Professional Staff
John H. Patton, Ph.D., Acting Clinical Director
Professional Affiliations and Activities:
Certified Supervisor, Association for Clinical Pastoral Education
Past President and Diplomate of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors
Approved Supervisor, American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the State of Georgia
American Association of Pastoral Counselors
Past President, International Council on Pastoral Care and Counseling
Professor Emeritus of Pastoral Theology, Columbia Theological Seminary
Dr. Patton brings years of experience as a therapist to the counseling center. He works with individuals, families and couples. Dr. Patton has provided the training for pastoral counselors over the years. In addition to being a therapist and as supervisor, he has also published widely on different aspects of counseling.
Sandra Quesenberry, B.A., Administrative Manager
Sandra is the administrative manager for the Samaritan Counseling Center of Atlanta and has held this position since May 2000. Prior to this, Sandra was the partner and office manager in the food brokerage firm of Quesenberry and Catlin, Miami, FL. After this business sold in 1995, Sandra moved back to Atlanta and worked in the Corporate Media Relations Department for The Coca-Cola Company, a position she held for two and a half years.
Christopher Cobb, M.A., LPC
Professional Affiliations and Certifications:
Certified in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator®
Certified in the Understanding Yourself and others Series®
American Counseling Association
American Psychological Association
Atlanta Group Therapy Association
Mr. Cobb holds a Master’s degree in psychology. He is licensed as a professional counselor. While he does therapy with a wide range of issues, he specializes in the area of addiction. Mr. Cobb provides addiction evaluations, counseling and consultation. He also works with couples whose lives have been affected by addiction.
Sharon Crews, Ph.D.
Professional Affiliations:
American Psychological Association
Georgia Psychological Association
American Family Therapy Academy
Dr. Sharon Crews has been licensed for the private practice of psychology since 1979. She originally trained at the University of Maryland specializing in cognitive behavior modification with anxiety and depression in adults and school age children. Subsequently she received training in family systems therapy, PTSD and trauma resolution, hypnosis, couples psychotherapy, sexual adjustment therapy, mind/body psychology, and grief and loss with chronic illness. She has been adjunct assistant professor at Georgia State University in the family therapy program, contributed to professional journal publications, and presented workshops for mental health professionals.
Dr. Crews currently practices with a multidisciplinary team at The Samaritan Counseling Center of Atlanta, Inc., where she provides psychotherapy for individuals, couples, and families. She also facilitates a cancer support group for women in the Atlanta community sponsored by the Samaritan Center.
Jennifer F. Fortner, M.D.
Professional Affiliations:
American Medical Association
American Psychiatric Association
Georgia Psychiatric Physicians Association
Dr Fortner is a psychiatrist. She brings with her psychiatric experience from a variety of settings, including community and university counseling center work. Dr. Fortner provides evaluations to determine medication needs and provides medication management and consultation.
Scott Patterson, M.D.
Professional Memberships and activities:
American Medical Association
American Psychotherapy Association
American Association of Pastoral Counselors
Medical Association of Atlanta
Southern Medical Association
Dr. Patterson’s many years of experience as a practicing psychiatrist is valuable to the Center. He provides evaluations to determine diagnosis as well as the need for medication. Dr. Patterson is also an experienced therapist and provides psychotherapy along with medication management.
Patricia Pettway, M.P.A., M.Div.
Patricia Pettway comes to the Samaritan Counseling Center as a Homeless Advocate for the project to house and provide supportive services to the homeless. Ms. Pettway has many years of training and experience in the social service field, working with a varied clientele. In June of 2007 she completed her Master of Divinity at The Interdenominational Theology Center. Currently she facilitates three groups: housing support, art activity and self care/setting boundaries for family members.
W. Stephen Sabom, S.T.D., LPC
American Association of Pastoral Counselors, Fellow
American Association of Marital and Family Therapy, Clinical Member
Licensed Professional Counselor, State of Georgia
Dr. Sabom has been a psychotherapist for over 30 years. He practices from a psychodynamic and family systems perspective. He specializes in PTSD, sex addiction, affairs and personality disorders and works with individuals, couples, families and groups. He has contributed articles to various professional journals and is the editor of Healing a Generation: The Vietnam Experience, NY: Guilford Press, 1992.
Ann Walter, M.A., LMFT
Clinical Member, American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
Approved Clinical Supervisor, American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
Clinical Member, Georgia Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
Ann Walter holds a Master’s degree in Marriage, Family and Child Counseling. Since 1980 she has worked as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in crisis home for teens, a non-profit counseling center and private practice. Currently, she works with individual adults who are dealing with anxiety, depression, life transitions and personal development. She specializes in working with couples including those seeking pre-marital counseling, newlyweds seeking healthy marriage skills and couples seeking conflict resolution and deeper satisfaction in their lives.
Consulting Affiliates
Perry J .Bean, Psy.D.
Professional Affiliations:
American Psychological Association
Georgia Psychological Association,
Ethics Committee of the Georgia Psychological Association
Southeastern Psychological Association
National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology
Dr. Bean specializes in psychotherapy and evaluation with children, adolescents and adults. He also works with marital and family issues, academic and behavioral problems of childhood and stress-related medical disorders. Dr. Bean also has experience in crisis intervention dealing with critical incident stress such as debriefing at Hurricane Andrew, World Trade Center bombing, Los Angeles earthquake, Oklahoma City Federal Building bombing and workplace accidents and death.
Scott A. Duncan, Psy.D.
Professional Affiliations:
Fellow, American College of Forensic Examiners
Diplomate, American Board of Forensic Examiners
Diplomate, American Board of Forensic Medicine
Board Certified Forensic Examiner, American College of Forensic Examiners
American Psychological Association
American Psychology-Law Society, Division 41 of the American Psychology Association
Georgia Psychological Association
Ethics Board, Georgia Psychological Association
Dr. Duncan is a psychologist with a specialization in performing evaluations. He serves on the disability evaluation panel of the Georgia Department of Labor and makes it possible for people needing those assessments to receive them at Samaritan Counseling Center. Dr Duncan also provides psychological evaluations for adults who need a deeper understanding of a specific area of their functioning.
Connie Dessonville Hill, Ph.D.
Professional Affiliations:
American Psychological Association
Georgia Psychological Association
Ethics Board, Georgia Psychological Association
Dr. Hill is a licensed psychologist focusing on psychology and aging. She spent a number of years working in the area of gerontology psychology at the Emory University School of Medicine and has written numerous papers in the area of depression and aging. In her capacity as a gerontology psychologist, Dr. Hill provides therapy and assessments to gerontology patients and their family members.
Maurie L. Mintz, M.D.
Professional Affiliations:
American Psychiatric Association
Georgia Society of Psychiatric Physicians
As a psychiatrist Dr. Mintz is responsible for outpatient psychiatric assessment, medication management and psychotherapy. She provides education about medication so that individuals may make informed choices. In addition to working with individuals who may need medical intervention for depression and anxiety, Dr. Mintz has specific training in cognitive therapy.
Samaritan Counseling Center of Atlanta
First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta
1328 Peachtree St. NE, Suite B317
Atlanta, GA 30309-3902
404-228-7777
2011 Board of Directors
Eleanor Westbrook Beckman, ChairDarsey Butler, MD
Karl Dannehl, MD
John Freebairn
Nancy Gould
Rev. Chris Moore-Keish
Susan Prutzman
Dell Rearden
Georgia Segal
Tom Shields
Rush Smith, Jr.
John Stanford, Jr.
Ex-Officio Board Members
Rev. George W. WirthRev. Craig Goodrich