Meet the Team
Youth Connection LLC is led by a former Director of Training for STARS Nashville who brings nearly 30 years of experience empowering students, supporting educators, and strengthening school communities. Through engaging presentations and practical, relationship-focused training, the organization helps students build confidence, make positive choices, and develop leadership skills for success.
Eric johnson
Founder
Compassionate helping professional with dual master’s degrees in Human Services and Business Administration, bringing over 20 years of experience supporting individuals, families, and students through personal, social, emotional, and academic challenges. With a strong foundation in the Student Assistance Program (SAP) model, he specializes in counseling, leadership development, and prevention and intervention services. Passionate about empowering others to achieve self-sufficiency, he integrates practical money management strategies to create lasting, real-world impact. He believes that financial stability within the home is a key driver of a child’s overall well-being, shaping healthier relationships, broader opportunities, and a stronger future.
noval mayes
Trainer, MBA, MA
Keri Halbert
My love for helping people navigate through life changes and/or difficult times is why I became a therapist; and I have a passion for working with children, adolescents, families, and young couples. As a clinician with over twenty years of experience with divorce, grief, anxiety, depression, emotional dysregulation, trauma and relationship concerns, I want to assist you in discovering issues that may be blocking your growth. While working with individuals, I believe it is most effective to also work with the family as a whole to positively affect and create changes needed in the family system. I walk alongside clients to help pull back layers of symptoms and break down barriers to get to the core of the presenting problem, which produces the change that clients desire.
My therapeutic approach is always person-centered; therefore, sessions are tailored to meet your specific needs. I foster a trusting and warm environment for clients of all ages to feel comfortable as they process through difficult situations, symptoms, and/or traumas. I use a prescriptive approach based on the client’s areas of concern, utilizing evidence based therapeutic modalities such as CBT, concepts of DBT, trauma informed care and EMDR. Together, we will work through the initial point of your pain to bring you to a place of wellbeing.
Youth Connect Trainer, Facilitator, LCSW
