Meet our Counselors

M.A., Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor

Kathy Petersen

Kathy grew up as a TCK. She studied linguistics and anthropology in Texas for her B.A., graduating in 1981. She married Dan, and together they headed to rural Burkina Faso where they raised three children and worked in linguistics, Bible translation and church planting for 18 years. In 2004, Kathy received her M.A. in Counseling at Lincoln Christian Seminary. Dan and Kathy joined Wycliffe/SIL in 2014 to work in member care and counseling for French-speaking Africa. Yaoundé Cameroon was their next home. Recently they have relocated back to central Illinois. Kathy is the SIL Global Counseling Coordinator.

Karen DeGraaf

Karen spent 11 years in Cote d’Ivoire, West Africa as a linguist/translator before “retooling” to become a mental health counselor. In 2006 she received her MA in Counseling from Western Seminary in Portland, OR, and went on to provide counseling and trauma-healing training to global workers while based with her family in Waxhaw, NC. She is now the Counseling Coordinator for Africa Area and is currently living and working in Yaoundé, Cameroon. She and David have been married since 1989 and have three adult children. Karen’s areas of specialization include depression, anxiety, trauma recovery, stress/burnout, relationships, transitions, grief and loss. She is a facilitator for Strengthening Your Interpersonal Skills workshops, Trauma Healing workshops, has training as a Life Coach, and is certified in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. She works with adults, couples and adolescents of all nationalities, and enjoys helping organizational leadership develop ways to care for their staff AND themselves. Karen loves to help people find meaning and purpose in life, and is always looking for ways to use humor in counseling.

M.A., Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor

Psy.D., Licensed Psychologist

Shalom Alaichamy

Shalom serves as Counselor for South and Islands Asia, and is Strategy Leader for Mental Health for SIL International. As a member of SIL since 2001, he worked in Asia first as linguist/translator until 2008, then as regional coordinator until 2015. In 2019 he earned his doctorate in clinical psychology, with a concentration in organizational consultation, from Azusa Pacific University in California, USA. He completed his doctoral internship at CSU Fullerton where he received specialized training in treating intimate partner violence and sexual assault, and his postdoctoral fellowship at The Claremont Colleges. Shalom works with individuals and couples. His passion is to come alongside staff as they face various challenges, providing a compassionate presence and guidance toward emotional and spiritual healing. While his areas of specialization include relationship conflict, trauma, and depression, Shalom is trained to address a wide range of concerns. He and his wife, Felise, are based in Southern California, where he also teaches psychology at Azusa Pacific University.

Rich Ernst

Rich graduated from medical school in 2010 and completed his residency in Psychiatry and his subspecialty fellowship in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry at Walter Reed. After his training, he and his wife lived in Korea for two years where he was the chief of a military mental health clinic. Rich has also worked in rural community mental health settings, substance abuse programs, and as a telehealth psychiatrist. In 2020, he and his family moved to Chiang Mai where he provides care for cross-cultural workers from all over Asia at Cornerstone Counseling Foundation in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

DO

Psychiatrist

M.Th. (UNISA), Licensed Professional Counselor

Anette Schubert

Anette has been a member of Wycliffe since September 1993. She is married and has two adult children. She came into counseling with a nursing background and 13 years of cross cultural experience with SIL in Tanzania – first in a language project, then as Language Programs Manager. For the past ten years she has worked with Wycliffe Germany as a counselor primarily serving cross-cultural workers. As of 2017, Anette has taken on an additional role as SIL Counselor for Eurasia Area. She offers counseling, debriefing, coaching and personality development through lifestyle analysis. She facilitates debriefing retreats using the Le Rucher model. Special areas of interest for Anette include cross-cultural issues, stress management, work-life balance, burnout, identity, team building, mediation and conflict resolution. She loves to work with individuals and teams.

PhD., Licensed Professional Counselor - Supervisor

James Covey

James is a Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor from the state of Texas and has been with SIL for the last 15 years. He has a PhD in PhD Counseling and Psychological Studies from Regent University and an MA in Marriage and Family Therapy from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He served at Tumaini Counseling Center in Nairobi, Kenya, and now with the SIL Eurasia Area as a counselor, wellbeing services team leader, and an associate counselor with Sentwell in Malaga, Spain. He is trained as a Master Clinician in Cognitive Behavior Therapy with children, has EMDR level 2 certification, is certified in Critical Incident Stress Management crisis debriefing, and is a Master Facilitator for the Trauma Healing Institute and co-author of the Healing the Wounds of Teen Trauma books. His counseling expertise includes counseling, trauma, children and adolescents, marriage and family therapy, stress management, burnout, anxiety, and depression.

Rebecca Hirt

Rebecca has been a member since 2007. She has spent time in Brazil, Honduras, Mexico, and Thailand. In 2006, she received her M.A. in Counseling from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary, in west Michigan. She has been married since 2002 and she and her husband have three children. They have served with MSEA since 2009. Rebecca’s areas of specialization include depression, anxiety, trauma, stress, marriage, transitions, parenting, and group therapy. She has experience in counseling children and adolescents, as well as using play therapy. Rebecca enjoys working with SIL leaders as they navigate member care challenges on their teams. Rebecca is certified in level two Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, a Board Certified Neurotherapist using 1-4 channel Neurofeedback therapy, and a counseling supervisor.

M.A., Licensed Professional Counselor - Supervisor

M.A., Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist

Megan Reeder

Megan grew up in Southernmost Illinois in the United States. She spent a year in Germany and seven years in Bangladesh before completing a graduate degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. After her clinical internship and graduation, she spent two years counseling locals and expats in the Philippines, then one year counseling cross-cultural workers temporarily based in the United States. Megan moved to Chiang Mai in April 2018 and is enjoying her time learning from colleagues and serving cross-cultural workers in Asia. She continues to make occasional trips to Bangladesh to counsel and train expats and locals there. Megan loves getting to walk alongside families, couples, and individuals on their journeys with the Lord through life's ups and downs. Seeing people move toward a deeper understanding of Him, themselves, and one another is what motivates her.

Wha Shu (Sue) Kim

Wha Shu and her husband did language work in Africa with SIL from 1998-2010 before relocating to the US. Afterward, Wha Shu finished her MA in counseling and became licensed as a counselor in New York and Texas, while her husband continued to work on translation and made multiple yearly trips to Ethiopia. In 2021, the family returned to Ethiopia and Wha Shu received a DMin in Pastoral Counseling. She is currently working in Ethiopia as a SIL counselor. She concentrates on incorporating a Christian perspective into mental health treatment and psychoeducation. They have two young adult daughters living in New York.

M.A., Licensed Professional Counselor

Diane Tehan

Diane Tehan and her husband Tom moved to Thailand in 1991 with four of their five children, and their youngest was born in Thailand in 1994. Tom passed away unexpectedly in January 2019 in Chiang Mai. Diane has five married children and seven grandchildren. Diane received her M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Wheaton College in 2002 and is licensed in N. Carolina and Michigan. She is on staff at Cornerstone Counseling Foundation in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The counseling topics closest to Diane’s heart include grief and loss, trauma, ADD/ADHD, relationship improvement, and emotional and body awareness and integration.

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