Therapists Bios

Lauren Wolfe, LPC – Lead Therapist

Lauren Wolfe is honored to work as a Licensed Professional Counselor, offering support to children, adolescents and families. For more than 15 years, Lauren has been helping individuals with anxiety, social difficulties, Autism, Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Learning Disabilities, Depression, Eating Disorders, trauma and grief. Lauren incorporates holistic modalities in therapy, utilizing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Play Therapy, Art Therapy, Internal Family Systems Therapy, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT/Tapping), Biofeedback, Meditation, Hypnosis and Yoga. Lauren is a high level EFT/Tapping Practitioner, a modality which allows the CNS to calm down so one can process issues without feeling anxious. She is also a 200 hour Certified Yoga Teacher (RYT) and has a 30 hour Radiant Child Yoga certificate. Lauren’s knowledge in multiple therapy modalities allows her to customize therapy to best meet the needs of her clients. Besides Counseling, Lauren offers Parenting Groups and Workshops including: “Helping Your Worried Child Worry Less,” “Bully, Friend or Foe,” “Helping Your Child with Friendship,” “Raising Daughters with a Healthy Self Image”, “How to Talk to Your Children About Violence,” and “Raising Resilient Children.” Lauren’s gentle, non-judgmental manner puts children and families at ease. Her ability to connect and build trust with children results in more effective treatment. She believes wholeheartedly at providing psychoeducation around the needs and meeting children and families where they are at so they can be empowered to make change. Lauren is passionate about helping individuals and families to thrive, and feels privileged to share in the lives of her clients.

Kristie Liotta, LPC

Kristie Liotta, MA is a New York and Connecticut State Certified School Psychologist and Licensed Professional Counselor. She has over 15 years of experience working with children and families in a variety of settings, including private homes, schools, and residential treatment facilities. Kristie’s friendly and non-judgmental demeanor immediately helps her clients feel at ease with the counseling process. She works with those who are challenged emotionally and behaviorally, including those manifesting Anxiety, difficulties with self-regulation and executive functioning, depression and poor self-confidence. Kristie is known for her highly creative and energetic approach to helping parents improve their children’s behavioral problems and op-positional behaviors. She strives to facilitate attached parent-child relationships, so that parenting techniques can be effective. Kristie works with individuals of all ages including young children, adolescents and adults to improve their life and learning experience. Kristie is an expert at supporting and working with mothers who feel overwhelmed, anxious, and melancholic as a result of the demands of parenting. She is also specialized in helping those individuals and families experiencing stress from an underlying medical problem, including Lyme/Tick Borne Illness, PANDAS, Fibromyalgia, Concussion, Chronic Painor Illness, Migraine, etc. She wholeheartedly believes that those suffering from physical issues should be supported and not made to feel that their issues are, “all in their head”. Kristie utilizes several approaches in her therapy sessions including Play Therapy, Social Skills Training, Energy Therapy, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), Hypnosis, Cognitive Therapy, Behavioral Therapy, Mediation, Guided Imagery and Biofeedback, as well as Self-Awareness and Mindfulness Techniques.Kristie uses her unique perspective as a leader in the Homeschooling community to help learners of all ages optimize their learning experience. She assists and creates plans that help children to discover their unique interests and strengths, so that learning can take place more easily. Kristie looks forward to being part of a solution for your child’s school, family and life challenges.

Katherine “Kate” Coffey, LCSW

Kate is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 19 years of experience in clinical, agency, and school settings. She supports individuals and families using a solution-focused, strengths-based approach, and believes that all people have the capacity to create and sustain positive change within themselves.  Her therapeutic approach is holistic, compassionate and client-centered, always meeting people where they are at.  Kate recognizes the importance of the connection between the physical body and inner mental and emotional states.  She strives to help her clients regain a positive quality of life, as well as rebuilding their strength and resiliency to face life’s challenges and stressors.

Kate has worked extensively with stress,anxiety and anxiety-related conditions, as well astrauma and abuse survivors.   Her interest in trauma-Informed therapy led her to recently complete 2 (of 3) years of Dr. Peter Levine’s Somatic Experiencing Practitioner Program, and she holds a Level 1 Certification in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy.   In addition, Kate is a Certified Hypnotherapist and a Reiki Master.  In her work with individuals and families, Kate utilizes Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Play Therapy, Social Skills Training, Parenting Groups, Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction Techniques, EFT and Somatic Psychotherapy.  She works with children, adolescents and adults who are dealing with issues related to Trauma/PTSD, Anxiety, ADHD, Chronic Medical Issues, Lyme, PANS/PANDAS, loss of Self-Esteem, Depression, Emotional Dysregulation, Separation/Divorce, Foster care/Adoption and Grief/Loss.

Jackie Brady, MA

Jackie Brady works with children, adolescents and adults, and is skilled at meeting clients “where they are at” as she guides them to wellness. She believes that parent training (education), combined with parent coaching (helping parents employ the strategies they have learned), is the key to empowered parenting. Jackie recognizes that parenting can be stressful in today’s modern times, and gives families the tools they need to create change. In the past, she worked as a college counselor, and provided individual psychotherapy, as well as family counseling, to college students. Through her supportive counseling, Jackie has extensive experience in helping individuals and their loved ones cope with the effects of chronic illness and grief.

Jackie incorporates a mind-body approach when working with clients, utilizing the modalities of CBT, Solution-Focused Therapy, EFT/Tapping, play therapy, expressive arts, and age-appropriate mindfulness-based practices. She seeks to assist clients in gaining greater awareness of their thoughts, emotions and physical experiences so they can be empowered to make change. Through working cooperatively with her clients and their families, Jackie supports healing with a variety of issues, including Anxiety, Mood Regulation, Depression, Learning and Processing Issues, Attention and Executive Functioning Issues, Acute or Chronic Illness, Trauma and Grief.

Jackie continually feels honored and inspired by the strength, courage and resilience of her clients who seek out therapy on their path to wellness.

Mary Beth Cooke, M. Ed.

Learning and Behavioral Therapist

All of our clinicians are trained to provide behavioral support to parents, affiliated providers and school staff.  Mary Beth can provide on-site behavioral support at home and in school.  Mary Beth Cooke, M. Ed. makes concrete written plans for home and school and can provide on-going support if needed. She works with children of all ages and gives parents concrete behavioral tools. She is a Certified Special Education Teacher and behavioral and learning specialist.

Michele Bernal, MA

Michele Bernal is a compassionate clinician who works with children, adolescents, and adults, as well as families and supports parenting. Michele has experience providing home-based intensive outpatient treatment services, running parenting groups, as well as providing individual clinical support. Michele brings a positive and strength-based approach to her clinical work while incorporating holistic and research-based techniques found in Solution Focused Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), EFT/Tapping, psychoeducation, mindfulness, meditation, Parents as Teachers theory of change, and attachment theory.

Michele has extensive clinical experience in working with children and families. Strengthening family functioning with a focus on parent-child bonding, attachment, and interaction while promoting social and emotional resiliency and competence is the foundation to Michele’s clinical work. Michele offers parent education and support in a non-judgmental and caring manner.

Michele always takes a client-centered approach to meeting the client where they are at, has a holistic mindset, and is committed to helping clients explore, set, and meet achievable goals. Michele regularly supports individuals and children with ADHD, chronic illness, including PANS/PANDAS, Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease, OCD, Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) and sensory issues, Anxiety and stress, Depression, grief, gender identity and LBQT, adjustment issues, developmental lags, family conflict, and who are in emotional or behavioral crisis. Michele specializes in Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and has received training through the International OCD Foundation (ICOF) and MASS General Hospital. With OCD, she uses Exposure Therapy and more specifically Response and Prevention (ERP) to address obsessions and compulsions in children and adults. Michele fosters a positive clinical environment while helping to empower all clients to gain the tools for change.

Nancy McDermott J.D.-LL.M., C.S.W.

Nancy is a child, adolescent and family therapist, as well as a neurofeedback practitioner and former attorney. She is known for her engaging personality, caring demeanor and quick wit. Nancy’s therapeutic approach is to provide her clients with support and encouragement to create more functional behavioral patterns, while building on her clients’ strengths and recognizing the mind-body connection.

Nancy utilizes a psychodynamic approach, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), solution-focused therapy, family system dynamics, attachment theory, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT or tapping), biofeedback, meditation, guided visualization, and executive function training. Nancy is also a brain health coach and assists individuals and/or parents in understanding how to maximize brain functioning in order to reduce issues or symptoms.

In the past, she has worked with abused and neglected children, adolescents facing legal action, parents with emotional and mental health issues, as well as families in crisis. Nancy has also assisted clients in negotiating the criminal and family court systems in New York City.

Nancy seeks to help her clients and their families to gain an awareness of ineffective patterns while creating a warm, collaborative, and supportive environment in which to explore past and current relationship issues, create a present experience of change and success, and envision hope for a fulfilling future. Nancy works with adults and college students. She specializes in assisting clients to address such issues as anxiety, depression, chronic illness, adjustment matters, self- acceptance, anger, trauma, and family conflict. Nancy is known for working with “failure to launch” young adults, as well as college students who struggle with anxiety or depression. She works to develop a client’s and their family’s full potential to live their best life.

Meredith Hettler, LMFT, RYT-200

Meredith is a personable and easy to connect with Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with several years of experience working with clients of all ages and stages.  Supporting children, teens and individuals with attention issues, ADHD, executive functioning challenges, Autism, Learning Disabilities, anxiety, OCD, depression, as well as family and couples work are Meredith’s specialty areas. She is a compassionate therapist who works diligently to provide hope and support to the individuals and families she serves when they need it the most.  Meredith incorporates a variety of modalities and therapeutic techniques into her therapy sessions, including biofeedback, yoga, meditation, expressive arts and play therapy, executive functioning training, and social skills support, as well as behavioral therapy.

Meredith’s training is focused on family systems theory with specific emphasis on Structural Family Therapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Solution Focused Therapy.  She has a considerable background working with children of all ages and provides ample support to the family system as a whole. She has extensive training in working with children with Autism and significant behavioral needs, as well as offering parenting support to parents of children with unique or special needs.  Meredith also supports her clients with Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to address negative and looping thoughts. She works with children and teens with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and uses Exposure Therapy: Response and Prevention (ERP) to help lessen and extinguish compulsions and obsessions.

Along with her clinical background, Meredith is also a certified yoga instructor.  She incorporates her yoga training with mindfulness and meditation in therapy sessions and within group work as well.  Meredith helps clients of all ages to achieve a mind-body connection, so they can move forward to release negative thoughts, limiting beliefs, self-judgment, and personal limitations and traumas.

Meredith believes that all clients have the skills and ability to achieve their goals. She supports achievement of those goals by helping them make a mind-body connection, addressing obstacles and limiting beliefs, supporting the central nervous system, and teaching coping skills so that her clients live their best lives and achieve wellness.