TCHATT Team
Kelly Savage Sopchak, PhD, LSSP
Dr. Kelly Sopchak is a psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry and manager of the Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine (TCHATT) program.
Dr. Sopchak has worked with Dr. McCord to build the Texas A&M University TCHATT program and oversees the provision of mental health services to K-12 students throughout Brazos Valley. She engages and collaborates with schools to develop multidisciplinary care teams, focused on increasing mental wellness, academic engagement and achievement, and mental health awareness.
Dr. Sopchak has extensive experience working with children and adolescents in schools and juvenile facilities. Prior to joining the TBC team, Dr. Sopchak led the crisis response team for one of the largest school districts in the United States. She has expertise in risk assessments and crisis intervention, as well as working with youth experiencing significant psychological distress. Dr. Sopchak is passionate about serving children and adolescents and improving their mental health care system.
Dr. Sopchak received her bachelor of arts in psychology from University of Houston-Clear Lake, master of arts in clinical psychology from University of Houston-Clear Lake, and doctorate in counseling psychology from University of Houston.
Megan Kresse, EdS
Megan is a second-year doctoral student in the School Psychology program at Texas A&M University. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Psychology in 2013 and her Education Specialist degree in School Psychology in 2016 from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. She has previous experience working as a Licensed Specialist in School Psychology (LSSP) in the Houston area. In this role, she focused on psychological assessment and counseling as a related service. She has experience working with children and adolescents presenting with a wide range of emotional and behavioral concerns in schools.
Cynthia Lang, MEd
Cynthia is a fifth-year doctoral student in the School Psychology program at Texas A&M University. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from The University of Texas at Austin in 2016 and a Masters in Educational Psychology from Texas A&M University in 2017. Cynthia incorporates evidence-based cognitive behavioral interventions and a systemic approach in her work with clients. She has experience serving children, adolescents, and young adults in school, community and medical settings. Cynthia has seen clients with a wide variety of presenting behavioral and emotional concerns, including depression, anxiety, adjustment concerns, grief and loss, self-harm, suicidality, oppositional/defiant difficulties, and executive functioning difficulties. Cynthia’s research and clinical interests include anxiety in adolescents and the psychosocial effects of chronic medical diagnoses.
Daira Rodriguez, MA
Daira is a second-year doctoral student in the School Psychology program at Texas A&M University. She currently serves as a Counselor for the Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine (TCHATT) program and a Practicum Counselor for the Texas A&M Counseling and Assessment Clinic (CAC). Daira received her MA in School Psychology from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2017, along with a certification in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and Language Acquisition and Bilingual Psycho-educational Assessment. She is currently licensed as a Licensed Specialist in School Psychology (LSSP) and holds certification as a Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP). Furthermore, Daira is presently working towards becoming a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). Before moving to Texas, Daira spent her early childhood in Mexico. She is bilingual and has a passion for working with bilingual children and families. She was previously employed as an LSSP, providing psychological services to elementary-aged children. The scope of her practice and experience include autism spectrum disorder, learning disabilities, anxiety, depression, and more. She has also provided behavior therapy to children with developmental disabilities in home and clinical settings.
Liabette A. Rodriguez-Escamilla, MA
Liabette Rodriguez-Escamilla is a first-year counseling psychology doctoral student at Texas A&M University. She obtained her masters in 2020 from Texas A&M International University in counseling psychology. Liabette gained her clinical experience at Texas A&M International’s student counseling services office where she worked with primarily Latinx, college-aged students who were experiencing anxiety, depression, and relationship issues. Liabette takes a humanistic approach to counseling and uses techniques from solution-focused, positive psychology, and cognitive-behavioral therapy. She strives to create a safe space for her clients to realize their potential and establish healthy coping skills. Liabette’s research is focused on multicultural counseling, religion and therapy, and cultural self-awareness. Liabette is currently working as a counselor in the TCHATT program.
Mariah Stickley, MEd
Mariah is a fourth-year counseling psychology doctoral student at Texas A&M University. She obtained her bachelor's degree from East Tennessee State University in 2017 and her master's degree from Texas A&M University in 2018. Mariah has experience working with clients experiencing depression, anxiety, and behavioral concerns as well as trauma-related disorders, self-harm, and suicidality. Mariah’s approach to therapy is trauma-informed and collaborative. She focuses on empowering her clients to identify and utilize existing strengths as well as build new coping skills to aid in managing distress. She works from a Cognitive Behavioral framework and utilizes techniques from a wide range of evidence-based treatments to provide her clients with the best possible care. Mariah’s research is focused on the medical resident education and recognition of trauma disorders in primary care settings.
Aileen Terrazas, MA
Aileen Terrazas is a first year PhD student in the Counseling Psychology program at Texas A&M University. Aileen works as a graduate assistant as part of the Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine program where she provides Telehealth counseling services in English and Spanish to children and adolescents in schools. Growing up in a border town and having worked with immigration shelters, Aileen's interests include working with underserved communities, researching issues affecting immigrant children, adolescents and their families, as well as issues concerning the LGBT+ population within the latino/hispanic community. Aileen enjoys working with individuals from various cultural backgrounds and strives to provide a multicultural and bilingual approach to counseling.
Rachana Talekar, MPH
Rachana is the Technology Coordinator for Telebehavioral Care. She obtained her master's in public health degree in 2020 from Boston University. She works with the technology used within the program including the EHR system and HIPAA compliant video conferencing platform. Additionally, she aids in resolving any technical or programmatic issues hindering client-provider sessions.
Simone Hutchins Lewer
Simone Hutchins Lewer is the TCHATT Administrator for Telebehavioral Care. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Psychology in 2018 from Texas A&M University. She has always wanted to be a part of the difference that Texas A&M creates for their students and the surrounding communities. Simone is extremely passionate about psychology and her focus is to educate and raise awareness regarding the stigmas surrounding mental health and its field. As a TCHATT Administrator, she works alongside the technology coordinators, doctoral students, and psychologists to ensure the Telebehavioral Care program and TCHATT program runs as efficiently as possible.
Amanda Kapchinski, LPC
Amanda Kapchinski is a Licensed Professional Counselor for Telebehavioral Care and a counselor for the Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine (TCHATT) program. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Psychology in 2012 from Texas A&M University and a Masters of Arts in Professional Counseling from Texas State University in 2015. Amanda believes adverse experience and chronic symptoms can over time create coping strategies that perhaps worked when originally formed but have become stuck and unhelpful in the present. Amanda works with clients to form trust and mutual respect—a foundation on which these old ways of being can be discarded and new, more adaptive, ways can be safely practiced and integrated. Amanda uses a trauma informed framework in her work with clients, balancing evidence-based strategies with a warm and caring approach. Amanda has experience with an array of client concern across multiple settings, including long-term residential treatment, private practice, and school based services; Amanda is excited to bring her years of experience in providing counseling to children and adolescents to the TCHATT program.