Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) provides a range of mental health services to help RISD students improve emotional, interpersonal, and academic functioning, including:
- individual and group counseling, at no additional cost, to any matriculated undergraduate or graduate student.
- recommendations to off-campus providers.
- consultation to faculty, staff, and parents who may have concerns about a student.
- outreach events, and training, related to educating and improving mental health within the college community.
- a counselor on call (for after-hours mental health emergencies).
- psychiatric services (upon recommendation from a CAPS counselor).
Emotional wellbeing is essential to personal development and integral to the creative process. Counseling provides students with a space to address issues that may be interfering with your work, and helps you respond to situations befores they escalate.
Staff and provider info
Indira McCall
CAPS Department Coordinator
401 454-6639
imccall@risd.edu
Director, Sherrie Bruner
Education: VS, Johnson University; MA, Johnson University; PhD, University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Clinical interests/specializations: Relational Cultural Theory and Internal Family Systems, LGBTQIA+ mental health, Neurodiversity (Autism/ADHD), and Religious/Spiritual Trauma
Languages spoken: English
Psychiatrist, Dr. Harold Woodcome, MD
Pronouns: He/Him
Education: Brown University, Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons
Psychiatry Residency: Brown University/Butler Hospital
Areas of Interest: Young Adult Psychiatry
Languages spoken: English
Staff Counselor III, Kristina Lavoie
Pronouns: Sher/Her
Education: BFA, RISD; AS, Community College of Rhode Island; MSW, Rhode Island College
Clinical interests/specializations: Polyvagal theory, trauma treatment including EMDR, neurobiology of human behavior, ADHD, human rights, women's health, public health, law.
Languages spoken: English
Intercultural Specialist, Lilyanah Gomes, LMHC-A
Pronouns: She/Her
Education: BS, Howard University; MA, Antioch University
Clinical interests/specializations: post-modern, process-oriented, & person-centered approaches, social justice and sociocultural attunement, embodied living, mindfulness, somatics and body work; serving students with diverse intersecting identities, first generation students, BIPOC students
Languages spoken: English
Psychiatric Resident, Megan Wendolowski
Pronouns: She/Her
Education: BS, Boston College; MD, New York Medical College
Psychiatry Residency: Brown University
Clinical interest/specializations: Child and adolescent psychiatry
Languages spoken: English
Part Time Counselor, Mike Petrarca, LMHC
Pronouns: He/Him
Education: BA, Suffolk University; MA/CAGS, Rhode Island College
Clinical interests/specializations: OCD/anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, ADHD, existential issues, autism spectrum disorders
Languages spoken: English
Part-Time Counselor, Yatyee Lee, LMHC
Pronouns: She/Her
Education: BSSc, the Chinese University of Hong Kong; MA, Rhode Island College
CAGS, Rhode Island College
Clinical interest/specializations: Adjustment, acculturation, relationship, depression, anxiety
Languages spoken: English, Mandarin, Cantonese
All appointments with CAPS can be in person or through telecounseling. Students are encouraged to call CAPS directly at 401 454-6637.
Students must be escorted to the CAPS office. Please call the office when you arrive in the lobby.
For non-crisis referrals: Please encourage students to contact us directly to schedule a needs assessment appointment. Offer to let the student call from your office; calls made outside of office hours will be connected with our after-hours support.