Our Therapists

Katie has been working in the mental health field for over 19 years. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Towson University with her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology in 2003, and graduated from the University of Maryland School of Social Work in 2005 with her Master’s in Social Work, with a specialization in Clinical Mental Health. Katie has worked in a variety of settings including inpatient care for teens, Special Education for elementary, middle, and high school students as a Certified School Social Worker for 7 years, and with child and adult survivors of physical and sexual abuse at the Harford County Child Advocacy Center (harfordcac.org/) for several years. Katie is certified in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), a leading evidence-based practice in the treatment of trauma for children (tfcbt.org). She is also certified in Perinatal Mental Health by Postpartum Support International (postpartum.net). Katie is a Board-approved supervisor for LGPCs and LMSWs.

In her private practice, Katie works mostly with adolescent and adult survivors of abuse, and populations struggling with mood and anxiety disorders. Katie is also passionate about working with new parents who may be struggling in their changing roles, feeling disconnected, suffering with postpartum depression and anxiety, and are lacking in understanding and support from their families. She uses a Person-Centered, Strengths-Based approach and works with motivated clients to address these issues so they may begin to heal through positive life changes. Katie is available for both in-person and telehealth appointments. She accepts private pay clients, as well as Medicaid, Medicare, United Healthcare, Cigna (Evernorth), Johns Hopkins EHP, and CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance plans.

Lacey graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in the study of Fine Arts and Psychology from Towson University, and she went on to earn a Master’s Degree in Art Therapy from George Washington University. She has experience working in multiple different types of settings including inpatient and outpatient programs/hospitals, adolescent residential schools, and has also worked overseas to provide services to underserved communities around the world. Lacey is currently a Licensed Graduate Professional Counselor and Licensed Art Therapist (arttherapy.org). She provides services to all age groups (ages 7+). Lacey specializes in trauma disorders including PTSD and abuse, anxiety, depression, behavioral difficulties, emotional regulation, and grief.

Lacey is focused on building a warm, trusting, non-judgmental relationship that will provide the foundation for curiosity, connection, and honesty. She works to guide clients though their own healing journey through self-discovery and perspective shifting. Lacey focuses on supporting her clients by exploring their internal world (thoughts and feelings) and external world to expand and broaden understanding of themselves and personal worldview. Lacey uses exploration, curiosity, and compassion to help develop deep, honest insight into using somatic healing to improve the complex connection with body and mind. She works to tailor her specific approach to best meet your unique therapeutic goals by incorporating techniques pulled from Trauma-Informed Practices, Internal Family Systems, Parts Work, Mindfulness, Art Therapy, Poly-Vagal Theories, and other therapeutic approaches. Lacey is available for both in-person and telehealth appointments. She accepts private pay clients, as well as Medicaid, United Healthcare, Cigna (Evernorth), and CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance plans.

Shayla earned her Bachelor's in Psychology at Milligan University in Tennessee and her Master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Grace College in Indiana. She spent 3 years working in community mental health, serving individuals with chronic mental illness in Baltimore. Shayla has worked with adults in various life stages facing the results of trauma, mood disorders, anxiety, and psychosis. Shayla is also a Board-approved supervisor for LGPCs.

Shayla is a Person-Centered therapist trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy models, and she uses a collaborative approach with clients to promote well-being and growth. She is trained to provide LGBTQ+ affirming counseling. Shayla creates a shame-free environment in which her clients can identify and make adjustments to live in alignment with their personal values. In addition to helping her clients live their fullest lives, Shayla enjoys reading, yoga, and playing with her two cats. Shayla works with older adolescents and adults and is available for both in-person and telehealth appointments. She accepts private pay clients, as well as Medicaid, United Healthcare, Cigna (Evernorth), Johns Hopkins EHP, and CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance plans.

Chelsea has been working in the field of mental health for over 5 years. After finishing her Bachelor’s Degree from Towson University in Psychology, she became interested in the field of Social Work. Chelsea graduated with her Master’s degree from the Salisbury University School of Social Work in 2018, and in March 2021 she received her clinical certification in the field.

Chelsea has spent the majority of her career working in an inpatient substance abuse facility. Chelsea utilizes a Solution-Focused and Person-Centered approach to work with individuals to find their unique path to recovery. Chelsea works to help clients understand the underlying thoughts, feelings, or behaviors that may be leading to substance use, as well as addressing potential co-occurring disorders. Chelsea understands that there are many paths to recovery and works with clients to navigate achieving long-term recovery. Additionally, Chelsea is passionate about working with LGBTQ+ clients to provide a safe and supportive environment to explore concerns specifically related to the LGBTQ+ population. Chelsea has provided numerous trainings to inform community providers how to provide LGBTQ+ affirming and informed care. In addition to helping clients live authentically, Chelsea enjoys reading, spending time with her family, and playing with her two cats, Teddy and Sage. Chelsea works with adults and is available for both in-person and telehealth appointments. She accepts private pay clients, as well as Medicaid, Medicare, United Healthcare, Cigna (Evernorth), Johns Hopkins EHP, and CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance plans.

Lisa has worked with adolescents for over 25 years.  After earning a Bachelor’s in Social Work and Sociology from Frostburg State University, she worked in several residential facilities for adolescents.  In 2001, Lisa earned her Master’s Degree from the University of Maryland School of Social Work with a specialization in Children and Families.  For the last 21 years, she has worked in special education programs, in non-public and public schools, with middle and high school students as a Certified School Social Worker.

Lisa’s career has been spent on helping adolescents achieve their full potential and become more successful in their school and home environment.  She has focused on helping them build coping skills, problem-solving skills, social skills, improve peer relations, and is trained in crisis intervention.   Lisa received a certificate in Advanced Trauma Treatment-Level 1 from the Ferentz Institute. Using a Cognitive Behavioral approach and Strengths Perspective, Lisa works with children with ADHD, anxiety, depression, and mood disorders.  Lisa is available for in-person and telehealth appointments.  She accepts private pay clients as well as Cigna (Evernorth), United Healthcare, Medicaid, Johns Hopkins EHP, and CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance plans.

Caitlin has worked with diverse populations within the public school system, and provides a warm, safe space for a wide variety of clients. She studied Psychology at Towson University, and earned her Master’s Degree from Loyola University of Maryland. Caitlin is currently a Licensed Graduate Professional Counselor (LGPC) and provides individual and group therapy to clients over the age of 12.

While Caitlin works with any clients over the age of 12, her expertise is working with teenagers; she spent 6 years as a High School Counselor in Baltimore County Public Schools. Caitlin is very familiar with the stressors that teenagers face every day as they attempt to manage school, relationships, and everything in between, and is excited to partner with them as they navigate such an important chapter of their lives. She coaches both Field Hockey and Lacrosse on the high school level, and has a great deal of experience helping student-athletes manage the pressures that come with playing sports in high school. Whether you are facing a specific obstacle in your life, or just dealing with every-day stressors, Caitlin is a strong believer that therapy can help everybody. Your story, your pain, and your obstacles are all unique to you, so Caitlin utilizes a Person-Centered approach to therapy where each client leads the way in their healing journey. She tailors her therapy style and goals to each client's specific needs, whether that is a short-term goal-oriented approach, or a more in-depth exploration of trauma, depression, or anxiety. Caitlin is available for both in-person and telehealth appointments. She accepts private pay clients, as well as Cigna (Evernorth), United Healthcare, and CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance plans. Caitlin is supervised by Shayla LeBlanc.

Julia is a bilingual (English/Spanish) therapist who has been working in the field of mental health for over 7 years. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Villanova University and Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Loyola University. Julia worked as a research assistant for the Department of Neurology at Johns Hopkins for 4 years while earning her Post Master’s Certificate in Mental Health Counseling. Before joining Guided Hope, Julia worked for 6 years as a school based therapist in a Title 1 school. She has extensive experience working with children/adolescents (ages 3-18) and their families who face challenges with life changes, ADHD, mood regulation, neurodiversity, adjustment disorders, behavioral difficulties, anxiety, and depression. Julia has focused on helping clients foster self-confidence, healthy coping skills, social-emotional skills, and problem-solving abilities. She believes these skills help empower people to more positively adapt to their environment and gain an improved understanding of self.

Julia enjoys looking for creative solutions to problems and brings that aspect of creativity to therapy. She focuses her practice on a Cognitive Behavioral, Person-Centered, Strength Based approach. Julia strives to focus therapy on each individual’s abilities, strengths, and needs and collaborates with clients on their goals and approaches to treatment. She strongly believes that every person has a unique set of strengths and circumstances that have made them who they are today and that will help them become the person they would like to be. Julia also focuses on how our behaviors and feelings are driven by how we choose to perceive the world around us. Julia is open to working with clients of all ages and is available for in-person (Towson on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday and Bel Air on Tuesday) and telehealth appointments. She accepts private pay clients, as well as Medicaid, United Healthcare, Cigna (Evernorth), Johns Hopkins EHP, and CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance plans. Julia looks forward to working with you in your journey towards improved mental health.

Kristen has been treating clients of all ages (6+) in the outpatient setting for the past 13 years. Kristen graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology with a Psychology minor from Moravian College, and went on to graduate with her Master’s degree in Social Work from Widener University. She specializes in trauma/PTSD, but also has extensive experience working with anxiety disorders, mood disorders, ADHD, behavioral issues, anger management, and adjustment disorders. Throughout the 13 years, she has worked with children/adolescents and their families, and the population of those experiencing grief/loss. She is an LGBTQ+ affirming clinician. Kristen has been fully trained in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) (tfcbt.org) and Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR) (emdria.org), and she is DBT informed. Kristen runs a virtual SMART Recovery group on Tuesdays at 7pm. See smartrecovery.org for more info. Kristen is also a Board-approved supervisor for LGPCs and LMSWs.

Therapy is a place to learn about yourself and how you interact with the world around you. Therapy is also a place for change, which can be scary for most people- changing your view of and relationship with yourself, changing how you communicate with others, changing behaviors and habits, and/or changing how you manage your mental health symptoms. Feel free to use the therapy space and the therapeutic relationship to practice feeling and expressing hard feelings, setting boundaries, problem solving, overcoming avoidance, and trying new things in this validating environment. Kristen is currently available for both in-person and telehealth appointments. She accepts private pay clients as well as Cigna (Evernorth), United Healthcare, Medicare, Medicaid, Johns Hopkins EHP, and CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance plans.

Jess has been working in the mental health field for over 13 years. She graduated from James Madison University with her Bachelor’s in Social Work in 2010, and graduated from the University of Maryland School of Social Work in 2013 with her Master’s in Social Work with a specialization in Mental Health. Jess has worked in a variety of settings including a residential treatment facility, inpatient and day hospital settings with teenagers, and outpatient and in-school therapy with elementary and middle school aged children. Jess has spent a majority of her career working with trauma survivors, most recently with child and adult survivors of physical and sexual abuse at the Harford County Child Advocacy Center (harfordcac.org/). Jess is trained in multiple trauma therapy modalities including Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR) (emdria.org), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) (tfcbt.org), and is Certified in Instinctual Trauma Response Therapy (ITR) (helpfortrauma.com/itr-instinctual-trauma-response/). She also has training in DBT. Jess is a Board-approved supervisor for LMSWs.

Jess focuses her practice on a Person-Centered, Strength Based approach and enjoys using art to assist clients in expressing themselves! She believes everyone deserves a place to be themself and feel safe sharing their thoughts and feelings. Jess has spent a majority of her career working with teenagers in trauma therapy, and currently sees clients ages 8 and up. Jess is currently available for both in-person and telehealth appointments. She accepts private pay clients as well as Cigna (Evernorth), Johns Hopkins EHP, Medicare, Medicaid, United Healthcare, and CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance plans.

Allie studied Psychology at Randolph-Macon College and received her Master’s degree from Loyola University Maryland. Allie is currently a Licensed Professional Graduate Counselor and provides therapy to children (ages 5+), teens, and adults. Allie supports clients of all ages but has worked directly with children and teens for the past three years as a school counselor with Baltimore County Public Schools.  

Allie has experience supporting clients with anxiety, depression, trauma, emotional regulation, anger management, conflict resolution, stress management, social skills, grief, self-control, self-confidence, and family changes.  She uses a Cognitive Behavioral, Person-Centered, Solution-Focused approach while remaining culturally sensitive.  Allie is dedicated to building rapport with clients in order to foster collaboration, growth, and change.  Allie is available for both in-person and telehealth appointments. She currently accepts private pay clients, as well as Cigna (Evernorth), United Healthcare, and CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance plans. Allie is supervised by Shayla LeBlanc.

Colleen ​McCormick has her Master’s in Social Work from the University of Maryland School of Social Work.  After finishing her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University she began working with children and adolescents in hospitals, schools, and individual settings.

Colleen’s experience includes both inpatient and outpatient mental health counseling. Through internship and work experience, Colleen has worked with children and adolescents of all ages who face depression, anxiety, and ADHD. In her previous internship, Colleen assisted children with various mental health needs in Baltimore City Schools. She created a group specifically geared towards young girls with anxiety. She has a background in crisis intervention prevention, applied behavior analysis, CBT, SHARP framework and relationship building. Colleen is also enrolled in Gottman Institute and learning the method to provide appropriate care for anyone in need of marriage or relationship counseling. She strives to conduct sessions in a comfortable, friendly, and warm environment. Colleen is available for both in-person and telehealth appointments for children and adults. She currently accepts private pay clients, Cigna (Evernorth), United Healthcare, and Carefirst Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance plans. Colleen is supervised by Jessica Placek.