NBCC MFP-AC Advisory Council
Samantha Airhart-Larraga, PhD, NCC, LPC, LCDC
Chair
Dr. Samantha Airhart-Larraga has a PhD in counselor education and supervision from the University of Texas at San Antonio, an MA in counseling from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, and a BA in psychology from the University of Texas at Brownsville (now the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley). She is a National Certified Counselor since 2005, a Licensed Professional Counselor (Texas) since 2005, and a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor (Texas) since 2000. Dr. Airhart-Larraga has over 15 years of experience as a mental health counselor serving people of different cultural and ethnic backgrounds—primarily those of a Hispanic background. She has also worked in the substance abuse field for over 20 years. Dr. Airhart-Larraga worked in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, a mental health professional shortage area, as a counselor and clinical supervisor. Additionally, she has worked in various agencies and settings in San Antonio, Texas, and Austin, Texas. Dr. Airhart-Larraga is fluent in Spanish and has focused on providing bilingual counseling services to underserved clients in Texas using cognitive behavioral therapy and person-centered therapy. Dr. Airhart-Larraga currently works as an assistant professor in the counseling and psychology department of Texas A&M University – Central Texas in Killeen, Texas.
Shannon Kratky, MS, LPC, NCC, LCDC, TTS
Vice Chair
Dr. Samantha Airhart-Larraga has a PhD in counselor education and supervision from the University of Texas at San Antonio, an MA in counseling from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, and a BA in psychology from the University of Texas at Brownsville (now the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley). She is a National Certified Counselor since 2005, a Licensed Professional Counselor (Texas) since 2005, and a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor (Texas) since 2000. Dr. Airhart-Larraga has over 15 years of experience as a mental health counselor serving people of different cultural and ethnic backgrounds—primarily those of a Hispanic background. She has also worked in the substance abuse field for over 20 years. Dr. Airhart-Larraga worked in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, a mental health professional shortage area, as a counselor and clinical supervisor. Additionally, she has worked in various agencies and settings in San Antonio, Texas, and Austin, Texas. Dr. Airhart-Larraga is fluent in Spanish and has focused on providing bilingual counseling services to underserved clients in Texas using cognitive behavioral therapy and person-centered therapy. Dr. Airhart-Larraga currently works as an assistant professor in the counseling and psychology department of Texas A&M University – Central Texas in Killeen, Texas.
Keith Klostermann, PhD, NCC, LMHC, LMFT, CFT
Dr. Keith Klostermann is a marriage and family therapist at Wheatfield Pediatrics and core faculty in the clinical mental health counseling program at Walden University. Dr. Klostermann also serves as the Director of Education and Competence for the International Center for Clinical Excellence (ICCE), an international think tank focused on continuously reviewing and disseminating research about what works in therapy. He is an internationally recognized expert in the use of Behavioral Couples Therapy for Substance Use Disorders (BCT-SUD). Dr. Klostermann is licensed as both a mental health counselor and marriage and family therapist, is an AAMFT Approved Supervisor, and is a National Certified Counselor (NCC) and certified family therapist (CFT). The American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA) recognizes Dr. Klostermann as a Fellow in Clinical Mental Health Counseling Education and Research and Diplomate and Clinical Mental Counseling Specialist in Couples and Family Counseling, Child and Adolescent Counseling, and Military Counseling.
Pierluigi Mancini, PhD, MAC, NCAC II
With over 30 years of experience in culturally and linguistically appropriate behavioral health treatment and prevention, Dr. Pierluigi Mancini is one of the most sought after national and international consultants and speakers on the subject of mental health and addiction. His areas of expertise are immigrant behavioral health and health disparities. Dr. Mancini founded Georgia’s only Latino behavioral health program in 1999 to serve the immigrant population by providing cultural and linguistically appropriate mental health and addiction treatment and prevention services in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. He recently led a project to train clinicians in Latin America who are taking care of the over 4 million displaced Venezuelans arriving in Colombia, Perú, Ecuador, Brazil, Panamá, and other countries.
Dr. Mancini’s public service announcement and documentaries have won a combined six Emmy awards. He has been honored with the National Latina/o Psychological Association Star Vega Distinguished Service Award and the Mental Health America “Heroes in the Fight” Award, among others. Dr. Mancini is also the chair of the Georgia Behavioral Health Planning and Advisory Council and has recently been appointed to the Mental Health America National Board of Directors. He serves on the Board of Directors of Wellstar Hospital and the Georgia Council on Substance Abuse.
Herbert Sablan, MSW, CSACIII, ICADC, SAP
Herbert Sablan has gained professional experience working in the social service system for 14 years. He initially worked in Maricopa County, Arizona, and he then transitioned to working in Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands (CNMI). Mr. Sablan earned his Bachelor’s of Social Work from Arizona State University in 2007 and his Master of Social Work degree from Walden University in 2017.
Since 2010, Mr. Sablan has pursued efforts to provide direct services to adults and youth affected by substance use disorders. He previously served as the clinical supervisor for the Treatment and Recovery Clinic at the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation’s Community Guidance Center. In this role, Mr. Sablan was able to help facilitate a pathway of health, wellness, and recovery for individuals and families empowered to take charge of their journey. In addition to direct service delivery, Mr. Sablan was able to successfully manage clinic operations by engaging with grants writing and management, workforce development training, policy development, and vital clinical supervision.
Mr. Sablan has experience in diverse settings within both governmental and non-governmental agencies, including a rich history of working with individuals and families in the community. He seeks to provide services that respect the interdependent relationship between mind, body, culture, and environment. In 2020, Mr. Sablan transitioned to working in the role of a community provider with efforts to strengthen and supplement services within the CNMI villages and community. Mr. Sablan was also a 2016–2017 NBCC Minority Fellowship Program for Addictions Counselors Fellow.
Karla Sapp, EdD, NCC, CCMHC, ACS, CFMHE, CPCS, LMHC, LPC
Dr. Karla L. Sapp has been a practicing counselor for 11 years, specializing in general mental health and addictions counseling, among the adult and criminal offender populations. She is licensed in Georgia and Florida and is a National Certified Counselor, Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor, Certified Professional Counselor Supervisor, and Approved Clinical Supervisor. Dr. Sapp was previously an adjunct faculty member at South University-Savannah Campus in the Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program, as well as the Psychology Department at Georgia Southern University. She is currently a member of the NAADAC Critical Issues in the Black Community committee, and a member of the Licensed Professional Counselors Association of Georgia (LPCA-GA) and the former Coastal District Representative. She is also a member of the Florida Counseling Association; currently serves as the Member-At-Large for the Florida Association of Counselor Education and Supervision; is the Public Awareness and Support Committee Chair for the Florida Counseling Association, and has presented at several local, state, regional, and national conferences.
Diane Sevening, EdD, MAC, LAC
Dr. Diane Sevening is an assistant professor at the University of South Dakota School of Health Sciences Addiction Counseling and Prevention Department with 40 years of teaching experience. Dr. Sevening is the Immediate Past President of the Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC), former member of the South Dakota Board of Addiction and Prevention Professionals (BAPP), Treasurer of the International Coalition for Addiction Studies Education (INCASE), former mentor with the NBCC Minority Fellowship Program, and member of the National Addiction Studies Accreditation Commission (NASAC) board of commissioners.
