Valley Oaks Health is a comprehensive community mental health center headquartered in Lafayette, IN, serving a total of nine counties in north-central Indiana. It has the geographically largest service area of any mental health center in Indiana, maintaining offices in seven of those nine counties at over 15 different locations. Although the large majority of the area’s population is White Americans of European heritage, there is a growing Latino population across Valley Oaks’ service area.

The population tends to be dispersed over a large geographic area with little in the way of public transportation outside of central Lafayette. Clientele often have difficulty with transportation to appointments, especially in our more rural counties. Some satellite offices do not have psychologists or psychiatrists on-site, so those needs are either covered by nurse practitioners or patients may choose to travel to another office for those services. There may be waiting lists to initiate therapy or specialty services.

According to the US Census Bureau, the population of Tippecanoe county is 195,732, and the racial makeup is 84.0% white, 6.2% Asian, 4.0% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 3.3% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Those of Latinx origin make up 7.5% of the population.

According to the US Census Bureau, the population of Montgomery county, where our Crawfordsville office is located, is 38,338, and the racial make-up is 91.6% white, 1.1% Black or African American, .9% Asian, 0.4% Native American, and 1.4% from two or more races. Those of Latinx origin make up 4.9% of the population.

Dr. Crowder is the Main Primary supervisor for the Generalist (Crawfordsville) Track. He received his Master of Arts from Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville, Illinois and his doctorate from the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky. He completed his APA-approved doctoral internship at the Federal Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky with a focus on completing forensic evaluations for the Federal Court system. Dr. Crowder has experience working with adults in outpatient, residential, transitional care, community mental health, and inpatient settings. He has experience working with children and adolescents in outpatient settings. He has worked for Valley Oaks Health since 1999 and serves as the Branch Director for the VOH outpatient clinic in Crawfordsville, Indiana. As Branch Director, Dr. Crowder oversees the operation of the clinic and provides clinical and administrative supervision for therapists, psychology interns and case manager team leaders. His clinical interest include individual and group therapy, addictions therapy and working with the severely mentally ill. Dr. Crowder has served as a board member for the A.H.E.A.D. Coalition which is the local coordinating council for the Governor’s Commission for a Drug-Free Indiana, is a member of the County Crisis Team and served on the Region 9 Child Fatality Review Team. He is a Licensed Psychologist and Licensed Clinical Addictions Counselor in the state of Indiana.

Dr. Ploskonka is the Main Primary Supervisor for the Generalist (Lafayette) Track intern as well as the assessment supervisor for all interns. She received her doctorate in Counseling Psychology from Purdue University in 2017 after completing her APA-accredited internship at the University of Missouri – Columbia University Counseling Center. Dr. Ploskonka has diverse clinical experiences across populations, modalities (e.g., individual, couples, family, group), and settings (e.g., university counseling centers, community mental health agencies). She also has experience working within numerous theoretical orientations (e.g., cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal process therapy); however, she most prefers to work within social constructivist and narrative frameworks. She has served as a psychologist at Valley Oaks Health (VOH) since earning her doctoral degree, and her areas of clinical expertise include complex trauma, chronic mental health concerns, and substance use issues.

Dr. Ploskonka has experience working with doctoral trainees at all phases of their clinical development and training, ranging from trainees who are working with clients for the first time to intern-level trainees. Her supervision style focuses on developing trainees’ abilities to engage in both the art and science of psychological practice though a strengths-based approach, which focuses on highlighting trainees’ strengths while simultaneously refining their areas of growth.

Dr. Ploskonka is also actively involved in the Indiana Psychological Association (IPA) where she serves on the Science and Education (S&E) Committee.

Monique Kulkarni, Ph.D., HSPP – Site Training Director
Dr. Kulkarni received her doctorate in Counseling Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin in 2012 after completing her APA-accredited pre-doctoral internship at the University of California, Berkeley. She is Senior Director of Clinical Services at Valley Oaks Health (VOH), and in this role oversees all aspects of clinical services in eight of nine counties in VOH’s service area. Prior to this role, she served as Director of Valley Oaks’ Community Living Program for Children and Adolescents, serving children and families through office, school, and community-based services in the greater Lafayette area. She has specialized training in early childhood mental health and a wealth of experience when it comes to issues of diversity and inclusion, identity development, and early career transitions. Over the past decade, she has served in numerous leadership roles within the Asian American Psychological Association as well as the Society of Counseling Psychology (Division 17) within the American Psychological Association. She also currently serves as one of the founding co-chairs of the Racial Equity and Leadership Committee for the Indiana Council of Community Mental Health Centers.

Dr. Yarbrough is a Primary Supervisor for the secondary rotation at the Community Living Program for Children and Adolescents and co-facilitates group supervision with Dr. Kulkarni. She received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology in 2020 after completing her APA-accredited internship with Valley Oaks Health. Her areas of clinical interest include anxiety and substance use disorders. Dr. Yarbrough currently works with youth ages 6-19, providing individual, family and group therapy, in the office and in a high school setting. Her dissertation research focused on the influence of religious and spiritual factors on recovery from a substance use disorder.