Practitioners Archive

Bernadette Dougherty, PsyD

Bernadette Dougherty, PsyD

Bernadette Dougherty, PsyD, is a Licensed Psychologist providing individual and group therapy for teens and adults.

Her approach to therapy is individualized and validating, working collaboratively with each client to reach their therapy goals in a meaningful way.

Education and Training

Bernadette earned her Doctoral Degree in Clinical Psychology from La Salle University, training at sites including the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Cognitive Therapy, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center. She completed her doctoral internship at Montefiore Medical Center, in Bronx, NY, learning specialized interventions for trauma, anxiety, depression, emotion regulation, crisis intervention, harm reduction, solid organ transplant, chronic illness, and LGBTQIA+/gender-affirming care. Bernadette completed her Postdoctoral Fellowship at Princeton University, with advanced specialty training in DBT, trauma, and harm reduction approaches to high-risk behaviors and substance use.

Specialties

  • Anxiety and Depression
  • Emotion Regulation
  • Trauma
  • Suicide and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury
  • Grief and Loss
  • Perfectionism
  • Care-giving
  • Post high-school and college transition
  • Stress reduction
  • Coping with Chronic Pain/Illness
  • LGBTQIA+ and Gender Affirming Care
  • Insomnia
  • Borderline Personality Disorder

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

DBT is a treatment approach that teaches specific skills to decrease emotional intensity, regulate our daily experience of stress and emotions, gain insight into factors that influence our emotions and behaviors, and to improve relationships and communication. It incorporates both mindfulness-based and behavior change interventions, while helping clients identify various factors that impact emotions and reactions. The goal of DBT is to help clients use skills to feel effective at managing difficult experiences, while strengthening value and meaning in one’s life.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

ACT is a treatment approach that incorporates mindfulness, cognitive, and behavioral strategies to increase value and meaning in one’s life, while learning skills to become unstuck from difficult situations and emotions.

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)

MBSR uses mindfulness strategies to improve stress and emotional reactions in response to difficult experiences.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT interventions are designed to identify and change negative or unhelpful patterns in our thinking and behavioral responses.

Positive Psychology

Positive psychology incorporates mindfulness, cognitive, and behavioral interventions to increase a person’s strength and resilience in the face of adversity. This technique focuses on increasing the positive in someone’s life, as opposed to decreasing their negative experiences.

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Julia Weimer, BA, MS

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

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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Lindsay Roznowski, MA, LPC

Lindsay Roznowski, LPCLindsay Roznowski is a Licensed Professional Counselor providing individual and family therapy to children, adolescents, and adults.

She specializes in trauma-focused cognitive behavior therapy and other trauma-focused treatments; therapeutic work with children and adolescents; family therapy; and yoga and mindfulness. Lindsay uses a client-centered, strengths-based, holistic approach that takes into account how things like family history, significant life experiences, and relationships contribute to who we are today.

She believes that building a positive, authentic connection between therapist and client is essential for the trust it takes to do life-changing therapeutic work together. Because of this, Lindsay works hard from the very first session to get to know each client, meet them where they are, and explore the full context of any issues or presenting problems. She believes that therapy should always be a collaborative process and views the treatment plan between client and therapist as a living document, informed and updated each session through the dynamic interplay of the therapeutic relationship.

Family Therapy

Lindsay began her career as a Family Based Therapist providing therapy for families based on her training in Structural Family Systems Therapy. She truly enjoys working to understand the full context of the family system, relational dynamics, and how best to support each family member in reaching their personal and family goals. Sessions may include a combination of full family sessions, parent/caregiver sessions, and individual sessions based on needs.

Therapeutic Work with Children and Adolescents

Lindsay spent eight years of her career working as a therapist at a high school; working with adolescents is one of her passions. She specializes in client-centered, creative therapy with children and adolescents. Lindsay loves getting to know each child/adolescent’s strengths and interests and developing creative therapeutic interventions based on that knowledge. Lindsay focuses on the client’s developmental stage, family history, strengths and interests, and her collaboration with caregivers supports her in tailoring the therapeutic experience to provide the best support possible.

Trauma-Focused Care

Lindsay works with individuals to process traumatic events in their lives and heal from that trauma. She uses her training to assess how a client’s trauma is affecting their current patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving. Lindsay is trained in a number of trauma-focused modalities including the Trauma Recovery and Empowerment Model (TREM), Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy (TFCBT), and Trauma Art Narrative Therapy.

Yoga and Mindfulness

Out of a need to provide more holistic offerings to her clients and because of her personal passion for yoga and mindfulness, Lindsay completed a 200-hour yoga teacher training in 2014. She used the knowledge she gained through this experience to better support her clients in learning about the mind-body connection and how yoga and mindfulness-based skills can calm the nervous system and support meaningful healing.

Therapeutic Groups and Workshops

Lindsay offers therapeutic groups and workshops in several areas, including experiential support groups for adolescents and programs on yoga and mindfulness for wellbeing.

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Andrea McGady, M.Ed.

Andrea McGrady

Andrea McGady, M.Ed., is a mindfulness-based counselor who offers meditation and mindfulness classes.

She has been leading weekly meditation classes at The Resiliency Center since 2020, developing Zoom-based mindfulness exercises and guided visualizations that supported participants through the pandemic. Her ongoing group meditation class provides meaningful opportunities for reflection and connection with self and others.

Andrea earned her Master’s Degree of Education in Counseling Psychology at Temple University. She believes that every person has within them the capacity for meaningful change and aspires to create a safe, supportive environment in which this growth can occur.

She has led group programs on topics of stress management and communication and loves inviting group participants to welcome greater self-compassion and happiness. Her calming voice and gentle approach support others in navigating life stressors with greater peace, clarity, and perspective. Andrea brings a rich understanding of the interplay between mind, body, and spirit — and how mindfulness practices can be used successfully to help people with a wide range of current difficulties.

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Vanessa Mortillo, MA, LPC

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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Therese M. Daniels, MA, LPC

Therese Daniels, MA, LPC

Therese Daniels is a Licensed Professional Counselor providing individual, couples, family, and group counseling.

She earned a Bachelor’s degree from Villanova University with a Major in Human Services and Minor in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology from Immaculata University. She began her experience in human services as a college intern and has been in the field ever since. Her early experience was mostly with children, adolescents, and families; later in her career, she added adults and couples to her practice.

She uses a variety of techniques such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Mindfulness, Nature Therapy, and Solution-Focused Therapy to help people of all ages through issues such as Anxiety, Depression, Life Transitions, Coping Skills Development, and Self-Esteem/Identity Growth. She believes in working collaboratively with clients to identify areas of concern and then working together to figure out how best to meet their needs.

Anxiety & Depression

Anxiety and Depression are two emotional states that can occur often, sometimes together and sometimes separately. Anxiety can lead to depression and vice versa. They can come about due to a life circumstance or just because of our natural brain make up.

No matter how these feelings arrive, Anxiety and Depression can make life very difficult and confusing for people of all ages. Motivation can be a struggle and isolation becomes inviting.

Therese uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Mindfulness, and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) to help clients through these negative emotional states. She can help identify negative self-talk, mistaken beliefs, and altered thinking patterns and work to replace them with new positive thoughts, beliefs, patterns, and behaviors. Using DBT, she can also help introduce distress tolerance techniques and new coping skills.

Mindfulness

Being aware of the present moment, the here and now, can be a struggle.

The world around us is so busy. It is easy to get distracted and overwhelmed and this can create anxiety. Technology is great in many ways, but has also contributed to our minds being flooded with new information all of the time and to the idea that we are available for others nonstop and immediately. This makes it difficult for people to just be. To sit with themselves and their thoughts and feelings.

Therese can use Mindfulness techniques to help you figure out how to be in the present moment. Using the senses such as smell, touch, taste, sounds, and vision, she will help you discover the beauty that lives in the here and now.

Nature Therapy

It is so nice to get outside and take a breath of fresh air for anyone at any time. Nature is always growing and so are humans.

Therese believes that getting outside and connecting with nature can facilitate a link with a person’s ability to grow and connect with themselves internally. Nature can also be very helpful in alleviating the physical and emotional sensations that come along with anxiety and depression.

Using Mindfulness and Nature Therapy, Therese can help you see and appreciate the beauty that is all around and bring out the beauty and strength that is in you. She will offer the option to have Walk and Talk sessions for individuals in Fort Washington State Park which borders The Resiliency Center. She will also offer group walks on occasion.

Coping Skills Groups

Sometimes coming together with other people who are experiencing something similar to you can be comforting. When we are struggling, we feel alone, but it is very likely that there are a lot of other people feeling the same distress.

Coping Skills are important, but when we are in the middle of something stressful or are anxious in general, it can be difficult to come up with coping strategies on our own. Therese will work with you to create coping skills that will be helpful in both everyday life and in anxiety-provoking situations. She will offer groups and workshops for children, teens, and adults. Coping skills can be helpful at any stage of life!

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Carolyn Abele, MS, LPC

Carolyn is a Licensed Professional Counselor.

Carolyn received her Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology from Northeastern University in Boston, MA and has been in practice over 12 years. She has been the Executive Director of a therapeutic school in Philadelphia for 8 years, working with schools, students and their families. Carolyn has also worked at a group practice in Springfield prior to moving to Montgomery County.

Her experience includes working with children, tweens, teens, new moms and families, addressing depression, anxiety, trauma, low self-esteem, building frustration tolerance, behavior management, navigating school challenges and parenting. She is trained in both Cognitive-Behavioral and Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral therapies.

Contact Carolyn

Contact Carolyn to learn more at CarolynAbeleTherapy@gmail.com or (215) 354-7941.

Individual and Family Counseling

Children, Tweens and Teens encounter stressors and challenges daily. Carolyn loves to work with these age groups to teach strategies and skills to manage anxiety, depression, anger, trauma, poor self-esteem, and peer conflicts, in the school setting or at home. Therapy sessions can be individual to address the challenges and skills, and/or include parents/guardians to reinforce skills to work on at home, between sessions. Therapy is most successful when clients know their goals, and have support to achieve them.

Behavior Support

Behavior challenges can impact the whole family.  When treating children with behavior challenges, Carolyn works with parents and siblings, offering support and techniques.   Behavior support plans for home and/or school can be key in improving a child’s functioning, relationships, self-esteem, confidence and overall success. Topics to tackle include opening lines of communication, creating healthy boundaries, and setting limits and consequences consistently. Carolyn and also support parents in accessing Special Education support if academic, emotional or behavior concerns qualifies student for supports in school.

New Parent Support

Adjusting to parenthood is a major transition in life, and can bring highs and lows. Pregnancy and becoming a new parent can bring up a lot of feelings that most women (men, too!) experience, but aren’t comfortable addressing openly. It is so important that new parents take time to take care of themselves, so they can be the best parent they can. Carolyn has experience working with women and couples to navigate this exciting, and sometimes difficult, transition.

Adoption Support

Carolyn has a certificate in Adoption from Rutgers University. Adoption can present unique challenges at key points in development for adopted children, their siblings and families. Carolyn can offer support around emotional and/or behavior issues that can affect a child’s typical development.

LPC Clinical Supervision

Carolyn offers clinical supervision for counselors earning hours towards their Licensed Professional Counselor PA state credential, as well as ongoing support for professional counselors.

Moms Club

Mom’s club is a supportive, stress free zone for moms to gather, learn tips tricks and information on topics such as development milestones, managing behaviors, how to promote healthy communication within the family, and to promote wellness for mom. Group meets monthly on Mondays during the day.

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Dean Solon

Meditation Group Leader

Dean Solon

Dean Solon

Dean began to meditate during the winter of 1970-1971 after a series of experiences—external and internal—had led him to question the assumptions underlying his life.  Since that time, he has continued with a meditation practice, sitting twice a day, every day.

He has studied many of the world wisdom traditions, with particular emphasis on the teachings of the Buddha and Jesus, and in the shamanic and Sufi traditions. For the past four years he has been leading a weekly meditation group.

For more than 32 years he worked for the Social Security Administration, meeting with clients who were applying for and receiving SSI benefits (the needs-based program administered by the agency).

View Meditation Classes

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Tracey A. Smith, M.Ed., CTRS

Recreational Therapy and Behavioral Health

Tracey is a nationally certified Recreational Therapist, through the National Council of Therapeutic Recreation, certified since 1983. Tracey has extensive experience in the behavioral health field specializing in Adjunctive Therapies and Program Development. She creatively uses Recreational Therapy to encourage resiliency and healing for participants.  Her mission is to promote Wellness and the “Playful Spirit” for individuals, families, and communities to help manage and maintain a stress-less lifestyle.

Wellness Education and Healing

Tracey is committed to promoting emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual health and empowering participants to experience greater well-being and actively engage in creating positive lifestyle changes. She also enjoys assisting participants in the healing process using techniques that encourage self-care, personal responsibility and resiliency.

Creative Programs that Get Everyone Engaged

Tracey has provided workshops and trainings for various populations including women, adolescents, teen parents, elementary school students, adjudicated/at risk youth and participants with recovery challenges. She enjoys designing an atmosphere where participants can feel safe to explore their own personal challenges, issues of self-care and lifestyle management, while learning alternative ways of healing.

Tracey’s workshops of special interest include:

  • wellness education
  • self-esteem
  • stress/anger management
  • resiliency
  • relationships
  • trauma, and
  • spiritual growth.

Utilizing the creative arts, her workshops are interactive and experiential addressing individual strengths and developmental assets to enhance awareness of positive choices. Her interactive and holistic approach to program leadership enables her to engage even the most resistant participant.

Restorative Practices

The programs Tracey facilitates integrate Restorative Practices, a positive communication style at the center of the conflict transformation model. She is committed to assisting in the creation of peaceable communities. As President of Wellness Wrks LLC & Associates, Tracey assures that her organization provides workshops that introduce participants into the healing arts such asReiki, Music for relaxation, Meditation, Aromatherapy, Tai Chi Kung, Visual Arts, Yoga, and Dance/Movement.

Clinical Experience

Tracey has provided consultation and professional staff development for hospitals, nursing homes, community-based, state, and non-profit agencies. Tracey’s clinical experience includes employment for ten years at Temple University Hospital, Department of Behavioral Health as Coordinator of Adjunctive Therapies, Director of Therapeutic Programs, and Director of Partial Hospitalization program. She has provided clinical supervision and department management for various disciplines and students, fulfilling the expectations of a teaching hospital, and served non-profit, municipal, government and private agencies in self-care and peaceable communities.

Certification and Professional Affiliations

Certified by the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC).

NCTRC is a charter member organization of the National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA). NCTRC is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying agencies (NCCA), National Recreation & Parks Association (NRPA). Additional memberships and professional associations include:

  • Ethnic Minority Society Membership
  • The American Therapeutic Recreation association (ATRA)
  • The Institute for Restorative Practices and Institute for Family Professionals
  • The African American Holistic Healers Association

Programs at The Resiliency Center

Tracey has facilitated several different group workshops at The Resiliency Center and is always looking for new ideas for how to bring wellness and recreational therapy benefits to the community. Workshops led have included Women and Wellness, Teen Wellness Leadership, and Wellness for Women of Color.

» Learn more about Tracey’s Recreational Therapy Workshops

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