Leadership
Therapists
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Coaches
Interns
Admin
Administrative
Assistant
Development Consultant
Board of Directors
Michelle Lacy is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Perinatal Mental Health clinician. Her passion has always been in assisting women as they move through life and are challenged by struggles with mood disorders. Michelle is EMDR trained and works with many women who have experienced trauma. She has been a member of Postpartum Support International and is a Subject Matter Expert for PSI's certification. Michelle served as the Arizona Chapter Board President in the past. She is a founding member and served as Vice President of the Arizona Postpartum Wellness Coalition where she co-created Arizona’s two-day continuing education course “Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders: Assessment and Treatment".
Michelle received the Jane Honikman award for outstanding service to perinatal women and families. She is actively involved in the Arizona community and received her master's degree from the University of Arizona in Rehabilitation Counseling. Michelle has been involved with private practice and nonprofits since 1995 and joined WHI in 2015 as Clinical Director. In 2019, she became the Director and Board Chair of WHI.
Jill joined Women's Health Innovations in 2017 and is currently the Director of Operations. She oversees the day-to-day operations along with billing, fundraising and a variety of other tasks. Jill's previous experience was as the Director of Provider Relations for a medical billing company before joining WHI.
She has years of experience with medical billing and client/ provider relations. Jill is also a certified peer support specialist with her own journey with postpartum. When Jill isn't working, she enjoys crafting, reading and spending time with her husband and daughter.
Maria Ward is a Licensed Professional Counselor who specializes in perinatal mood disorders, trauma issues and substance abuse disorders. For the past 15 years she worked as a direct care therapist, clinical supervisor and program manager in residential treatment services as well as private practice. She has a passion for helping women and families.
Maria completed the two-day continuing education course, “Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders: Assessment and Treatment.” She received her master's degree from Northern Arizona University in Community Counseling. She joined WHI of Arizona in May 2019 but has previously worked in private practice with Michelle Lacy.
Dr. Julylah Rowan-Bennett is a Licensed Professional Counselor with significant experience in family therapy, trauma, grief and loss and mood disorders. Julylah has eleven years of experience as a therapist. As a mom of two young children, she has a passion for families and helping them navigate perinatal mood disorders and maternal mental health. Julylah has a Master of Science degree from Mount Mary University in Wisconsin and a Doctorate of Behavioral Health leadership from Grand Canyon University. Julylah’s research focus for the past seven years has been perinatal mood disorders and first-time moms. She has worked in various mental healthcare settings including hospitals, community agencies, and correctional facilities. Julylah resides in the West Valley area with her husband and children. Julylah is currently a therapist with Women's Health Innovations of Arizona.
Erin is a Licensed Professional Counselor with experience working with individuals and families in trauma, adjustment, attachment, communication, loss, and other needs. A mother of two young adults, Erin is passionate about families and recognizes maternal health is at the center of a thriving family. She believes strongly in honoring the whole person and family and meeting people where they are to create a collaborative effort for walking through treatment alongside the individual. Erin has her Master's of Science in Professional Counseling from Grand Canyon University and her undergraduate degree from the University of Arizona. She loves opportunities to learn and grow in different ways and hiking with her dog.
Lisa is a Licensed Professional Counselor with a Master of Science in Mental Health from Capella University. She is experienced in supporting children and their caregivers dealing with trauma and developmental challenges. Additionally, Lisa has over 15-years’ experience as an elementary school. teacher. She supported students and their families academic, social, and emotional success. Lisa has advanced certifications in Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP), Circle of Security, and Brazelton’s Touchpoints. Lisa is highly skilled at creating a warm and non-judgmental environment that encourages sharing, collaboration, and risk-taking in pursuit of growth and achieving personal goals.
Andrea is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Licensed Substance Abuse Counselor (LISAC). She is certified in perinatal mental health (PMH-C) with diverse experience working with maternal mental health, grief and loss, trauma, addiction, and mood disorders. She is trained in DBT, EMDR, CBT and MRT. Andrea’s passion for her work comes from her own grief and loss journey. Her goal is to provide a safe and empathetic space in which you will be able to heal and grow.
Andrea is a Board approved Clinical Supervisor and has worked in a variety of Behavioral Health settings in both direct care and leadership roles. Andrea completed a master’s in professional counseling and a masters in Addictions Counseling both from Grand Canyon University.
Reggie Sheffield has over 10 years of experience working with parents, youth and children in Arizona’s Welfare system. Reggie received a Master's in Social Work from Arizona State University. During his program, Reggie was an intern for WHI specifically serving dads. Reggie attended the Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders: Components of Care two-day training with Postpartum Support International (PSI).
Reggie’s focus and passion are working with fathers and has facilitated several parenting classes geared towards child behaviors. Reggie loves being a father to his four children, and his goal is to empower other fathers to lead their homes while successfully supporting their significant other.
Lorraine has her B.S. in early childhood education, special education and elementary education from NAU. Early on in her career, she was a preschool teacher in New York City. She has been in the early childhood/special education field for over 30 years. She has experience with special education services with head start along with being a parent coach supporting families with children from birth to 5 who have concerns about their child's development. She has also provided services as a coordinator and developmental specialist for the Arizona early intervention program. She also works as a support to families as they transition from the NICU to home by providing emotional support, developmental guidance and community resources as well as providing services as one of WHI's coaches.
Hope Lacy is a Certified Peer Support Specialist who received her Bachelor's degree in Psychology with a minor in Family Studies from Arizona State University. Hope is currently pursuing her Master's degree in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University and looks forward to developing her skills. Hope has experience working as an assistant for a psychiatric provider who specializes in Maternal Mental Health. Hope enjoys spending time with her family and loves her pet bunny and dogs.
Anne graduated in 2006 with a degree in Social Work from St. Cloud State in Minnesota. She received her Masters in Social Work in 2021 and is currently a LMSW. Anne moved to Arizona in 2005 and has spent the majority of her 13+year career working with women struggling with substance abuse issues and helping them build a strong and healthy relationship with their children and babies. She has also provided in-home services for childhood development and provided community resources for at-risk families. Anne has been blessed with three beautiful children, and through her own battles, learned there is a lack of support for mom’s struggling with postpartum depression. Through WHI’s intake process, Anne connects women to Therapists, Perinatal Coaches and community resources.
Regards,
Brianna has a passion for supporting parents and their littles. She understands that behaviors are a form of communication and children have a lot of say. Society puts so much pressure on becoming the “perfect parent” and these expectations can be overwhelming and unrealistic, especially when battling your own internal dialogue. Brianna wants you to see that you are exactly the caregiver your child needs.
Brianna has worked with families, individuals, and children ages 0-17 experiencing aggression, anger, anxiety, life transitions, sadness, loss, and boundary and communication challenges, to name a few. She works to create a healing and supportive environment through gentle developmental guidance, practical parenting support and attachment focused, expressive play-based interventions using components of Child Parent Psychotherapy, Play Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Experiential Therapy, and many others.
Brianna received her Master of Advanced Studies in Marriage and Family Therapy at Arizona State University and is currently a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in the state of Arizona. Brianna is working towards becoming CPP rostered, Certified in Perinatal Mental Health, and completing the advanced training for children in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).
Martha Villalobos is a Licensed Associate Counselor with a Master of Science in Professional Counseling with an emphasis in trauma from Grand Canyon University as well as a Master of Science in Early Childhood Education from Northern Arizona University. Martha has over 25 years experience working with children in the Early Childhood Education field. She has supported parents and guardians as they advance their parenting skills and enhance their parent/ child relationship. Martha is trained in Conscious Discipline, a social-emotional learning program that emphasizes behavior modeling and problem solving. She has over 13 years experience supporting families in Tribal communities. Her appreciation and respect for diverse populations creates a safe space for individuals to learn and grow. Martha attended the Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders: Component of Care two day training and was drawn to maternal mental health. Martha was born and raised in Arizona and lives with her husband of 30 years and has 3 grown children.
Kim is a Licensed Master Social Worker. Since completing her master’s degree at Walla Walla University in 1997, Kim has provided trauma-informed care to a wide range of populations in treatment settings such as inpatient acute care, clinic and community-based intensive outpatient, outpatient, and residential treatment. Kim specializes in treating adolescents and families and believes that having unconditional positive regard and using a strength-based approach is imperative in developing the trusting therapeutic relationship needed to motivate healing. Kim is also experienced in collaborating with large teams which may include prescribers, case managers, insurance companies, child protective services, court appointed attorneys and court appointed special advocates.
Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, Kim has also lived and worked in California and New York prior to moving to Arizona in 2020. Kim enjoys being outdoors, cooking, watching true crime documentaries and spending time with her 15 year old daughter.
Ruth is a Licensed Professional Counselor and has been working as a therapist for 5 years with mostly adults and some children addressing issues of depression, anxiety, mood disorders, PTSD, trauma, grief and loss, substance abuse, and relationship issues. Ruth is trained in EMDR and has been using it successfully with her clients suffering from traumatic events, as well as developmental trauma, grief and loss. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and has been working in behavioral health since 2000, as a case manager, working with teenagers, general mental health and those with SMI. After raising her own 3 children as a single mom, she understands the challenges of having no financial or family support and the effects on the children. Ruth obtained her master’s degree at Ottawa University in 2015 with an emphasis on trauma, abuse, and deprivation. Her training also included CBT, motivational interviewing, and various types of psychotherapy. She takes an integrated and holistic approach to counseling. Ruth has experience with diverse cultures and religions including working for two years on a Native American reservation. Ruth is passionate about helping women through difficult experiences and changes, focusing on their strengths and seeing the transformations they achieve.
Julie joined WHI as an administrative assistant.
Katie joins WHI with 14 years of fundraising experience, having raised millions of dollars throughout her career in an effort to advance cancer research, higher education, pediatric healthcare, and more. No organization's mission is as personal to her as Women's Health Innovations of Arizona, though. As a mother of a very premature child, Katie found services at a time she needed them most.
During her career, Katie has been named Rising Star of the Year by the Los Angeles Business Journal, is a recipient of the Paul Harris Fellow Award by Rotary International for her career dedication to service, and is an MBA graduate of the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. Now a mother to a thriving toddler, Katie is grateful for the opportunity to bring her talents and experience to WHI to fundraise for the important mission of maternal mental health, so all parents in Arizona have access to the support and resources that she did. In her spare time, Katie can be found spending time with her family, hiking, gardening, or baking her self-proclaimed world's best chocolate chip cookie.
Geoff works on a local wealth management team at UBS Financial Services, Inc where he began his career at UBS in 2004 as a financial advisor. He earned a B.S. in accountancy from Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business. He is also a Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®), Certified Investment Management Analyst® (CIMA®) and studying for an additional philanthropic certification.
Geoff uses his background in accounting and financial planning to help guide the Executive Director in executing WHI's mission as Treasurer.
Geoff and his wife, Jill, have a daughter, Carli. In his free time, he enjoys sports, reading, music and woodworking.
Mike Myers has been a leader in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry for over 2 decades. He is well versed in all areas of professional and consumer healthcare marketing and advertising-from strategic planning, market research and branding to digital/social media and DTC advertising. Mike is the Managing Director and Founder of Cross and Wild, an independent consultancy with expertise in senior level strategy focused on marketing communications and corporate/brand strategy. He is also one of the founding partners of CrowdPharm, a new world advertising and marketing solution with over 1,000 staff members that engage on an as needed basis to meet the needs of healthcare clients and their brands.
Previously, Mike was the President and a founder of Palio Communications, later renamed Palio+Ignite. During Mike’s tenure, the firm grew from a handful of card tables above an Eddie Bauer to a $40MM+ global agency recognized as an innovative leader in the advertising community. Mike moved to Palio from Lowe McAdams Healthcare in New York City where he was a Senior Vice President responsible for new business development and management within the company's direct marketing and DTC group. Additional experience includes positions at a number of companies including NCI Advertising that is now part of Publicis, PCS Health Systems, Walsh America/Pharmaceutical Marketing Services, and Eli Lilly and Company.
Mike is a frequent resource to regional and national media on topics ranging from building agency/client relationships, healthcare marketing, emerging/social media, talent management, business culture, and DTC advertising. He has also been a guest lecturer at several colleges and universities and served as an adjunct professor in the MBA program at the City University of New York-Baruch Campus.
Mike currently sits on the Coalition for Healthcare Communication’s Board of Directors, and the University of Arizona Foundation’s National Leadership Council. He holds an MBA from the University of Southern California and a BSBA degree from the University of Arizona.
Alison DuBose is a small business owner who has lived in Gilbert for over 25 years. For the past 18 years, she was a Director of Project Management for Unicon, a leading provider of technology consulting, services, and support for the education industry. Alison’s client experience while at Unicon focused on Fortune 100 corporations such as Cisco Systems, Publishers such as Pearson Education and Educational organizations such as California Community Colleges.
Patience Breinholt is an accomplished Human Resources (HR) Executive with proven expertise in policy and procedure, recruiting and hiring practices, personnel development, retention approaches, benefits administration, conflict resolution, legal compliance issues, and managerial support. She is a proactive change agent who spends time in with employees, encouraging learning and promoting increased productivity.
Her achievements include developing a high caliber, peak performing HR department from the ground up that supports business strategy, productivity, and profitability. She is instrumental in fostering a company culture in which employees enjoy working in a laid back, friendly atmosphere, while the company maintains a stellar reputation among clients for superior quality, service, and professionalism.
Ms. Breinholt serves as the Vice President of HR at Unicon, Inc., an education technology consulting and services company that provides services for online education along with identity and access management. Ms. Breinholt is SPHR certified. The Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certification is nationally recognized as a professionally relevant credential for those who have mastered the strategic and policy-making aspects of HR management.
Ann Marie has over 25 years of experience as a Nurse, with the last four years being dedicated to Psychiatry as a Nurse Practitioner.
Ann Marie currently works at Redemption Psychiatry, and prior to that, she worked at a nonprofit clinic for the severely mentally ill, while owning and practicing at her private office in Gilbert, AZ. She completed her graduate degree at Arizona State University.
She specializes in pregnant and postpartum anxiety and mood disorders. Ann Marie has been active in creating and running local support groups, legislative involvement, and education for professionals and the public regarding perinatal mood disorders.
Ana Keck works as a youth and family therapist at Bayless Integrated Health. Ana has worked as a mental health therapist for over eight years. Ana graduated from Arizona State University and obtained her LMSW soon after. Ana’s passion to advocate for mental health provides support to the mission of WHI. Ana is a widow and a single mother of two young daughters. Ana’s late husband Jeremy Keck believed in helping families in the community, this is a mission Ana has continued to carry on. In her spare time Ana enjoys playing tennis and watching movies with her two daughters AKA “The Keck girls”.
Marcel E Rivera is a Licensed Associate Counselor with a Master’s of Science Degree in Mental Health Counseling. Marcel is also a Certified Clinical Trauma Specialist Individual (CCTSI) and his passion is the early childhood setting including supporting family members and the development of social-emotional skills for clients. He has also worked with children/adolescent and adults in different clinical settings.
Overall, Marcel uses an innovative approach and brain research as a guide to create a safe and welcoming environment, develop meaningful connections and promote individual change.
Danielle received her Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences from Washington State University and is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology at Pepperdine University. She has experience working with at-risk youth and their families as a case manager in community mental health
and is looking forward to developing her counseling skills during her clinical practicum.
As a mother of four, Danielle’s passion for perinatal and maternal health stems from her personal experiences, and she is honored by the opportunity to collaborate with each client on their unique journey. Danielle enjoys spending time with family, hiking, reading, and music.
Heidi is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 25 years of experience working with children and families. She has a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She started her career in the Early Intervention Program supporting families and advocating for children with special healthcare needs. She moved to Arizona shortly after earning her Master’s Degree and has worked in the hospital setting as a Medical Social Worker. Her areas of expertise include Pediatrics, Pediatric Oncology, Neonatal Intensive Care, Antepartum, and Postpartum Care. For the past 15 years, she has been working specifically with parents of children in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and the Postpartum specialty areas. She is dedicated to helping parents through the unexpected and difficult experiences related to pregnancy, postpartum, grief and loss.
Becky is a Licensed Masters Social Worker who earned her MSW from Portland State University. Her professional experience has been primarily in the psychiatric hospital setting as both a therapist and psychiatric social worker. Becky has collaborated with clients individually and in group therapy to assist them in making progress toward personal goals in life as well as managing their mental health. She believes in the importance of providing people with the support to navigate life’s challenges while also helping them to recognize and deepen their own strengths to assist them in the future.
After becoming a mother, Becky developed an interest in the area of maternal mental health, specifically related to perinatal mood disorders, postpartum transition to motherhood and grief and loss. She has served as a warm line volunteer and a state resource coordinator for the Arizona chapter of Postpartum Support International. Through these roles, Becky has not only offered a listening ear to parents across the state but has also provided them with necessary referrals to resources that are available in Arizona to better support parents and families.
Becky is excited to continue offering support to Arizona families through providing therapy with Women’s Health Innovations.
Krista Aasness lives in Gilbert, AZ with her fiancé and two beautiful daughters. Krista was born and raised on a dairy farm in Minnesota and moved to Arizona upon graduating from Minnesota State University Moorhead with a Bachelor of Social Work degree. Currently, Krista is a student with Capella University pursuing her Masters degree in Social Work and is very excited to share her internship practicum experience with Women’s Health Innovations of Arizona. Krista has always had a passion to serve people, create healthy meaningful relationships, and impact communities for positive change. Krista’s experience includes working directly with individuals supporting their daily living and goals, supporting adults with mental health needs, and providing resources, and advocating healthy early childhood development.
As a mother, Krista understands the importance of mental health during the transitional stages of pregnancy, postpartum, and parenthood. Krista is very excited to learn, grow, and become a leader as a social work professional supporting women and their families.
Lisa Marquette earned her Master’s degree in Social Work from Eastern Michigan
University. She is independently licensed and brings over 20 years of experience
working with different populations in a variety of settings, and treatment modalities, including CBT. She has enjoyed helping women, men, children and families improve their lives and deal with the stressors and barriers they face. Her experience includes working with abused and neglected children, single mothers, men involved in the criminal justice system and those going through cancer treatment. She is skilled in running psychoeducational and support groups. Lisa’s knowledge has also been acquired from working in the mental health and medical social work field; she believes in supporting childbearing women in their journey, no matter what it may look like. She thoroughly enjoys teaching social work at the bachelor and master’s level, as well.
Lisa moved to Arizona last year and loves it! She enjoys spending time with family and friends.
Brenda Martinez is a bilingual Licensed Master Social Worker with a certificate in Trauma & Bereavement from Arizona State University. Since graduating, Brenda has worked in the Arizona welfare system, mental health facilities and hospitals working with families and individuals experiencing grief, trauma, life transitions, anxiety, depression, addiction, mood disorders, and relationship conflict. Brenda brings her hospital experience of working with new parents who experienced a traumatic birth, loss, attachment conflict, and anxiety with her. Brenda’s passion is to help individuals feel empowered to own their story. When Brenda isn’t working, she enjoys spending time with her husband and children traveling to new states and visiting baseball parks.
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Elisa joins WHI with over 10 years experience working with children and families. She earned her Masters in Social Work from The University of Georgia in 2017 before relocating to Arizona where she is currently a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Elisa has always been passionate about the needs of women and caregivers, especially of young children. Her work has focused on supporting and empowering families experiencing anxiety, trauma, depression, homelessness, DCS involvement, special needs, and other risks that make the already challenging job of parenting even more difficult.
Elisa is a graduate of the 2 year Harris Infant and Early Childhood Training Institute where she earned an Infant/Family Clinical Practice Certificate in 2020.
She has training and experience in Child Parent Psychotherapy, Circle of Security, Theraplay, Sand Tray, CBT, and other modes of family, individual, and play therapy that support growth, healthy attachment, and healing. Elisa has participated in the Components of Care training by Postpartum Support International and is working towards becoming certified in Perinatal Mental Health. She hopes to create a safe and welcoming space where her families feel seen, heard, supported, and empowered. As a mother of a little one herself, Elisa recognizes the unique time in a person and family’s life bringing a child into the world is and that oftentimes things do not go as expected. Elisa enjoys dancing, reading, being outdoors, and spending time with her family.
Kathryn is a Licensed Professional Counselor with experience working with individuals and couples in anxiety, depression, life stressors, grief and loss, communication, and trauma.
She has previously worked in both community mental health and private practice. Kathryn prioritizes providing an empathetic, non-judgmental environment, and believes in treating the whole person, encouraging individuals to explore wellness in all areas of their life.
Kathryn earned her master’s degree from Louisiana State University in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and her undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Utah. Kathryn was born in Arizona and enjoys traveling, watching movies, being outdoors, and spending time with her family. As a new mother, she is eager to provide support for the perinatal and postpartum population.
Darci is WHI's bilingual front office administrator and a Certified Peer Support Specialist. Darci assists WHI therapists with administration needs and clients with empathy and support throughout their therapy process. Darci received her bachelor’s degree in Psychological Sciences with minors in Fitness Wellness and Spanish from Northern Arizona University. She has experience as a Case manager working with at risk children and the SMI adult population. Darci is passionate about mental health because she believes it is the key to which makes us the best person we can be. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, reading and spending time with family and friends.
Tiersa is one of WHI's front office administrators. Tiersa assists WHI therapists with administration needs and clients with empathy and support throughout their therapy & intake process, as well as assisting with billing and other administrative duties. Tiersa received her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Arizona in Literacy, Learning and Innovation with a Minor in Community Education. Tiersa's experience includes working in Education as a Kindergarten & First Grade Teacher, as well as tutoring and mentoring students in the Tucson community throughout her undergraduate program. She also has experience working as a Desk & Information Manager for the University of Arizona Health Sciences Library. Tiersa is passionate about mental health because she believes it serves as a foundation to becoming the best "you" that you can be. She is also passionate about working with children and advocating for children to help them reach developmental and emotional milestones, learn healthy social skills and how to cope when there are problems.
Catherine graduated with a Master's in Social Work from Arizona State University in 2013. She is licensed as an LMSW and certified through Postpartum Support International in Perinatal Mental Health (PMH-C).
Catherine has years of experience working with individuals, couples and families providing support that meets people wherever they are in their journey. Catherine values the importance of the therapeutic relationship and works through a strengths based approach and is trained to utilize a variety of psychotherapy methodologies including CBT, motivational interviewing, DBT skills and mindfulness.
Catherine recognizes the great need for specialized mental health services for women while working with pregnant/postpartum women and their children in a hospital setting; this recognition was then amplified after having her own children. Previous work and personal experience opened her eyes and sparked a passion she never knew existed which has led her to the work she does today. Having been born and raised in Arizona, Catherine continues to reside in Arizona with her family and two dogs.