ACC Independent Contractors

Dinetta Morris, LPC
(telehealth only)

I am a native Houstonian and am partial to the beauty that Alaska's culture has offered me over the past 4 years. My background is heavily rooted in education and mental health. I often use my love for teaching within my approach to talk therapy. My nature is to make sure that I am open, honest, authentic and non-judgmental which are traits that help me build great rapport with anyone that I work with. As a Licensed Professional Counselor in both Alaska and Texas I offer psychotherapy to individuals, families and couples who are struggling with life stressors. It is my belief that everyone possesses valuable strengths and experiences needed to heal from within. My hope and desires are to help people learn how to become the best version of themselves. My mission is to empower individuals and families to live healthier, and more fulfilled and well balanced lives. Together we will work toward developing a stronger sense of self-worth, making sense of your history, improving your relationships and meeting your specific therapeutic goals. I have worked with many concerns over the years including depression, anxiety, grief & loss, trauma, family conflicts, ADHD, relationships, and more. My vision of helping others work through these challenges is accomplished not only by providing psychoeducation, but also using therapeutic approaches such as Solution Focused Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Gottman's Theory to help individuals, couples and families work through life challenges.

Charlotte Gruber, LCSW

(telehealth only)

I am originally from Dallas and have lived in several other states including Alaska. After receiving my undergraduate degree, I worked at an emergency shelter for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. I learned a lot from this job, including how much I enjoyed working directly with individuals on fostering and maintaining mental health and well-being. Part of what excites me about being a therapist is that mental health needs and concerns are universal experiences. If we learn the right information, like neuroscience and evidence based treatments for example, we discover that issues such as anxiety and depression are not about our character or identities. Rather, many mental health concerns are a result of unhelpful patterns of thinking and behavior that become a barrier to well-being. My job is to work with you on getting unstuck by changing these patterns. Therapy is about processing, healing, and making healthy changes in behavior. It is a great sign of growth when you no longer feel the need for therapy sessions; it means you were successful in making the changes you wanted. I take this approach to the therapeutic process to make sessions the most effective and most efficient they can be for you.

Specialties include: Trauma/EMDR, Safety Learning of Anxiety, and Domestic Violence.

Rozette Pegues, LPC
(telehealth only)

I have lived in both Bethel and Anchorage and currently live in Texas. I come from a military family and understand the challenges that come from family members being deployed, and in high stress and high risk jobs. As a Licensed Professional Counselor in both Alaska and Texas I provide individual counseling to adults and youth. I specialize in working with adults experiencing trauma, depression, and stressful life events and transitions. In my work with children, I specialize in helping them, and their caregivers, learn how to recognize and cope with their emotions, communicate their needs, and improve their ability to solve problems.
I have worked with adults, adolescents, and children in various settings including hospital and community clinic settings. I have experience working with the LGBTQIA+ community and their families.

I think you’re the expert in what is and is not working for you and will work with you to achieve what wellness means to you using multiple therapeutic approaches including person-centered approach, EMDR, play & filial therapy, and solution focused therapy.

Renee Sullivan, LPC
(telehealth only)

I completed my Master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Lesley University located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I am licensed in the state of Massachusetts as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) and in the state of Alaska as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC).

I am originally from the east coast but now call Alaska home. As a result of being a military spouse, I have moved throughout the country, from major metropolitan cities, to rural Alaska and the Pacific Islands. Through this experience I understand firsthand the struggles of change, building new relationships, and staying connected to family and other support systems.

I have experience working with children, parents, and families in a variety of settings including school, clinics, hospitals and in-home care. Regardless of the setting, I have worked to help children, parents, and families strengthen in times of adversity. Using techniques including talk therapy, play therapy, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, I provide clients the opportunity for a honest and trusting connection. Together we will work to identify and process life challenges and develop effective communication, healthy routines, and increase self-confidence.

Throughout life we will all encounter events that disrupt our happiness. I can offer you a safe space to process those life challenges. We can look at stressors and unhealthy patterns that may be holding you or your family back. We can develop new, healthy approaches that will allow you to accomplish goals, increase self-awareness and develop healthy patterns to live a happy and fulfilled life. I have a passion for working with youth, moms, postpartum concerns, and families in transition.

Carol Altepeter, LCSW
(telehealth only)

Carol has been in the social work field for over twenty years. She moved from Ohio to Alaska in 2006 and has lived and worked in Bethel, Sitka, and now Fairbanks. She has extensive experience working with military families at Fort Wainwright and is currently providing individual telehealth counseling across the state for adults age 18+. She works with a wide range of concerns including anxiety, depression, stress, life transitions, trauma, relationship issues, self-esteem, and substance abuse.

She uses an integrated approach that draws upon a variety of techniques tailored to your unique needs. She is trained in EMDR and views clients through a trauma informed and attachment-based lens. Some of the additional techniques she utilizes include Mindfulness-Based Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Insight-Oriented Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing.

She is a member of the Alaska State Troopers Critical Incident Response Peer Support Team. As the wife of a law enforcement officer and having previously provided crisis intervention services, she recognizes the unique challenges that first responders and their families face.

She teaches clinical courses for UAA and actively seeks out opportunities for growth to stay up to date with the most effective interventions. She offers psychoeducational training on mental health issues, vicarious trauma, secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, burnout, and professional self-care.

Regardless of the techniques used, Carol believes the most important aspect of counseling is the relationship and connection you have with your counselor. Her clients often tell her, “You genuinely care and understand me.” She is committed to creating an authentic and healing environment for you to share your personal struggles and desires for the future.

Counseling can help you gain a deeper understanding of yourself and underlying issues, uncover strengths, and learn skills that will help you reach your goals. She would love to support you on your journey and help you work through whatever it is that brings you to counseling.

She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, especially doing outdoor things when the sun is shining. You can also find her with a cup of coffee and her nose in a book. She is dedicated to helping Alaskans find healing, and to live healthier and more fulfilling lives, and feel comfortable being their authentic selves. Please reach out to see if you and Carol would be a good fit.

Jessica Koh, LPC
(telehealth only)

Throughout Jessica's life she has had the wonderful experience of living around the globe but now calls Alaska her home. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor that believes in the beauty of the human spirit. Above all else, she believes in being honest, straight forward, and genuine.

She has worked with children, adolescents, and adults in the mental and behavioral health field since 2012. She has worked with individuals with trauma, depression, anxiety, paranoia, psychosis, and suicidal ideations.

She has had the honor of working with First Responders in Arizona in individual therapy as well as community crisis response settings. She considers being part of one’s journey towards wellness, regardless of the circumstances, to be a privilege. She has developed a passion for helping those who may have hesitation to attend counseling or those who have not always had the greatest counseling experience in the past.

She believes everyone can heal if that is their desire and the bravest people she will ever meet are the people who she gets to work with as clients. Everyone is unique and she does not take a one size fits all to approach to therapy. She focuses on thoughts and behaviors which may inhibit oneself from living a fulfilling life.

More specifically, she utilizes Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, (CBT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) in the treatment of trauma and emotional dysregulation. She teaches skills which focus on regulating one's emotions, challenging negative thoughts, and remaining in the present. She does not believe that all forms of expression need to be through words.

She is here to support you and your journey towards wellness.