MGCANC

Established on April 9th of 2016, the Military and Government Counseling Association of North Carolina exists as a conduit between mental health professionals and military and government service members and their families. The military and government cultures are unique and come with equally unique needs and issues.

Founding of MGCA-NC Trey Perry, Jane McNeill, & Dr. Seth Hayden 4.9.16

We have hosted Military Discussion panels at the NCCA Conference in order to hear first hand how our mental health profession can be improved directly from those who are being most affected by it. We have opened the floor to Retired Veterans, Active Duty members, National Guard, as well as their families to hear their side of mental health care. Our hope is to continue to learn how we can better the counseling profession and never retreat from the Battlefield that is Mental Health!

Military Discussion Panel at the NCCA Conference
February 2018

SPC Gabriel Vasquez, SGT Shaun McNerney, Seth Hayden (LPC), PFC Crystal Ellis,
Jane McNeill (LPC-A), Megan Numbers (LPC), SGT Robert McNeill, SGT Alex Kirchhoff

February 2017

LT Frederick Yebuah, Kati Toney, Seth Hayden (LPC), Rob Kierce, SGT LeAndra Oxendine,
SSGT Brie Kirkpatrick, Brittiny Kirkpatrick, Trey Perry, SGT Robert McNeill, Jane McNeill (LPC-A)

Current MGCA-NC Officers:

Jane McNeill is the President and Founder of the Military and Government Counseling Association of North Carolina. She is a North Carolina National Guard Spouse and an LPC-A working in Fayetteville, NC. She is a UNC Greensboro & Pembroke Alumni and a member of multiple state and national professional counseling associations including ACA, MGCA, NCCA, MGCA-NC, LPCANC, and CSI. As a counselor, she is dedicated to working with Military Service Members and their Families and planning to become a Military and Family Life Counselor at Fort Bragg. Her goal is to improve the quality of and access to mental health care for our Military Services Members, and their Families.

Megan Numbers is the President Elect & Secretary of MGCA-NC. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the states of CO and NC, and a 2nd year doctoral student in the Counselor Education and Supervision program at Adams State University. Megan is a military spouse and grew up in a military family. She works with military service members and spouses at Fort Bragg and specializes in working with military children.

Kristen Sessoms is the Treasurer and Public Relations Officer of the Military and Government Counseling Association of North Carolina. She is currently a graduate student in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke and will be graduating in May 2017. She is currently working towards becoming a Licensed Professional Counselor-Associate with the hopes of gaining experience in Addictions and becoming a Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist. Her experiences as a military family member has given her knowledge of the unique experiences that military families face. As a counselor, Kristen wants to help eliminate the stigma of mental illness through community outreach and psychoeducation.

Dr. Seth Hayden is a co-founder and MGCA-NC’s Professional Director. He is an assistant professor of counseling at Wake Forest University. He has provided counseling in community agencies, secondary school, and university settings. Dr. Hayden is an LPC in North Carolina and Virginia, a national certified counselor, a certified clinical mental health counselor, and an approved clinical supervisor.