Venita Qualls, LMHC

President

Venita

France Neff, LMHC

President-Elect

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee

France A. Neff, Ph.D., is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Board Certified Coach, Author, and Dance Minister.   France appreciates the arts and incorporates them into her work when appropriate. She enjoys teaching, coaching, counseling, and helping others find their passion. France adapts easily in any environment, establishes rapport quickly, stays calm in situations, and makes ethical judgments. 

France is married, has two children, and two grandchildren.  She is the President and CEO of a transitional housing program for families experiencing homelessness.  She serves with passion and commitment to helping each parent develop the skills to create a stable environment for themselves and their children, so that both parent and children can reach their full potential.  France believes that we can all reach our full potential with a little bit of guidance and encouragement.

John Ciervo, LMHC

Past-President

Nominations & Elections Committee

Ethics Committee

With over 20 years of experience in behavioral health counseling and crisis intervention, John J. Ciervo is a respected consultant specializing in clinical mental health, crisis response, and holistic therapy. He previously served as President of the Mental Health Counseling Association of Massachusetts, demonstrating strong leadership and advocacy in the field. His expertise includes Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), anxiety disorders, grief education, and support for LGBTQ+ communities. In addition to managing a private practice, he works as an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) crisis provider and has held faculty roles in clinical mental health counseling. John holds a Master of Education in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and an advanced master’s degree in Holistic Therapy, showing his commitment to integrative, client-centered care.

John is currently a specialist (CIRT) for critical incident on-site response in Massachusetts at CCAinc. John also works as an on-site clinician for Spring Health at Delta Air Lines in Boston.

B. Quinn Hayes, LMHC

Secretary

Quinn

Christine Cassidy, LMHC

Treasurer

Administrative Manager

MCEAP Director

Christine has been a member of MaMHCA since 2012 and has held numerous leadership roles within the organization. These include serving as a liaison to Master’s-level counseling programs, Board Secretary, and, currently, Treasurer. She also functions as the Business Manager and MCEAP Director for MaMHCA.

Christine has extensive experience in higher education, having served as an Assistant Dean for Clinical Field Experience and as an adjunct faculty member. She was also President of the Massachusetts and Rhode Island Association of Counselor Educators and Supervisors (MARIACES) from 2018 to 2019.

Her clinical background includes work as a family therapist in a residential treatment setting, as well as extensive experience providing substance use disorder services and serving as an Employee Assistance Program provider. Christine currently maintains a private practice.

Christine holds a Master’s degree in Counseling with a focus on holistic approaches and the mind–body–spirit connection in psychological well-being. She is a certified DBT specialist with a strong focus on mindfulness-based practices.

Joseph Weeks, LMHC, MACCS

Executive Director/CEO

Public Policy & Legislative Committee

Joseph has served MaMHCA for more than a decade, most recently as Director of Public Policy and Legislation, before transitioning into his current role as Executive Director. He brings extensive executive leadership experience overseeing organizations across a variety of settings and contractual environments.

A registered mental health lobbyist for over 10 years, Joseph has played a key role in advancing policy initiatives that support mental health counselors and the communities they serve. He also serves in several municipal leadership capacities, including as a Selectman for the Town of Hanson.

Jennifer Hurley, LMHC

Membership Committee

Jenn Hurley, LMHC has served on the board as the Membership Communications Committee chair since 2016. She previously served on the committee as a volunteer and participates in the awards committee and by-laws committee. Jenn has additionally served as the Private Practice Director and works on the staff team as a special project manager. You can find Jenn at our monthly membership coffee hours chatting about various MaMHCA and practice updates, participating in the MaMHCA book club, teaching the private practice workshop or hosting our virtual open house. Jenn currently is in private practice, and teaches as adjunct faculty at Framingham State University. She has a passion for ethics codes, turning clinical teaching topics into games and encouraging her cats to join her on zoom calls. 

Midge Williams, LMHC

Emeritus Executive Director

Midge is a Past President of the Massachusetts Mental Health Counselors Association and has served as MaMHCA’s Executive Director since 1995. Under Midge’s directorship, MaMHCA grew to 1500 members. She led the teams that achieved mandated 3^rd party reimbursement for LMHCs (1996), upgraded LMHC Scope of Practice to include “diagnose and treat” all diagnosis (2000), Testimonial Privilege (2008), and the newly created Licensed Supervised Mental Health Counselor (LSMHC) in 2022. She created the MaMHCA Certified Clinical Supervisor program in 2008.

 She was active in AMHCA leadership activities since 1993, serving as AMHCA President in 2001-2002. Following her term as Past-President she served as AMHCA’s representative to the American Association of Counseling Boards (AASCB) for several years.  

Midge was a co-founder of the Professional Training Institute (PTI) and is a co-author of the Clinical Mental Health Counselor’s Handbook and Study Guide,(editions 1-4), and the License Exam Prep Workshops program. 

Berna Haberman, LMHC

Board Member

Berna G. Haberman, LMHC #1, is the founder of MaMHCA (1981) and responsible for LMHC Licensure which was legislated in 1987. Berna served on the Allied Board of Mental Health and Human Service Professions as the first LMHC Representative and created the first regulations for licensure as an LMHC.

She has served as adjunct faculty at many of the graduate programs in MA, and taught many workshops for MaMHCA’s Continuing Education Program, including “Beyond the Professional Will”, helping LMHCs understand their legal and ethical obligations when closing their practice. She then turned the workshop into a book, the proceeds of which she donated to MaMHCA, as well as the publishing rights, and it is still used today in MaMHCA’s Private Practice Workshop Series.

She received the Counselor Educator of the year award from the American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA) in 2000, for all her teaching work, and her strong support for MARIACES, the Massachusetts and Rhode Island Association of Counselor Educators and Supervisors.

Continually an advocate for LMHC Licensure, Berna has stayed active on the MaMHCA Board of Directors through the last 35 years, and most recently been a member of MaMHCA’s Licensure Support Committee, still helping individual license applicants to get their license as an LMHC.

Meaghan Corbett, LMHC

Conference Committee Chair

Meaghan Corbett, LMHC, is a behavioral health leader with extensive experience in crisis services, program development, and community-based mental health care. She has led the growth of innovative clinical programs, strengthened cross-system partnerships, and advanced equitable, client-centered service delivery across Massachusetts. As a member of the Board of Directors for the Massachusetts Mental Health Counselors Association, Meaghan is committed to advancing licensure advocacy, professional standards, and access to high-quality mental health care throughout the Commonwealth.

Andrea Kremer, LMHC

Awards Committee

Storefront Head

Andrea Kremer, LMHC, earned her Master’s degree from Cambridge College with a concentration in Marriage and Family Therapy. She completed a two-year postgraduate training fellowship in couples therapy at the Psychodynamic Couple and Family Institute of New England (PCFINE). After completing her postgraduate hours in community mental health and group practice settings, Andrea transitioned into private practice, where her clinical work centers on relational therapy. She is currently pursuing dual licensure as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and beginning certification through AASECT in sex therapy. Andrea also integrates her background in the music industry into her clinical work, providing specialized therapeutic support to bands and performing artists.

Andrea joined MAMHCA in 2023 as a New Professional and currently serves on the Awards Committee. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of the New England Association for Family and Systemic Therapy (NEAFAST), where she serves on the Marketing and Licensure & Legislation Committees. Andrea is committed to expanding access to high-quality mental health care, and advocating for licensure and legislative policies that support qualified mental health professionals.

Vacant

Student Member