Our Staff

The Bergeron Wellness Center counseling Staff includes two full-time counselors, one part-time counselor and two part-time counseling interns who are in their final year of graduate school. Each counselor has a generalist background with specific areas of interest and expertise. They provide short-term mental health counseling for students, as well as referrals off-campus for longer-term counseling as needed. They work closely with the nurse practitioners and psychiatric nurse practitioners to support the holistic health of the student body.

If you would like to make an appointment with one of the counselors, please call The Bergeron Wellness Center at 802.654.2234.


Kathy has been a mental health professional since 1993 when she earned her MA from Antioch New England Graduate School. She is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and Licensed Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor. She has spent her career working with young adults and their families.

Kathy has been a part of the Saint Michael’s College counseling team since 2010, and the Director since 2014.  She loves her work here at the college and particularly enjoys supporting our diverse population of young adults to develop a compassionate understanding of themselves while developing the skills they need to address whatever challenges they are facing.  In that work, she encourages the recognition, understanding and enhancement of their many strengths.

In her free time, Kathy enjoys walking, hiking, biking, gardening, swimming, and participating in any type of team sport.  She also loves to read, cook/bake, ride her motorcycle, explore, and spend time with her family and friends.

Kathleen Butts, MA, LCMHC, LADC
Director of Counseling
she/her/hers pronouns
kbutts@smcvt.edu
802.654.2310


Sarah has been providing mental health services to young adults since 1994.  She is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, an Apprentice Addictions Counselor and an Expressive Arts Therapist. She has a master’s degree in Expressive Arts Therapies from Lesley University and a BA from Brandeis University. Prior to joining the SMC counseling team in 2014, Sarah was in private practice at the Adams Center for Mind and Body, specializing in helping individuals with eating disorders.  She has also served as drug and alcohol prevention and intervention counselor at Williston Central School CSSU school district. Sarah uses a student centered approach, focusing on student’s goals, while encouraging personal expression and personal choice.  She is particularly interested in supporting students to work through issues with stress, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, communication skills, substance use and relationships.  She is very excited to be part of the Bergeron Wellness team and to help support SMC students reach for their dreams.  Sarah is currently working towards EMDR certification.

Sarah Klionsky, MA, LCMHC, AAP
Assistant Director of Counseling, Internship Coordinator
she/her/hers pronouns
sklionsky@smcvt.edu
802.654.2555


Erin received her master’s in Counseling Psychology from Antioch New England and is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor. Erin’s career has spanned working in Schools (Elementary, Middle, High School and Alternative Ed), in Community Mental Health, as a Psychology Instructor at CCV, Winooski (Introduction to Psychology/ Social Psychology), and working at the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation with first generation college students.

Erin’s intention is to welcome, support, educate and encourage emerging adults in their pursuit of well-being. She offers strength based supportive counseling to aid in the adjustment to college, the understanding of developmental issues, skills to manage emotional experiences and guidance as students pursue academic, social, athletic, spiritual, community justice, and extracurricular endeavors. Erin draws upon relational interpersonal skills, an inclusive and empathic style, counseling aptitude, and professional and cultural experiences to provide an open space for exploration and possible growth.

Erin’s lens is eclectic however her bent is to Cognitive Behavioral, Mindfulness-based, Narrative, and Positive Psychology. Erin supports students to connect with other resources on and off campus to strengthen personal, academic, or other skill sets. She feels honored to be a witness to the personal growth processes of, and privileged to work with, Saint Michael’s College students.

Erin Altermatt, MA, LCMHC (she/her)
Mental Health Counselor
she/her/hers pronouns
ealtermatt@smcvt.edu
802-654-2234


Dan (all pronouns are welcome) is a clinical mental health counseling intern in their last year in the University of Vermont’s Masters of Counseling program. Dan has experience as a crisis call specialist answering 988 and other suicide and crisis hotlines and as a behavior interventionist in therapeutic educational settings.

Dan strives to center students and the therapeutic relationship by meeting people where they are at, welcoming any and all intersections of identities and lived experiences, and prioritizing trauma-informed empathy and curiosity.

When Dan is not in a student or intern role, they enjoy playing Dungeons & Dragons, songwriting, hiking, playing trivia and puzzle games, trying out new sports, and spending quality time with friends and family.

Dan Miller
Mental Health Counseling Intern
All pronouns welcome


Vie is a Clinical Mental Health Counseling Intern from the University of Vermont. Over the past six years, Vie has been teaching inclusive and affirming adult dance classes in Vermont that center around body positivity, empowerment, and building supportive community. They are passionate about social justice advocacy and allyship which was represented in their work as Co-Chair with Pride Center of Vermont. They look forward to continuing advocacy work within their professional role as a counselor in Vermont.

Vie works to create a welcoming and inclusive space for students. They integrate a person-centered and collaborative approach to support students on their mental health and wellness journey. Vie’s therapeutic approaches are trauma-informed, strength and resilience based.

In their spare time they enjoy reading, cooking, teaching dance, running in the woods, playing with their frisky cat, and spending time with family and friends.

Vie Mazur
Mental Health Counseling Intern
pronouns: they/them

Learn More about the Bergeron Counseling Graduate Internship

The Bergeron Wellness Center Counseling Program offers a graduate level clinical internship for one or two students in the fields of psychology, counseling, and social work.  Clinical interns are expected to be ready and able to provide individual and group psychotherapy in a fast based, goal oriented and strength-based setting. For more information about our center, please explore our web pages – https://www.smcvt.edu/student-life/health-and-safety/bergeron-wellness-center/personal-counseling/

Interested in applying?  To apply, please send an electronic copy of:

  1. A current resume
  2. A cover letter which highlights your interest in working at a college counseling center and at Saint Michael’s specifically.
  3. A short response to the following prompt (one page or less)
    1. Tell us a bit about your experience with and perspective on working across cultural difference.  We are specifically interested in your perspective on your cultural responsiveness skills, your experience working in diverse settings and thoughts about the importance of and challenges in working effectively with students/clients across difference (race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, ability status, language etc.)
  4. Listing of phone numbers and e-mail contacts for three references who can speak to your prior work with college age students, your ability to be a clear communicator as part of a fast-paced team, and your previous work in clinical settings.  Please note that only one of these references can be from a professor.

Application window for counseling internship:

Sunday, December 1st, 2024 – Sunday, December 15th, 2024.

Please note, we do not accept applications for the internship positions outside of the application window and we also do not currently host practicum students.  Only applications with all 4 parts completed will be considered.

To find out more the internship, you are welcome to attend the zoom Open House in early December, date and time TBA.

Questions about interning with Bergeron Wellness Counseling?

Applications and specific inquiries about our graduate internship program should be addressed to:

Sarah Klionsky, MAET, LCMHC
Assistant Director of Bergeron Counseling

Phone: (802) 654-2555
Email: sklionsky@smcvt.edu