ASSOCIATE THERAPIST

Specialties: Second-generation immigrant experiences, couples therapy, women’s mental health, adolescents

Languages: English, Punjabi, some Hindi

NIkki has a Master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from William James College and is working toward her LMHC in MA. She has worked in a variety of settings and has experience working with victims of domestic violence, those with eating disorders (ages 10 and above), children within a school setting, and adults in community mental health.

NIkki is passionate about providing therapeutic support for individuals who might be feeling alone or who do not have an outlet for their innermost thoughts and struggles. She also incorporates humor and light-heartedness into her work with my clients, and as a dog mom herself, she loves to hear about your furry friends! She is a person-centered therapist who hopes to empower her clients to take the lead in their own journey,

LICENSED CLINICAL THERAPIST & CLINICAL SUPERVISOR

Specialties: Trauma/PTSD, Neurodivergence, Adolescents/Young Adults, Women’s Mental Health, Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Clinical Supervision

Lisa takes a collaborative and strengths-based approach to therapy and enjoys helping clients discover their own inner resources. She has considerable experience working with trauma and is trained in Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), an evidenced-based approach to trauma treatment. She is passionate about helping teens and young adults navigate the challenges of growing up and developing into their authentic selves. She particularly enjoys working with neurodivergent folks.

Lisa has a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, and has been a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Massachusetts since 2010. Lisa is an experienced Clinical Supervisor and Program Director.

ASSOCIATE THERAPIST

Specialties: Trauma/PTSD, Substance Use Disorders, Dual Diagnosis, Women’s Mental Health

Chrystal graduated from Fisher College in 2023 with her Masters of Art in Counseling Psychology with a focus in trauma and addiction. She is currently working towards LMHC and LADC I licensure.

Chrystal has worked particularly close with individuals with or affected by substance use and co-occurring disorders. She uses a creative approach to engage clients in taking part in their own healing journey with a combination of modalities, especially mindfulness and Art.

Chrystal has experience working with persons of all ages affected by trauma associated with socioeconomic disparities, generational family trauma, systematic injustices, and abuse. She provides a safe space for clients to build resilience to cope with stressors and overcome life’s obstacles.

LICENSED CLINICAL THERAPIST

Specialties: Couples therapy, veterans, OCD, Trauma/PTSD, LGBTQ+, first responders.

McKenzie received her Master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling in 2021 from New England College and is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LMHC). She offers both individual and couples therapy. As a military veteran, she enjoys working with military and first responders. McKenzie has experience with trauma, anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), the LGBTQ+ population, mood disorders, relationship conflicts, and more.

McKenzie takes a person-centered approach in counseling and uses a person's strengths to identify strategies and coping skills to manage their needs and maximize growth. She believes in the importance of establishing a safe and supportive therapeutic relationship, where people feel heard, understood, and empowered to explore their thoughts, feelings, and experiences as they grow into the best version of themselves. McKenzie may also use a blend of therapeutic modalities, such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Inference-Based Cognitive Therapy (ICBT), Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), and Mindfulness-based approaches, tailoring interventions to meet each client’s unique needs.

ASSOCIATE THERAPIST

Specialties: Middle School-aged children (11+), adolescents, coping skills, social skills, resilience, identity development.

Frank Malinoski has been working with individuals, families, and communities since he began work with the AmeriCorps program in Rhode Island after graduating from college.  He began working in a therapeutic, alternative school in 1995, and he has since served as a teacher assistant, job coach, computer teacher, English teacher, ESL teacher, and counselor.

His official training as a school and mental health counselor began at Bridgewater State University, where he earned a Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling in 2014. His practicum and intern experiences included crisis counseling, individual counseling, and group counseling at the Emergency Services Departments at Child and Family Services in New Bedford as well as the Crisis Department and Partial Hospital Program at Corrigan Mental Health Center in Fall River.

Frank’s areas of experience and interest include the development of coping and social skills, work in resilience to rise above overwhelming situations and difficult environments, and the development of individual and social identity. He currently works full-time as a school counselor and part-time as a therapist at CCLS.

LICENSED CLINICAL THERAPIST & CLINICAL SUPERVISOR

Specialties: Seniors, Mood disorders, Adjustment disorders, Relaxation Therapy for anxiety, Parenting children with special needs/disabilities.

After starting out in education, Robert soon found a new path in the helping professions: social work. This path brought him to work with disadvantaged youth in various settings, including child protective services, and then on to community mental health and outpatient therapy for the last 25 years. Robert’s interest is primarily in working with elders, as well as adults with mood disorders and life transition/adjustment difficulties. As a licensed independent clinical social worker, Robert emotionally supports, empowers, and guides clients in their efforts to meet important personal goals.

LICENSED CLINICAL THERAPIST

Specialties: Youth/Adolescents, Trauma, Family Work, Youth in the care of DCF/Foster Care System

Languages: English, conversational Portuguese

Maggie Oliveira is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker who received her MSW from Boston University in 2016. She has provided trauma therapy to children, teens and their families in the form of TF-CBT and SMART therapy for the past 7 years at a small, non-profit agency in New Bedford. Maggie was formerly a CBAT clinician as well as the former Clinical Director for youth residential treatment programs (DCF and DYS) in New Bedford. Maggie has also been a counselor and advocate at local Domestic Violence shelters and residential children's programs for over a decade. Maggie is dedicated to supporting youth and their families in healing from their past trauma in order to help empower them into leading healthy and productive lives into the future.

ASSOCIATE THERAPIST

Specialties: College student transitions, depression, anxiety, LGBTQ mental health.

Chloe graduated from Bridgewater State University in 2022 with her dual Masters of Education in Counseling and School Counseling. She is currently working toward her LMHC licensure. Prior to her counseling work, Chloe spent time in the classroom working with young adults in the public school system and gained a passion for assisting in transitions: such as the transition to adulthood and other major life events.

Life transitions can lead to many mental health struggles, and assisting individuals through these transitions so that they may reach their full potential is something she works with clients to achieve. She believes that it is most productive to work in collaboration with the client to develop coping skills and achieve therapeutic goals.

Chloe also has an undergraduate minor in what was previously called GLBT studies and she has continued to be interested in helping any LGBTQ+ individual who is facing adversity due to their sexual or gender minority status.

ASSOCIATE THERAPIST

Specialties: LGBTQ+ Mental Health, anxiety, depression, young adults, life transitions

Jeffrey Taylor graduated from Boston University with a Masters of Social Work in 2021 and is a Licensed Certified Social Worker (LCSW). He is working toward independent licensure (LICSW) under supervision. Jeffrey enjoys working with a variety of clients including LGBTQIA+ individuals, individuals experiencing anxiety, and those transitioning such as progression into adulthood, going to college, and other life events.

Jeffrey's therapeutic style involves strength-based, empathetic collaboration with clients to explore their thoughts, feelings, and goals in a safe non-judgmental space. He works with individuals to find their motivation and strength to accomplish and gain better self-esteem and boundaries in their life journey.

FOUNDER/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/LICENSED IN MA & VA

Specialties: Women’s Mental Health, Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), LGBTQ+ mental health, Trauma/PTSD, Relationship Education, Trauma-informed Yoga, and Writing as a Healing Modality, Clinical Supervision

Jenn Laurenza is the owner and Executive Director of the Center for Creative Life Solutions. She has been a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in Massachusetts since 2003. She is also a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Virginia. Jenn is a form instructor of psychology courses (Human Sexuality & Love, Advanced Practicum, Personality, Capstone) at Northeastern University. She also taught English 101 at Curry College. In addition to being a book and grammar nerd, one of her passions is teaching English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL).

With two Master's degrees (a Master of Science in Marriage & Family Therapy and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction Writing), Jenn aims to provide a creative, compassionate, collaborative, and down-to-earth approach to working with people of varied socioeconomic backgrounds, ages, racial and ethnic identities, educational backgrounds, abilities/disabilities, sexual orientations, and gender identities.

CLINICAL DIRECTOR/LICENSED IN MA

Specialties: End-of-Life Planning, Coping with a terminal diagnosis/illness, Death & Dying, Grief & Loss

Sarah graduated from Smith College with a Master of Social Work in 2021. She is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker.

Sarah loves working with grief and loss as well as end-of-life issues. She strives to make therapy a collaborative, non-judgmental space where there is room for all people, stories, and experiences. She aims to help clients recognize their strengths and accomplishments, as well as help them gain confidence in themselves and trust in their own judgment and experiences.

As the Clinical Director at CCLS, Sarah is focused on supporting our clinical team, streamlining clinical processes, ensuring high-quality care and compliance with professional, legal, and ethical standards, and creating an environment for clients and staff that is supportive, client-centered, and culturally competent.

OPERATIONS DIRECTOR/LICENSED IN MA & ME

Specialties:  Postpartum parents, PTSD (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder), EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), Anxiety, Co-dependency.

Alyssa Monahan LMHC is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor licensed in Massachusetts and Maine. Alyssa entered the mental health field after working in corporate human resources for 5 years. Alyssa has been trained and certified in EMDR.

In her clinical work, Alyssa utilizes a client-centered, culturally sensitive, strength-based, collaborative, and direct approach to help clients work through transitional times in their lives (school transitions, parenting, career, and relationship). EMDR is an additional approach especially used for re-processing trauma.

As the Operations Director at CCLS, Alyssa is responsible for Human Resources, the client intake experience, payroll for staff, recruiting and hiring, and ensuring CCLS is in compliance with applicable state employment laws.

“Above all else, I believe in unconditional positive regard. Tools are great, but ultimately, trust, our connection, and finding relief by feeling heard and understood is what helps us carry on.”

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Alexandra is our Assistant Extraordinaire who is ready and eager to pitch in on any task or project. In addition to being a full-time psychology student, she is an experienced Executive and Human Resources Assistant who loves working behind the scenes to guarantee success within organizations. Her skills include facilitation skills, extensive documentation frameworks, building psychologically safe office culture, and generally ensuring the dots get connected behind the scenes in an organization. Her technology savvy keeps our meetings, website, and practice running smoothly. We can count on her to fix glitches that arise (as well as our human errors!) with her characteristic calm and confident manner that puts the team at ease.

BILLING & INTAKE SPECIALIST

Nancy O’Connor is an experienced medical biller with specific expertise in behavioral health billing. She brings a wealth of knowledge to help our practice navigate the maze of health insurance so that we can continue to provide affordable and accessible care for our clients. Because of Nancy’s knowledge, experience, expertise, and perseverance, CCLS is able to participate with a wide variety of insurance plans. If there is an answer involving insurance eligibility, credentialing, or reimbursement, she will find it! Nancy’s alignment with our mission to provide accessibility to all enables us to accept nearly all insurances, including Medicare, most Medicaid/Masshealth plans, CHAMPVA, Workers Comp, and most commercial insurances. With her characteristic poise and grit, Nancy is the backbone of our practice!