Pasadena Villa Outpatient – Triad / Greensboro

Executive Director

Kristin Cheshire MS, LCMHC, LCAS

Kristin Cheshire is an accomplished Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and Licensed Clinical Additions Specialist with over 12 years of experience in diverse behavioral healthcare settings. Kristin has served in several leadership positions with a focus in program and team development. She believes cultivating relationships is the key to success in building strong teams that are passionate about providing quality behavioral health services.

Kristin is currently serving as the Executive Director for Pasadena Villa Outpatient Triad providing Partial Hospitalization and Intensive Outpatient services to individuals struggling with mental health conditions. In this role she serves her team by providing support, leadership and supervision to ensure that they are equipped with the tools needed to deliver exceptional care.

Kristin’s 12+ years of experience ranges from providing direct care in inpatient hospitals, overseeing operations in substance abuse intensive outpatient programs, overseeing clinical and administrative duties for non-profit grants, and has led many trainings and workshops on various topics related to behavioral health and wellness. She is passionate about breaking down stigma and creating safe spaces for staff and clients to feel heard and grow into the best versions of themselves.

Supervising Physician

Mojeed Akintayo, MD

Dr. Akintayo serves as Jamison Lord DNP’s supervising physician for the Triad location. He joins us with a wide range of experience and expertise with a focus in delivering evidence based mental health services and reducing stigma. Dr. Akintayo specializes in working with all ages of clients experiencing mood disorders, anxiety disorder, women’s health issue’ relating to mental health, ADHD, autism, depressive disorders, psychosis and bipolar disorders.

Mental Health Nurse Practioner

Jamison Lord DNP, MSN, RNC, PMHNP-BC

Jamison comes to Pasadena Villa with over 13 years of experience in the mental health field and over 26 years of experience in the medical field. She has worked in various levels of care including inpatient and outpatient settings. Through her work she can help individuals struggling with persistent mental health concerns live fulfilling and independent lives. Jamie Lord also works as an instructor for Duke’s School of Nursing in the MSN Program and the Durham’s Veterans Affair in the VA Nursing Academic Partnership for Graduate Education Program (VANAP-GE).

Clinician

Alex Moore, MS, LCMHCA

Alex completed her bachelor’s degree in Music Therapy from the University of Georgia before relocating to Greensboro, NC to complete her MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Alex is currently working toward her PhD in Counseling and Counselor Education at UNCG. Alex is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, Associate (LCMHCA) in the state of North Carolina and also carries certifications of Music Therapist-Board Certified (MT-BC) and National Certified Counselor (NCC). Given her unique clinical and educational background, Alex enjoys opportunities to provide both music therapy and mental health counseling services to Pasadena Villa clients.

Alex has worked with clients of all ages and across a variety of clinical settings ranging from college counseling, short-term and long-term inpatient hospitalization, and intensive outpatient care. Her primary approach to therapeutic interventions is person-centered and focused on a collaborative relationship with clients in order to help make measurable progress toward overarching treatment goals. Alex is well-versed in the foundations of CBT and DBT principles and uses such interventions frequently in her clinical work.

Lead Psychotherapist

Michele Finkelstein, LCSW, C-DBT

Michele recently relocated to Greensboro from Seattle, Washington where she worked as an outpatient therapist in a community mental health setting. She brings with her a range of experience working with individuals struggling with Substance Use Disorders, PTSD, Depression, Anxiety, Bipolar Disorder, and co-occurring disorders. Michele is formally trained and certified in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (C-DBT) and utilizes a trauma-informed lens to deliver multiple modalities including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and Narrative Therapy throughout treatment. She has a background facilitating a variety of groups including DBT, Seeking Safety, Music Therapy, and EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques). Michele strives to create a collaborative and safe space that is guided by client voice and self-determination.

Prior to her clinical work, Michele has had over ten years of experience working for social justice and grassroots initiatives. She received her master’s degree in Social Work from Seattle University and has an undergraduate degree in Peace & Conflict Studies.

Therapist

Jessi Matlock (She/her), MS, LCMHC

Jessi completed her Master of Science degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. Jessi is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and is rostered in Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT). Jessi has served individuals and families across the lifespan who have struggled with a variety of hardships such as trauma, depression, anxiety, ADHD, acculturation issues, and identity concerns.

Jessi currently utilizes therapeutic approaches such as Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and creative interventions to help individuals gain self-awareness to ultimately grow in their recovery. Regardless of therapeutic approach, Jessi values meeting individuals where they are in their journey with respect and humility.

Psychotherapist

Cynthia McSwain, NCC, LCMHC, CCTP

Cynthia completed her Masters of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. She is a Nationally Certified Counselor, a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, and a Certificate Clinical Trauma Professional.

Cynthia’s counseling background is working with adults and children who have experienced emotional, physical, and/or sexual abuse. During this time, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT) techniques (not rostered TFCBT) were primarily used for processing the trauma and developing coping skills to reduce flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, anxiety, and/or depression. She also served as a parent educator for co-parents whose intimate relationship had ended but shared a child(ren). During these sessions, communication, child development, and self-care were taught.

Currently, a variety of techniques and theories are utilized to fit the adult client’s needs and goals. Some of the approaches include techniques from Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), and Psychodynamic Approaches. Cynthia is passionate about helping people move from survival mode to thriving in their life with authenticity, coping skills, and hope!

Music Therapist

Amos Fisher, MT, BC

After an adventurous New York City career in all kinds of music and healing arts, Amos Fisher returns to his native NC with music psychotherapy training from the seminal humanistic program at NYU Steinhardt. His style is informed by the evidence-based Nordoff-Robbins improvisational approach, noted in the 1950s for its efficacy with nonverbal, multiply handicapped children; also by such composers as John Cage, Pauline Oliveros, and R. Murray Schafer. He is currently launching a private practice in Winston-Salem called Empathetic Resonance Music Therapy, driven by his own foundational theory The Philosophy of Listening.

Under the tutelage of such pioneer music therapists as Alan Turry, Diane Austin, Ken Aigen, and Barbara Hesser, as well as Gestalt Therapy Institute president Frank Bosco, Amos learned to harness his deeply cultivated musicianship, sense of spiritual health, and interpersonal empathy toward reflecting clients’ own musical being back to them, nurturing a new self-awareness and Confidence In Life And Self (Psychospiritual Maturation, Kass, 2015). His clinical experience includes preschool-aged children with hearing impairment and speech delays, acute inpatient adult psychiatry, and adults and children with developmental disabilities, PTSD, and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). From nonverbal to intellectually verbose, Amos’s clients learn to listen to themselves and engage with their world in a new way, in a process ultimately transcendent of words.

Amos believes that music adds dimensionality to therapy, sinking deeper than words or concepts alone. He is excited to offer this as part of the program at Pasadena Villa, at a time when we are all fatigued with isolation from the coVid-19 pandemic. His mission is to create group cohesion in a clinical setting which can grow into the genuine community in the world, fostering mass mental health from where it starts—in the individual’s Listening.

Office Coordinator

Amber Mastin

Amber provides administrative support to the Pasadena Villa Outpatient – Triad team as the Office Coordinator. Amber has worked in the mental health field for non-profit organizations as well as for-profit companies in some capacity for the last 20 years. In her previous role, she served as the Assistant Executive Director for an adult daycare program that focused on individuals with an IDD diagnosis and mental health concerns. During her professional career, she has worked with both adults and children and has enjoyed making a positive difference in their lives.

In her spare time, she loves spending time with her loved ones and her dog Layla, who was a foster fail. A failure, she is proud of. She also loves astronomy and on clear nights, you may find her sitting outside watching the moon, stars, and anything else that may pass by.

Psychotherapist

Deirdre McArthur, LCSW

Deirdre was born in Belfast, Ireland. She grew up on the west coast of Canada and New Jersey. She moved to North Carolina to attend UNC-Greensboro where she earned a BA in Psychology and later her MSW from UNC- Chapel Hill. Deirdre is a behavioral health therapist with over 20 years experience. She has experience as an outpatient individual, child & family therapist, a hospital inpatient therapist working with individuals and groups, and crisis psychiatric assessment.