Dr. Timothy Baumgartner is a licensed psychologist who has been providing counseling services for over 40 years. He joined the Rice Counseling Center in 2005. He earned a Ph.D. in Counseling and Educational Psychology from the University of Mississippi. Dr. Baumgartner holds a Certificate of Proficiency in the Treatment of Alcohol and Other Psychoactive Substance Use Disorders awarded by the American Psychological Association Practice Organization College of Professional Psychology and he is listed in the National Register of Health Service Psychologists. For many years prior to Rice, Dr. Baumgartner worked in his private practice here in the Houston area. He has also provided inpatient services and directed clinical programs at Baywood Hospital and Raleigh Hills Hospital, and later served as a clinical administrator for Comprehensive Psychiatric Programs of America developing and implementing programs in hospitals in Texas, Colorado, and Arkansas. He was an instructor at the University of Houston’s Center for Addiction Studies. Dr. Baumgartner is also a trained mediator and Challenge/Ropes Course facilitator. Dr. Baumgartner enjoys spending time with his family, getting away to the Hill Country, fly-fishing, guitar picking, and cooking - preferably all rolled in together.
Wes received his BA in psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and began working on the OCD Program at The Menninger Clinic in 2003. He gained extensive experience in the treatment of OCD clients and became familiar with Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Exposure and Response Prevention. In addition, he learned ways to enhance treatment delivery utilizing approaches such as Mindfulness, Positive Psychology and Self-Compassion. After working on the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Program and at the Menninger Clinic for 8 years, Wes obtained his Social Work Degree in May of 2010 from the University of Houston, Graduate College of Social Work. He completed his internship at the Baylor College of Medicine Outpatient Psychiatric Clinic where he had the opportunity to work with a wide range of adults suffering from a variety of concerns, including anxiety disorders, personality disorders, and addictions. Wes completed his post-graduate Social Fellowship at the Menninger Clinic on the Hope Program in 2011, where he continued to gain experience working with a multitude of DSM-IV TR diagnoses, gaining further training in Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Family Therapy, and Group Therapy. In September 2011, Wes began working with the Houston OCD Program and in 2013 Wes worked full-time as a Social Worker on the Adolescent Treatment Program at the Menninger Clinic working adolescent clients who struggle with a variety of mental health diagnoses including Anxiety Disorders. In July, 2016, Wes began working full-time at the Rice Counseling Center as a clinician working with the Rice student population.
Charmaine St. Rose has been an administrative assistant at the Rice Counseling Center for two years. Prior to working at the Counseling Center, Charmaine worked as an administrative assistant for Connections/Open Stax. Charmaine also worked for Klein ISD as a Special Education Assistant teacher and as an administrative assistant at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. Mrs. St. Rose received her Bachelors in Psychology from the City College of New York. She is married to Marcus St. Rose who works in the IT department at Rice. They have two children together. As a family they enjoy taking family vacations, singing, and making each other laugh. Charmaine enjoys interactive with and helping students.
Dr. Maria J. Gomez is a licensed psychologist in Texas and Maryland. She joined the Rice Counseling Center in 2013. Dr. Gomez has a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Maryland at College Park, and a BA in Mechanical Engineering from Yale University. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at UMCP's Counseling Center as well as an internship at Towson State University's Counseling Center. Dr. Gomez has researched, published, and presented on resilience after trauma, Latina career development, acculturation and achievement styles, and countertransference with issues of sexual orientation. Dr. Gomez loves working with college and graduate students. She has four children ages eighteen to eight, UberMoms all over Houston, and is particularly interested in current affairs and human motivation.
Natalie Lankford, a licensed clinical social worker, has been with the RCC since 2014. She obtained her undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago and her graduate degree from the University of Texas-Austin. Prior to working in the RCC, Natalie was a therapist at the Menninger Clinic in an outpatient program for individuals with complex psychiatric and behavioral issues. Natalie also worked for many years providing treatment to adolescents and families that were traumatized sexually, physically, and/or emotionally. Natalie utilizes an eclectic approach to therapy, relying primarily on cognitive, dialectical behavioral, positive psychology, and psychodynamic theories. She enjoys spy novels, running, chocolate, and playing outside with her husband, son, and two dogs.
Dr. Deirdre Markum has been with Rice University for 23 years. She is a graduate of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, with a doctorate in Clinical Psychology. She completed an American Psychological Association (APA) approved clinical internship and post-doctoral fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine. In her academic career she has achieved the distinction of making the Dean’s List at the University of Rochester and being listed in Who’s Who Among American University and College Students. She is a member of the Houston Psychological Association and she has previously worked in private practice and as a consultant to school districts, law enforcement, community agencies and child protective services. She is an Associate at Will Rice College, and enjoys working with students to develop their self-awareness and emotional growth and wellbeing. Specialized treatment areas include women's issues, eating disorders, domestic violence, identity issues, and counseling the culturally different. She enjoys listening to jazz, dancing, and raising her family.
Kerry Park has been the Care Coordinator at the Rice Counseling Center since 2010. Kerry graduated with her Master's degree in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Human Relations from St. Joseph’s College in New York. Kerry completed her social work internships at Communities in Schools in Austin and at the Houston VA Medical Center. Prior to joining Rice, Kerry worked at Baylor College of Medicine’s Teen Clinic. In her role as Care Coordinator for the Rice Counseling Center, Kerry helps students to find longer term and specialized providers for counseling and psychiatric services. Kerry feels very fortunate to have the opportunity to assist Rice students in locating the type of mental health treatment they need. In her spare time, Kerry enjoys cooking and spending time with her family and friends.
Elizabeth Plummer, LCSW, BCD is a Clinical Social Worker and the Associate Director of the Rice Counseling Center. She is a graduate Southwestern University with a BA in Psychology and Smith College with an MSW in Social Work. Elizabeth is also a Board Certified Diplomat of Social Work. Elizabeth has been involved in various research projects studying topics that include confronting sexism and treating suicide. Recently she was a research therapist for the DSM V field trials. Elizabeth has also been involved in fighting the stigma of mental illness by authoring posts for mental health and parenting blogs. In her free time, Elizabeth enjoys cooking, spending time with her family, and volunteering.
Lucy Ponce is the Rice University Department Administrator. She is from Houston and a graduate of HTI. She has been with Rice since 2000. Lucy also worked as a Practice Manger/Nurse in an OB/GYN practice before coming to Rice. She enjoys traveling and spending time with her grandchildren.
Emily Unverzagt is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker that joined the Rice Counseling Center in 2014. She is a graduate of Baylor University with a degree in Psychology and of the University of Michigan with a MSW in Social Work. Prior to joining Rice, she worked at The St. Cloud Veterans Health Administration and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Emily has received extensive training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) from the Beck Institute, OCD Treatment and Motivational Interviewing. Emily acknowledges that she is a terrible cook, so therefore enjoys eating out and trying new restaurants.
