VAMFT Board Members

Julie Sayre holds a master's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Virginia Tech University, is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and an AAMFT Approved Supervisor. Julie is a clinical member of the AAMFT and a member of the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissocation. She is the Associate Clinical Director at Virginia Tech's Center for Family Services in Northern Virginia, and provides clinical training to MFT interns. She has developed supplementary workshops for interns regarding the treatment of trauma and introductions to diagnosis and Internal Family Systems therapy. Julie also maintains a private practice, the Relationship Center of Loudoun, in Northern Virginia, working with families, couples and individuals. Her areas of interest include trauma, stepfamilies, families of special needs children and adolescent issues. Julie is married, with a grown daughter, a growing son and two grown stepdaughters.

Terry Diebold holds a Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist LMFT, and a Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC. She also holds a Master’s degree in Divinity and is an ordained Presbyterian minister.

She received her degrees from the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary which has an AAMFT accredited Marriage and Family Therapy program. She is a clinical member of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy, a member of EMDRIA and a member of the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress.

Terry is also a Level II EMDR therapist and has been a mediator for twelve years.

Terry created a Crime Victim’s treatment program in Kentucky and worked with at-risk children in schools. She has also worked with prison inmates and battered women. She has led monthly spirituality workshops for the Fredericksburg Women’s Center and been a frequent presenter at the Annual Women’s Forum in Fredericksburg.

At her private practice, Center for Family Counseling www.centerforfamilycounseling.com . Terry sees individuals as well as families and couples. Her two main areas of interest are relationship issues in couples and Post Traumatic Stress treatment. Some of the workshops she has conducted are entitled, “Identifying and Breaking Destructive Family Patterns”, “The Spirituality of Money” and Women’s Spirituality”.

Terry has been practicing in Fredericksburg since 1995 and was formerly with Center for Pastoral Counseling and the Center for Brief Counseling. She has been married for 31 years and has two grown children.

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Steven L. Ecker, Ph.D., is the vice president of the central division of VAMFT. He is a clinical member of AAMFT. He holds a doctorate from Virginia Tech’s Marriage and Family Therapy Program along with degrees in counseling and psychology. He is licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) and as a Professional Counselor (LPC). Currently he is a Clinical Supervisor at a community service board (CSB) and maintains a private practice in Richmond.

His current interests are promoting relational therapy with (CSB) clinicians and strengthen the connection between the office treatment experience and everyday activities for clients.

He lives in Goochland County with his wife. He enjoys her superb cooking, his son’s entrepreneurial spirit, cycling the back roads of Goochland County, and exercising with friends.

Shelby DeBause is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She holds a Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. She also attended East Carolina University, where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Family and Community Services. Mrs. DeBause has experience working with a private foster care agency, a rape crisis center, and a psychiatric hospital in addition to her experiences in outpatient practice. She is currently a Senior Clinician with Genesis Counseling Center in Hampton, VA, where she enjoys working clinically with a diverse group of individuals and families. Mrs. DeBause is particularly fond of adolescents, and acts as a mentor and volunteer with that population in various settings.

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Narkia Green is a doctoral student in the Marriage and Family Therapy program in the Department of Human Development at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech). Ms. Green received both her Masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Virginia Tech. Her clinical and research interest includes stress and coping, depression, couple relationships, women’s body image, and couple and family diversity. Her scholarly work has appeared in The Qualitative Report, the Journal of Primary Prevention and the Journal of Family Violence. She has been recognized by the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy for her commitment to the field of marriage and family therapy through a Minority Fellowship Award. She is a member of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy and Kappa Omicron Nu Honor Society. Ms. Green is also taking part of the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy’s Virtual Internship Program in which she provides periodic manuscript and book reviews.

Arnold Woodruff, M.S., is the past president of VAMFT. He holds a Master's degree from Northern Illinois University in Family Relations and is a Clinical Member and an Approved Supervisor in AAMFT. Currently, Arnold is working to develop systems of care for persons with serious mental and emotional disorders in the Central Virginia area. His current interest is in the interface of family systems work and the emerging interest in a Recovery model for persons with serious mental illness. The emphasis that both areas of study place on strength, resilience and avoiding pathological labels appears to Arnold to offer great opportunities for family therapists to reconnect with the important work of helping folks identified with serious emotional disorders. He has previously worked developing systems of care for children and adolescents, has had private practices in marriage and family therapy, but has returned to the work he finds most intriguing. Arnold lives in Richmond with his wife of 36 years, Diane, no dogs, no cats. He enjoys singing in both church and community choirs, playing golf and, on rare occasions, duplicate bridge.