Our Staff
General Partners
Carey Brown, LSW, CSAC, CEAPCarey is a General Partner of Employee Assistance of the Pacific. She has 18 years post master's clinical experience in the mental health field working with adults, adolescents, and children. For the past 10 years she has worked in the employee assistance field providing counseling to employees and their family members, consultation to supervisors and management, and training and education on workplace topics such as workplace violence, drug and alcohol abuse, sexual harassment prevention, change management, and communication skills. She is a licensed social worker, certified substance abuse counselor, and certified employee assistance professional. Carey has lived in Hawai'i since 1981.
Cheryl Prince, LSW, CSAC, CEAPCheryl, a General Partner of Employee Assistance of the Pacific, received both her BA and MSW degrees from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. She has been a Hawai'i resident since 1971 and in 1976 began her work in the helping professions as a Therapeutic Foster Parent. For over twelve years she counseled individuals and families impacted by substance abuse and mental health issues. Her work in the employee assistance field began with Straub EAP in 2001. In addition to her executive role with Employee Assistance of the Pacific, Cheryl is actively involved in counseling adults, children and adolescents, as well as conducting consultations and trainings.
Oahu
Gahiji Barrow, BAGahiji Barrow is the Office Coordinator and handles all of our administrative details. He is a recent addition, joining EAP March of 2007. Gahiji received a bachelor's degree in International Relations from Hawaii Pacific University and an associate's degree from Mercer College in West Windsor, New Jersey. He has been in Hawaii for nearly four years, leaving Oahu only to travel the world and visit the neighbor islands. Originally raised on the eastern seaboard, namely New Jersey, he finds pleasure in reading, hiking, traveling, swimming, snorkeling and socializing with friends.
Lani Leary, PhDLani is a psychotherapist with 25+ years of experience in Employee Assistance programs, mental health agencies, hospices, and private practice. She has training and certifications in substance abuse, crisis management, EMDR, hypnotherapy, and grief counseling. As an end-of-life specialist and thanatologist, she has taught death & dying courses in universities and has spoken at over 250 conferences nationally. Lani was born and raised in Hawaii, and has returned to walk on the beach, sail, and hike after working on the mainland for 33 years.
Joy Milner, LSW, DCSWJoy is a licensed clinical social worker. She has over 20 years experience in the field of mental health, working with adults, couples, and families. For the past 5 years she has been an employee assistance counselor, providing counseling to employees and their families, as well as consultation to supervisors and management. In addition Joy provides training and education on topics such as workplace violence, sexual harassment, conflict resolution, communication skills, and change management. Joy is a licensed social worker; her professional affiliations include the Academy of Certified Social Workers, and the National Association of Social Workers, Diplomate in Clinical Social Work.
Laura Schlesinger, MS, MAC, CEAPLaura is a counselor with Employee Assistance of the Pacific. She has twenty-five years of post-master's clinical experience working with clients of all ages in community mental health, substance abuse, and private non-profit settings. She has worked exclusively in the employee assistance field for the past 13 years, providing counseling to employees and their family members, consultation to supervisors and management, and training and education on various workplace issues. Laura has a master's degree in clinical psychology, holds state and national certifications as a substance abuse counselor, and is a certified employee assistance professional. Laura was born and raised in Hawai'i.
Hawai'i Island
Deborah Chavez, LMFT, PhDDeborah has worked in West Hawaii as a therapist for over 15 years, and in the social service field for over 21 years. She is a licensed marriage and family therapist and holds a doctorate in clinical psychology. Deborah offers individuals, couples, and families assistance with life problems, working with children, ages 2 -18 years, and adults.
Linda Halsted, LSWLinda Halsted has been a professional social worker for over 37 years. She worked for 25 years in the State of Hawaii Mental Health Division. While there, she worked with both adults and children. After her early retirement, she has been involved in working with the Felix Waihee court ordered treatment of children within the school setting, and has worked with public health and elderly services in East Hawaii, mainly through home health agencies. Presently, she is focusing her professional life on Employee Assistance of the Pacific as well as meditation services through the Aloha Mediation Center
Glenn Kondo, DCSW, LCSW, CSACGlenn primarily provides counseling for Employee Assistance of the Pacific clients related to his specialization in substance abuse assessment and treatment.
Pat Sands, MA, LMFTPat has been a practicing clinician in Kona since 1991. She has a broad range of experience working with the multi-cultural population of West Hawaii, including school-age children, adolescents, adults, couples and families. Areas of specialization include sex abuse, substance abuse, trauma, family dysfunction, relationships and communication. Modalities include traditional humanistic, client-centered psychotherapy, EMDR, art therapy and numerous holistic and creative approaches to self-understanding and empowerment.
Kathy Sweetser, MA, LMFTKathy is a Marriage and Family Therapist with licenses both in Hawaii and California. She has extensive experiences working with individuals on work place and personal issues, with couples and families. She is active with Resolve, a national organization which helps people with problems associated with infertility. She also has special experience with caregiver issues.
William Sykes, MDWilliam is a child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist who is also fully trained in pediatrics. He has more than twenty eight years of experience specializing in psychotherapy, including play therapy, medication evaluations, ADHD, depression, and anxiety disorders.
Christine Waters, MA, LMFTChristine has been in private practice for over 30 years both here and in California as a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist. While in Hawaii, she has worked for several Eap's, run a counseling agency, worked for the Felix monitoring project, with the University of Phoenix, and Argosy University. She loves to swim, walk, read, and paint.
Maui
Susan L. Bradford, MA, CEAP, SAPSusan holds an MA degree in Human Development from St Mary's College in Minnesota. After moving to Maui in 1989, she worked as a counselor in substance abuse and mental health programs and provided EAP counseling services to various companies. As a counselor, she has worked extensively with employees on work related and stress management issues, individual, family and couples counseling. She also works as a divorce mediator for the State of Hawaii, Family Court system.
Carol Geer Freitas, LSW, ACSW, QCSWCarol has a BA in Psychology from the University of Georgia and a Master's in Social Work from the University of Hawaii. She has been providing EAP counseling on Maui since 1989. Her areas of specialty include family therapy, relationship therapy, parenting, domestic violence, stress, anxiety, depression, and chemical dependency. She works with children, adolescents, and adults in her private practice in Wailuku.
Kit Gillette, MEdKristin "Kit" Gillette obtained her B.S.in Occupational Therapy from Ohio State University and her Masters in Human Relations from the University of Miami. After living and working in the eastern United States for 50 plus years, she moved to Maui in 1990 Besides counseling, mediation is her passion.
Mark Nowicki, M.S.Mark earned a Masters degree in counseling from the University of Bridgeport in 1985 and has over 25 years of counseling experience working with individuals, families and couples. He has extensive experience working with youth and adults. Mark moved to Maui in 1999 and has worked extensively with Child Protective Services, the School District, and several social services agencies as well as the EAP in such areas as communication, stress management, anger management, problem solving, decision making.
Kauai
Beverly Eager, LCSW, CSACBev is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and is certified in substance abuse counseling as well. She has lived in Hawaii for 27 years where she has a private practice, doing EAP work and contract work for various agencies. Her areas of specialization are marital and couples counseling, domestic violence and anger management, working with teens and families, and EAP brief counseling.
Molokai
Jamie McKinley, LCSWJamie moved from Washington state in 2000 to be the Executive Director of an outpatient substance abuse clinic. His experience is primarily in outpatient mental health and private practice and now works for the State of Hawaii Department of Education.
Eldercare Consultant
Deborah JacksonDeborah returned home to the Islands after an extended absence to become a caregiver for her aging parents. Her background in organizational development and health education led to the creation of Eldercare Hawaii in 2001, providing planning and support consultation for other elder caregivers. She coordinated the Family Caregiver Training Series for 4 years, held Caregiver Support Groups, has been a public speaker on local caregiver topics, and developed EldercareHawaii.com, the top eldercare online resource for the State of Hawaii.