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Counseling Center Staff
Our dedicated team is here to support you every step of the way.
Each member of our staff brings a unique blend of experience, expertise, and empathy to create a safe and welcoming environment for everyone. Learn more about Drake University's Counseling Center staff below.
Jackie K. Robinson
Office Manager, She/Her/Hers
Jackie has been our Student Health Center office manager for over 15 years. She remains dedicated to assisting our students in scheduling health and counseling center appointments.
Kayla Bell-Consolver, MS, LMHC-S
Director and Therapist, She/Her/Hers
Kayla identifies as a proud Black, lesbian, cisgender woman, and community mental health advocate. She has worked in the mental health field since 2016. She completed her undergraduate degree in Psychology at Drake University in 2016 and received her Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Drake University in 2019. She is a QPR Gatekeeper instructor, which is a suicide prevention practice that teaches you effective ways to prevent suicide. She is a Certified Internal Family Systems Therapist and also utilizes EMDR, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, and places an emphasis on the approaches that are most comfortable for therapy participants. In her work, Kayla focuses on trauma informed healing practices, with an emphasis on racial and LGBTQ+ related trauma and historically oppressed/discriminated populations, inner child work, suicide prevention, and shame/low self-esteem.
She believes that individuals often have the tools within themselves to heal and utilizes therapeutic tools to help individuals uncover this to enhance their sense of self and ability to feel secure, confident, empowered, and peaceful within their lives. Kayla has experience in PTSD, borderline personality traits, depression, anxiety, stressors related to discrimination, relationship issues, low self-esteem, and grief and loss. In her free time, Kayla enjoys dancing, content creating, playing the clarinet and basketball, powerlifting, and spending time with loved ones.
Kayla is a certified One Iowa approved inclusive provider for the LQBTQ+ community.
Tyler Jacobs-Lewis, MS, NCC, LMHC, tCADC
Lead Counselor He/Him/His
Tyler has worked in the mental health field since 2017. Tyler graduated from Iowa State University with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. He received his master's degree in clinical mental health counseling in 2022 from Drake University. Tyler's clinical interest areas are Trauma and Grief. Tyler is TF-CBT and EMDR trained. Tyler believes in understanding a client and their whole story. Therapy is collaboration, exploration, and learning. Through these tenets, clients can feel safe to explore their story on their terms. In his free time, Tyler enjoys hanging out with family and friend, traveling, listening to music, watching tv, and hanging out with his cats.
Tyler is a certified One Iowa approved inclusive provider for the LQBTQ+ community and Certified in Drug and Alcohol Abuse .
John Roarick, MSW, LISW
Therapist, He/Him
John’s desire in counseling is to assist students with identifying variables that impact their wellbeing and promote feelings of positive self-worth. John values authenticity and aims to create a space where students feel accepted, heard, and understood. He uses a variety of modalities including EMDR, DBT, CBT, and psychoeducation to support students with achieving their therapeutic goals.
John has worked in the field of counseling, mental health , and social work for more than ten years. He has experience working with individuals with a range of diagnoses and concerns that vary from mild to complex. John feels fortunate his professional experience includes significant time working with individuals from various racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds and individuals from the LGBTQ+ community.
In his free time, John enjoys spending time with his daughters and loved ones. He makes time for learning, watching sports, listening to Spotify, creative outlets, and conversation with friends.
Emma Caster, MS, tLMHC
Therapist, She/her
Emma believes that therapy should be driven by client goals and rooted in mutual respect and understanding. She strives to reduce power imbalances in the therapy office in order to decolonize therapy practices. She uses a strengths based approach that focuses on the unique abilities and gifts we all possess to drive personal and community growth. She focuses on creating a welcoming sensory environment in her office and allows accommodations for clients to maximize their comfort. She enjoys incorporating play to ease relationship building and reduce the pressure to talk.
Emma has worked in the mental health field since 2017. She received her master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Drake University in 2023. She is trained in Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Play Therapy and Gender Affirming Care. Emma’s areas of clinical interest are Trauma, Anxiety, and Gender and Sexual Orientation Identity Exploration.
In her free time, you might find Emma at the Varsity Cinema, walking her dog with her wife, sipping an iced coffee or playing board games with friends. She also enjoys going to live stand-up comedy shows and concerts.
Emma is a certified One Iowa approved inclusive provider for the LQBTQ+ community.
Amari Love, MS, T-LMHC
Therapist, She/Her
Amari's passion for Mental (Brain) Health began as early as high school, but has been exponential since then. She graduated with her undergraduate degree in Psychology from Drake University in 2021. Amari also holds her Masters of Science in Clinical Mental Health & Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling. As a Black woman who is queer-identifying, Amari has expertise in working with folx who are a part of the LGBTQIA+ Community, those who experience anxiety, depression, needs assistance with coping or handling shame, those battling with grief or loss, folx of marginalized identities, and those who have experienced childhood trauma.
Trained to utilize modalities such as Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), Amari takes a humanistic (person-centered) & dialectical behavior approach in walking with clients through their journey of healing. Oftentimes, the things we’re in sought of are held within us, we just need time to discover them :)
Amari has the pleasure of serving as the Co-Chair on the Physical & Mental Health Committee for the Des Moines Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. In addition to this, she has been certified in QPR (Question, Persuade, and Refer- aiding Suicide Prevention) and previously volunteered as a Violence Intervention Partner.
In her spare time, she loves to play volleyball, blast music, be creative (make art, building new things, writing poetry etc), cook, organize and nap.
How can Amari assist you in your journey of growth, reflection, & healing?
Becky Jo
Student Intern, She/her
Becky Jo is here to be a part of the solution. She meets people where they are and is unwavering in her unconditional love for the people who offer her the honor of offering them care. Her community is vast in age, race, gender, religion, and all the things. She believes in the depth of connection and growth and beauty that comes from engaging and embracing many ways of life and living.
She has three children that fueled her passion for compassion and self-growth. She embraces a passion for serving her community and finds that she is happiest when giving. She has grown and evolved in such a way that enables her to pour her heart, body, and spirit into holding space for those who seek embrace.
Becky Jo has served families in the social work world since 2017. She earned her undergraduate degree in Liberal Studies from ISU in 2019 and held with great respect the opportunity to serve as an AmeriCorps VISTA at LSI’s Refugee Connection Center. She is now achieving degrees in Licensed Mental Health Care and a Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling. She plans to continue on to achieve her PhD, hoping to study the effects of psychedelics on neuroplasticity, specifically regarding the treatment of PTSD and treatment-resistant depression.
Her ways of care include CBT, Mindfulness, Forest Therapy, and she intends to strengthen her techniques in providing DBT, serving individuals with Borderline experiences. In addition, she wants to be outside where she herself is at her best. Don’t be surprised if you see her outside barefoot.
Becky Jo seeks to bring a balance of power between herself as a provider of care and her therapy participants by decolonizing care. We are human. We are together. We are good.
In her personal time, Becky Jo loves to read, cook, paint, swim, hike, volunteer, and explore ideas. What ideas for your brain health do you want to explore?
Jess Villegas
Practicum Student, She/her
Jess hopes to bring an integrated and creative approach to her work with you while providing space for growth and personal development through mutual empathy and empowerment. She believes that authenticity is the core for creating successful relationships. Jess values the individual experiences of each person that steps into the therapeutic space with her and believes that healing and growth is possible for everyone. Some of her favorite approaches are based in mindfulness, somatic, and relational-cultural theories. She graduated with her bachelor's degree in integrated Studio Arts from Iowa State University in 2011 before pursuing her passion for helping people through the Drake Counseling program. Prior to coming to Drake, she worked in the non-profit world providing inclusive and supportive community art experiences and classes for all ages while also receiving her 200hr Yoga Teacher Training certificate. She has been a part of the art and music community in Des Moines for the last 15 years.
In her free time Jess enjoys making music and art with friends as well as creating from her home studio. You can find her watching fantasy, b-horror and sci-fi flicks with her cats and spouse in the evenings, and swimming laps, lifting or biking in the early mornings and weekends.
Lisa Kinkade
Practicum Student, She/Her
Lisa earned her undergraduate degree from Iowa State University and a graduate degree from the University of Kansas, and she is currently a graduate student in the MS Counseling program at Drake University. She’s especially drawn to supporting individuals around trauma, suicide, anxiety, grief, and neurodivergence, while welcoming anyone who wants a safe space to talk. Her goal is to create a supportive space where you can share whatever is on your mind.
She believes each person is the expert of their own story, and her role is to listen with care, offer support and education, and create a space where you feel seen and heard. She draws from approaches like IFS and EMDR, and above all, she wants students to feel safe, understood, and not alone. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, walking with her dog, watching sports and movies, and reading.
Heather Watson MS, LMHC, NCC, IADC
Bulldog Recovery Facilitator, She/Her
Heather is the owner of Harmony Within Counseling LLC, specializing in addiction recovery and trauma healing. She recognizes the profound impact of generational trauma, particularly within marginalized communities, and believes in the transformative power of introspective exploration and self-expression. Utilizing a person-centered approach, Heather provides gentle guidance to help clients manage depression and anxiety arising from grief, relational challenges, and everyday pressures. Her commitment to fostering resilience and well-being empowers individuals to uncover their strengths and achieve lasting healing in a supportive environment.
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November 25, 2025
