Developing the Next Generation of Behavioral Health Professionals.
Advanced Behavioral Health is committed to promoting education, clinical excellence, evidence-based practice, and scientific literacy for mental health practitioners.
Through professional supervision, continuing education, clinical mentorship, and ongoing engagement with psychological and neuroscience research, ABH seeks to help clinicians develop both the knowledge and practical judgment necessary for excellent behavioral healthcare.
Associate Licensed Counselors
Supervising Associate Licensed Counselors is both a professional responsibility and an investment in the future of behavioral healthcare.
Advanced Behavioral Health uses a highly comprehensive selection process to identify counselors who demonstrate exceptional academic achievement, clinical potential, professionalism, integrity, and a genuine commitment to serving others.
The Associate Licensed Counselors currently under supervision have excelled in their respective graduate programs, have already begun making meaningful contributions to the community, and have demonstrated remarkable early professional success.
In addition to developing advanced clinical skills, ALCs are learning how to establish, manage, and grow their own professional practices.
The goal of supervision is to ensure that each counselor develops the knowledge, clinical skill, ethical foundation, professional judgment, and practical tools necessary to become an outstanding counselor upon full licensure and to provide the highest-quality experience possible for every client they serve.
Meet Our Associate Licensed Counselors
Each counselor brings a distinct area of clinical interest and professional expertise while receiving supervision from David R. Stephens, LPC-S, NCC.
Colby C. Esposito, MA, ALC, ASAT
Colby C. Esposito is an Associate Licensed Counselor under the supervision of David R. Stephens, LPC-S, NCC.
Colby's primary area of expertise is helping individuals recover from pornography, sex, and love addiction. He is a Certified Associate Sex Addiction Therapist (ASAT).
Colby also provides ADHD assessments, offering in-depth evaluations designed to help clients better understand focus, memory, and executive functioning.
Over the past several years, he has also worked closely with individuals struggling with OCD, helping clients build meaningful and joyful lives beyond the grip of obsessive thinking.
Colby holds a Master's degree in Counseling and a Master's degree in Religion from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, as well as a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Gordon College.
Faith is an important part of Colby's life, but he incorporates faith into counseling only when it is meaningful and appropriate for the client.
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Jamila M. Sweis, MA, ALC
Jamila Sweis is an Associate Licensed Counselor under the supervision of David R. Stephens, LPC-S, NCC, and founder of Clear Path Counseling.
Her private practice provides compassionate, individualized therapy designed to help clients navigate difficult life experiences and major transitions.
Jamila has specialized training in psycho-oncology and is committed to advancing mental health care for individuals affected by cancer.
She works with patients as they navigate the emotional and psychological impact of cancer and life transitions, while also extending support to caregivers and medical professionals.
Jamila earned a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from The Family Institute at Northwestern University in Chicago and a Master of Arts in Psychology from Roosevelt University.
She also serves on the Advisory Board of WellStone, a nonprofit community behavioral health organization serving North Alabama.
Outside of her professional work, Jamila enjoys tennis and knitting.
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Melissa Knight, MA, ALC
Melissa Knight is an Associate Licensed Counselor under the supervision of David R. Stephens, LPC-S, NCC.
Through River Bridge Counseling, Melissa provides counseling and support for a variety of populations and clinical concerns.
She is dedicated to helping clients strengthen relationships, whether that means improving a romantic relationship or developing a healthier relationship with oneself.
River Bridge Counseling works with couples and individuals experiencing anxiety, depression, OCD, relationship difficulties, and other life challenges.
Melissa uses a variety of therapeutic approaches designed to respond to each client's individual counseling needs.
Her philosophy begins with meeting clients exactly where they are and helping them build a bridge toward where they want to go.
Learn MoreContinuing Education & Intern Training
New Training Programs Are in Development.
Advanced Behavioral Health is currently developing structured training programs for counseling interns and a continuing education curriculum for licensed mental health professionals. The goal is to create practical, science-based educational experiences that strengthen clinical reasoning, evidence-based practice, and the ability to translate research into effective treatment.
Please check back toward the end of 2026 for additional information. ABH is excited to share what is currently being developed.
Scientific Literacy Matters.
Mental health professionals work in a field increasingly shaped by advances in psychology, neuroscience, sleep science, behavioral medicine, and cognitive science.
ABH Brain Science reflects Advanced Behavioral Health's commitment to helping clinicians understand emerging research and translate scientifically meaningful findings into thoughtful clinical practice.
Scientific literacy does not mean chasing every new study or trend. It means learning how to evaluate research critically, understand the strength and limitations of evidence, and integrate new knowledge with established clinical principles and professional judgment.
The objective is simple: better-informed clinicians make better-informed clinical decisions.
Better Training. Better Clinicians. Better Care.
Advanced Behavioral Health is committed not only to providing specialized clinical care, but also to investing in the professionals who will shape the future of behavioral health. Through supervision, mentorship, continuing education, and scientific literacy, ABH seeks to advance a culture of clinical excellence, intellectual curiosity, ethical practice, and lifelong professional development.
Experience Matters. So Does the Science Behind the Care.
Advanced Behavioral Health is committed to combining clinical experience with scientific evidence, specialized training, and a scientist-practitioner approach to behavioral healthcare. Learn more about the leadership, professional background, clinical philosophy, and commitment to evidence-based care behind Advanced Behavioral Health.