Archives: People

Dr. Anita Parada, PhD is a Neuropsychologist licensed in New Mexico and Certified Brain Injury Specialist. She was born and raised in Poland. During her education and career, she lived in several countries in Europe and North America. Yet, she fell in love with New Mexico/green chili, moved here with her family, and has joined the HMS to serve her neighbors.

Dr. Parada obtained her PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) in neuropsychology from the University of Warsaw, a postgraduate degree in psychotherapy from the Jagiellonian University in Cracow and completed postdoctoral training in advanced rehabilitation research on mild traumatic brain injury. Before joining HMS, she had worked for five years as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Texas at El Paso.

During her career, Dr. Parada has worked in academic and
clinical settings, doing research, teaching, performing neuropsychological evaluations, and as a psychotherapist. She has worked with the military, veterans, first responders,
people who experienced violence, and athletes with brain and psychological trauma or brain disorders treating cognitive, emotional and behavioral problems.

Dr. Parada integrates various assessments, therapies, and neurorehabilitation in her approach, including behavioral and non-invasive brain stimulation and strong collaboration with other health providers and the community. She believes every person is a unique compilation of body and spirit, a dynamic result of biology, individual, family, human history, and environmental challenges and opportunities.

My name is Nicky Petersen (she/her/hers), and I am the current psychology intern at Northern Navajo Medical Center, Iina Counseling Services. I am earning my Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the APA-accredited Fielding Graduate University. Born and raised in Mumbai, India, my experiences as an immigrant and my previous career as a journalist for Reuters have shaped my interest in becoming a psychologist and understanding culture’s role in mental health. In my academic career, I have consistently sought clinical and research experiences with individuals diagnosed with serious mental illness, trauma, and substance abuse. My professional goal is to serve my community as a general psychologist providing culturally informed clinical care. I have authored manuscripts and have publications under review for topics such as the Benefits of Yoga in Prison and other issues related to social justice and police reform. My research interest reflects my life experiences and the clients I am interested in working with. Through my clinical experience and life experiences, I have learned the significance of social justice issues and diversity. Through data-driven research, I aim to have publications representing the clients I work with and the issues they face in their everyday lives. My passions lie in social justice and advocacy for easy access and appropriate application of evidence-based mental health treatments that are more inclusive and culturally responsive. Through inclusionary research, I strive to fight the stigma associated with mental health, especially in under-resourced and disenfranchised populations.

I am a resident of the Native Land of Wašišiw ítde (Washoe), also known as Fernley, Nevada, which falls in the territory of Numu (Northern Paiute) near Reno, Nevada. I am a mother of two boys, Cash (15) and Rocco (13), and a dog mom to my 11-year-old black lab Ryder. I enjoy working out, paddle boarding at Lake Tahoe in the summers, and watching foreign films and documentaries.

After being born and raised by the ocean in St. Petersburg, Florida, Meya is thrilled to have new adventures in the mystical Gila Wilderness. She is a pre-doctoral clinical psychology intern at Hidalgo Medical Services via the NM – Psychology Internship Consortium. She is currently earning her Ph.D. in clinical health psychology from Virginia State University. She is interested in developing her skills as a culturally competent psychologist who values the intersection of health and culture while honoring clients’ mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being. She was awarded a CEMRRAT-2 research grant for students of color in psychology.  It is her passion to research and cultivates healing spaces for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, Persons of Color) communities.

In addition, she is interested incorporating mindfulness-based therapies from a trauma-informed perspective in treatment settings. She is excited to complete her training with NM-PIC in learning to deliver quality whole-person care to rural New Mexico communities. Her hobbies include being an avid meditator, astrology, and enjoying quality time with loved ones.

Dr. Danielle Barnes is a clinical (forensic) psychologist at the New Mexico Behavioral Health Institute in Las Vegas, New Mexico, where she is currently assigned to the Forensic Division. Dr. Barnes completed her doctorate degree at Alliant International University in San Diego, California and completed her pre-doctoral internship at W. Gary Cannon Psychological Services Center in Fresno, California. Dr. Barnes has both clinical and forensic experience working in private practice, corrections, inpatient, and community clinics. Additionally, she is an adjunct professor for Pepperdine University’s online master’s program. Following licensure, Dr. Barnes has focused primarily on forensic evaluation and completing evaluations of adjudicative competence.

Marie C. Weil, PsyD, ABPP (she/her/ella) is a bilingual (Spanish/English) licensed clinical psychologist in NM and TX, board certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology in clinical health psychology. Dr. Weil is the Psychology Services Director at Hidalgo Medical Services (HMS) and site director of the NM Psychology Internship Consortium. She maintains a clinical health psychology practice in Silver City, New Mexico. Dr. Weil performs culturally and linguistically relevant psychological testing and assessments, psychological consultation, and community training. As faculty of the NM-Psychology Internship Consortium, she collaborates on training and clinical supervision of future psychologists to competently practice in New Mexico’s unique rural communities. Her professional and personal passions are shaped by growing up in multiple border communities in the southwestern US and witnessing the inequalities, inequities, and oppression in lives that have been fundamental in her life journey. With enriched understanding, appreciation, and solidarity, she advocates for optimal access, change, and justice in health care and wellness systems partnering with important stakeholders and community members – promoting wellbeing –  bienestar.

Dr. Weil’s career spans interprofessional collaboration in the Veterans Health Administration, Federal Bureau of Prisons, hospitals, universities, managed care, private practice, community behavioral health, and a FQHC. Dr. Weil teaches graduate social work students at a state university in a bilingual/bicultural concentration program. She earned a PsyD and MS in clinical psychology from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, an MA in applied psychology from Penn State University, and BS in psychology and Spanish from Sweet Briar College.

She is an active member in her local and national community providing both professional and volunteer services. She has extensive lived professional and personal experience in Latin America, the Caribbean, and across the United States. Dr. Weil relishes music, food, culture, travel, and art! Upon return to Silver City (Class of ’90 SHS), she honors the privilege that “life works in mysterious ways.”

Dr. Weil’s clinical and scholarly interests include comprehensive psychological testing and assessment, bilingual clinical supervision, health psychology practice focused on integrated care with co-occurring mental health and substance use challenges and for patients with chronic medical conditions. Her expertise includes chronic pain, health behavior change, palliative, hospice, and end-of-life care. She contributed to impacting multidisciplinary teams, rural adults and families, older adults, limited-English and Spanish-speaking, Veterans, formerly incarcerated, patients with chronic medical and life-limiting illnesses, palliative and hospice patients, survivors and offenders of interpersonal violence, survivors of sexual violence, immigrants and refugees, patients with co-occurring substance use and mental illness, and those with trauma.

Dr. John Moulton is a clinical (forensic) psychologist at the New Mexico Behavioral Health Institute in Las Vegas, New Mexico, where he is currently assigned to the Forensic Division.  Dr. Moulton earned his Ph.D. from St. John’s University in Queens, New York; he completed his pre-doctoral psychology internship at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center (now New York-Presbyterian Hospital).  Following licensure in New York, he worked in private practice for five years while also conducting research related to child/adolescent anxiety and depression at the New York University School of Medicine.  After leaving New York, Dr. Moulton relocated to the Western U.S., where he spent several years working in corrections, before transitioning into forensic evaluation.  For the past six and a half years, Dr. Moulton has been working full-time as a forensic examiner primarily completing evaluations of adjudicative competence.  He is particularly interested in the assessment of response style within the forensic context, as well as sharing this knowledge with both colleagues and supervisees.

Dr. Teresa Arizaga is a psychiatrist and the Chief Mental Health Officer at Hidalgo Medical Services and NM-PIC advisor and adjunct supervisor.  A native New Mexican, Dr. Teresa Arizaga learned the importance of serving her community and medical profession at a young age.  As practitioners in the medical field, her parents were instrumental in instilling a good work ethic, compassionate care and a people centered approach in her practice.   Dr. Arizaga is a product of the Silver Schools (Class of 1991) and obtained her B.A. in Psychology and Chemistry from New Mexico State University. Choosing to remain in New Mexico to be near her family, she earned her M.D. in 2000, completing her residency in psychiatry in 2004 from the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. She practiced at Gila Regional Medical Center beginning in 2005 and remained there for 15 years. She also ran a part time private practice for several years in Silver City, NM.

Entering a new era of practice, Teresa is excited to continue serving her community as the CMHO at Hidalgo Medical Services. It is her hope to continue developing best practices with existing programs and to collaborate with GRMC, county detention centers, local providers, and with others. It is her vision to enhance behavioral health systems for children as well as proactive measures that can come with outpatient support, including drug and alcohol treatment. She believes that together, the potential for continued high quality behavioral health systems can be attained.

Dr. Pat Rowan earned her Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from the Georgia School of Profession Psychology in Atlanta, Georgia. After completing her degree, she did a post-doctoral fellowship at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in adult psychology and psycho educational assessment. She currently serves as a clinical psychologist in general practice with Hidalgo Medical Services in Silver City, New Mexico. Dr. Rowan enjoys training and mentoring new psychologists and feels that the HMS approach integrating medical, psychological, and social services provides an excellent training ground for interns to hone their skills in general mental health as practiced in a multicultural, rural environment.