Las Vegas Team

Psychology

arendsen-150x150

Barbara Arendsen, PhD

Dr. Barbara Arendsen has been working in the field of mental health for the past twenty-five years, with experience in hospital in-patient, partial hospitalization, community counseling services (including both family counseling and sexual abuse treatment facilities), and the private sector. She has had extensive experience in working with adolescents and their families in both psychiatric hospital and outpatient settings, and adults in outpatient settings. In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Arendsen has also provided clinical supervision and training.

Currently, Dr. Arendsen works with adults only, with a wide range of mental health issues and diagnoses. She also has a strong background working with individuals in the creative arts (artists, writers, dancers, actors), and in nutritional and food psychological problems, dream analysis, life transitions, and aging. Barbara Arendsen, Ph.D,. received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology with specialization in Depth Psychology. She received a Master of Science in Counseling and Educational Psychology (specialization in Marriage and Family Therapy), and a Bachelor of Arts in Art.


chang-150x150

Slyvia Chang, PsyD-PA

Psychological Assistant
Adult Crisis Unit & Case Management Director

A member of the American Art Therapy Association (AATA), Dr. Sylvia Chang incorporates the innovative use of arts as a complementary therapy in her treatment approach. She has extensive clinical experience in individual, couple, family and group psychotherapy in both inpatient and outpatient psychiatric and community mental health settings. She has worked with individuals suffering from trauma, PTSD, dual-diagnosis disorders, and serious mental illnesses, including schizophrenia, bipolar, anxiety, depression, and personality disorders.

Dr. Chang has developed curriculums on specialized treatment programs such as Anger Management, DBT Therapy, Seeking Safety, Cognitive Distortion and Group Art Therapy.

Dr. Chang is also well-versed in Chinese (Chow-Jo and Cantonese) and Thai. She obtained her B.A. in Art and Psychology, and M.A. in Clinical Art Therapy in New York, NY, and Doctorate Degree in Clinical Psychology from Argosy University in Honolulu, HI.


frantom-150x150

Linda Frantom, PhD (HBI Network Provider)

Psychologist

Dr. Linda Frantom obtained her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in 2005. She has been affiliated with Human Behavior Institute since 2006, initially as a post-doctoral intern and is now in private practice as Comprehensive Psychological Services. She specializes in treating adults and adolescents with mood and anxiety disorders, with a special interest in treating individuals with bipolar disorder and ADHD. Her theoretical orientation is based in cognitive behavioral therapy, but she also incorporates interpersonal therapy and dialectical behavior therapy techniques.

She received training in DBT (dialectical behavioral therapy) to treat conditions such as borderline personality disorder, depression, and substance use disorders. Prior to being a clinical psychologist, Dr. Frantom was a physical therapist for 15 years and therefore has a background in working with physical and neurological disabilities. She obtained her undergraduate (B.S. Exercise Science) and graduate degrees (M.S. in Physical Therapy) from the University of Southern California.


Counselors

karam-150x150

Diane Mahoney-Abi-Karam, MA

Diane Mahoney-Abi-Karam has been with Human Behavior Institute since 1991. She received her Bachelor of Science in Mathematics Education from Bridgewater College in Massachusetts and her Masters in Counseling and Educational Psychology from UNLV. Diane taught middle and high school math for 15 years and was a high school counselor for 17 years. After many years of service, Diane retired from Clark County School District in 2007

Diane works with adults who may be suffering from depression. She helps them gain control over their lives and thus feel empowered. She also works with individuals and couples with relationship issues. Diane has had training in loss and grief and she can help people deal with loss, understand the grieving process, and begin to heal. As a former high school counselor, Diane is a fantastic counselor for parents and their teens. She co-facilitates a specialized group for adolescent young women to help them with self-esteem and other challenges they face.

Diane helps people accept that as humans, we are imperfect. Yet, we can feel good about ourselves when we do good things.


stefani-150x150

Giulianna De Stefani, MFT

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

Giulianna De Stefani first joined Human Behavior Institute as an Intern while she was preparing for her board licensure. She then went on to work with other mental health providers and eventually decided to rejoin Human Behavior Institute as a fully licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Her old clients whom she has seen while she was an intern were very happy to have her back.

Giulianna works with children (ages 10-12), adolescents, and adults with mental health issues, including crisis intervention, psycho-educational groups, anger management, trauma and abuse. She has run groups for female teens who were sexually abused and for non-offending parents to teach them about the dynamics of abuse, how to detect “red flags”, increase empathy toward the victim, and to improve their protective capacity toward their child (among other things). She has facilitated a partial hospitalization program while she was working at Montevista Hospital.

As a Brazilian born in Mexico, Giulianna also speaks Portuguese and Spanish. She is a strong supporter of non-profit organizations. Helping with childhood cancer and running half-marathons for their fundraising campaigns are some of the ways she gives back to charitable causes close to her heart.


20140717_134807-150x150

Brenda M. Masterson-Brodie, LCSW

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Brenda M. Masterson-Brodie, better known around the office as “Miss Bren,” first worked with Human Behavior Institute in 2010 when she partnered with our management team and the Clark County Department of Family Services to appropriately place at-risk foster youth, in therapeutic settings, then officially joined our team in 2014.

Miss Bren holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Ethics from Clark University in Worcester, MA, where she was a merit scholar and a Teaching Assistant in the Philosophy Department. In 2003, Miss Bren completed her Master’s Degree in Social Work/Welfare from Stony Brook University in New York. While at Stony Brook, Miss Bren was awarded two graduate research assistantships as well as bestowed the Reginald C. Wells Fellowship.

Miss Bren works with children, adolescents and adults with emotional and behavioral dysregulation. She leads Human Behavior Institute’s Teen-Talk group on Wednesday nights, completes diagnostic mental health assessments, and provides therapy and crisis intervention to individuals, couples and families. Miss Bren has a 15-year history working with youth in foster care and juvenile justice. She is a strong advocate for human rights and believes that each of us can be an agent of change.


Children and Family Services

Human Behavior Institute’s Children and Family Services Department consists of multi-cultural, multi-disciplinary clinicians organized to provide wrap-around services, including counseling, specialized groups, and psycho-social rehab services.

HBI Mobile Response Team

Human Behavior Institute Mobile Response is comprised of Masters and Doctoral level mental health professionals who are knowledgeable with the level of care utilization system; and have the training and experience in conducting mental health evaluations and referrals to psychiatric patients admitted to the emergency and psychiatric departments of general hospitals within the Southern Nevada area. Human Behavior Institute Mobile Response chartered members consist of doctorate-level psychologists, masters-level therapists, and a psychiatric registered nurse.