Mental Health & Wellness

As the Mental Health & Wellness program believes wellness and justice are inseparable and we prioritize mental health equity in marginalized communities, the Mental Health Equity Cohort was created by NBA's Director of Mental Health & Wellness, Rev. Joselyn Spence, for Disciples-affiliated professionals across the country who are working at the intersection of mental health and justice. This is an 18-month journey of chaplains, therapists, students, and activists who meet monthly with some in-person gatherings. 

The Mental Health Equity Cohort exists to: 

• Be a supportive and creative space for Disciples mental health and justice professionals to explore the intersections of mental health, wellness, theology, justice, and equity. 

• Address wellness disparities and issues of justice through the equitable sharing and creation of knowledge, resources, and support services to marginalized communities, for the upliftment of all.

With the goals of: 

1. Building and nurturing community between Disciples mental health and justice professionals for long-term support beyond the cohort work.
2. Fruitful discussion and dreaming concerning wellness equity and mental health justice in the church and world. 

3. Developing and sharing resources and models of care for wellness equity and mental health justice. Each cohort develops a final project to share with the life of the church.

The 2023-2025 Cohort has created Soul Medicine: A Toolkit For Community Leaders And Care Providers, which will be launched in Summer 2025 and presented at the 2025 General Assembly. 

Meet the Members of the Mental Health Equity Cohort: 

Carolina Fuentes, LCSW 

Psychotherapist, Consultant, and Adjunct Social Work Professor 

Carolina Fuentes graduated with an MSW and MDiv from Baylor University. She has been a social worker for 11 years. During her tenure as a social worker, she has worked in a variety of roles in the nonprofit sector including as case manager for refugee families, abuse prevention education specialist, hospital social worker, and school-based therapist. 

Carolina is currently working in private practice where she provides clinical, educational, and consulting services. Carolina enjoys designing and delivering trainings, writing curriculum, and singing in her church’s community chorale. Carolina lives in Houston, Texas with her husband and two daughters.  

Rev. Whittney-Marie Murphy, M.Div. 

Spiritual Director/Interfaith Chaplain/Director of Come as You Are Collective 

Rev. Whittney-Marie Murphy, MDiv. (she/her/hers), is a certified Spiritual Director and interfaith hospice chaplain dedicated to curating spaces of healing for those often unseen. As a Black queer woman of faith, her life’s work is rooted in radical welcome, sacred truth-telling, and audacious authenticity. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Come As You Are Collective (CAYA), a nonprofit providing accessible, affirming mental health and spiritual care to LGBTQ+ people of color.

Rev. Whittney-Marie’s commitment to inclusion led to her being featured in the AppleTV+ docuseries Gutsy alongside Hillary Rodham Clinton, with whom she discussed love, marriage, and the spiritual inclusion of LGBTQ+ people. Secretary Clinton later described her as a “wonderful sounding board” during an interview on The View. Indeed, Rev. Whittney-Marie is a professional listener, holding space for others to speak freely, without shame.

She holds a Master of Divinity from Christian Theological Seminary and serves as an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Based in Cleveland, Ohio, Rev. Whittney-Marie also coaches her alma mater’s Girl Track & Field team, keeps a passport that rarely rests, and believes a bold lip and a good book can shift any atmosphere.

Rev. Lee Ivey III, LMHCA 

Mental Health Specialist and Therapist in Residency 

Born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, yet cultured by many journeys, Lee Ivey is inspired by a person’s audacity to heal out loud. In a world where masks are, at times, protective and necessary, Ivey seeks to create a space where a person feels emboldened to present their truest self in a therapeutic alliance that is judgment-free and acceptance-filled. Ivey discerns the intersection between faith, mental health, and clinical sexology to reveal the ways that discouragement has become ingrained in our identity. Ivey desires to walk audaciously with you in your healing journey! 

Lee’s therapeutic interests include church hurt, trauma, microaggressions, generational healing, sex therapy, discouragement, passivity and aggression, grief and loss, and expression. 

Joi McCreary, MA, MFT, CLC, CCHW 

Couples, Marriage and Family Therapist/Owner, JoiOlogy 5155 Center of Joy and Transformative Growth

Joí McCreary is a visionary leader, therapist, and advocate dedicated to empowering individuals and communities, particularly Black women. As a master’s level Couples, Marriage, and Family Therapy (CMFT) Resident Therapist, she specializes in mental health therapy for adults, couples, families, and groups. She is also the Founder and CEO of JoiOlogy 5155 Center of Joy and Transformative Growth, an organization dedicated to health, wellness, sex education, mental health, capacity building, training, and development with an intentional focus on BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities.

As a proud Indianapolis, Indiana native, Joí brings a wealth of experience spanning entrepreneurship, leadership, academia, clinical care, and ministry. Her ability to merge creativity with strategy has made her a sought-after mentor, collaborator, and transformative leader. Whether designing innovative programs, guiding therapeutic conversations, or fostering community connections, Joí’s work is rooted in authenticity, purpose, and collective growth.

Beyond her professional life, Joí is a vibrant spirit who cherishes family, travel, great food, and the rejuvenating power of naps. She has been married for over 20 years and is a proud mother of two remarkable adult children. Supported by a loving and dynamic village, she pours the same love she receives back into her clients, her community, and the world. Committed to growth, healing, and empowerment, Joí welcomes opportunities to connect with those who share a vision for transformation and joy. 

Wes Parks, LPC-S, MS, NCC 

Licensed Professional Counselor, Supervisor, and Owner of Metroplex Mental Health, PLLC 

Wes Parks (he/him) is the owner of Metroplex Mental Health, a boutique multilocation private practice in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex specializing in LGBTQIA+ clients. Wes holds a dual master’s degree in clinical psychology and neuropsychology. General treatment concerns in his therapy caseload include affective and anxiety disorders, psychotic and somatic disorders, trauma and abuse issues, career and employment, and neurodevelopmental disorders. Specialized treatment concerns include gender identity and gender expression, sexual identity, and sexual expression, assisting families navigating gender transition, and coordinating gender-affirming care among treatment teams. 

For more than a decade he worked at a private forensic and clinical psychology practice where he was involved in wide-ranging, and often high-profile, forensic psychology and legal cases. Understanding that change is needed on all levels, he is currently working towards a Ph.D. in Public Administration and Public Policy at the University of Texas at Arlington so he can focus on mental health policy analysis and decision-making. Part of this goal includes outreach activism with vulnerable and marginalized populations. He has been featured on terrestrial and internet media programs, as well as print and digital publications across the country. 

Wes is a co-conspirator at Galileo Christian Church, serving in servant-leadership as a member of the Missional Logistics Team. 

Zaemelys Ramos-Rodriguez 

Clinical Psychology Ph.D. Student and Research Assistant 

Zaemelys Ramos-Rodriguez is a member of Casa de Refugio Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in southern California, where she is a graduate student studying to obtain a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. She aims to bring equity to the mental health care system by creating affordable, culturally responsive care and healing for minoritized communities. She is also an artist specializing in illustration, character, and graphic design and would like to incorporate art to bring culturally relevant interventions to the Latin American community. 

Alongside her involvement in her community and her work as a student, she also started a research lab to evaluate if comic creation is a culturally responsive intervention for Latin American youth experiencing stress due to risk factors such as school shootings and immigration-related discrimination. After graduating, she plans to continue to do similar work to bring social transformation to her community. 

Rev. R.J. Robles 

Metro Human Relations Commission as the Director of Compliance and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 

Rev. RJ Robles (he/they) is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Their home church is New Covenant Christian Church in North Nashville, Tennessee where they reside. R.J. is a queer and transgender Afro-Puerto Rican living in the United States Southern Diaspora. 

Their movement work resides at the intersections of trans pastoral care, healing justice, disability, and faith justice. He is also a professional life coach, Reiki practitioner, sound healer, theta healer, and a certified crystal and chakra healer. Rev. Robles believes that joy is our birthright and that a different world is possible through revolutionary love and collective healing.