Clinicians

Located at 26 Chamberlain Highway, Kensington, CT 06037 
Located at 26 Chamberlain Highway, Kensington, CT 06037
860-893-0040
Located at 26 Chamberlain Highway 
Kensington, CT 06037
860-893-0040
Call Us Today

Learn More About Our Professional Team of Clinicians

Get to Know Our Clinicians

We have included some helpful information below to help you learn more about our experienced clinicians. If you have any additional questions regarding what you see here, contact us and we'll be happy to answer any questions that you have!
Randi Schnur, PhD

Randi Schnur, PhD — Clinical Psychologist and Owner of Paragon Behavioral Health

My passion for psychology began in college, in an introductory psych course taught by Dr. Ron Mack, a smiling, energetic man who did not lecture but told stories, making all the concepts come to life not as abstract ideas but as meaningful ways of understanding people. I was so enthralled by what I was learning that, despite there being nearly 500 students in the auditorium, the professor singled me out and nicknamed me “Twink” because of the twinkle in my eye that he could see from the stage! Dr. Mack became my mentor for many years, and although I lost him, too early, when I was 30, his legacy lives on as I still feel that twinkle every day when I go into my office to listen to people share their stories.

I do think of psychotherapy as being all about helping people find the words for their own stories. My unwavering goal is to listen carefully and without judgment to your story. Even the most confusing aspects of a person –negative patterns that get repeated, self-sabotaging behaviors, irrational fears – can come to make sense if they are understood in the context of one’s life story. And when you can make sense of your own story, you are then presented with the possibility for growth and change.

My areas of interest are diverse and varied. However, I do have specific areas of expertise including women’s issues, abuse and trauma survivors, relationship issues, loss and grief, lifestyle change and depression and anxiety. I am also pleased to offer Wellness Coaching for people who do not need traditional therapy but are seeking help to make changes and reach goals in their personal and professional lives.

I received my Bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and my Master’s and Doctorate degrees at the University of Massachusetts. My internship and postdoctoral fellowship were completed at Yale University School of Medicine’s Psychiatry Department. After working in community and consulting psychology at Yale, I began providing psychotherapy in the Central Connecticut area in 1989…and never left. I have been serving this community since then, and opened Paragon Behavioral Health in 2001. If you feel that I can be of help to you in understanding your life story and starting a new chapter, please contact me.
Jacqueline Ercole, APRN

Jacqueline Martin, APRN

I have always enjoyed listening to people and being someone that others felt comfortable turning to with their problems or concerns. When I entered my Nurse Practitioner program, I began to truly appreciate the value of a holistic approach. I believe that understanding not only the workings of the mind, but of how the body and mind work together, enables me to give my patients a better level of care. As a clinician, it is important for me to work collaboratively with my patient in developing the best treatment plan, whether medication management, therapy, or both. While I have the knowledge and experience to offer recommendations, I do not pretend to know your body better than you do. It is vital that patients feel comfortable sharing with me what does and does not work for them. My goal is that my patients and I will make the journey to recovery together.

I earned my MSN from Yale University School of Nursing and completed my clinical training at Connecticut Mental Health Center (CCMC) and Hamden Behavioral Health. I received my BA in Psychology, with a minor in Criminal Justice, from the University of Connecticut. I am ANCC Board Certified as a Family Psychiatric / Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. I provide medication management, evaluations, assessments, and individual therapy for adolescents and adults. It would be my privilege to work with you on your journey to recovery.
Erin Martin, LCSW

Erin Martin, LCSW

My first encounter with the term “EQ” (which stands for “Emotional Quotient” or Emotional Intelligence) happened during my second year of graduate school while working on an inpatient psychiatric unit. An astute nursing supervisor casually praised my EQ as “exceptional and uncanny.”

Naturally, gobbling up her feedback, I quickly did some research, and learned that EQ is “the capacity of an individual to recognize their own and other people’s emotions, to discriminate between different feelings and label them appropriately, and to use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior.” Since then, I have always tried to live up to that compliment, as I have dedicated my life to helping people make positive changes and learn more about themselves by better understanding and managing their emotions.

I believe that we are all meant to do something in this world. For me, I know I was meant to work with people who are struggling, and to help them reach their true potentials. My ease with people of all ages, cultures, and socioeconomic statuses dates back to far earlier than my first work in the mental health field, which was with emotionally troubled adolescents assigned to a residential facility. I have worked with clients across the lifespan and in every level of treatment, from the crisis intervention department of the emergency room to Distress Tolerance skills groups to cognitive behavioral therapy work in outpatient settings.

I received my Bachelor of Science degree from the University of CT in Human Development and Family Relations and my MSW from UConn School of Social Work. I believe that good therapy is an art, and I am so pleased and honored to be part of the respectable commitment to treatment offered at Paragon Behavioral Health.

Jason Perez, LCSW

Throughout my professional career, I have tried to help people improve their lives. Whether as a teacher, a community organizer, an advocate, a volunteer, and now a therapist, I have always gotten my energy from seeing someone emerge from their personal struggles to find happiness, peace, and purpose. 

I earned my Master's in Social Work from Hunter College in New York City in 2013. Since then, I have had the privilege of working with many clients of diverse race, class, age, and sexual orientation. I have training and experience working with a wide variety of issues, though my particular expertise lends itself towards treating anxiety, depression, anger, grief, and trauma. I also have a particular affinity for helping adolescents and young adults move through difficult transitions in their lives. Finally, though much of my practice has been wholly secular, I have experience weaving spiritual and religious themes into treatment, if a client finds it helpful for their own healing. 

Like many of my colleagues at Paragon, my approach to therapy is very eclectic. Of course I provide talk therapy, which is a cornerstone of all good therapy practice. However, I am also open to many different techniques such art, writing, meditation, body movement, and other creative approaches. If someone needs to use a session to cry, or to remain silent and simply breathe, I will support that choice. I find that new approaches bring new perspectives to problems that might have seemed unsolvable before. Wherever a person is, I will try to meet them there and open a path for them to realize and become their best selves. 

Bios Coming Soon!

Zack Doubleday, APRN

Katarzyna Tesz, APRN

Alyse Schwartz, LCSW

Ellen Miller-Pond, LCSW

Amy Mourabit, LPC

Visit Our Location or Call 860-893-0040 Today for Assistance!
Paragon Behavioral Health offers a variety of dependable services, including psychotherapy and counseling, medication, and health and wellness services!
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