Our Origin Story
MIND Global Council (MGC) began with identifying
a significant need for further development of the
Mental health practitioners
are often the first professionals to evaluate children
due to prominent behavioral symptoms.
As a result, clinicians are seeking clearer guidance on how to support families in accessing appropriate medical care while also managing complex behaviors
until medical interventions can provide stabilization.
Psychotherapeutic pillar of PANS/PANDAS Treatment
1. Thienemann M, Murphy T, Leckman J, et al. Clinical Management of Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome: Part I—Psychiatric and Behavioral Interventions. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology. 2017;27(7):566-573. doi:10.1089/cap.2016.0145
Meet the Co-Founders
Joelle Kekhoua, MA, LPC
President
Co-Founder
Joelle Kekhoua, MA, LPC, is a Licensed Professional Counselor with nearly 30 years of experience as a clinician providing mental health care to adults, children, and families throughout Michigan. Throughout this period, as an owner and clinical director of two group practices, she has provided supervision and training to numerous clinicians. She has held teaching positions in counseling at the university level and has delivered a substantial number of trainings to professionals and the community. As a clinician, her specialization lies in supporting individuals and families grappling with neuroimmune psychiatric disorders, such as PANS/PANDAS and Autoimmune Encephalitis (AE). Her dedication to advancing professional standards and competency in treating this challenging population, stemming from her role as an educator and supervisor, led her to establish the Mental health In NeuroImmune Disorders (MIND) Global Council. The MIND Global Council functions as an international alliance of clinicians, researchers, and parents dedicated to advancing ethical, informed mental health care for individuals and families navigating complex immune-inflammatory conditions, including PANS, PANDAS, autoimmune encephalitis, and related neuroimmune or autoinflammatory disorders. Joelle is also an EMDR Certified Therapist and an EMDR Consultant in Training, possessing expertise in utilizing EMDR for complex symptoms associated with neuroimmune disorders, such as PANS/PANDAS, OCD, Eating Disorders, PTSD, and Dissociation. She has received Intensive Training in DBT (Linehan’s Behavioral Tech), and holds additional training in Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Inference-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (I-CBT), and Internal Family Systems (IFS). Furthermore, she maintains active membership in several professional organizations, including the American Counseling Association (ACA), International OCD Foundation (IOCDF), EMDR International Association (EMDRIA), International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD), Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), PANDAS Physicians Network, and the NeuroImmune Institute (Clinician Impact Circle). She serves on the IOCDF PANS/PANDAS Neuroimmune Special Interest Group. Her involvement in these networks ensures she remains at the forefront of advances in clinical research and innovative treatment approaches.
Zoe Gillispie, PhD
Vice President
Co-Founder
Zoe Gillispie, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist with over 25 years of experience in community mental health, medical inpatient cognitive rehabilitation for traumatic brain injuries, and outpatient primary care. Dr. Gillispie began providing mental health care to individuals diagnosed with PANS/PANDAS in 2006. Today, she is a co-founder of the MIND Global Council, where she conducts research and provides training for clinicians on immune-mediated neuropsychiatric conditions across the United States. She also supports children, teens, and adults by providing individual, group, and family psychotherapy in her private practice. Dr. Gillispie specializes in the treatment of anxiety, OCD, autism spectrum disorders, and neuroimmune conditions and has pursued advanced training in biofeedback, exposure therapy, ERP, SPACE, couples therapy, and is certified in Dialectical Behavior Therapy. Dr. Gillispie is a member of the California Psychological Association, the American Psychological Association, the Neuroimmune Institute, and IOCDF. She serves on the IOCDF PANS/PANDAS Neuroimmune Special Interest Group.
Angela M. Henry, LCSW
Treasurer
Co-Founder
Angela M. Henry, LCSW, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and the Founder of the Center for Collaborative Healing, LLC, where she provides specialized psychotherapy services to individuals and families throughout Northern Indiana and Southern Michigan. Angela is dedicated to helping clients navigate complex mental health and neuroimmune challenges with compassion, evidence-based care, and a deeply collaborative approach. Her clinical expertise includes the treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), anxiety-related disorders, body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs), Tourette Syndrome, trauma, and neuroimmune conditions such as PANS and PANDAS. Angela’s integrative therapeutic style combines exposure-based interventions, trauma-informed care, and neuroscience-guided strategies to promote meaningful and sustainable recovery. Angela is a certified EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapist and utilizes this approach to help individuals heal from trauma and intrusive experiences that often accompany chronic or anxiety-related conditions. She has completed extensive specialized training through the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) and the TLC Foundation for Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors. Her advanced education includes completion of the IOCDF’s Behavioral Therapy Training Institute (BTTI) and the Tourette Association of America’s Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT) training program. She is also a graduate of the Professional Training Institute (VPTI) through the TLC Foundation for BFRBs, further deepening her expertise in treating hair pulling (trichotillomania), skin picking (excoriation disorder), and related disorders. Angela’s commitment to ongoing education and collaboration is reflected in her active membership in several professional organizations, including the International OCD Foundation, the TLC Foundation for BFRBs, the Tourette Association of America, the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA), the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), and the Neuroimmune Institute’s Impact Circle. She serves as the co-chair of the IOCDF PANS/PANDAS Neuroimmune Special Interest Group. Her participation in these networks keeps her at the forefront of advances in clinical research and innovative treatment approaches. In addition to her clinical practice, Angela is passionate about advocacy and interdisciplinary collaboration. She serves as a regular contributor to the podcast Flying Through Fog, an organization that supports children and families affected by neuroimmune and neuropsychiatric conditions. She is also a founding member of The MIND Global Council, an international alliance of clinicians, researchers, and advocates working to transform mental health care for individuals and families affected by neuroimmune and autoinflammatory disorders, including PANS, PANDAS, autoimmune encephalitis, and related conditions. Through her work, Angela strives to bridge the gap between mental health and medical care, ensuring that clients receive compassionate, integrative, and informed support. Her practice emphasizes collaboration among clients, families, and multidisciplinary providers, with a goal of fostering healing, understanding, and resilience. Guided by empathy and clinical precision, Angela’s mission is to create a therapeutic space where individuals and families feel seen, supported, and empowered on their path to recovery.
Brita List, MClinPsych, PhD Candidate
Australia Partnerships Director & Co-Secretary
Co-Founder
Brita List is a Clinical Psychologist and board-approved supervisor based in Sydney, Australia. Her clinical work focuses on anxiety and mood disorders across the lifespan, particularly where mental health intersects with acute and chronic health conditions. She has a specific interest and clinical experience in PANS and consistently works with multiple PANS clients. In October 2024, Brita commenced a part-time PhD at Macquarie University, with the aim of clarifying the role of psychologists in the assessment and treatment of PANS. She has also completed the Gut Smart course for Psychological Health in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Brita has extensive experience working with children, adolescents, and adults with anxiety and mood disorders through the Emotional Health Clinic at Macquarie University (ongoing). She supervises Master of Clinical Psychology students on placement and delivers the Cool Kids Program for anxiety in school-aged children and adolescents in a flexible, individualised manner. She also currently works in solo private practice, predominantly with individuals and families affected by PANS. Brita has also worked as a treating clinician on multiple research trials, providing assessment and intervention for children, adolescents, parents, and older adults experiencing mood disorders, somatic symptoms, emotion regulation difficulties, and challenges impacting quality of life. Alongside anxiety, mood, and emotion dysregulation concerns, her clinical work includes supporting individuals where mental health is affected by acute and chronic health conditions. Her approach draws primarily on Cognitive Behavioural Therapies (CBT) and other evidence-based modalities. She is neurodiverse-affirming and LGBTQIAP+🏳️🌈 affirming, and values diversity while maintaining a strong focus on client-centred, functional goals. She works collaboratively to distinguish between challenges best addressed through psychological intervention and those requiring environmental or systemic accommodations to support meaningful participation in life. Her clinical interests include work with individuals experiencing: Anxiety (e.g., social, separation, generalised anxiety, specific phobias, selective mutism, panic), including delivery as an Accredited Program Provider for the Cool Kids Program Chronic or acute low mood Neurodiversity, including Autistic and ADHD profiles, OCD, Tourette Syndrome, twice-exceptionality, learning differences, sensory overwhelm, ARFID, and emotional outbursts Complex health conditions, including PANS, IBS, IBD, POTS, EDS, ME/CFS, FND, long COVID, autoimmune and hormonal conditions, and chronic pain Identity development, life stages, and transitions, including LGBTQIAP+ experiences, interpersonal relationships, confidence building, education, career transitions, parenthood, burnout, retirement, and the psychological impact of health conditions Additional concerns, such as emotion dysregulation, bullying, peer relationship difficulties, assertive communication skills, and school attendance challenges (“school can’t”) Professional Memberships Australian Clinical Psychology Association (ACPA) Australian Association for Cognitive and Behaviour Therapy (AACBT) Clinician Impact Circle, Neuroimmune Institute She serves on the IOCDF PANS/PANDAS Neuroimmune Special Interest Group. She is a Co-Administrator of the PANS Therapists Collective (professionals’ Facebook group) and a Co-Founder of the Mental Health in Neuroimmune Disorders (MIND) Global Council.
Lucy McDonald, MSc
UK Partnerships Director & Co-Secretary
Co-Founder
Lucy McDonald is a child and teen psychotherapist working in London. She has over 10 years of lived experience with PANS and PANDAS and retrained as a child psychotherapist, after 25 years in journalism, to work with these children and families. Lucy approaches her work with young people as a collaborative relationship between equals, where trust and emotional safety come first. She is trained in SPACE and ERP and has a special interest in working with families, believing that true change happens when parents feel less blamed, less alone, and more confident in how they support their child. She has an MSc in Integrative Child Psychotherapy and a Foundation in Art Therapy. She is registered with the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy and the United Kingdom Council of Psychotherapy. Alongside her therapeutic work, Lucy advocates for greater understanding and awareness of neuroimmune psychiatric illnesses, including helping the PANS PANDAS UK charity to set up the All Party Parliamentary Group on PANS and PANDAS in the UK, allowing the illness to be debated in parliament. She is the host of the PANS PANDAS Stories podcast, which interviews medical experts, sufferers, and advocates about the illness. She writes on mental health for publications including the Times and Observer. She works privately and at the London PANS Clinic.