Student Health Services (SHS) Staff
Dianne Avelar provides personal counseling services and administers the post-Master's counseling intern program for SHS. Dianne is a licensed family and marriage therapist (LFMT) who previously worked with Pajaro Valley Prevention Services, and maintains a local private psychotherapy practice. Dianne is a graduate of Watsonville High School and completed her undergraduate work and teaching credential at San Jose State University. She then went on to receive her Master' degree from Santa Clara University, returning to Watsonville to work and live. Dianne loves the beach, and is an avid traveler, camper, and reader.
Marion Brodkey, the Director of SHS, is a registered nurse (RN), who also has Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in ethnomusicology. Marion completed her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree at Columbia University in 1995, and worked in NYC in women’s health and orthopedics research, and with clients living with ALS. Before moving to Santa Cruz in 2008, Marion was the Program Director of Clinical Services for the NYC Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Marion loves the beaches of Santa Cruz, her regular yoga practice, knitting, and reading. Recently she started learning to play Zimbabwean-style marimba ensemble music.
Katie Dowling is a family nurse practitioner (FNP) who has been on staff at SHS since 2005.She has worked at Planned Parenthood as a primary care practitioner since 2001.Katie completed her nursing school prerequisites (and also met her husband in calculus class) at Cabrillo. She then transferred to San Jose State University, where she completed both her Bachelor's and Master's of Science in Nursing (BSN and MSN) degrees. Katie was interim Director of SHS from 2008-2010. In her free time, Katie enjoys taming her wild flower garden, reading adventure and mystery novels, and hiking in the Santa Cruz mountains. She loves spending time with her two school-age children.
Betty Fairhurst joined the Cabrillo College community in September 2001 as administrative assistant to Rachel Mayo. She was also involved in the opening of the new Watsonville Center. In 2004, Betty transferred to the Natural and Applied Sciences Division at the Aptos Center and worked as Division Coordinator until coming to SHS in 2006. In her current position as Administrative Assistant for SHS, Betty is enjoying interacting more with students. In her time away from Cabrillo, she is an avid reader, and loves to camp, hike, and garden. She also enjoys creating family books with her Macintosh book-making program.
Susan Lavelle is a family nurse practitioner (FNP). Her full bio is coming soon.
Martha Orr is a registered nurse (RN) who has worked at Cabrillo College SHS since 1992. Her previous nursing experience was in medical surgical nursing and pediatric homecare. While pursuing her undergraduate degree in psychology, Martha worked extensively in the mental health field, with a special interest in adolescents and young adults. Martha received her Bachelor's degree from NE Illinois University in 1976, her Associate's degree in nursing (ADN) from Cabrillo College in 1985, and her Master's degree in Public Health (MPH) from San Jose State University in 2004. Martha provides much of the planning and implementation of health education outreach events for SHS.
Personal counseling interns:
Lance Bauscher has practiced psychotherapy for 3 years with a holistic and mindfulness-based practice in Monterey and Santa Cruz. He earned his MA in Counseling Psychology at John F. Kennedy University in the Holistic Studies Department, with an emphasis in Buddhistic Psychology. He also has an MA in Humanistic Philosophy, which feeds his other interests in literature and filmmaking. In addition to his duties at Cabrillo, Lance also has a private psychotherapy practice in Soquel. His free time is joyfully gobbled up by his boisterous 3-year-old son.
Ivan Chan graduated from John F. Kennedy University in 2010 with an MA in Counseling Psychology, specializing in Marriage and Family Therapy with an emphasis in multiculturalism. He has a passion for relationships, communication, and solving problems that block us from being connected to ourselves and each other. He enjoys working with individuals and couples of all ages and backgrounds, and specializes in issues of grief, stress, and anxiety. In addition to English, Ivan also speaks American Sign Language and Mandarin Chinese.
David Schulkin is an experienced therapist whose compassionate and relaxed personal style allows him to connect well with people of all ages and backgrounds. David believes that we are all doing the best we can with what we have and that, when life situations change, it may be time to learn new skills. David can help students discover those skills by shining a light on solutions they already have. David is also an avid surfer and surfing teacher, which influences his therapeutic approach in working with interpersonal dynamics and the complexities of people’s lives.
