Kasamahan
Nonprofit community enriching Filipino/a/x mental healthcare
About Us
We welcome participants to join events and collaborate when it feels right for them.
We consider you a member of our community if you have participated and stay connected through joining our mailing list. In place of an official membership, we have the option to become more visible in our community as a Kasamahan Sponsor.
Board of Directors
Kasamahan has a Leadership Team of Nonprofit Directors. We are all Filipino/a/x mental health professionals like the members of our community we mainly serve. We consistently work together guided by Kasamahan's Mission and Purpose.
Maria Cristina Castro, PhD, LCPC
Founder
Director of Leadership and Finance
she/her/siya
Illinois Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and Partner at Gray Matter Therapy, PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision at Adler University M.Ed. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and BA in Psychology from DePaul University I was born and raised in the Philippines and immigrated to the USA with my family when I was 12. I am a foodie and adventurer. One of my ultimate goals is to own an animal sanctuary. In the meantime, I support individuals who may struggle and face challenges in their relationship with themselves and others. I primarily work with BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and/or male-identified individuals. Through all these experiences, I recognized our essential need to connect and belong, and that has become my passion for making space for people, especially the Filipino community, to create safe and happy communities.
Edward Fajardo, PsyD
Clinical Director
he/him
Chicago, IL Psychologist in Private Practice, Member of Illinois Psychological Association, Former Clinical Director at Howard Brown Health Center PsyD in Clinical Psychology from Illinois School of Professional Psychology, MA in Social Sciences from University of Chicago, BS in Psychology graduating Cum Laude from Far Eastern University in Manila, Philippines As much as Edward loves his career, he also values his down time. He enjoys spending time with his family (which consists of his husband and two spoiled rotten chihuahuas), reads psychological horror books (the more questionable and unreliable the narrator, the better), and is often thinking about his next international travel plans. Most importantly, he appreciates life and is grateful for what each new day has to offer.
vicepresident@kasamahan.org
dr.edwardfajardo@gmail.com
Michael Morales, LMFT
Director of Leadership
he/him
Beaverton, OR Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Clinical Mentor, Clinical Supervisor, Founder of Michael Morales Counseling MA in Individual and Couples and Family Counseling from George Fox University, BA in Psychology with a minor in Bible from Biola University I am passionate about cultivating spaces, developing methods, and coordinating resources with a heart tuned towards nurturing, training, and shepherding the next generation of helpers and healers. These days you can find me counseling couples, reading, meeting up with clinicians and helpers over cups of coffee, appreciating the Pacific Northwest outdoor life, or watching trains with my wife of almost 15 years and our primary school aged son.
Anna Patricia Panaligan Grgurovic, MA, LPCC- MN, LPC-WI
Director of Education
she/her
Santa Rosa, Laguna, Philippines Counseling, MA and Family Studies and Human Development, BS from The University of Arizona Born in the Philippines, I moved to Minnesota when I was seven years old. I spent my upbringing in the Midwest and attended college in the Southwest, USA. After living in the USA for 26 years, my husband and I decided to move our homebase to the Philippines. I am the mother of two children and enjoy my time spent in the kitchen, traveling, and reading. My clinical work is predominantly in PTSD, major depressive disorder, and generalized anxiety, with some SPMI clients. I am a systems oriented therapist and enjoy working with all ages from 6 to 70+. I intentionally have children, adolescents, adults, and families as clients to help me remain grounded in systems work. I am also a licensed school counselor in the state of MN with specialties in educational equity leadership. My intent is to break systemic barriers of manufactured scarcity in mental health spaces by providing education for mental health. My educational equity leadership training shapes my purpose and intent to decolonize mental health techniques by teaching connections between common empirically based methods and indigenous practices.
Ellen Simpao, PhD
Director of Philanthropy
she/her
New York PhD in Clinical Psychology, Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus; MEd in Counseling Psychology and MA in Organizational Psychology, Teachers College-Columbia University; BS Psychology, Loyola University of Chicago; trained in Clinical Hypnosis and EMDR I am a first generation Filipina-American. My therapeutic approach is wellness centered. I believe that people are doing the best they can. In the past, they may have developed thought and behavior patterns that helped them cope and survive. Over time, these survival mechanisms might become less useful, and a therapeutic intervention can be helpful. I utilize psychodynamic theory to understand a person’s attachments and relationships with primary caregivers, as well as the impact of significant life experiences. I offer a variety of targeted techniques to help patients gain insight and implement changes in their lives which includes the use of cognitive behavioral therapy, EMDR, and clinical hypnosis.
Christine Marie Q. Turner, M.Ed., NCC
Director of Mentorship
she/her/isuna/siya
Virginia National Certified Counselor, National Board for Certified Counselors Pupil Personnel Services License in Pre-K-12 School Counseling, Virginia Department of Education M.Ed. in Counselor Education from the University of Virginia, B.A. in Sociology with a minor in Asian Pacific American Studies I was born in Seattle, Washington, to immigrant parents from Ilocos Sur, Philippines. My family has been in Virginia since 1994 after my dad, who served for 20 years in the U.S. Navy, was stationed in the Hampton Roads region. For 8 years I was a school counselor in Central Virginia, working with middle and high school youth, their families, and school staff on various social-emotional, academic, and career needs. For 5 years, I was a site supervisor for Master's level counseling practicum and internship students. Currently, I am a PhD student in Counselor Education and Supervision at Old Dominion University, hoping to train and mentor future counselors, advocate for Filipino/a/x American mental health, and become a licensed professional counselor (LPC). Outside of work and school, I enjoy spending time with my husband, two dogs, and two cats, as well as reading, writing poetry, and playing piano, guitar, ukulele, and video games.
jezreel cornel, AMFT
Resources and Social Media
Consultant
he/him/siya/ᜐᜒᜌ
San Diego, CA on Kumeyaay Ancestral Lands Marriage and Family Therapist Graduate MS Marriage and Family Therapy San Diego State University, BA Psychology Sacramento State I was born and raised in San Diego, CA. My “area of interest” is narrative therapy, decoloniality and Sikolohiyang Pilipino (Filipino Psychology). One of my end goals is to become a professor specializing in Sikolohiyang Pilipino. Outside, I play Pokemon, beatbox and love sinigang, sushi and ramen. To the ones who have come before us. To our ancestry, lineage and culture. To our community of kapwa ᜃᜉ᜔ᜏ
Judi Flor Adlawan Yapias, LPC, M.Ed.
Community Engagement
she/her/ella/siya
Texas Licensed Professional Counselor and EC - 12 School Counselor, Founder of Adlawan Counseling M. Ed in School & Mental Health Counseling from University of Texas in San Antonio, BA in English Education from University of Iowa I was born in Massachusetts, while both my parents were born in their native countries. My dad immigrated to the States from Huancayo, Peru in his 20s, while my mom immigrated from Naga, Cebu (Philippines) also in her 20s. I worked as a full-time school counselor in Austin, TX for two years, and then I gradually transitioned going into private practice in 2023 while still doing consulting and part-time counseling work with Austin Independent School District. In my work, I have a passion for cultivating warm, safe, and inclusive communities and better understanding and learning about indigenous wisdom and psychology. Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my dog, being with friends, and engaging in a variety of hobbies, such as yoga, cooking, dance, tennis, pottery, and more recently pickleball.
Patricia H. A. Perez, PhD, MEd
Consultant
she/her
Global International Psychologist, Consultant, Speaker PhD in Counseling Psychology with Multicultural Counseling concentration from Loyola University Chicago, MEd in Child Development with Infant Studies concentration from the Erikson Institute, BA in Psychology from Northwestern University. Patricia (Trish) H. A. Perez, PhD is adjunct faculty, Department of Psychology, at Adler University Chicago. She has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in human development and psychology for almost 30 years. Some of her areas of research and practice expertise include mental health and wellness, Sikolohiyang Pilipino, human rights, positive parenting, disabilities and neurodiversity, international psychology, career development/life coaching, child abuse and neglect, gender-based violence, and third culture kids/adults (TCK/As). Dr. Perez is a Visiting Professor in the College of Science and the Graduate School at the University of Santo Tomas, Manila.
Kasamahan's Logo
The Kasamahan logo by Eliza Jade Brown, LCSW-S is a rendition of an image found by Cristina of a Filipino flag in a semicolon shape by an unknown artist.
(Let us know if you know their name to give them credit!)
Our logo is meant to represent Filipino/a/x solidarity in mental health care destigmatization.