Our Counselors

Education

Bio

Charny Beck became the Vice President of Community Ministries in July 2024. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker – Supervisor. Charny holds a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work from Baylor University and a Master of Science in Social Work from the University of Texas at Arlington. She is currently working on her Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision at Regent University. She received her certification as an Educational Diagnostician from the University of Houston and holds her teacher certification in Early Childhood to 6th grade and in Special Education from Pre-K to 12th grade.

At STCH Ministries, Charny spends most of her counseling time doing marriage counseling, infidelity work, men’s and women’s issues, anxiety, depression, and grief and trauma with adults. She is a trained EMDR therapist through EMDRIA. She is level 1 and level 2 Gottman trained, a Certified Parenting with Love and Logic facilitator, Prepare/Enrich and SYMBIS facilitator certified. Charny uses CBT, DBT, Family Systems and Solution-Focused Brief Therapy in her treatment approaches. Being a pastor’s wife, she works with pastors and spouses in all areas of burn-out, brokenness, and church hurt. Charny has worn many hats in her career working with at-risk youth, Early Childhood Intervention programs, as well as has extensive experience in a variety of school settings working as a social worker, counselor, Educational Diagnostician, and special education director. Charny has done counseling in a private practice setting for twelve years. She now serves at STCH Ministries, and each day looks forward to using her faith to pour into the lives of people. She calls it an honor and blessing to walk alongside marriages and families as they walk through their personal valleys of life.

Originally from Plano, Texas, Charny has called the Houston area home since 2004. She and her husband have been married since 1996 and are blessed with four daughters.   

Education

Bio

Kimberly Collins was first introduced to STCH Ministries as a graduate student, where she saw first-hand that counseling is more than a mental health practice, it is a ministry. Kimberly completed her practicum at our Family Counseling office in Victoria and was hired on as a family counselor in September 2016. Kimberly now serves at our counseling offices in the Houston area as a Licensed Professional Counselor.

A graduate of both Howard Payne University and Dallas Theological Seminary, Kimberly holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and graduated with honors with a Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling. She is trained in EMDR Therapy. Kimberly’s experience includes serving as a youth pastor at First Baptist Church in Palacios for two years. She has also served with the mission team at FBC Palacios in Cali, Columbia, since 2008. Kimberly makes it her daily goal in life to make Christ known and, as Philippians 3:13 says, looking forward to what lies ahead, an eternity with her Savior.

Kimberly grew up in Bay City and loves to travel, particularly when it involves a trip to her grandparents’ ranch in Blessing, Texas, or going to Disney World. She had the honor of performing at the 2012 Olympics in London with a gospel music group called Winds of Triumph. Kimberly is married to Matthew, a high school football coach. Kimberly and her husband attend church in the Richmond area.

Education

Bio

Mark Kass loves seeing the Holy Spirit bring beauty into broken places and restoration and redemption to hurting lives through Christ-centered gospel-driven counseling. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor who joined our Houston counseling team in 2018. Mark holds a Bachelor of Science in Sociology from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska and a Juris Doctorate (Law) degree from St. Mary’s School of Law in San Antonio, Texas. After practicing as a licensed attorney for nearly twenty-five years, Mark sensed God calling him into full-time ministry and entered seminary. He holds a Master of Arts in Counseling, graduating Summa Cum Laude and Outstanding Graduate in Counseling, from Houston Graduate School of Theology in Houston, Texas.

Mark is Level 1 certified (clinical track) in Narrative Focused Trauma Care, trained by Dr. Dan Allender. He has trained under Jay Stringer (author of Unwanted) in Unwanted Sexual Behavior therapy and completed the AASAT Sex Addiction training program under Dr. Doug Weiss.  Mark was trained by Dr. Terry  Hargrave in Restoration Therapy, and completed training under Dr. Ricky Greenwald in the trauma therapies of Progressive Counting and Flash.  Mark has also received training in Biblical Counseling from Christian Counseling & Education Foundation affiliated with Westminster Seminary. His work focuses on adult survivors of childhood trauma, men struggling with unwanted sexual behaviors including pornography, adultery, hookups and other forms of sexual acting out, couples counseling, personal issues of pastors, and other men’s issues.  He sees clients both in person and online.

Mark has been married to his wife Kathy for 20 years and has raised two daughters and two sons. Mark has called Texas home for his entire adult life. He has spent three decades doing volunteer cross-cultural ministry work with youth, college-age, adults, married couples, as well as mission work in the Philippines and Kenya. He has previously served as a preaching elder for several years in a Filipino church and is currently a member of  Kerusso Grace Church, a Hispanic inner-city community in Houston’s North Side Village.

Education

Bio

Paige N. Martinez is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) serving in the Houston Area. Paige earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and Master of Arts degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Sam Houston State University.

Before coming to STCH Ministries, she worked as an Intern at Sagemont Counseling Center. With certifications in SYMBIS and Gottman-Level two for premarital and marital counseling, as well as being EMDR Trained, Paige is dedicated to embracing the latest and most effective counseling methodologies. Her greatest passion is being a part of the process that empowers people by giving them the tools to better understand themselves and their unique situations. Paige loves working with people of all ages and from all walks of life, understanding that each individual’s story is significant and set apart. She has an extensive research background geared toward working with victims of trauma. Her areas of expertise encompass assisting individuals grappling with anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, grief, missionary challenges and complexities within couple and family dynamics.

Paige’s strongest conviction is that real healing can only come from the Great Counselor, Jesus Christ, who welcomes everyone with open arms. She operates with a model that combines truth-based principles with evidence-based counseling techniques, keeping the personality of Christ as the center at all times.

Paige grew up in Houston, Texas and spent seven years doing volunteer ministry work with college-age students while attending Sam Houston State University. Outside of her professional pursuits, Paige finds joy in staying active, exploring new destinations through travel and spending time with family and friends.

Education

Bio

Al Smith is a Licensed Professional Counselor-Associate in the Houston area. He graduated from Houston Graduate School of Theology in 2020. Al completed his practicum at Star of Hope Men Development Center. He found the experience very rewarding listening to the men share their stories and witness the power of God help them make positive change.

Retired Teacher/Coach from the Texas public-school system 2010. He had been involved as an associate with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes for over 25 years. After being retired for a few years he felt God calling him to help people in ministry or counseling. He had a conversation with my pastor, and he said to him, you can help as many in counseling as in ministry. So, he decided to pursue counseling. As he thinks about it, counseling is ministry.

He enjoys working with youth, young adult men and premarital counseling. His experience as a high school teacher/coach helped him relate to youth and allowed him to quickly build rapport. His preferred approaches include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Person Centered, and Existentialism. Finding meaning during tough situations can help move people forward. He began with STCH Ministries in September 2021. What he enjoys most about working at STCH Ministries is the freedom of sharing scripture, praying with clients, and inviting the Holy Spirit to come during the session.

Education

Bio

Jenel Capes is a Licensed Professional Counselor – Associate (LPC-A) in the state of Texas. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with dual majors in Biblical Languages and Communications along with a Master of Arts degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Both degrees are from Houston Christian University (formerly Houston Baptist University).

Jenel counsels individuals ages 18 and up. She utilizes a combination of techniques that will uniquely apply to each individual’s needs. Jenel desires to build a strong alliance with her clients, partnering with them to find empowerment, safety, and restoration while they achieve their goals. She also respects working alongside individuals from any or no religious background, or who have experienced any trauma from religion.

Jenel has mostly lived in the Houston area and has worked previously in schools, universities, and churches. In all of these settings, she was mainly focused on one thing: helping people grow. Jenel has desired to pursue counseling since high school as she grew through her own adversity, but she went on some different adventures until that calling came back clearly after the death of her husband of 13 years. Now remarried to an adoring man she hadn’t seen in over 20 years from youth group, she continues to see how beauty can come from ashes. Having gone from one to four precious young people in her home, she enjoys learning about all the challenges of blending family.

Education

Bio

Nikki Rojas is an LPC-Associate in Texas. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Food and Nutrition Science from Texas A&M University-Kingsville and a Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Liberty University. 

While in college, Nikki dedicated her life to serving others in whatever capacity God may direct. After graduation, God led her to STCH Ministries Homes for Children campus in Pettus where she worked as a caseworker for children and teens who lived there. Following this Nikki spent over a decade as a full-time caregiver to her mother before returning to Homes for Children several years ago. 

Nikki uses an individualized integrative approach to counseling. She loves the safe and sacred space of counseling that allows individuals to be open and honest. Her goal is to convey the heart of and be the ears and mouth of Jesus in helping individuals of all ages overcome the difficulties they face in life. 

Nikki considers it a privilege to work with children, teens, and their families because childhood and adolescent years are foundational to forming our identities. She enjoys incorporating play as part of the counseling process with young clients. 

In her free time, Nikki enjoys music, being outdoors, hanging out with friends or family, and learning or trying something new. 

Education

Bio

Sandra Gomez is a Licensed Professional Counseling – Associate. Sandra graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biblical Studies with a minor in Biblical Counseling from the College of Biblical Studies. She received her Master of Arts in Counseling from the Houston Graduate School of Theology in 2021.

After high school, she began working for an inner-city nonprofit organization. During her first year there, she knew God was calling her to be equipped to serve individuals better. Since she speaks Spanish, she was able to bond with the Hispanic mothers in the community and be the listening ear they needed. She knew that God was calling her to be equipped as a counselor, and it was during grad school she knew her role was to help close the gap for Hispanics to receive mental health care. She wants to be a mental health advocate for the Spanish-speaking community, helping to reduce the stigma and seeing people gain new perspectives and healing in their lives. Her preferred approach is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) but she believes each individual may need different approaches to help them. She firmly believes that people need to be honest with God and themselves and willing to take the steps, even if it’s a baby step towards healing.

Sandra was born and raised in Houston, Texas, and loves reading Marvel Comics, playing her guitar and bass, watching movies and admiring nature.

Education

Bio