Our Team
The Triumph Center’s mission is to help adolescents lead healthier and more successful lives by building on their strengths and providing strategies to address common challenges. We offer various forms of support, including social skills groups, counseling, consultation, and a therapeutic summer camp.
Our staff includes licensed psychologists, social workers, mental health counselors, behavior analysts, and other professionals who provide counseling, consultation, and therapeutic services to support individuals, families, and institutions.
Our professional staff provides a range of counseling, consultation, and therapeutic services, specializing in various areas to support individuals, families, and institutions. We are committed to promoting hope, resiliency, and lifelong development.
Our Team
The Triumph Center’s mission is to help adolescents lead healthier and more successful lives by building on their strengths and providing strategies to address common challenges. We offer various forms of support, including social skills groups, counseling, consultation, and a therapeutic summer camp.
Our staff includes licensed psychologists, social workers, mental health counselors, behavior analysts, and other professionals who provide counseling, consultation, and therapeutic services to support individuals, families, and institutions.
Our professional staff provides a range of counseling, consultation, and therapeutic services, specializing in various areas to support individuals, families, and institutions. We are committed to promoting hope, resiliency, and lifelong development.
Directors
George Marinakis, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Dr. George Marinakis obtained his doctorate in child clinical psychology at DePaul University in Chicago, where he worked in the college counseling program and in the community mental health center with inner city youth and families. As part of his training, he completed his pre-doctoral internship at Kennedy Memorial Hospital for Children in Brighton. Dr. Marinakis then worked as a child-family therapist and program evaluation consultant on the Cognitive-Behavioral Inpatient Program of the hospital, which was renamed Franciscan Children’s Hospital. In 1991, he founded The Triumph Center and later expanded the program with Dr. Jeffrey Colucci. As the Executive Director of The Triumph Center, Dr. Marinakis works closely with children, adolescents, and young adults as a consultant, therapist, social skills group leader and supervisor of Camp Triumph. Dr. Marinakis is also the Director of Clinical Services and Director of Training for graduate and post-doctoral training. As a supervisor, he has enjoyed training graduate students in counseling, consultation, and sport psychology. He specializes in many areas, including autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, social skills training, bullying prevention, school inclusion, program evaluation, and transition to young adulthood. 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.
Chris Anderson, Ph.D.
Associate Director
Dr. Chris Anderson obtained his doctorate in Clinical-Community Psychology from the University of South Carolina. While in graduate school he treated clients and completed psychological evaluations at the University of South Carolina’s Psychological Services Center and Richland Springs Psychiatric Hospital. Dr. Anderson completed his pre-doctoral internship at the Virginia Treatment Center for Children where he worked with clients in the hospital’s inpatient programs and at a community mental health center. Dr. Anderson began working at The Triumph Center in 1996 and has served as a child and family therapist, program director and school consultant. An excellent clinician and administrator, he became the Director of Camp Triumph in 1998 and continued to direct the program for 20 years. Dr. Anderson now serves as the Clinical Director and Director of Field Training at the Triumph Center. Dr. Anderson specializes in autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, social skills training, behavioral disorders, school consultation, and program evaluation. Dr. Anderson enjoys his roles of supervising the next generation of mental health professionals, consulting to public school programs, and supporting the Triumph Center’s group and camp programs. He continues to provide psychotherapy to children and families in the Triumph Center’s Reading office.
Tim Niemiec, LMHC, BCBA, LABA
Associate Director
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 and group site coordinator at the Triumph Center and was soon promoted to the Director of the Bedford Camp Triumph Program. Over his years at the Triumph Center, Mr. Niemiec has served as the Site Coordinator for each location of the Triumph Center Group Program and began serving as the Group Programs Director in 2010. In addition, Mr. Niemiec provides school consultation to various special needs programs in schools throughout the Boston Metro area. He has also presented at the Boston University School of Medicine, a Fortune 500 Company, various professional organizations, parent groups and schools. He specializes in the areas of autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, anxiety disorders, applied behavioral analysis, special education programming, school inclusion, social skills training, and sport psychology. He became a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in the state of Massachusetts in 2009. In 2016, he received his Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) certification and became a Licensed Applied Behavior Analyst (LABA) in the state of Massachusetts.
Allison Jekogian, Psy.D.
Associate Director
Dr. Allison Jekogian is a Licensed Psychologist who earned her doctorate in clinical psychology from William James College in 2016. Dr. Jekogian is the Director of Counseling and Assessment Services at the Triumph Center and currently provides individual and family therapy, serves as a school consultant, and conducts psychological and neuropsychological assessments. In addition, Dr. Jekogian supervises pre- and post-doctoral trainees. Throughout her doctoral training, Dr. Jekogian focused on working with children and families in a range of community and school-based settings. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at Franciscan Children’s. Prior to joining the Triumph Center, Dr. Jekogian worked at The Baker Center as a staff psychologist at the Manville School, a therapeutic day school, and as the Director of the Summer Enrichment Institute, a summer program for children with ADHD. Her clinical work focuses on utilizing cognitive-behavioral interventions and evidenced-based treatments to help children and adolescents learn skills to effectively modulate their emotional and behavioral experiences across settings, and she uses similar techniques to help parents effectively address behavioral and emotional challenges at home. She is also passionate about psychological and neuropsychological testing, and her evaluations focus on how a child’s unique profile of strengths and vulnerabilities impacts their social/emotional, behavioral, and academic functioning. In her free time, Dr. Jekogian enjoys spending time in nature with her husband and dog.
Emily Barry, Ph.D., BCBA
Associate Director
Dr. Emily Barry is a certified school psychologist and Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) who earned her doctorate in school psychology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2022. She also holds a certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis for Special Populations from the University of Massachusetts Boston. Dr. Barry completed her APA-accredited pre-doctoral internship at Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School in Cypress, Texas, where she provided comprehensive psychological services in elementary, middle, and high school settings as well as parent coaching in their family clinic. Dr. Barry completed her postdoctoral clinical training at the Triumph Center in the 2022-2023 school year. Prior to formally joining the Triumph Center in 2022, Dr. Barry was a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Massachusetts Amherst where she coordinated research activities for the UMass site of a multi-site randomized control trial (RCT) that investigated the efficacy of a school-based, small group positive psychology intervention for middle school students called the Well-Being Promotion Program (Suldo, 2016). Dr. Barry is passionate about supporting schools and educators to construct learning environments that use a continuum of positive behavior supports to promote emotional regulation, positive relationships, and academic success. She uses a strengths-based approach to her clinical work to help clients build upon their assets and upregulate positive emotions. Currently, Dr. Barry is the Director of Camp Triumph, where she served in counselor and head counselor positions during graduate school. Dr. Barry also provides individual and group therapy, serves as a school consultant, facilitates professional development workshops, and conducts psychological evaluations under the supervision of Dr. Allison Jekogian.
Our Team
Allison Broughton
MSW, LICSW
Allison Broughton is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker who received her master’s degree in Social Work from Salem State University. She is also certified as a School Social Worker/Adjustment Counselor through the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Ms. Broughton works full time as a school counselor supporting student with social/emotional challenges and has worked for many years in the field of child and adolescent mental health. She has a special interest in working with foster/adoptive youth and has volunteered at a number of orphanages around the world. Ms. Broughton completed the Social Thinking clinical training program in 2016. She specializes in the areas of autism spectrum disorders, social communication challenges, anxiety, depression, and foster care/adoption. As a clinician with the Triumph Center, Ms. Broughton provides individual and family counseling. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends in addition to traveling and outdoor adventures.
Jarrett Clayman
LMHC
Jarrett Clayman is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) who completed his master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Lesley University in 2014. Following graduation, Jarrett worked at the Dearborn Academy STEP Program, a comprehensive 45-day assessment site to determine the academic and therapeutic needs for students who experienced significant social/emotional/behavioral difficulties in their public school settings. Jarrett joined the Triumph Center in 2019, focused on individual and family therapy for children and adults at their Reading site. His client work focuses on a relational, strengths-based approach, leading with the belief that children, adolescents, and parents/adults do the best they know how at any given time. He integrates psycho-education with compassion and empathy to empower clients and decrease shame about protective mechanisms (currently unhelpful thoughts, beliefs, and behavior patterns), that may no longer serve them, often creating conflict within oneself and relationships. Additionally, Jarrett prioritizes collaborative communication to support movement towards success at home, school, and in the community. In his spare time, Jarrett is a singer/songwriter/musician in addition to enjoying a variety of sports and casual outdoor and indoor activities.
Kristen Connor
LICSW
Kristin Connor completed her masters program in Social Work in 2016 from Boston University with a specialization in trauma and violence. After graduating, she moved out to Arizona for a year where she worked as a school counselor for middle and high school students. Returning to Massachusetts, Kristen obtained a position as a school social worker at Lynn Public Schools where she works full-time. Kristen has worked part-time for the Triumph Center since summer 2017, as a head counselor at Camp Triumph and co-counselor for groups throughout the school year. Kristen was the Reading Site Coordinator from the fall of 2021 to the spring of 2023 and became a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker in 2023. In her free time, Kristen enjoys hiking, traveling, and spending time with family and friends
Sarah MacDonald
Psy.D.
Dr. Sarah MacDonald earned her doctorate in clinical psychology from William James College in 2023. During her graduate training, she focused on the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental health challenges in children, adolescents, and young adults. With internships at sites such as Dearborn STEP Assessment and the Manville School at The Baker Center, she developed expertise in treating children with complex social, emotional, behavioral, and academic profiles. Dr. MacDonald completed her APA-accredited pre-doctoral internship at Southwest Behavioral & Health Services in Phoenix, Arizona, where she specialized in school-based counseling and provided individual and family therapy to elementary-aged students. Dr. MacDonald completed one of her advanced practicum training positions at the Triumph Center, where she interned under the supervision of Dr. Allison Jekogian and Mr. Tim Niemiec. Following her formal intern year, she stayed on with the Triumph Center as a head counselor for the Camp Triumph summer program. She re-joined the team in the fall of 2023 as a postdoctoral fellow and will transition to a full-time position in the fall of 2024. She currently provides individual and group therapy, serves as a school consultant to various districts, and conducts psychological and neuropsychological evaluations under the supervision of Dr. Allison Jekogian. Additionally, in the fall of 2024 she will serve as the Counseling and Assessment Program Coordinator.
Samantha Martin
LMHC, MT-BC
Samantha Martin is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) and a Board Certified Music Therapist (MT-BC) who completed her dual degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a specialization in Music Therapy at Lesley University in 2018. After graduation, Samantha worked for Eliot Community Human Services in their CBHI program as an In-Home Therapist working with children and families with MassHealth who were experiencing mental health crises. She transitioned to the Dearborn STEP Assessment program, a 40-day-out-of-district school evaluation program that supports children struggling in their home school districts by examining their social, academic and emotional needs, and what supports they require to be successful in a school setting. Sam first worked for Camp Triumph the summer of 2022 and enjoyed the experience so much, she decided to join the Triumph Center full-time. Sam provides school consultation, group and individual counseling, and is the Reading Site Coordinator for the group program. She specializes in children and teens with autism, ADHD, the LGBTQIA+ community, trauma, PTSD, anxiety, and depression. Sam’s clinical work utilizes expressive arts therapies, play therapy, and a client-centered strengths-based approach to provide clients with a safe space to be themselves, which in turn allows for skill building and integrating new strategies to improve mental health and wellbeing. In her free time, Sam enjoys spending time with friends and family, hanging out with her cat, reading, listening to podcasts and music, and watching TV.
Dominie O’Neill
LICSW
Dominie O’Neill is a licensed independent clinical social worker who received her MSW from Salem State University in 2002. Mrs. O’Neill has been affiliated with The Triumph Center for over ten years and currently provides psychotherapy for children, adults and families in the Triumph Center’s Reading office. She has also been a school-based social worker, working with severe and moderate special needs children ranging in age from preschool to post-secondary, since 2002. During her career as a social worker, she has enjoyed facilitating social skills and psychoeducational groups, providing psychotherapy, and working collaboratively with teaching staff and families to develop positive behavioral support programs for a wide range of school-age children. As a psychotherapist, Mrs. O’Neill specializes in the areas of autism spectrum disorders, ADHD, anxiety, depression, oppositional defiant disorders, Prader-Willi syndrome, social skills training, and cognitive impairments, as well as family therapy and consultation.
Eric Pegnam
LICSW
Eric Pegnam is a Licensed Independent Social Worker with over 15 years of experience working with children in school, clinical and residential settings. Mr. Pegnam was a clinician and clinical supervisor at The Walker School for 14 years. He co-created and directed Stepping Stones, Walker’s Program for children with significant social disabilities including Autism. Mr. Pegnam has been recognized for his efforts by the Westborough Sped PAC, AANE, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Mr. Pegnam is also an accomplished speaker on the topics of autism, behavior management and a range of other clinical concerns. He has presented at programs, agencies and conferences throughout Massachusetts including Harvard’s Autism Conference, Plymouth County Juvenile Detention Center, Communities for People and the Department of Mental Health. Mr. Pegnam has provided consultation on individual students, classrooms, and programs to school districts in the great Boston area. For many years, Mr. Pegnam has run social skills groups for children diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum, as well as children with a broad range of social and developmental delays. At the Triumph Center, Mr. Pegnam provides consultation to schools, co-facilitates groups, and provides individual and family counseling. He also has completed the Autism Certificate Program from Antioch University. In his spare time, Mr. Pegnam enjoys improvisational acting, book collecting, cats and spending time with his family and friends.
Samantha Tilton
LMHC
Samantha Tilton is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who received her master’s degree from Suffolk University in 2015. Samantha is trained in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TFCBT). She is currently undergoing training to become certified in the Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach (A-CRA) to address substance use in the adolescent population. Samantha began her work at the Triumph Center as an intern in 2014. She completed her internship and continued to co-lead groups in the Triumph Center Group Program. Samantha then transitioned at the Triumph Center to individual and family counseling. Outside of Triumph Center, Samantha has experience working with children, adolescents, and families in many different areas. She as worked on an inpatient unit, with schools in various capacities, and in community and home settings. Samantha is passionate about helping children and their families reach their full potential by learning skills to improve their overall well-being. Samantha’s therapeutic style is client-driven and strengths-based. Samantha is adept at tailoring her treatment to meet the individual needs of her clients and has versatile interventions to fit the preferences of all clients. She has experience working with anxiety, trauma, ADHD, anger management, and behavioral disorders, among other interests. In her personal life, Samantha spends her free time teaching yoga, traveling, and spending time outdoors.
Join Our Team!
The Triumph Center is hiring! We are currently looking for full-time and part-time licensed clinicians to provide school consultation, individual, family, and/or group counseling. We are also hiring for our summer camp program which has opportunities for clinical hours, supervision, and paid positions.