Our Staff Family

Owners

Debra Erickson, MA, LIMHP, LADC, CCTP

Debra Erickson is a Licensed Independent Mental Health Therapist, Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor, and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional with Grand Island Mental Health and Medical Clinic. She completed her Associate of Arts in Business Management Degree at Central Community College. She received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Health and Human Services Administration through Bellevue University and her Master of Arts in Counseling Degree from Doane College. Debra currently works with all age groups helping clients with a wide range of issues and mental illnesses. She currently specializes in helping clients move through past and present trauma and grief with her training in Trauma Resolution techniques.

Jordan Hofmann, MA, LIMHP, CPC

Jordan Hofmann is a Licensed Independent Mental Health Therapist with Grand Island Mental Health and Medical Clinic. She received her Associate of Arts Degree from Central Community College and her Bachelor of Human Relations Degree from Doane College where she went on to receive her Master of Arts in Counseling Degree. She currently enjoys working with all age groups assisting clients with a wide range of issues and mental illnesses. Clients in the adolescent age group as those seeking help with relationships are Jordan's focus as she has extensive previous experience in the geriatric setting and a youth treatment center. She also works often with couples in relationship and marital counseling using several methods including work with the the Love and Respect model and the 5 Love Languages.

Providers

Darcy Dawson, MA, LIMHP

Darcy Dawson is a Licensed Independent Mental Health Therapist with Grand Island Mental Health and Medical Clinic. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration at Doane College. Also, receiving her Master of Arts in Counseling from Doane College. Darcy has extensive experience working with the youth population in integrated health care settings and children with severe behavior problems at a day treatment center. Darcy has experience helping youth and their families with a wide range of concerns. Her main area of interest is providing parents with effective strategies to decrease their children’s disruptive behaviors overall improving their success at home and school.

Cindy Betka, MA, LADC, PLMHP

Cindy Betka is a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor with Grand Island Mental Health and Medical Clinic. She has 28 years experience in Alcohol & Drug counseling and is currently pursuing her Master of Arts in Counseling through Doane University with an expected completion time being in the spring of 2018. She received her Bachelors of Arts in Human Services and Sociology through the College of Saint Mary. Cindy has extensive experience working with adolescents, corrections, and probation. She teaches many courses for TAP - Training for Addictions Professionals, including both core classes and continuing education. She is an original trainer of the CASI, Comprehensive Adolescent Severity Inventory, an adolescent assessment tool. Cindy is a Registered Service Provider for the State of Nebraska.

Suzanne Riley, MSEd, LIMHP, LADC

Suzanne is a Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner and Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor with Grand Island Mental Health and Medical Clinic. She is a Registered Service Provider for the State of Nebraska accepting voucher payments for qualified services. Suzanne has an Associate of Applied Science Degree from Central Community College and a Bachelor of Science in Family Studies and Women’s Studies as well as her Master of Science in Education with an emphasis in Community Counseling from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. Suzanne has over 10 years of experience working in the helping profession with experience at an inpatient mental health facility, volunteering as a domestic violence advocate, assisting those experiencing physical and developmental disabilities, and counseling in a correctional facility.

Ryan Ernst Psy.D., MSCP, ABN

Dr. Ernst is a native Nebraskan and one of few board-certified neuropsychologists in Nebraska. After several years in private practice he joined Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in 2011 where he continues to serve as the neuropsychologist for the adult traumatic brain injury unit. Additionally, he maintains a private practice in Grand Island, NE and Council Bluffs, IA. His educational history includes a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1997 as well as a master’s and doctorate of psychology degrees from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Recently, he earned an additional master’s degree in psychopharmacology from Alliant University in San Diego, CA. He has been a consulting psychologist for several television news broadcasts and has presented at numerous professional conferences across the country and internationally. Dr. Ernst is involved in the profession of neuropsychology at the national level by serving on the Board of Directors for the American Board of Professional Neuropsychology. As a neuropsychologist, Dr. Ernst is involved with the evaluation and diagnosis of illnesses and injuries that affect functioning of the brain. Common reasons for evaluation include: Traumatic brain injury/concussion, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other forms of dementia, Stroke, Brain tumors, Metabolic, toxic and other forms of encephalopathy, and Neurodevelopmental disorders

Dave Hoyt, MsEd, LIMHP, LADC

Dave Hoyt is a Licensed Independent Mental Health Therapist and Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor at Grand Island Mental Health & Medical Clinic, LLC. He's been in the area for several years in various human service capacities. He has a passion for helping people where ever they are in their life journey. Having grown up with several foster brothers and sisters (approximately 48), worked in corrections for ten years, including the local county jail and Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center in Kearney, as well as approximately twelve years in social work type positions. Over 8 years of counseling experience and helping those with special needs allows him to understand the importance of being empowered and truly having a voice in what takes place in one’s life. All those experiences are in addition to being a licensed therapist for the past six years. He takes great pride in being able to provide quality experienced care to all that he serves. Dave utilizes a strength based, solution focused, and cognitive behavioral blended approach in the support he provides to those served in order to help them live the most fulfilling life possible. He has experience working with families, children of all ages, teens, adults of all ages, including special needs individuals. He is available to facilitate group trainings or consultation should the need arise.

Chris Sanders, Ph. D.

Chris’ focus in therapy is assisting in personal and interpersonal changes through the use of a treatment approach best suited for you. Approaches he typically uses consist of Cognitive-Behavioral or Brief Solution Focused Therapy. You and Chris will decide on which approach(es) would be most effective for you. You will collaboratively develop realistic and achievable goals. He specializes in Psychological Testing for a variety of purposes. He also serves as Director of Neuropsychology at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital - Omaha Campus and would be happy to facilitate a referral to Madonna for neuropsychological testing if needed.
He has authored and co-authored numerous research studies related to his clinical work as a researcher at University of Miami, School of Medicine in such journals as International Journal of Neuroscience, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, and Adolescence.

Deborah Thimsen-Villa, MA, LIMHP

Deborah relocated from California in 2008 and now calls Nebraska her home. Before coming to Nebraska she was the director of a children’s ministry for five years serving children and families in her community; including volunteering as a police chaplain and working closely with other community partners to provide educational and family centered programs. In Nebraska, Deborah has worked with children and families in a number of settings, including Geneva’s Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center, Mosaic, and Pathfinder Support Services. Since earning her master’s degree in Counseling in 2016, Deborah worked primarily in private practice until joining the behavioral health team at Fillmore County Hospital where she enjoyed working with seniors in an inpatient and outpatient setting, traditional outpatient individuals, and students. With her diverse background, Deborah is excited to be part of the Grand Island Mental Health team. Deborah enjoys working with people of all ages and has received specialized training in the area of Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Child Parent Psychotherapy, Sand Tray Therapy, and is a Circle of Security Parenting Facilitator. In her spare time, Deborah is an adjunct professor at Doane University and loves spending time with her family.

Support Staff

Mikki Lemmer, Billing Specialist

Mikki Lemmer's role at Grand Island Mental Health & Medical Clinic is quite broad as she manages scheduling, health insurance and billing issues, and front desk tasks. She is continuously expanding her knowledge in the field in order to better serve each client's individual needs. She is one of the friendly voices you will hear on the phone as well as one of the faces you will see as you walk in the front door. We are proud of the qualities Mikki has been able to add to our team as she is very detail oriented and is the organizational piece of the office. We look forward to the growth she will provide Grand Island Mental Health & Medical Clinic in the future.

Amanda Porter, Administrative Assistant

Amanda Porter's role at Grand Island Mental Health and Medical Clinic is key to keeping the office updated and moving forward. She does all the little things and big things we need, from making a coffee run for staff to recreating office forms and everything in between and beyond. She works hard to keep our office organized and running smoothing to allow providers to spend their time working with clients. Her attention to detail and ability to think outside the box make her an invaluable asset to our office. We are grateful to have her as part of our staff and look forward to a future of growth and opportunities.

Chantal Kohl , Front Desk Receptionist

Chantal Kohl is the first friendly face you will see at the reception desk as you walk in the front door at Grand Island Mental Health & Medical Clinic. Her roles include answering phones, scheduling, file management, and technology support. She is a native of the area, and recently graduated with her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology with a minor in Business Healthcare from Wayne State College. Chantal plans to continue schooling but is still deciding which concentration she wants to pursue. She even considered animal psychology for a while. In fact, her most recent experience was working with the penguins at the Henry Doorly Zoo. She found that she is more interested in acute care, trauma therapy, and psychiatric nursing, which brought her here. Mentorship from those at GIMHMC will help her decide the route she takes going forward, but for now she’s still doing what she does best– helping people.

Tayler Erickson, Office Staff

Tayler Erickson's role at Grand Island Mental Health and Medical Clinic is held assisting our staff with writing reports, file management, and technology experience. She holds an Associate of Arts Degree from Central Community College as well as a Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree from Creighton University while she is currently continuing at Creighton University in hopes to receive her Doctor of Nurse Practitioner Degree. Her future goals include working for Grand Island Mental Health and Medical Clinic in Medication Management specializing in psychiatric clientele.