Counseling and Outreach Staff

Meet the Counseling and Outreach Staff

	Nicole Newell, MA, CMHC, NCCMHC, NCC (she/her) Director of Counseling and Joint Health Services 608-899-4135 Newelln@miyao2009.com Nicole has been the Director of Counseling here at Franklin Pierce University since 2018 and has been at the university since 2014. Nicole received her Master’s Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Antioch University. Before coming to FPU, she worked within non-profit organizations working with underserved populations through state and federal vendors. During her undergrad experience at Keene State College, Nicole was an NCAA two sport athlete and understands the difficulties in navigating the student-athlete experience. Nicole is an adjunct professor within the psychology department and has taught First Year Inquiry, Group Dynamics and Creative Arts Therapy. Nicole has a passion for working with the college age populations because of her own journey during her college years. When Nicole is not at Franklin Pierce she can be seen attending to her beehives, spending time with family, gardening, hiking, traveling and playing with her many animals.
	Kalyn DaSilva ‘18, MSW, LICSW (they/them) Assistant Director of Counseling and Outreach 603-899-1029 dasilvak@miyao2009.com Kalyn is an alum of FPU where they received their B.A. in Psychology. Kalyn holds a Master of Social Work from Simmons School of Social Work in Boston, MA and is a licensed certified social worker in the state of Massachusetts. Kalyn joined the FPU Counseling team in 2021. In addition to working in the counseling center, Kalyn is the co-chair of FPU’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion council. Kalyn’s special interests include working with the LGBTQIA+ community, and survivors of gender and sexual violence. Kalyn is also passionate about providing universal education to members across campus on numerous topics such as suicide prevention, gender identity and pronouns, self-love, and eating disorder awareness. Outside of work you can find Kalyn hiking with their dog, Summit!
	Molly Hoekman (She/They), MA, CMHC Mental Health Counselor 603-899-9508 Hoekmanm@miyao2009.com Molly is a Clinical Mental Health Counselor specializing in Art Therapy with a master’s degree from Lesley University. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in K-12 Art Education from Plymouth State University. Formerly an art educator in public schools, Molly’s background centers on building connections, empowering students, and honoring diverse communication styles. These guiding principles are important to their work within the Franklin Pierce community as they join the counseling and outreach team in 2024. Molly enjoys college counseling work to support people through times of significant change, as she believes change is a catalyst for self-discovery. Outside of Franklin Pierce, Molly teaches group fitness classes, makes art, and enjoys being in nature.
	Summit DaSilva (he/him) Counseling Comfort Dog Summit is the newest member of the FPU Counseling team and has loved every minute of it! Summit joins Kalyn in their office each day where he gets to help students become comfortable in their environment when talking about difficult topics. Summit’s special interests are naps, getting belly rubs, asking for hugs (yes, hugs!), and saying hello to every person on campus.
	PEER COUNSELORS The counseling center has a rotation of student peer counselors, which changes every semester. Our trained peer counselors work with students who do not want to talk to a professional counselor or would benefit from speaking with another student. You can email counseling@miyao2009.com to make an appointment with one of our peer counselors.