Our Officers
Nathaniel Van Kirk, PhD – President
President of OCD Massachusetts, is a clinical psychologist and researchers specializing in severe/complex OCD. Nathaniel currently works as a research associate at the OCD Institute’s Office of Clinical Assessment and Research (OCAR) and Coordinator of Inpatient Group Therapy at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School. He received his doctoral degree in clinical psychology from Virginia Tech, completing clinical externships at the Houston OCD Program and Salem Virginia Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Prior to accepting a post-doctoral fellowship at the OCD Institute in 2015, Nathaniel completed his pre-doctoral internship at the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, where he received training in severe mental illness, PTSD/Trauma, and substance use disorders. Nathaniel’s clinical and research focus is on the assessment, conceptualization, and treatment of severe/treatment-refractory OCD. Of specific interest are the role of motivation and the impact of PTSD/trauma on treatment outcomes for OCD. Through the integration of clinical and empirical evidence, along with personal experience overcoming OCD, Nathaniel’s research strives to develop innovative methods to assess and conceptualize motivational factors associated with OCD. In addition to clinical research, Nathaniel is involved in efforts to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health, focusing on the importance of bridging the gap between therapists, researchers and those with OCD. Building on his own experiences battling OCD, he co-founded the Therapists and Trainees with OCD Special Interest Group, participated in McLean Hospital’s Deconstructing Stigma Campaign, and runs a local support group for therapists with OCD and related diagnoses who work in the mental health field.
Carla Kenney, LMHC – Vice-President
Vice-President of OCD Massachusetts, began working in the field of psychiatry in 1998. After graduating from college, she worked as a counselor at the OCD Institute at McLean Hospital in Belmont, MA. Knowing she wanted to work with individuals diagnosed with OCD, Carla pursued her Masters in Counseling Psychology from Assumption College in Worcester, MA. She was awarded certificates in both child & family therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy through the Aaron T. Beck Institute for Cognitive Studies. Carla has worked in various settings including schools, intensive treatment programs, residential programs and psychiatric hospitals and currently works as a licensed behavior therapist in private practice treating children, teens and adults with OCD and related disorders. Carla utilizes evidence based treatment, such as Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Exposure Response Prevention (ERP), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). She provides therapy in the community, home and office settings. One of her special interests is working with children and teens diagnosed with Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcus (PANDAS) and Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS). She also enjoys working with children and teens with autism. Carla is a professional member of the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF), Vice President of OCD Rhode Island, which was established in 2017, and the past President of OCD Massachusetts. She founded the OCD & Related Disorders Lecture Series at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester in 2012, which educates the public about OCD and treatment.
Maria Fraire, PhD – Secretary
Dr. Maria Fraire is the Clinical Director of the McLean-Franciscan Community Based Acute Treatment (CBAT) program. As a licensed clinical psychologist she works with youth experiencing a range of emotional and behavioral challenges. Dr. Fraire specializes in the treatment of severe anxiety, OCD, and co-occurring disorders, specifically utilizing cognitive behavioral therapy and exposure and response prevention. In addition to a range of administrative duties, Dr. Fraire oversees the clinical aspects of the program, as well as the training program on CBAT, providing supervision and training to students and staff. As a board member of OCD Massachusetts Dr. Fraire looks forward to continuing to provide education and support to youth experiencing OCD and their families.
Bethany Burke – Treasurer
Bethany is the Treasurer of OCD Massachusetts and is currently a project management analyst at a healthcare research and data company in Boston. She has a Bachelor’s of science in biochemistry with a minor in psychological sciences from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. She directed her study in neuroscience and has a strong interest in researching anxiety disorders. At WPI, Bethany was part of Active Minds, an organization that promotes mental health awareness throughout college campuses and works to break down stigma surrounding mental health issues. She is currently pursuing graduate studies in Public Health where she hopes to study de-stigmatizing mental health disorders and promoting accessibility to treatment. As a board member of OCD Massachusetts, Bethany looks forward to spreading awareness about OCD and supporting those and their families affected by it.
Christina Albano Gugino, LMHC
Christina received her master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Northeastern University. Her OCD-specific training includes several years pre and post-graduation at the McLean Hospital OCD Institute (OCDI) as a Counselor, Researcher, and Behavioral Therapist before joining CBTeam. She worked with and learned from several IOCDF Scientific Advisory Board members with a focus on Home-Based Therapy for OCD. Additionally, she is a board member of OCD Massachusetts, a member of the New England ACT Chapter, and the American Counseling Association. Christina is a frequent attendee and presenter at the International OCD Foundation Conference.
Meghan Schreck, PhD
Dr. Meghan Schreck is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in delivering evidence-based treatments for individuals with OCD and anxiety disorders. Prior to working in private practice, Dr. Schreck worked as a staff psychologist at the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Institute (OCDI) at McLean Hospital. In this role, she provided individual cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and exposure and response prevention (ERP) for patients with severe OCD, led group therapy, and provided supervision to doctoral level trainees. She remains on the faculty of McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Dr. Schreck received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Vermont. She completed her predoctoral internship at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and her postdoctoral fellowship at the OCDI. Additionally, Dr. Schreck completed the Postpartum Support International certificate trainings in Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders and Advanced Perinatal Mental Health Psychotherapy. The treatment she provides also focuses on supporting new parents navigating identity transitions, relationships issues, professional life as a new parent, and anxiety and OCD in the perinatal and postpartum periods.
Jayme Valdez, LMHC
Jayme is a licensed mental health counselor and owner of Clearview OCD Counseling, LLC in Worcester, MA. Jayme has a Masters degree in clinical mental health counseling and expressive arts therapies with a focus on creative and flexible treatment modalities from Lesley University. Jayme has participated in the IOCDF Behavioral Therapy Training Institute and has volunteered as a public speaker for many OCD related forums including the OCDMA and OCDRI lecture series and the IOCDF conference. She has also provided interviews for various podcasts, articles, and social media platforms. Jayme offers supervision, training, and consultation to treatment facilities, doctors, and fellow clinicians. She is particularly interested in providing inclusive treatment for all persons living with OCD, including those with substance use disorders, self-harming behaviors, suicidality, and those in the LGBTQ+ and POC communities.
Sean Shinnock
Sean is currently the Advocacy Coordinator and Creative Specialist at McLean Hospital. In this role, he helps design and produce educational outreach content to help sufferers of Mental Illness fight stigma and motivate sufferers to ask for help by offering creative educational material in accessible ways. In his own time, he is developing projects like “The Monster Initiative” and “Draw Your Monster and speaks publicly about his story both at conferences around the nation, and on different mental health themed podcasts. He plans to merge his artwork and projects into the animation and interactive online universes both for storytelling opportunities, and to motivate and inspire people in more unique and creative ways.
Sean has battled severe OCD comorbid with depression and anxiety for over 28 years but wasn’t officially diagnosed with OCD until he was 32 in 2012. He first started receiving proper treatment for OCD in 2012 which in turn inspired him to start his journey of personal growth and eventually move from Columbus Ohio to Boston in 2014. He has benefited greatly from ACT and Mindfulness therapeutic methods along with the standard ERP and CBT models. As he continues his path of personal growth as an artist, freelancer and entrepreneur in Somerville, MA he hopes to continue to help those who are suffering in a multitude of ways. In time, Sean would like to earn his Peer Support Certification focusing on anxiety related disorders.
As a board member of OCD Massachusetts, Sean looks forward to helping the affiliate grow in creative and inspiring ways. He is excited to help bring the lecture series online as a resource that can be viewed by those who cannot physically attend the lectures, and he is looking forward to help develop expressive art programing in addition to volunteering for general OCD Massachusetts events.