Meet the Team

Debra French Pope,
Licensed Mental Health Counselor
PCC Founder
Debra French Pope is a Naples native. She has a Bachelors of Arts degree in Psychology, from Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, Minnesota and a Masters of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. from Stetson University in Deland, Florida. She has certificates in School Counseling and Play Therapy, also from Stetson.
Debra loves to use expressive arts techniques with her clients and has gone through level 8 Sand Tray Therapy Training with the Institute for Playful Healing in Altamonte Springs, Florida. She is a member of Psi Chi and Chi Sigma Iota Honor Societies.
Romeo Cruz,
Social Work Intern
Romeo has called Southwest Florida home for approximately twenty years. A childhood encounter with a social worker, in his elementary school, left him interested in the field and he went on to earn his Bachelor of Social Work degree from Florida Gulf Coast University. After that, he worked for a time with the homeless and addicted population in Collier County and found a passion for mental health. He then completed his Masters of Social Work with Florida Gulf Coast University, where he graduated in 2024. Romeo has a special interest in working with anxiety, cultural adjustments and stress management. Romeo is bilingual and speaks fluent Spanish.
