Ph.D. Dr. Courtney Putnam is the Assistant Director at CSNO. Dr. Putnam holds a Ph.D. in Psychology and Counseling from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Her dissertation involved extensive research on Reconciliation-Focused Counseling, the unique Christian therapy model developed by Dr. Asa Sphar. In addition to her doctoral degree, she has received an M.A. in Professional Counseling from the Psychological Studies Institute in Atlanta, GA, a Masters of Theology from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a minor in Religious Studies from Louisiana State University. Dr. Putnam especially enjoys working with couples, focusing on issues such as communication, forgiveness, trust-building, healthy sexuality, and marriage enrichment. She also works with individuals, focusing on issues such as relational difficulties, anxiety, anger management, depression, grief, stress, spiritual concerns, and other issues. She also enjoys leading workshops and seminars to encourage and equip people to live in healthy relationships with others. Dr. Putnam also provides on-site supervision for student interns. In addition to serving as the Assistant Director at CSNO, Dr. Putnam also serves as Adjunct Faculty for the Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy program at the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. She has taught courses in Clinical Marriage and Family Assessment, Family Development, Human Sexuality, Abnormal Psychology, Health Psychology, and Adult Psychology. Prior to joining CSNO, she served as a hospital chaplain in the Emory University Hospital System in Atlanta, and as a counselor at Roswell Street Baptist Church in Atlanta. During her doctoral program, Dr. Putnam received the Outstanding Student of the Year Award from the Louisiana Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (LAMFT). She served as the LAMFT Liaison to MFT training programs in the southern region of Louisiana for two years, and thoroughly enjoys the opportunity to assist students in their development as a therapist. Her professional associations include: Licensed Professional Counselor in Louisiana, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Louisiana, Board Eligible National Certified Counselor, Member of the Christian Association for Psychological Studies, Member of the American Association for Christian Counselors, Member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and Member of the Louisiana Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. Dr. Putnam and her husband Alan recently celebrated their 8th wedding anniversary.

Meet Our Therapists:
Our therapists have all received graduate training in psychology and counseling from a fully accredited theological seminary. Several hold one or more graduate degrees in counseling.¹ The combination of graduate theological training and advanced clinical training is the unique advantage of our team. Each counselor-intern is supervised by senior staff who are all Clinical Members of the Association for Marriage and Family (AAMFT), Approved Supervisors / Licensed Professional Counselors (LPC), and ordained ministers. A high level of accountability and integrity is given in the care of each client. We all subscribe to the ethical standards of AAMFT and NBCC. Our approach tends to be short-term and solution-focused, utilizing some of the most widely accepted and effective techniques including cognitive-behavioral and family systems therapies. As a team, we have accumulated over 70,000 hours of direct counseling experience. All of our therapists have been trained in the use of Reconciliation-Focused Counseling (RFC), a unique Christian therapy model developed by Dr. Sphar.

Jeff Nave, Ph.D., M.Div., LPC, LMFT - Dr. Nave is currently Assistant Professor of Psychology and Counseling / Director of Testing at the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He also provides clinical supervision for CSNO employees. * Clinical Supervisor
Allison Richmond, BA - Allison is completing her course work at the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary for a Masters of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy. She is a graduate of McKendree College in Illinois, where she received a BA in Speech Communication. Allison has a particular interest in familial communication and is experienced in working with adolescents and adults of all ages and socio-economic backgrounds. She works with clients dealing with depression, anxiety, relational distress, anger management, spiritual concerns, stress, and other issues. Her previous experience includes completing a practicum at Granberry Christian Counseling. Allison believes strongly in utilizing the client's strengths to resolve his or her own difficulties by uncovering skills that are yet to surface but are already intrinsic in each client. She counsels primarily from a systemic perspective, and frequently draws on principles from cognitive-behavioral therapy, solution-focused brief therapy, and reconciliation-focused therapy. (Student Intern)	Sammy Sabine, M.Div. Psychology and Counseling - Sammy earned a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Southern Mississippi and the Master of Divinity in psychology and counseling from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He is currently completing coursework for the PhD. He completed his practicum and internship at Southeast Louisiana Hospital in Mandeville Louisiana. His experience includes counseling college students and their families in New Orleans and providing individual, marriage and family therapy in the Jackson Mississippi Metro area. His areas of interest include medical family therapy, marital and family adjustment issues, depression, sexual addiction, health and wellness maintenance, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Sammy is also a registered paramedic and has a special interest in individual and family problems common to those who work in the medical and public safety fields.
Derek Brown, BS Psychology - Derek earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a second major in Youth Ministry from Charleston Southern University. He is currently completing his coursework for a Masters of Divinity in Psychology and Counseling at the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. His six years of experience as a youth minister have proven very helpful for the counseling field. His counseling experience also includes one year as a student intern for the Youth Services Bureau in St. Tammany Parish. Derek has training and experience in working with clients battling self-esteem, anger, anxiety, depression, addictions, cutting, grief, and relational unrest. He especially enjoys working with students and their families. Derek works with individuals, couples, and families to help them recognize their own potential for change. He is a lifetime member of the Psi Chi National Honor Society for Psychology. (Student Intern)
¹ Occasionally CSNO offers advanced training opportunities for exceptional counseling students while still completing their master's level training program. They are distinguished by the title "Student Intern."
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