Kristina Vaughan, LCSW

Dawn is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional. She has over 18 years of experience in the field of mental health including Outpatient, Community Mental Health and Assertive Community Treatment. Dawn works with adults who struggle with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, self-esteem, and PTSD using an eclectic approach to suit your individual needs. Other modalities used are Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Mindfulness, and Positive Psychology. Dawn is easy to talk to and her number one priority is to help provide a safe, open, non-judgmental place to share your personal experiences. She focuses on providing the skills to help manage your symptoms while working in tandem with your psychiatrist to provide the best outcome for you. Dawn received her Master of Social Work degree at Eastern Michigan University and is Certified as a Clinical Trauma Professional. While in Michigan, Dawn worked extensively with the Community Mental Health. Initially, she worked as an advocate working with clients who were diagnosed with a serious and persistent mental illness or with a dual diagnosis. She facilitated psychoeducation groups, provided crisis intervention and case management services. At Henry Ford Allegiance Health, Dawn played an integral role in implementing the integration between physical and mental health. Combining a Psychiatric Outpatient Behavioral Health Clinic with a Primary Care Practice utilizing General Medical Education Resident Psychiatrists. Moving on to Florida, Dawn worked at the Marion County Jail assessing suicidal risk of inmates and provided brief supportive therapy. Ultimately, Dawn began her own virtual private practice, continuing her passion of helping others find the skills to begin to live again regardless of their imperfections.

Dr. Nicole Martinez received her Master's and Doctorate from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology and completed her pre-doctoral and post-doctoral fellowship at Gateway Foundation in Lake Villa, Illinois. She earned a double major in Psychology and Therapeutic Recreation at the University of St. Francis. Dr. Martinez has extensive experience working with children, adolescents, and adults in individual, family, and group treatment. Her therapeutic approach is integrative, combining Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy (CBT) with holistic methods, emphasizing Solution Focused Therapy, Reality Therapy, and Positive Psychology. She believes in the mind-body connection and that exploring various areas of an individual's functioning is essential for optimum physical and emotional health. Dr. Martinez emphasizes a collaborative therapist-client relationship, where both act as partners in designing treatment goals. She values identifying ineffective past modalities to avoid frustration and ensure personalized care. Recognizing that each person is unique, she adapts to the patient's evolving needs, ensuring they feel heard and supported for positive outcomes. Her areas of expertise include health psychology, complex trauma, PTSD, depression, anxiety, social anxiety, bipolar disorder, ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, LGBTQIA populations, bereavement, forensics, substance abuse, couples work, MISA, co-occurring disorders, domestic violence, sex offenders, special needs populations, and chronic medical issues and rare diseases. She is skilled in the evaluation and assessment of these populations.

Whitney Cohen obtained her undergraduate degree from Monmouth University where she studied Psychology and Health Studies. Whitney earned her Master's degree in Clinical Social Work from New York University, where she gained a solid foundation in evidence-based practices and therapeutic techniques. She is also a licensed clinical supervisor which has allowed her to train and mentor other aspiring social workers in the field as well as nurse practitioners and other mental health professionals. ‍Whitney has worked in a variety of settings, including education, correctional facilities, substance abuse/outpatient programs, and private practice. Her diverse experiences have equipped her with a comprehensive understanding of the complexities that individuals face daily. Whitney has worked with clients of all ages, from children, adolescents, adults, the elderly, and has a special passion for working with couples and families. She specializes in treating a variety of mental health issues, including anxiety, ADHD, stress, family/relational problems, trauma and school avoidance.‍In her practice, Whitney utilizes a scope of therapeutic approaches, CBT, DBT, and Motivational Interviewing. These evidence-based techniques allow her to tailor interventions to meet the unique needs of each client, helping them achieve their goals and overcome obstacles.

Lisha Jones is a licensed clinical social worker with over 23 years of extensive experience working in the mental health field. Lisha has worked with clients facing a variety of life's challenges such as anxiety, depression, trauma, as well as perinatal and postpartum mental health. She attended undergraduate school in Albany, GA, and graduate school in Valdosta, GA. Lisha is deeply committed to creating a safe, non-judgmental space where clients can express their thoughts and feelings freely. Lisha's approach to therapy involves engaging each client with warmth and enthusiasm. She encourages them to be active participants on their journey of emotional growth, healing, and empowerment. Lisha uses therapeutic expertise and various inner-healing approaches to teach clients restorative self-care practices, exercises that cultivate emotional awareness, strategies to manage unhealthy thoughts, and methods to change undesirable behaviors. Working with Lisha, clients can expect to take away from each session a plan of action with detailed steps, easy to apply skills and practical strategies to help them manage stress, heal from hurtful experiences, improve their communication skills and strengthen boundaries in their relationships. They will gain a better understanding about how and why they feel uncomfortable emotions and why they experience strong reactions in response to those associated thoughts.

Lea Wersan is a licensed clinical social worker with extensive experience working in the mental health field. She has worked directly with clients of various demographics, living with a variety of mental health conditions. Lea attended undergraduate school in Queens, NY and graduate school in New York, NY. Lea has been practicing for 3 years as a Clinical Social Worker, focusing on anxiety disorders, trauma and life transitions. Her approach is person-centered and trauma informed, focusing on the client as a whole. Working with Lea, treatment is tailored to each individual client, as great effort is put into choosing the treatment modalities that fit the individual's personal needs. Lea uses an eclectic approach with a foundation in cognitive behavior therapy and dialectical behavior therapy, which are intertwined with mindfulness.

Dr. Aileen Kim approaches medication management with an emphasis on shared decision-making within safe, effective options, thorough counseling about what to expect in treatment, and giving attention to the concurrent use of non-medication modalities of treatment alongside optimizing medication. She is accustomed to working with people who have more than one diagnosis. She is skilled and experienced in de-prescribing (methodically streamlining the number of medications being taken) when needed. Patients can see Dr. Kim for medication management, therapy, or both. Dr. Kim is board certified in Adult Psychiatry. She graduated from the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago in 2004. She was selected for the Health Professions Scholarship Program and completed her residency in 2008 at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth in Virginia, where she was chief resident. Following residency, she deployed to Kuwait as a medical officer. She has taught and supervised residents at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. She left active duty in the Navy as a Lieutenant Commander. After becoming a civilian, she went into solo practice, then joined Potomac Behavioral Solutions in 2014, where she served as medical director. Dr. Kim is the past president of the Virginia Psychoanalytic Society. She also lectures advanced mental health professionals for Lingyu International Psychology Centre based in Toronto. For established patients of Dr. Aileen Kim, please call 833-351-8255 to schedule an appointment and let the patient care coordinator know you are an established patient from her prior practice.