Center for Community Mental Health

Danielle Dufresne is April Employee of the Month

Katarina Benson — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 13:59:51 +0000

Danielle Dufresne is April Employee of the Month Katarina Benson Wed, 04/01/2026 - 09:59

Clinical Assistant Professor Danielle Dufresne is the associate center director at 911��'s Center for Community Mental Health (CCMH). A member of 911��’s Psychology Department since 2019, Dufresne is responsible for training new clinicians and overseeing every psychological/behavioral/cognitive assessment at the Fairfax-based center.

Colleagues have applauded Dufresne’s leadership, integrity, and commitment to supporting her trainees. She has made notable contributions that have improved the capabilities of the center and furthered the university’s dedication to innovation and supporting its students. For these reasons, Dufresene has been named April Employee of the Month.

Dufresene. Photo provided

In her nomination, CCMH director Robyn Mehlenbeck mentioned Dufresne’s accomplishments, including creating, in collaboration with the director of the university’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), a therapy-friendly approach to ADHD testing. “Dr. Dufresne is truly committed to helping each individual grow professionally, and her impact has been significant,” said Mehlenbeck. “She helps oversee our internship program and helps with procedures and policies necessary for a nonprofit community mental health center. We have a small but mighty staff, and I have personally been impressed by Dr. Dufresne’s consistent mentoring of our staff, as well as our trainees.”

Leah Adams, CCMH’s associate director of clinical training, said Dufresne has elevated the training experiences of all who train at the center. “Conducting high-quality comprehensive assessments is a time-intensive endeavor, and Danielle is with our trainees at each step of the way, providing close, supportive mentorship, and going above and beyond to meet them at their individual levels of need.”

Psychology professor Jerome Short, one of the CCMH faculty supervisors, spoke highly of Dufresne’s mentoring of doctoral students. “She has generously provided template models of psychological assessment reports, demonstrated administration of neuropsychological and achievement tests, and consulted with me as an instructor and supervisor to doctoral students about how to best assess their first clients in their first psychological assessment courses. This has allowed more people in the community with limited economic resources to receive reduced fee services and gain accommodations in their community colleges, universities, and workplaces.”

“Dr. Dufresne exemplifies the highest standards of ethical integrity, mentorship, and student- centered learning,” said doctoral student Sasha Hickham. “Her commitment to student success is unparalleled: Her unique approach emphasizes quality over quantity, a culture of collaboration across all academic levels, and forward-thinking innovation to meet the evolving mental health needs of our local community.”

President Washington congratulates April Employee of the Month Danielle Dufresne in an online ceremony. Photo provided

How did you come to Mason:

After being in private practice for several years, having previously worked with another psychologist and mentor or in large group and community practices, I found myself missing the collaboration and exchanges that come with working directly with colleagues. So, having already had an interest in moving to the area, but not quite ready to leave my practice and family, I began looking for a position in psychological assessment—my area of focus, that would allow me to collaborate with others more regularly. That lead me to 911�� and CCMH (Center for Psychological Services when I started). I met with Robyn Mehlenbeck and other faculty and knew quickly that this was my next step and was excited when the position was offered. I juggled traveling weekly and wearing multiple hats and have found so much growth and community here. 

Best day on the job:

I had to think about this one because the ongoing opportunity for growth also means frequently challenging yourself, so while there have been many great days, there have been many hard ones as well. Great days include those where you see a trainee feel successful and when you hear the feedback from students around their positive training experiences or have an opportunity to meaningfully support a trainee in their next steps or through a challenging experience. Engaging with colleagues around intentional and strategic growth has also been exciting because of the engagement of so many creative and dedicated people. I would say, however, one of the best days was actually during COVID closures. I had the opportunity—along with other key people including Robyn Mehlenbeck—to meet with [College of Humanities and Social Sciences] dean [Ann] Ardis to re-start psychological assessment services through a hybrid testing model ... Meeting with such important people, presenting on my ideas and speaking on my area of expertise, felt… like a benchmark in the culmination of my work and dedication to training. 

What do you like best about working at Mason:

The most valuable part about being part of 911�� and CCMH has been the community. The support, ability to collaborate and consult, and the opportunities not only for your own growth, but the ability to support others in their own, has been the most satisfying part of this time. Not every week is easy, but every week offers the chance to challenge yourself. 

What do you like to do when you’re not working:

I spend time with my loved ones. That may be a standing Sunday movie date—something about going to a theater is still so fun, going out for a bite to eat and catch up on the week, or we feed our competitive energy in video games. I don’t usually win, but we laugh a lot. 

Learn more about the Center for Community Mental Health

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College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Center for Community Mental Health

Center for Community Mental Health partnership provides behavioral health training

Katarina Benson — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 21:33:19 +0000

Center for Community Mental Health partnership provides behavioral health training Katarina Benson Wed, 10/15/2025 - 17:33

Since 2010, the Center for Community Mental Health’s (CCMH) mission has been twofold: train 911�� students to become behavioral health care professionals, and provide evidence-based, accessible, and affordable mental health care to members of the Northern Virginia community.

The center’s latest partnership checks both boxes.

From left: Claude Moore Opportunities CEO Bill Hazel, 911�� Center for Community Mental Health director Robyn Mehlenbeck, ConnerStrong Foundation president and founder Tom Worosz, and 911�� PhD student Lucy McClellan. Photo by Jerome Boettcher/CHSS

The center, in conjunction with nonprofits Claude Moore Opportunities and the ConnerStrong Foundation, hosted a four-day training in September led by Sources of Strength, a nationally renowned, evidence-based suicide prevention program, for nearly 30 trainees, including more than 20 911�� students. The goal is for the Sources of Strength curriculum to be implemented in local schools across Virginia, to improve mental health among youth populations.

“This was an incredible opportunity to bring together impactful partners to meet both aspects of our mission,” CCMH director Robyn Mehlenbeck said, “to be an integral part of expanding the youth mental health workforce here in Virginia while also providing our 911�� undergrads some really unique opportunities to both be trained and then credentialed to give them career paths.”

In addition to the Sources of Strength training, 12 Youth Mental Health Corps members through Serve Virginia, and seven Youth Mental Health AmeriCorps members—all 911�� or Rappahannock Community College students—are participating in a two-semester course at 911�� titled Special Topics: Supporting the Youth Mental Health Workforce. By taking the course, all 19 students will meet requirements for state certification.

911�� students receive Sources of Strength training at the Center for Community Mental Health. Photo by Jerome Boettcher/CHSS

Five of the AmeriCorps students and the 12 Youth Mental Health Corps students will seek certification as a Qualified Mental Health Professional-Trainee through 911��. Two Youth Mental Health AmeriCorps members will receive certification as a Behavioral Health Technician Assistant through Rappahannock Community College. Both certifications are through the Virginia State Board of Counseling and provide more job options for these students.

“It is an exciting opportunity through multiple lenses,” said Lucy McClellan, a 911�� clinical psychology PhD candidate who is teaching the course. “There is an ongoing youth mental health crisis. Engaging these motivated and passionate students will be a step toward addressing that. It can be challenging to find mental health service experience as an undergraduate so this experience is really integral.”

Bill Hazel serves as the CEO of Claude Moore Opportunities, which, in collaboration with Danville Community College and the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research, sponsored the seven AmeriCorps members. Hazel was previously the Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources and senior advisor for innovation and community engagement at 911��.

Since leaving his role as the Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources in 2014, Hazel jokes he has been on his atonement tour to address all the areas he “couldn’t or didn’t fix” while in his post. He said lack of “meaningful support” through behavioral health care remains a growing issue, especially for younger generations.

“What is important about this group is they are a potential workforce to deliver the service,” Hazel said. “When you get to be a certain age, maybe you lose touch with the younger generation. These trainees are as near to peers as you can get to dealing with teens. Our hope is that this training will be personally beneficial, as they look at their own situations and their own goals in life and that it will provide them career opportunities they will enjoy.”

911�� students and AmeriCorps members before Sources of Strength training at the Center for Community Mental Health. Photo by Jerome Boettcher/CHSS

Tom Worosz, president and founder of the ConnerStrong Foundation, has sponsored Sources of Strength training and implementation in approximately 20 schools in Virginia. Worosz founded the ConnerStrong Foundation in 2017 after his son, Conner, died by suicide at 17. The foundation’s mission is to bring awareness to mental health issues and suicide prevention and to change the discussion about mental health, especially for teenagers and young adults. The foundation has partnered with the CCMH for the last five years.

With the ConnorStrong Foundation, Mehlenbeck and 911�� clinical psychology students hold monthly virtual workshops for parents of school-aged children from K-12 that are available throughout the school year. The workshops address a variety of topics, including domestic violence, social media, artificial intelligence, and graduation.

“Through finding like-minded people in our community—[CCMH] director Robyn Mehlenbeck, her team, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences dean Ann Ardis, Dr. Hazel and his staff over at Claude Moore Opportunities—and others who want to change the way we address mental health, we cover all age groups, but especially getting to our kids early and often has been a blessing,” Worosz said.

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