MCLA Wellness
Counseling, Health Services, and Health Promotions. For every MCLA student.
You're well-being is important to us!
Your well-being matters. Explore programs, resources, and support designed to help you thrive physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially throughout your time at MCLA.
Counseling Services provides free, confidential support for all enrolled MCLA students, including individual and couples counseling, crisis intervention, psychiatric services, consultations, referrals, and group counseling as available.
Student Health Services provides comprehensive medical care focused on the unique health needs of MCLA students. Our team diagnoses and treats common illnesses and injuries, orders lab tests, prescribes medications, and connects students with urgent or emergency care when needed.
Health Promotion supports student well-being through education, outreach, and prevention programs that encourage healthy behaviors, reduce health risks, and connect students with campus and community resources.
CARE TEAM
The purpose of the CARE Team (Community, Assessment, Response, Evaluation) is to identify as early as possible students who are in need of support to achieve success academically and/or socially as members of the MCLA campus community.
Wellness Info
At MCLA, we believe that to do well, you must be well. We have a dedicated team of practitioners—from counselors and nurses to health promotion staff—all invested in the wellness of our students and community.
The Inter-association Definition of Well-being (November 2020) states, "We define well-being as an optimal and dynamic state that allows people to achieve their full potential. Our focus is on two interdependent types of well-being: (1) individual and (2) community."
MCLA is committed to supporting wellness in a holistic way. We strive to provide the highest quality care in our clinics and counseling spaces while also fostering healthy communities, strong organizations, and respect for sustainability and the environment. The Inter-association Definition of Well-being further explains, "By focusing on the whole—the whole person, the whole educational experience, the whole institution, the whole community—well-being becomes a multifaceted goal and a shared responsibility for the entire institution."
We hope you experience wellness throughout your time at MCLA—in the classroom, in the residence halls, through student activities, and beyond. By prioritizing wellness together, students and MCLA can create meaningful impacts on academic, personal, and professional success.
We want you to thrive at MCLA. With our support, you can build lifelong habits that help you stay well throughout your college experience. Remember, everyone's trail to wellness is different, and we're here to help you navigate yours.
In wellness,
Ashleigh Hala, LICSW
Associate Dean & Chief Wellness Officer
Mission Statement
To develop, promote, and support robust opportunities, programs, and resources that enable students to achieve a holistic sense of health and well-being and create a campus culture where holistic wellness is centered within every aspect of our community.
Vision
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) will lead the way for wellness within the Commonwealth by seamlessly integrating holistic wellness into all aspects of the student experience building an inclusive, thriving, and resilient campus community.
Information, Services, and Resources
Northern Berkshire Community Resource Guide
Urgent/Express Care
Berkshire Health Urgent Care
Location: 505 East St., Pittsfield, MA 01201
ExpressCare-Southwestern Vermont Medical Center
Location: 140 Hospital Drive, Suite 111, Bennington, VT 05201
ClearChoiceMD Urgent Care
Location: 856 State Road North Adams, MA 01247
Convenientmd Urgent Care
Location: 999 Dalton Ave, Pittsfield, MA 01201
Emergent Care/Hospitals
North Adams Regional Hospital
Location: Hospital Ave., North Adams 01247
Berkshire Medical Center
Location: 725 North Street Pittsfield MA 01201
Southwestern Vermont Medical Center
Location: 100 Hospital Dr Bennington VT 05201
Community Support
Berkshire Health Systems Harm Reduction
42 Summer Street, 2nd floor/Suite 201 Pittsfield, MA 01201
Tapestry Health
289 Church Street, MCLA Wellness Center, North Adams, MA 02147
Elizabeth Freeman Center
43 Francis Ave, Pittsfield, MA 01201
MCLA Wellness
Counseling, Health Services & Health Promotion
Wellness Team
Madeleine Adolph
Madeleine is MCLA’s Health Promotion Specialist, educating the campus community on
mental health, suicide prevention, alcohol and other drugs, safer sex, sexual violence
prevention, and other wellness topics. She supervises the new Wellness Peer Educator program
and works with local and national organizations such as Berkshire Harm Reduction,
the Brien Center, New England Health Educators Network, and NASPA. Madeleine is originally
from Southern California and graduated from Smith College in 2023 with a BA in Sociology
and the Study of Women and Gender. Her passion for health promotion work began in
college when she joined Smith's peer health educator group.
Jonah Bayer, LMHC
Jonah Bayer is a staff counselor at MCLA. Before joining the College, he worked at The Brien Center in North Adams, where he provided mental health and substance use counseling for adults, families, and couples. Jonah earned a master's degree in clinical mental health counseling with a concentration in trauma from Antioch University in 2022.
His therapeutic approach draws on evidence-based practices, including Dialectical
Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Before becoming
a therapist, Jonah was a touring guitarist and music journalist based in Brooklyn,
New York. He continues to write about the intersection of music and mental health
for national publications, including SPIN and FLOOD Magazine.
Aimée Bullett-Smith, DNP, MS, FNP-BC
Aimée is a family nurse practitioner board-certified by the American Nurse Credentialing Center. She holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, a Master of Science as a Family Nurse Practitioner, and a Bachelor of Science, RN. Aimée has worked at MCLA Student Health Services since 2013. She has a background in surgery, pulmonary/sleep medicine, gastroenterology, occupational medicine, and allergy.
Claire Cabiles, LICSW
Claire is a licensed independent clinical social worker (LICSW) and staff counselor at the MCLA Counseling Center, where she has worked for many years. In addition to her role at MCLA, Claire has worked at The Brien Center in Great Barrington, the Bennington, Vermont, school system, and currently serves part time at Greylock Mental Health.
Claire enjoys working with students who are pursuing a specific path as well as those who are exploring their goals and future direction. She has worked with people from a wide range of backgrounds and values creating a supportive space where students can share their stories, reflect on their experiences, and explore how those experiences shape their lives at MCLA and beyond.
Paul Donovan, D.O. FACEP, FAAEM
Dr. Donvan is a board-certified osteopathic doctor (DO), with forty years of clinical practice. He is certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) with a certificate of added qualification in sports medicine. Dr. Donovan has worked at MCLA Student Health Services and Athletics since 2009. He specializes in non-surgical orthopedic and sports medicine care. His background also includes emergency medicine.
Ashleigh Hala, MSW, LICSW
Ashleigh Hala, MSW, LICSW, is MCLA's associate dean and chief wellness officer, providing leadership for Counseling Services, Student Health Services, Health Promotion, Prevention, Peer Education, and the Care Team. Before joining MCLA, she led wellness and prevention initiatives at Wake Forest University and Babson College, where she also served as the founding director of Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Services.
Ashleigh holds bachelor's and master's degrees in social work and is a licensed independent clinical social worker. She is actively involved in national higher education and college health organizations, serves in leadership roles with NASPA, and frequently presents on wellness, prevention, and student support. She is passionate about creating a campus culture where every student feels supported and has the opportunity to thrive.
Jacqueline Krzanik, DNP, MS, FNP-BC
Jacqueline is the director of MCLA Student Health Services and is a family nurse practitioner board-certified by the American Nurse Credentialing Center. She holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, a Master of Science as a Family Nurse Practitioner, and a Bachelor of Science, RN. She has worked at MCLA since 2012 and has a background in emergency medicine, gastroenterology, and occupational medicine.
Amrita Lash, LCSW
Amrita is a staff counselor at MCLA and a licensed clinical social worker in Massachusetts. She earned a Master of Social Work from Boston University and completed her clinical internship at The Brien Center, where she provided behavioral health therapy for children and adolescents. She also spent three years at Williams College's counseling center, providing individual, group, and couples counseling, crisis intervention, assessments, and outreach programming for first-generation college students.
Amrita is certified in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and Internal Family Systems–Intimacy from the Inside Out (IFS-IFIO). With more than 20 years of experience supporting the well-being of youth and adults, she takes a strengths-based, trauma-informed approach that incorporates expressive arts, mindfulness, somatic practices, and narrative therapy. Whether working with individuals, couples, or groups, Amrita strives to create a welcoming space where all students feel heard, supported, and empowered.
Susannah McAllister
Susannah has served as a medical assistant at MCLA Student Health Services since 2018. Before joining MCLA, she spent 26 years working in a hospital, where she held a variety of roles, including transcription and medical coding. Currently, Susannah provides primary administrative support for the College's wellness departments, including Student Health Services, Counseling Services, and Health Promotion.
Christine Rodriguez, RN
Christine is a registered nurse. She has certification in ACLS, TNCC, PALS, and OCN. She has worked at MCLA Student Health Services since 2013. She has a background in emergency medicine and oncology.
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@mclawellness
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