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Victoria Leister, M.S., NCC

By on September 16, 2025 in Counseling for Individuals and Couples, Counseling with ADHD Focus, Counseling with Autism Focus, family therapy, Marriage and Family Therapy, Play Therapy, Victoria Leister

Victoria Leister, M.S., NCC

Tori Leister, MS, NCC, has a Master’s Degree in Counseling and is a Play Therapist Mentee working under the supervision of Licensed Professional Counselor Elizabeth Campbell.

Tori offers individual counseling and family check-ins to clients aged 3-18. She describes her counseling style and presence as warm, attentive, empowering, and client-led. She works with clients experiencing anxiety, life/developmental transitions, behavioral concerns, interpersonal difficulties, and emotion dysregulation. She offers play therapy as well as strengths-based, client-focused, neurodiverse-affirming counseling and support.

Experience

Tori began her journey within the mental health field in a community mental health facility in 2022. Her experience includes an after-school intensive outpatient group counseling program for children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Through this program, clients gained valuable social, emotion regulation, coping, and life skills. Tori recognizes therapeutic relationship-building, with clients and with other members of the client’s support team, as a core determinant of client progress.

Tori also worked in a private, emotional support school — for children whose home school districts lacked the resources necessary to meet their emotional needs. This role cemented Tori’s belief in the therapeutic importance of connection over correction. She understands that all behaviors are attempts to meet unmet needs and that children can and will learn and grow in an environment of emotional safety. Tori also provided individual outpatient therapy to child and teen clients with a variety of presenting concerns.

She draws from various therapeutic approaches, including trauma-informed, attachment-based, play therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), customizing treatment to meet clients’ unique needs.

Specialties

Play Therapy

The primary task of childhood is play. Tori believes in the power of play because of its universal understanding and application, as well as the ability of play to promote healing and growth in children (and with people of all ages). Play therapy is the preferred therapy approach for children 3-12 because it offers children the space and tools to express and process difficult emotions, develop strong interpersonal relationships, problem-solve, and communicate in a developmentally-affirming way. What children cannot yet express or understand with their words, they can process through their play. In play therapy, children have the additional support of a play therapist who offers acceptance, presence, and evidence-based knowledge to empower clients toward growth and discovery.

“Toys are children’s words and play is their language.”
— Garry Landreth, Author of Play Therapy: The Art of the Relationship

Adolescent Counseling

Adolescence is a time of immense physical, mental, and emotional growth. While this can be exciting for some young people, others feel overwhelmed by this stage of life. Tori’s approach to adolescent clients is considerate of this change in body and mind. One of Tori’s therapeutic strengths is tailoring therapy interventions and activities to meet clients where they are developmentally. She prioritizes creating a safe space for clients to explore their evolving identities and interpersonal relationships. Tori also provides support to parents who may feel overwhelmed or unequipped to handle their tween or teen’s emotional intensity, novelty-seeking, and desire for independence.

“Adolescence is not a period of being ‘crazy’ or ‘immature.’ It is an essential time of emotional intensity, social engagement, and creativity.”
— Daniel J. Siegel, Author of Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain

Behavioral Approaches

Tori’s background working with clients with Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, ODD, and other behavioral concerns has provided her with a functional behavior perspective. Tori believes that every behavior is a form of communication and is an attempt to meet an unmet need (e.g. sense of belonging, sensory stimulation, emotion regulation, independence, or escape). Children and teens may not have the understanding or vocabulary to communicate their needs to adults; as a result, they seek to meet their needs on their own through behaviors (sometimes very challenging ones).

Tori has experience and knowledge in managing challenging behaviors and providing clients with alternatives. By seeking to know the person and the needs beneath presenting behavior, clients feel seen and understood, rather than invalidated and reprimanded. Clients can then explore alternative, more effective ways of expressing and meeting their needs, which reduces the functionality of challenging behaviors.

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Julia Weimer, BA, MS

By on September 19, 2023 in ADHD, Counseling for Individuals and Couples, family therapy, Marriage and Family Therapy, Play Therapy, Practitioner Services

Julia Weimer is a Pre-Licensed Professional Counselor and play therapist.

She provides services to children between three and twelve years old. She specializes in working with children who have experienced trauma and those with ADHD or behavioral issues. She connects with her clients through expressive therapies and play therapy.

Experience

Julia began working in the mental health field in an inpatient facility for children who have experienced trauma, abuse, suicide attempts and behavioral issues. Julia furthered her experience by working at a partial hospitalization program for children needing emotional support beyond what their schools could provide. In addition to her outpatient counseling work at The Resiliency Center, she works as a school based therapist for children in kindergarten through second grade. In each of these settings, Julia has strengthened her skills in crisis intervention and supported children and families as they navigated complex school and healthcare environments.

Her work across all settings centers the concerns of children and their families, while empowering them to have a voice in the systems of which they are a part.

Specialties

Julia provides individual therapy and group therapy that including topics of emotion regulation, distress tolerance, communication skills, emotion identification, mindfulness, social skills, and healing trauma.

Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy/Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT/CBT)

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps people learn the impact of their thoughts on their mood and behavior and provides tools for changing one’s thoughts and making incremental (and therefore manageable) steps towards positive change.

Trauma-Focused CBT supports children impacted by trauma to look at their trauma — and thoughts and behaviors since their trauma — through new eyes. Children learn to connect the impact of their thoughts, develop an understanding of the ways their thinking controls their behavior, and allow the space for them to learn new ways to change and welcome new self-efficacy and happiness.

Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT)

Emotional-Focused Therapy supports children in increasing their awareness of their emotions and building acceptance of these feelings. Children often have big feelings but don’t know how to name or express them — or what to do when emotions take over. Through EFT, children learn skills to translate emotions into helpful information, so they can ask for support and support themselves in meaningful ways. EFT also supports children in developing their identity.

Play Therapy

Play is the natural language of children. Julia believes — and play therapy research has demonstrated — that the most effective way to connect with children is to enter their world of imagination. Play therapy offers a safe space for children to express their innate creativity. As children are seen and their stories (and feelings) honored through play therapy, they begin to see new possibilities, experience healing, and are empowered to change their behavior in a positive way. Play Therapy helps children learn to communicate better, develop problem-solving skills, build social-emotional skills, and express difficult thoughts and emotions.

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Olivia Ruffin, MS, NCC, LPC

By on November 6, 2022 in Counseling for Individuals and Couples, Creative Therapy, EMDR, family therapy, Marriage and Family Therapy, mindfulness, Self Care Program

Olivia Ruffin, MS, NCC, LPC

Olivia Ruffin, MS, NCC, LPC, is a Licensed Professional Counselor that provides individual counseling to teens and adults.

Carrying anxiety and stress can be challenging. Olivia supports clients in discovering how to put it down and live mindfully. She specializes in supporting adolescents and adults to develop tools to navigate both the world and inner self, become unstuck, and increase confidence to face life challenges successfully.

Education and Background

Olivia earned her Master’s Degree of Science in Counseling from The University of Scranton. She began her career in a community mental health setting, where she worked with children, teens, families, and emerging adults who had experienced significant trauma and mental illness. With compassion and cultural sensitivity, she supported individuals from a variety of backgrounds to focus on their strengths, learn new strategies for facing daily challenges, and achieve their therapeutic goals. She worked collaboratively within a team to foster individual, family, and community resilience.

Specialties

  • Pre-teens and Teens
  • College Students
  • Emerging Adults (20+)
  • Highly Sensitive Persons
  • Parent-Child Relationship Struggles
  • Friendship and Romantic Relationships
  • Managing Strong Feelings
  • Coping with Anxiety and Depression
  • Grief and Loss

Navigating Adolescence to Adulthood

Sometimes it is difficult to name our feelings and talk about what hurts. Olivia creates a warm and supportive environment where young people can feel safe to share their thoughts, feelings, challenges and strengths. With humor, compassion, and concrete skill building, she supports clients in getting grounded, deflating the experience of being overwhelmed, gaining perspective and curiosity as they define their uniquely given path.

Areas of focus include identity development, problem-solving, stress management, and tools to cope with anxiety and depression.

Solution Focused Therapy

Our problems may present as ‘big’ and we can sometimes lose sight of the strengths that have helped us to persevere in the past. With sensitivity and compassion, Olivia provides practical feedback to highlight your strengths, support your problem-solving skills, and boost resilience. Solution-Focused Therapy is an evidence-based practice of talk therapy for people seeking immediate change.

Olivia enjoys helping those who are struggling with anxiety, depression, and stress to lean into the present and co-create conversations that facilitate direction for your future. Sometimes we may not be afforded the time and the knowledge to know why a problem occurred; however, there is current pressure and demand to solve it. With this therapeutic approach, Olivia will support your ability to identify clear goals, enhance your ability to problem solve and incorporate new perspectives to support motivation that leads to purposeful change.

Dialectical-Behavior Therapy (DBT)

Olivia integrates the DBT framework to support clients who want to break negative cycles, set healthier boundaries, increase confidence in decision-making, and embrace their authentic selves. It is common to feel conflict and tension within ourselves as we navigate life’s obstacles. Freedom comes when we find a path to begin creating movement once again. The combination of emotion-focused, somatic, and cognitive practices can empower you to reclaim and embrace your innate wisdom.

Olivia will support you in obtaining mindfulness skills to turn down the noise of stress; emotion regulation skills to support self-reflection; interpersonal effectiveness to communicate your needs and get your request taken seriously, and distress tolerance skills to support new ways of coping.

Positive Psychology

Mindfulness is about love and loving life. When you cultivate this love, it gives you clarity and compassion for life, and your actions happen in accordance with that.” -Jon Kabat-Zinn

Olivia specializes in helping you to cultivate your joy by focusing on the present moment. Despite our biggest worries life is meant to be lived and enjoyed. Mindfulness supports getting grounded and slowing down the need to solve and radically accept the present. I utilize mindful meditation, breath focus, and grounding skills to support you to slow down and tap into your most precious asset — now.

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Vanessa Mortillo, MA, LPC

By on November 4, 2021 in Counseling for Highly Sensitive Persons, Counseling for Individuals and Couples, Counseling with Autism Focus, family therapy, Marriage and Family Therapy, Play Therapy, Self Care Program

Vanessa Mortillo, LPC

Vanessa Mortillo is Licensed Professional Counselor that provides individual counseling and group therapy to youth and young adults.

Vanessa believes that therapy should be as fun, collaborative, and easily accessible as possible. Utilizing mindfulness, talk therapy, expressive arts, and play therapy modalities, she harnesses creativity and imagination in the service of growth and healing. She has worked with families and individuals from a variety of backgrounds and is committed to advancing equity and social justice in the therapeutic relationship and beyond. Vanessa has a Master’s Degree in Contemplative Psychotherapy from Naropa University.

Specialties

Play Therapy and Expressive Arts

Vanessa will meet with your child, on their level, by utilizing their natural language: play. Through play-based and art-based interventions, she supports children working with anxiety/depression, divorce/separation issues, trauma, and a range of issues, to process, heal, and gain new skills.

Learn more about creative and integrative therapies.

Autism

Vanessa is experienced in supporting individuals on the Autism Spectrum at all ages including preschool-aged youth to help them build skills necessary for thriving. For youth, she utilizes a Floortime-influenced play-based approach using your child’s natural interests to build connections, gain social skills, and reach developmental milestones.

Mindfulness Psychotherapy and Teen Mindfulness Groups

With extensive training in mindfulness-based contemplative psychotherapy through Naropa University, Vanessa utilizes mindfulness with adults and adolescents to help them become aware of the present moment, including their feelings, thoughts, and reactions. Mindfulness has been shown to promote feelings of calm and well-being as well as greater connection and insight into oneself. Vanessa facilitates Teen Mindfulness Groups to help build coping skills.

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