Counseling Center Staff

Dr. Cheryl M. Rosenthal is the Director of the Counseling Center.She received her Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology and her M.Ed from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. When she was an undergraduate at Bowdoin College, her visits to the counseling center inspired her to become a psychologist. For the last six years, Cheryl has found her home at Emerson College where she loves working with artistic and creative students. Her professional interests include spirituality and psychotherapy, the use of humor in healing, and human sexuality. She spends her free time reading, knitting, doing yoga, being outdoors and believing in the Red Sox.

Dr. Patricia A. Challan is the Associate Director. She also serves as the Director of Training. Patty received her Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology and her M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Patty has ten years of experience in college mental health, as well as specific training in child and adolescent psychotherapy. Patty’s clinical interests include expressive art therapy, play therapy, and the personal and professional development of mental health trainees. This is her fifth year at Emerson, and she is inspired by the creativity, passion, and talent of Emerson students. A native of New Jersey, Patty is a writer who enjoys reading, being near the ocean, and listening to music.

Dr. Ryan C. Aylward is a Staff Psychologist in his first year at the Counseling Center.  He received his Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology and has worked in college counseling for three years.  Ryan's professional interests include psychodynamic therapy, Buddhist psychology, and supervising developing therapists.  He enjoys spending time with family and friends, playing bass, reading and watching movies. 

Jenn Brandel, LICSW is a Staff Social Worker in her third year at Emerson. She received her MSW from Boston University School of Social Work. Jenn has worked with adolescents and young adults, as both a clinician and a health educator, for more than ten years. Jenn's clinical interests include work around resiliency, healthy sexuality, relationships,  gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues, STDs and HIV.  Jenn relies heavily  on her sense of humor and spends much of her time writing, watching The Daily Show and Invader Zim and playing dress-up with her daughter.

Erica L. Eckman, LICSW is a Staff Social Worker who received her MSW from Smith College and did her undergraduate work at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Additionally, Erica completed a post-graduate fellowship at Harvard University's Counseling Center. She has been at Emerson College for three years.   Erica's professional experiences include, eating disorder treatment, undergraduate teaching, community mental health, inpatient psychiatric settings, and working in the public school system. Her clinical interests include eating disorders, supervision and training of developing therapists, couples counseling and relational and psychodynamic therapy.  Fluent in Spanish, Erica has traveled extensively and lived in Venezuela,Spain and England.  Erica enjoys yoga, running, photography, and music.

Maureen Crowley has been the Staff Assistant at the Counseling Center since May 2006. She received her BA in Social and Rehabilitative Services from Assumption College and worked for more than 10 years as a healthcare recruiter. Maureen also spent several years working for residence life at Merrimack College. While spare time is a rarity in her life, she enjoys reading, yoga, roadtrips, and walking around the city. She appreciates whimsical art and all 64 Crayola crayon colors (especially periwinkle). Maureen feels at home amidst the creative energy here at Emerson College.

Dr. Harvey Mazer is a Psychiatric Consultant to the Counseling Center. Dr. Mazer received his M.D. from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and completed his psychiatric residency at Massachusetts Mental Health Center. He completed post-residency fellowships at the counseling centers of MIT and Harvard University and also worked at the Brandeis University Counseling Center. He is a graduate of and a faculty member of the Massachusetts Institute for Psychoanalysis. In addition to his work at Emerson College, Dr. Mazer has a private practice in Cambridge, MA. His clinical interests include psychoanalytic psychotherapy, hypnosis, psychopharmacology, short-term psychotherapy, and family therapy. Dr. Mazer has many friends in the performing arts and loves theater. He particularly enjoys working with Emerson College students.

Dr. Richard Brostoff is a Psychiatric Consultant to the Counseling Center. He received his M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, and completed his psychiatric residency at McLean Hospital/ Harvard. He was the Medical Director of a community mental health center for 10 years, has worked at the Brandeis University Counseling Service, and taught psychopharmacology and psychological trauma at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology. He has a private practice in Lexington, enjoys reading and writing poetry, and is delighted to be part of the Emerson community.

Alison Rhodes is a second year student at the Boston College School of Social Work, where she is working towards a combined MSW/PhD. She has experience working as a research assistant at the Harvard Interdisciplinary Studies Project (Project Zero), an arts educator, and was most recently an intern at the Josiah Quincy Upper School (a Boston Public 6th - 12th grade school).  Alison also practices and teaches yoga, and she enjoys traveling, reading, watching movies, and creating, performing and viewing all forms of arts, especially dance.

Tyler Hunt is a second year student at the Simmons School of Social Work, and has interned at the Cambridge Health Alliance in the Ambulatory Community Service department.  He also has experience working in  therapeutic foster care  for the Mentor Network, and volunteered as an English teacher in Costa Rica for the Harvard Institute for International Development. His interests include reading, music, travel and coffee roasting.

Eric Sullivan is a fifth year Ph.D. student in clinical psychology at Suffolk University.  He has performed psychological assessment , and group, couples, and individual psychotherapy at Bournewood Hospital in Brookline, the Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial VA Medical Center in Bedford, MA, and the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder at the Boston VA Medical Center in Jamaica Plain, MA.  At Suffolk University, he conducts research on stress and sleep and teaches a General Psychology class.  He spends his free time watching Ohio State Football games, reading, trying new restaurants and attending theatrical and musical performances.