Annecy Baez, Ph.D., Director

Dr. Annecy Baez earned her master's degree from Hunter School of Social Work and her doctorate from New York University School of Social Work. She has been a clinical social worker for the past twenty-four years, providing individual, family, and group psychotherapy at such agencies as the Madeline Borg clinic of the Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services in the Bronx, the Hispanic Clinic at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, and the Western Queens Consultation Center. She was formerly the director of the Diagnostic Center at Julia Dyckman Andrus Memorial, where she worked with traumatized children and their families. Prior to joining Lehman College, she was an assistant professor at New York University School of Social Work, where she taught clinical practice. Professional interests include brief counseling in college settings, clinical supervision, psychological trauma and its consequences, and the use of arts for healing and wellness, college adjustment, as well as the use of mindfulness for stress management.

Ingrid Hiraldo, B.S., Office Assistant

Ingrid Hiraldo received her undergraduate degree in computer information systems from Lehman College. Prior to joining the Counseling Center staff, she worked as a college assistant in the College's Purchasing office and in the Payroll and Budget Office. When you call the Counseling Center you will most often be greeted by Hiraldo, who is always happy to assist faculty and students.

Carmen Diaz, L.C.S.W.

Carman Diazhas been a counselor at the College since February 2007. She obtained her bachelor's degree in psychology from New York University and her master's degree from Columbia University School of Social Work. She has worked as a clinical social worker for the past ten years, providing individual, family, and group psychotherapy to diverse, multicultural urban communities in New York and Rhode Island mental health settings. She was formerly the Unit Administrator for the Children and Adolescent Unit at Soundview-Throgs Neck CMHC/ Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Her clinical background includes individual psychotherapy, family therapy, parent training, stress management, supportive and psycho-education groups. She is specifically interested in spiritual counseling.

Nicole Madonna, L.C.S.W.

Nicole Madonna

Valerie Baker, L.M.H.C., R.Y.T.

Valerie Baker is a licensed mental health counselor and a registered yoga teacher. She holds a master's degree in psychological counseling from Teachers College of Columbia University. Baker has been a full-time counselor at Lehman College since February 2009. She sees students for individual sessions and also runs groups and workshops. Her approach to counseling is holistic, fostering an individual's growth and healthy development in the mental, physical, emotional, spiritual, and social areas. Her interests include yoga, meditation, poetry, and other creative arts.

Jasmine Jusino McGilchrist, M.S.Ed.

Jasmine Jusino McGilchrist is a part-time mental health counselor who works primarily on the Freshmen Year Initiative (F.Y.I.) program. McGilchrist conducts outreach on campus via in-class presentations and hosts information tables to build awareness of psychological services. She facilitates weekly study skills counseling workshops that are geared toward assisting students in their transition to college. McGilchrist administers assessments that identify both scholastic and personal strengths, and provides individual counseling sessions to promote self development. McGilchrist earned her B.B.A. in industrial/organizational psychology from Baruch College and her M.S.Ed. in counseling from Fordham University.

Bridget Hughes, M.A.

Bridget Hughes is a consultant who provides organizations and institutions with expertise in the areas of sexual orientation, gender identity, and adolescent development, as well as school safety, reducing bias violence, and HIV-prevention. Hughes spent eighteen years working at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (L.G.B.T.) Community Center in Manhattan, where she developed and directed the Youth Enrichment Services (Y.E.S.) program for L.G.B.T. youth and spearheaded the creation of the first and only free summer-camp program for L.G.B.T. youth in the country.

Under Hughes's direction, the Y.E.S. program received The Mental Hygiene Award from the City of New York in 2000 in recognition of service excellence and exceptional program performance, and was cited as a model substance abuse prevention program by the Division of Consumer Health Education of the University of Medicine and Dentistry/Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in 1995. Before leaving the Y.E.S. program and the Center, Hughes received a PASEsetter Award for outstanding contributions to the field of after-school education.

Hughes has provided professional development training on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth issues for a wide array of audiences in the field of social services and education, including the New York City Administration for Children's Services, the New York City Department of Education, National Development and Research Institutes, Inc., the New York State Division of AIDS Services, the Covenant House Training Institute, and New York University Silver School of Social Work. In 2007, Hughes was awarded a Charles H. Revson Fellowship for the Future of the City of New York, a year of self-directed study for civic leaders at Columbia University.