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

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.

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.

Cheryl Lockett, MSN, RN, ANP

Cheryl Lockett is an Adult Nurse Practitioner specializing in treating adults and adolescents with chronic physical and mental illness. She received her Masters of Science in Nursing in 2010 and became board certified by the ANCC (American Nurses Credentialing Center). She has 10 years of experience as a Nurse Practitioner working 5 years at the Veteran’s Hospital in Grand Island and 4 years treating Native Americans on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. Prior to her advanced practice, she had 16 years of experience as a Registered Nurse in Lincoln NE. Her experience as a Registered Nurse included acute care and public health. She worked as a social worker and group home parent to teens in Lincoln prior to becoming a nurse. She has a special interest in the underserved population and spent several years volunteering for the People City Mission Clinic in Lincoln. She is also interested in the treatment of addiction including dual diagnosis. She enjoys volunteering and supporting recovery events in the community.

Sara Gasper, PMHP, PMSW

Sara is a Provisionally Licensed Mental Health Practitioner and Provisionally Certified Master Social Worker with Grand Island Mental Health and Medical Clinic. Sara received her Associate of Applied Science Degree in Human Services from Southeast Community College, Bachelor of Science Degree in Social Work from Nebraska Wesleyan University and her Master of Science in Social Work from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Sara has over 10 years of experience working in the helping profession with experience in long term care facilities, co-occurring residential treatment facility, community-based treatment with adults experiencing severe, persistent mental illness or co-occurring disorders, and hospice.

Chantal Kohl, BS, Community Support Specialist

Chantal Kohl is a part-time Community Support Specialist. Her degree is a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and minor in Business Healthcare from Wayne State College. When she's not working behind the receptionist desk, she is working in the Grand Island Mental Health Community Support Program. This program is based on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Chantal utilizes this hierarchy to help clients establish basic safety, meet emotional needs, develop self-esteem and respect, and realize the desire to become the most that one can be. While Community Support is new to her, she has experience working with adults with developmental disabilities, substance use disorders, and general mental health diagnoses. She is supervised by Jordan Hofmann and mentored by our other Community Support Specialist, Laurie Robinson. Together, they work to help clients get on their feet within the community.

Celianne Bacon, MSN, RN, PMHNP, APRN

Celianne is a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner serving all ages 5 and up. She specializes in medication management of acute and chronic mental illnesses. She received her Masters of Science in Nursing specializing in Psychiatric Mental Health in 2020 and became board certified by the ANCC in June of 2020. She is fresh working as a nurse practitioner but has many years experience working as a nurse. She was a nurse in 3 different critical access hospitals working as a floor nurse and charge nurse. After those experiences she worked in behavioral health while going back to school to get her master's. Prior to and during her undergraduate college career she was a certified nurse's aide for nearly a decade at the local nursing home. This is where the spark for her love of nursing came alive. She is passionate about bringing mental health care to those in need.

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.