Jeff Colucci, Ph.D., Co-Director (Boston College, 1979)

Dr. Jeff Colucci came to The Triumph Center in 1994 from Franciscan Children’s Hospital where he was Director of Psychology and Vice-president for Clinical Services.  A fellow in the Massachusetts Psychological Association, Dr. Colucci is licensed as both an educational and clinical psychologist.  He received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Boston College and has taught at his alma mater, as well as at University of Massachusetts, Lowell and Fitchburg State College.  Primarily a clinician, Dr. Colucci contributed as a researcher to the norming of the original Vineland Social Maturity Scale.  Currently Dr. Colucci consults to public schools regarding programming for special needs students.  Expert in issues relating to pervasive developmental disorders, including Asperger’s syndrome, ADHD and effective behavior management, Dr. Colucci speaks extensively on these topics to parent and professional groups.

A sports enthusiast, Dr. Colucci uses his athletic background and coaching of traditional children’s sports to teach cooperative play and social skills.  Also an avid reader with many literary interests, Dr. Colucci dreams of someday writing a novel.  He lives in Acton, Massachusetts with his wife Nancy, an educational administrator.  His two grown daughters Elizabeth (a former Camp Triumph counselor) and Laura live in Brussels and New York City respectively.

George Marinakis, Ph.D., Co-Director (DePaul University, 1988)

Dr. George Marinakis obtained his doctorate in child clinical psychology at DePaul University in Chicago, where he worked with inner city youth and families.  As part of his training, he completed his pre-doctoral internship at Franciscan Children’s Hospital in Brighton.  Dr. Marinakis then worked as a child-family therapist and program evaluation consultant on the Cognitive-Behavioral Inpatient Program of the hospital.  In 1991, he founded The Triumph Center and later expanded the program with Dr. Jeff Colucci.  As the Co-Director of The Triumph Center, Dr. Marinakis works closely with children and adolescents as a school consultant, therapist, social skills group leader and supervisor of Camp Triumph.  As a supervisor, he enjoys training graduate students in counseling, child development, and sport psychology.  He specializes in the areas of Asperger’s Syndrome, ADHD, social skills training, bullying prevention, school inclusion, and program development for children with emotional and behavioral disorders.  Dr. Marinakis has been a guest speaker on a range of topics and currently consults to various public and private therapeutic schools in the greater Boston area.  He lives in Reading with his wife, Molly Smith, who is also a psychologist, and his two children, Leah and Nick (a recent Camp Triumph counselor).  He also volunteers in the community, previously as a coach in youth sports and more recently as the chairman of the Board of Directors at the Burbank YMCA in Reading.

Chris Anderson, Ph.D. (University of South Carolina, 1999)

Dr. Chris Anderson obtained his doctorate in Clinical-Community Psychology at the University of South Carolina where he focused on working with children and families.  As part of his training, he completed his pre-doctoral internship at the Virginia Treatment Center for Children which is part of the Medical University of Virginia.  Dr. Anderson began working at The Triumph Center in 1996 and served as a child therapist and school consultant.  An excellent clinician and administrator, he became the Director of Camp Triumph in 1998 and has continued to direct the program as it has grown from one to three sites.  Dr. Anderson specializes in Asperger’s Syndrome, ADHD, social skills training, behavioral disorders and program evaluation.  A supervisor for The Triumph Center’s Internship Training Program, he also provides psychotherapy to children and families in the Triumph Center’s Reading office.  Dr. Anderson is married and is the father of 2 boys.  He is active as a soccer coach, scout leader and enjoys a variety of outdoor activities including golf, running and camping.

Mark Bleier, Ph.D. (Boston University)

After graduating from Wesleyan University, Dr. Bleier taught second grade and then earned his doctorate in developmental psychology at Boston University.  He completed a clinical internship at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, then did play therapy and parenting consultation at a therapeutic nursery school for several years.  He also led social skills groups and consulted regularly with teachers and parents at three Cambridge schools.  During 13 years at Children’s Friend and Family Service in Salem, he developed expertise working with families and adult survivors of childhood trauma.   As a supervising clinician and department director at Neponset Health Center, he treated patients with widely ranging issues, including chronic illnesses and substance abuse.  He has divided his professional time across the last 12 years between the Middlesex Family Court Clinic, doing contentious custody and visitation evaluations, and private practice in Beverly.  Dr. Bleier’s specializations include divorce/separation issues in families and individuals, parenting, special needs children and their families, adolescent and family development, couples treatment, young adults and PTSD patients.  He has supervised over 60 clinical social work and psychology interns and child psychiatry fellows.  Personally, he has coached and administered youth sports, enjoys yoga and various outdoor activities.

Angela M. DeSilva, M.A. (Boston College, 2005)

Angela M. DeSilva is a doctoral candidate in Counseling Psychology at Boston College, from which she will graduate in May, 2009.  She is currently receiving her pre-doctoral internship training in the Adolescent Services at Yale University and will begin a post-doctoral fellowship in Child Clinical Psychology at Brown University in September 2010.  Her clinical work has focused on child and adolescent mental health in a variety of settings including, schools, private practice, community agencies, and hospitals. She has experience providing individual, group, and family therapy as well as consultation services to schools and families. Ms. DeSilva also has extensive experience conducting psychological and behavioral assessments in hospital and school settings. In addition to providing therapeutic services, she has been involved in a variety of research projects examining health, risk-taking behaviors, and identity development in adolescents. Ms. DeSilva has worked at The Triumph Center since 2004 as a school consultant, social skills group leader, and administrator at Camp Triumph. She has expertise in providing cognitive-behavioral and behavioral therapy interventions for children and adolescents. She also specializes in systems-based therapeutic interventions, family therapy, and parenting skills training. In addition to her work in child and adolescent psychology, Ms. DeSilva enjoys running and participating in community-based service events.

Stephanie Haney, MSW, LCSW (Simmons College, 2006)

Stephanie Haney is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker who received her MSW from Simmons College in Boston in 2006. In 2009, Ms. Haney earned a certificate in Autism Spectrum Disorders from Antioch University, in Keene, NH. She is also certified as a School Social Worker/Adjustment Counselor and has provided individual and group counseling to elementary students in Andover, Peabody, Swampscott, and several other districts in the Greater Boston area. Ms. Haney previously served as the Reading Site Coordinator and as an assistant camp director at the Triumph Center, and she currently co-leads social skills groups at the Lexington location. She is also an educational consultant at MGH-YouthCare, helping schools meet the diverse needs of students with social, neurological, behavioral, and learning challenges.  Ms. Haney is an active member of both the Asperger’s Association of New England (AANE) and the National Association of Social Workers (NASW).

Lauren Holloway Bennett, M.A., LMHC  (Boston University, 2007)

Lauren Bennett received her master’s degree in Mental Health and Behavioral Medicine with a specialization in Sport Psychology from Boston University School of Medicine in 2007.  As part of her training, she served as a mental health counselor and performance enhancement coach in an inner city youth squash program.  She also completed an internship with The Triumph Center before joining the professional staff.  Ms. Bennett has worked as a social skills group counselor, a consultant to various public and therapeutic schools in the Boston area, and displayed her administrative talents as the Danvers and Reading Group Program Coordinator, and Site Director of Camp Triumph in Danvers.  In addition to her work with special needs children, adolescents, and young adults, Ms. Bennett has enjoyed continuing her involvement as a sports psychology consultant and has provided workshops focused on team building, goal setting, competition anxiety, and visualization to various high schools and colleges in New England.

Emily Josephsohn, M.A. (Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology, 2009)

After completing her undergraduate studies at Trinity College where she received a BS in Neuroscience, Emily Josephsohn continued her education at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology and obtained a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology.  Prior to joining The Triumph Center, Ms. Josephsohn worked with children, toddler to teenage years, in both school and home settings as an Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapist and supervisor.  In addition to helping children on the Autism spectrum, Ms. Josephsohn has successfully worked with youngsters experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma and learning disabilities.  She has also provided direct consultation to parents and caregivers as well as brief family therapy.  As a clinician with The Triumph Center, Ms. Josephsohn provides consultation in elementary schools, as well as co-leads social skills groups.  She currently works in collaboration with other Triumph Center clinicians to further develop and expand the preschool group program.  Her professional interests include solution-focused therapy and play therapy.  In addition to her role as a therapist, Ms. Josephsohn also administers the Danvers site social skills group program.

Tim Niemiec, M.A., LMHC (Boston University 2006)

Tim Niemiec completed his master’s degree in Mental Health and Behavioral Medicine at the Boston University School of Medicine in 2006, interning at The Triumph Center under the supervision of Dr. George Marinakis. Upon graduation, he was hired as a full-time clinician at The Triumph Center and, because of his outstanding leadership, was soon promoted to be the Site Coordinator for the Lexington Group Program and the Director of the Bedford Camp Triumph Program.  In addition, Mr. Niemiec provides school consultation to various therapeutic programs in schools throughout the Boston Metro area. He has also been a guest presenter at the Boston University School of Medicine, and to various parent groups and schools.  He specializes in the areas of Asperger’s Syndrome, Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder, Anxiety Disorders, performance enhancement/sport psychology, school inclusion, and social skills training and development. He became a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in the state of Massachusetts in 2009.

Melissa Plowman, M.A., LMHC (Boston College, 2003)

Melissa Plowman is a licensed mental health counselor who obtained her master’s degree in counseling psychology at Boston College in 2003.  Interning with The Triumph Center in 2002, her clinical and administrative skills have helped her in many roles within the agency.  Ms. Plowman has been a school consultant in both public and substantially separate school programs where she has worked with severe to moderate special needs children and adolescents from the preschool age up through high school.  She was the director of one of Camp Triumph’s sites for several years and also served as a site coordinator for the after-school social skills group program at The Triumph Center before taking over the role of Group Director in 2006.  An experienced counselor in early childhood issues, she has developed the preschool social skills group program.  As a child psychotherapist, Ms. Plowman also specializes in the areas of autism spectrum disorders, ADHD, anxiety and behavioral disorders.  In her spare time, she devotes herself to her growing family and travels a great deal to the beautiful states of Vermont and Maine.

Kent E. Rude, Ph.D. (Boston University, 1986)

Dr. Rude received his undergraduate degree at Williams College, attained a masters in special education at Syracuse University (working later as a special education teacher in Brookline), and obtained his doctorate in child clinical psychology at Boston University. He completed his internship at Franciscan Children’s Hospital (FCH) in Brighton and also did a special traineeship in neuropsychology at Children’s Hospital in Boston before being designated a Licensed Psychologist Provider. At FCH Dr. Rude worked in all departments but primarily within the Cognitive-Behavioral Inpatient Program where he became a senior child-family therapist and subsequently manager of Rehabilitation Mental Health Services. Later, Dr. Rude became a staff psychologist and eventually Director of the Child/Family Program and Psychological Testing at the Cutler Center in Norwood. Eventually Dr. Rude established a private practice in psychology initially in Norwood/Walpole and then in Reading where he became and remains a senior clinical associate of The Triumph Center.  Currently Dr. Rude serves as a consultant to an array of public school systems in Eastern Massachusetts, primarily around programming/training for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) including social skills development. Additional areas of expertise include anxiety, ADHD, OCD, neuropsychology, family therapy/family consultation, and all aspects of children/families who have a member with a special educational need. Dr. Rude remains involved in athletics via coaching in Special Olympics and with special needs populations via serving on the Human Rights Committee at the Charles River ARC.

Rob Smith, Ph.D. (University of Cincinnati, 1988)

Dr. Smith is a licensed clinical/consulting psychologist, and he obtained his Ph.D. in 1988 at the University of Cincinnati.  He specializes in helping people reach their goals, and has worked extensively with teens and adults, and performers and coaches at all levels, as well as companies of all sizes.  Dr. Smith is a Certified Consultant for the Association of Applied Sport Psychology, and is on the Registry of Sport Psychologists with the U.S. Olympic Training Center. Currently, he is the Director of Clinical Services and the Performance Enhancement Program at The Triumph Center.  His personal background as a performer includes his experiences as a former college athlete, high school basketball coach, and a black belt karate instructor.  In 2007, he authored the book, “Black Belt For Life: A Memoir of Personal Development and the Martial Arts” (see www.blackbeltforlife.net).  In addition, he has written numerous articles and given workshops internationally, and has appeared on local and national TV and radio.  Among the most satisfying experiences in Dr. Smith’s work are when he has been a part of a young client’s development personally as well as in their chosen endeavor.