Family Therapy and Consultation Services

Our Team of Professionals

Meet our licensed staff of professionals.

FTxCS / UFS staff of professionals includes Licensed & Associate Licensed Master’s Level Therapists, Board Certified Behavior Analysts and Assistants, and Behavior Assistants.

Our wonderful staff have a wide range of specialties and are culturally representative of the families in the region.

Akilah Debeau

Akilah DeBeau, LMFT

CEO

Akilah is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in NJ and PA, a Certified Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapist, and an AAMFT-Approved Supervisor.  She began working in the mental health field as an intern with Family Therapy and Consultation Services in 2011. Akilah received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Women’s and Genders Studies from The College of New Jersey in 2011 and Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Drexel University in 2013.  Akilah has always had a passion for working with youth and their families and has worked both in intensive in-home services and outpatient settings. Through compassion, non-judgment, and empathy, she works to establish a positive working relationship with her clients and supervisees to help them feel comfortable and supported. Akilah takes a systemic, strength-based and trauma-informed approach and strives to help empower youth and their families to know that they have the abilities to heal and navigate life’s obstacles. 

Michael McKee, LPC, ACS

Michael McKee, LPC, ACS

President/CFO/IIC Clinical Director

Mike is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Approved Clinical Supervisor, and has worked with children and families in a variety of settings since 2004. Mike completed his Bachelor’s degree at St. Joseph’s University and his Master’s degree in Clinical Counseling Psychology at LaSalle University. He is an enthusiastic and knowledgeable therapist who enjoys working with diverse populations. He incorporates a variety of therapeutic orientations into his practice, including, but not limited to, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Person-Centered Therapy, Trauma-Focused therapy, and Parent-Child Interaction Therapy. Mike’s philosophy of counseling consists of providing an environment of empathy and unconditional positive regard in which children and families can feel safe in developing a greater ability to communicate and employ appropriate therapeutic techniques to facilitate change.

Marcus Meara, LPC, ACS

Marcus Meara, LPC, ACS

Chief Operating Officer

Marcus is a Licensed Professional Counselor and an Approved Clinical Supervisor. After earning his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at the Catholic University of America, he went on to receive his Master’s in Clinical Counseling at LaSalle University. His journey with FTxCS began in August of 2009 as an intern during his time in graduate school. Marcus’s background and experience focuses on working with at-risk youth. His joy and passion comes from working with youth who realize their potential by overcoming ever present obstacles.
Marcus utilizes a systemic approach to counseling in order to empower youth and families and encourage them to apply their skills in daily living. He feels that his work is strongly supported by the family-like atmosphere that exists in the working environment at Family Therapy and Consultation Services/United Family Services. 

Nancy Kline Gold

Nancy Kline Gold,LPC

Founder and Vice President

Nancy Kline Gold is a Licensed Professional Counselor in New Jersey and an Approved Supervisor for the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. She received her Master’s degree in Psychological Services in Education from the University of Pennsylvania and her post-master’s Certification in Family Therapy and School Consultation from the Philadelphia Child Guidance Clinic. Ms. Gold has over 30 years’ experience in developing programs for youth and families; she has devoted many years of study and practice to working with and changing families, schools and other systems. Nancy served on many community and state boards such as the Camden County Youth Services Commission and the Governor’s Advisory Committee for Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, where she was able to bring a focus on family intervention to local and statewide policy and funding decisions. She is President of the Board for the Minuchin Center for the Family.

Sharon Lancaster

Sharon Lancaster

Director of Administration

Sharon has over 40 years experience in the Administrative field. As Administrative Director, Sharon oversees all administrative functions of the agency. She is very goal and detail oriented and is primarily responsible for assisting employees, providers and third parties to navigate the paperwork often required in the social work and mental health field. She is often a liaison between the State or referring entities to assure a positive outcome to sometimes difficult situations involving financial obligations or expectations. Whether it’s an explanation of required paperwork, a sounding board or an ear on a difficult day, she handles each situation to resolution as it arises.

Sharon has always enjoyed helping others understand business practices and procedures, as well as the importance of organization. She has experience as a consultant providing administrative and technical support to individuals. Her first full time job, at age seventeen, was Administrative Assistant to the Principal of an Elementary School. Over the years, she has enriched her knowledge by supporting many top level executives in industries spanning from Commercial Insurance, Aquatic Sciences and Human Services.

Emily Gilch

Emily Gilch, BCBA

Director of
ABA Services

Emily Gilch is a board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA). She graduated from Temple University (2014) majoring in Speech, Language, & Hearing, and completed her M.A. in Special Education at Ball State University (2019). She trained at a specialized school as an instructional assistant and in-home service provider for several years, specializing in applied behavior analysis techniques for adolescents with developmental disabilities, specifically autism spectrum disorder.

 

Emily rigorously provides services to increase socially significant behaviors within various settings to a range of individuals from 3 to 18 years of age with disabilities while decreasing maladaptive behaviors. As a BCBA, her goal is to create an environment that fits the needs of individuals and their families using a variety of interventions, such as functional communication training, verbal behavior, discrete trial training, and differential reinforcement. She strives to collaborate with colleagues and families to produce successful long-term positive behavior changes for individuals. Emily provides supervision to Registered Behavior Technicians and graduate students seeking to obtain their BCBA and BCaBA certification. 

Stephanie Eisenstein

Stephanie Eisenstein, LMFT

Director of
Outpatient Services

Stephanie is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and has been working with clients since 2015. Stephanie earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology at Rowan University and then went on to receive her master’s degree in marriage and family therapy at Drexel University. She is in the process of becoming an AAMFT approved supervisor for NJ and PA (Early 2024) where she will be supervising graduate program interns and LAMFT’s working towards licensureStephanie is trained in trauma focused CBT through CARES Institutes, Arc Grow and Nurtured Heart Approach. She is knowledgeable with cultural competency and is experienced in working with diverse populations. Her passion includes working with teenagers, young adults, families and couples. Stephanie has worked in many environments such as partial hospitalization programs (PHP), intensive outpatient programs (IOP), Outpatient programs and in-home counseling. She has worked with a variety of individuals suffering from depression, anxiety, addiction, mood disorders, personality disorders, parenting, attachment, trauma, LGBTQ, and high functioning autism. Stephanie is goal oriented and works from a solution focused approach. She places emphasis on personalized therapy, as she feels everyone’s journey is different. Stephanie prides herself on being supportive and helping her clients overcome obstacles and achieve milestones. 

Leah Minuche

Leah Minuche

Compliance and Quality Assurance Director

Leah is the Director of the Compliance and Quality Assurance Program. Prior to joining the agency, Leah earned her bachelor’s in psychology from Rutgers University. After working as a Behavioral Technician, Leah developed a passion for providing direct services to children with mental and developmental disabilities. Leah is now pursuing her master’s degree in social work from Rutgers University and is expected to graduate in May 2024. Leah works in urban communities within Camden and Gloucester County. She is able to bridge the gap for Latino families by offering culturally competent services in their own language. Leah has held many roles within the agency, including Clinical Coordinator, and behavioral assistant. Leah plans to continue pursuing her career goals through Family Therapy with the end goal of becoming a Licensed Clinician. 

Letycia Figeuroa

Letycia Figeuroa, LMFT

Director of IBHS Services - Philadelphia

Letycia is a bilingual AAMFT Clinical Fellow and an Approved AAMFT Supervisor. She holds a Masters of Family Therapy from Drexel University and Licensure in PA. She utilizes Systemic Relational therapies, Contextual Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Trauma informed approaches when working with individuals, couples, families, and groups. Letycia has specialized in working with adolescents and families working through anxiety, depression, challenges faced during and after immigration, attachment issues, family relational conflict and trauma. Letycia’s philosophy begins with understanding the experience of the individual seeking help. She believes creating a safe space for their experience to be shared is the first step to creating new connections, reaching their goals, and supporting healthy relationships. As a clinical supervisor, her focus is on the professional development of therapists working towards their identity as therapists and supporting them towards goals for licensure. She utilizes Person of the Therapist with a Family Systems Theoretical Orientation. 

Tom Hoshall

Tom Hoshall

Director of Human Resources

Tom has over 15 years of HR experience. As the Director of HR, he researches, plans, develops, organizes, implements, directs and evaluates the agency’s human resources strategy, function, and performance. He collaborates with the Executive Team to understand the agency’s organizational goals and strategy related to recruiting, onboarding, staffing, training, and retention of talent. Tom also creates and audits job descriptions, researches compensation data, and makes hiring recommendations to the directors of the programs. Tom is a key player in the onboarding process for newly hired staff, including orientation, director communication, preparing new hire interview processes, background checks, and data entry and analysis. As the Director of HR, he participates in the development, design, of retention programs and strategies. Tom is always happy to assist a staff member with a question regarding the agency or a document.

STAFF SPOTLIGHT!

Every month we like to highlight a staff member that has provided exceptional services for FTXS/UFS. This month’s staff spotlight is on:

Therapist Spotlight Paige (IIC)