MEET OUR COUNSELORS
Stacey Greenberg, MSW, LCSW
Stacey is a warm and compassionate counselor. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the State of Florida and has a Masters in Social Work (MSW) from the University of Central Florida. She has 10 years of experience working in the mental health field.
Stacey’s focus is on helping and empowering the vulnerable — particularly young people, older adults, and individuals/families touched by challenging or unique family situations. She is passionate about helping people discover and recapture a sense of worth, and to fully experience life with a positive identity and interdependence.
Stacey specializes in clinical issues relating to adoption and foster care, depression and anxiety, spiritual issues, family and couples issues, women’s issues, gerontology, mood/personality issues, and adjustment to family changes. She utilizes cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavioral therapy modalities, as well as other theoretical practices. Stacey has received formal training in Trust-Based Relational Intervention and Gottman Couples Counseling to assist in helping families build and strengthen relationships, as well as Sensorimotor Psychotherapy training for trauma.
Stacey has provided therapy for a variety of individuals, couples, families, adolescents, and groups. When she is not in session, Stacey enjoys cooking (and eating!) exotic dishes, exercise, time with friends and family, travel, and learning more every day.
Jackie has been working in the Social Work field for 10 years, and is passionate about walking alongside those who are seeking healing, insight, and restoration. Jackie graduated with her master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Central Florida (Go Knights!)
Jackie is committed to providing a safe and trusting environment where her clients are seen and accepted. She has experience in clinical work with individuals, families, and groups working through trauma, abuse, grief, depression, anxiety, self-esteem, spiritual concerns, relationship issues, and family of origin issues.
Jackie is also an Adoption Competent therapist and has previous experience working with birthparents and adoptive families for an adoption agency. When Jackie is not counseling, she enjoys spending time with her husband, children, and community, finding primitive decorations to make her home cozier, and traveling.
Jackie Braun, MSW, LCSW
Jennifer Mirabal is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the state of Florida. She holds a Master's Degree in Counseling and a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and Family/Child Sciences.
Jennifer has provided services to a diverse population throughout her career. She has worked in community mental health clinics, private practice, educational facilities, and a federal residential center.
She is passionate about helping individuals, couples, and families communicate effectively, live harmoniously, and feel fulfilled in their own lives. Jennifer provides bilingual counseling services to children, adolescents and adults utilizing a cognitive-behavioral and person-centered approach.
Jennifer Mirabal, LMFT
Susan is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the State of Florida. She holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Florida State University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from The State University of New York at Oswego.
Susan has a combined fifteen years experience in mental health, child welfare, and issues related to families in distress. She has a heart to help women facing a variety of challenges; being a mom at any stage of life, becoming a step-parent, anxiety, depression, ADHD, trauma, inter-racial marriages, and low self-esteem.
Susan’s passion is to help women and children find their purpose, own their individual strengths, and walk them out in their everyday lives. She utilizes solution focused, strengths-based, and cognitive behavioral therapy. She works with clients to use their individual strengths to help overcome battles, provides information to think about challenges in new ways, and offers solutions to help people become unstuck.
Susan has a calling to incorporate faith-based practices into counseling sessions and will utilize this framework upon request.
Susan Warren, MSW, LCSW
Kristi Lash, LMHC
Kristi Lash is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with a warm and empathetic approach to the counseling relationship. She as a Masters of Education from the University of Florida in Counseling Education with Specialist Degree in Mental Health Counseling. Kristi has provided mental health counseling to clients ranging from 8-60 years in age over a variety of settings, including individual, family, and couples therapy. She has extensive experience in crisis and trauma response and has supported a variety of families as they walked through traumatic transitions and changes.
Kristi specializes in helping clients who are wrestling with life transitions, specifically adolescents and college age students who are navigating a new season of life. She believes deeply in the power of a strong therapeutic relationship and excels in building support and trust with each of her clients. Kristi is also trained in trauma informed care and enjoys helping clients process and overcome past traumas in their lives. In addition to this, Kristi has worked extensively with clients who are navigating relational changes, whether in family, friends, or with romantic partners.
Outside of the therapy room, Kristi's greatest passions are traveling (she recently fell in love with Hawaii) and being outdoors (paddle boarding, surfing, boating, and all things on the water). While Kristi and her husband do not yet have a dog, you can almost always find them talking about and researching dogs they hope to one day rescue. Kristi is also a dedicated Florida Gators fan, never missing an opportunity to visit her alma mater and cheer them on.
Anita Smith
Registered Mental
Health Counselor Intern
Anita is a Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern in the state of Florida. She holds a Master of Arts in Counseling degree from Reformed Theological Seminary Orlando. Anita has provided mental health counseling to a variety of clients from different ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds including individual children and adults, couples, and group therapy. She has experience working with clients dealing with issues including foster care, adoption, trauma, grief, divorce, OCD, sexual abuse, spiritual abuse, racial trauma, depression, dissociation, panic disorder, and anxiety. Anita counsels from a client-centered approach, incorporating somatic therapy, mindfulness practices, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and psychodynamic theory.
Anita considers it an honor and a privilege to walk with people in their stories of pain and wounds, and she believes that healing and change can happen in the context of a safe and trusting counseling relationship. Her story intersects with crossing cultures, adoption, and overseas life, leading to a rich trove of life experience from which to draw. She speaks Cantonese and Mandarin, is trained and experienced in crisis debriefing, and is in the process of obtaining certification in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI). Anita is passionate about seeing families thrive by helping kids and parents through play therapy, seeing couples grow in their relationships with one another, and helping people going through significant life transitions.
When she isn’t counseling, Anita enjoys propagating and collecting plants, being at the beach, traveling and trying new foods, bargain hunting, decorating, and spending time with friends and family.
Madeline is a Registered Marriage and Family Therapist Intern in the state of Florida. She holds a Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Central Florida. Her clinical experience includes working with young children/adolescents, couples, individuals, and families in a variety of settings such as outpatient, school, and residential care.
Madeline specializes in child-parent relationships, couple/marital struggles, addiction, trauma, LGBTQ+ services, and neurodiversity (ADHD/Autism). She believes in the necessity of incorporating a multicultural and trauma-informed approach within the counseling process. By fostering a trusting therapeutic relationship, she aims to create an environment that allows for identity-exploration, emotional healing, and personal growth.
Outside of counseling, Madeline spends her time reading, drawing, and relaxing with her friends, family, and two cocker spaniels.
Madeline Chase,
Registered Marriage and Family Therapy Intern
Zach Fikru is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the state of Florida. He holds a master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Central Florida and is a National Certified Counselor (NCC). Zach has over 4 years of clinical experience working with adolescents and young adults in both school and outpatient settings. He specializes in working with individuals dealing with anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, assertiveness, motivation, and goal setting.
Zach uses a fusion of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) with a person-centered approach to better aid clients in identifying resolutions to their conflicts as well as helping them create healthier thought patterns. In his free time, Zach likes to play video games, read, weight lift, and spend time with family.
Zach Fikru,
NCC, LMHC
Damian is a Registered Marriage and Family Therapist Intern in the state of Florida. He holds a Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Wheaton College (IL) and a Bachelors degree in Psychology from St. Joseph’s University (NY).
Committed to working with individuals of all ages, families, and couples, he is a EFT (Emotion Focused Therapy)/ Psychodynamic based therapist who cares carefully for his clients. Through deconstructing our mindset, beliefs, and thoughts we are left with the pieces. Together, we can begin to question why they are there and what function they serve. Using emotion and feelings, we can begin to understand and grieve.
Damian uses a similar approach in his work with children, diving into their inner world through play.
When he is not in session, Damian is seen working at his other job, playing soccer!
Damian Duda,
Registered Marriage &
Family Therapist Intern
Allie Vaknin,
Registered Mental Health
Counselor Intern
Allie serves as a Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern, and she works primarily with adolescents and adults who suffer from anxiety, depression, trauma, identity issues, and relationship difficulties. She graduated from Columbia University with a Master’s in Mental Health Counseling, and prior to that, received degrees in Human Communication and Sociology with a minor in Leadership Studies from the University of Central Florida.
A majority of her clinical experience has focused on serving individuals from marginalized and underserved communities across the country, including Miami, Orlando, [near] Los Angeles, and New York City. As the daughter of immigrants, a Colombian mother and Israeli father, her multicultural background and diverse clinical experiences have informed her approach toward issues of identity and complex trauma.
Her approach focuses on helping clients develop self-understanding and learn practical skills. She believes education is a form of empowerment, so she frequently infuses opportunities for clients to learn about psychological concepts that can help them understand their own experience. She also incorporates mindfulness and self-compassion techniques, which help clients become more present and less harsh on themselves.
Allie is fluent in Spanish and offers sliding-scale pricing.
Zachary Alvarez,
Registered Clinical
Social Work Intern
Zac is a Registered Clinical Social Work Intern in the state of Florida. He received both his Master’s of Social Work (MSW) and his Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Florida State University. He has clinical experience working with both individual and group counseling services in a variety of settings. Zac spent the final semester of his master’s degree as an intern here at Heart Bonds and has since become one of our counselors. Zac specializes in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), but also utilizes multiple models of therapy including interpersonal, solution focused, DBT, and strength-based interventions. Zac specializes in helping individuals that struggle with anxiety and depression, but also has experience helping those that deal with ADHD, anger management, grief counseling, bipolar disorders, and various other mood disorders.
Zac has a passion for helping those who struggle with mental illness or individuals facing difficult circumstances to help improve their quality of life. He also has a calling to incorporate faith-based interventions and can utilize this framework with clients if requested. He is also culturally competent in working with individuals with Latinx backgrounds.
When not in counseling, Zac enjoys spending time with loved ones, playing games, watching movies, and making music.
Jacqueline Schaffer,
Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern
Jackie is a Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern in the state of Florida. She holds a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Central Florida. Her clinical experience includes working with issues of mood, anxiety, relational issues, substance abuse, adjusting to change, self-esteem, anger, coping with stress, and trauma.
Jackie’s aim is to help you develop long-term therapeutic solutions in pursuit of living an effective life. She strives to foster a safe, comfortable, and non-judgmental environment where you can explore your values while she supports you in fine tuning your strengths to reach your goals in therapy. She understands building a trusting and empathic therapeutic relationship is the cornerstone of healing. Using a person-centered approach, she believes therapy should be highly individualized based on your needs. She often incorporates the use of evidenced based treatments and is trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). In nurturing her understanding of each unique client, she hopes to help you develop your self-awareness and master skills to enhance your quality of life.
Heather Tufford,
Registered Clinical Social
Worker Intern
Heather grew up in Western Canada spending much of her adult life there, raising two children, working in
community development with children and young adults on the fringe of society before moving to Florida in 2012.
Heather went back to school in her 50’s achieving her BA in Psychology and English from Rollins and her MSW in
2022 from UCF. She comes to Heart Bonds as intern toward her clinical license. She has worked with teens and
adults in behavior health & addictions for several years and has a passion for helping people achieve balance in body,
mind, heart, and spirit. Her holistic philosophy in counseling considers the connection we have to all facets of
ourselves, our families, communities and our global society. Heather uses a plethora of modalities and techniques
for helping clients problem solve and form a happier, more balanced and productive life. Healing, trauma and
addictions are two of Heather’s primary goals for therapy as well as instilling life skills and coping .
During Heather’s down time she enjoys playing with her little Scotty dog Maggie and going for nice walks, and she
like bike riding, yoga and travel. She will be sure to make it out to the beach once in a while too, as a part of her
self care regime.Heather enjoys traveling back-home a few times per year to be with family and especially her
young grandbabies.
Kelly Burns,
LMHC &
Board Certified
Art Therapist
Kelly is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Qualified Supervisor, and Board-Certified Art Therapist. She works with adults of all ages on issues of depression, anxiety, relationships, and trauma. Kelly uses a framework of empowerment with her clients within a strength-based approach to help her clients find their voice. She utilizes cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, as well as other theoretical practices. Kelly is also passionate about using her formal training in art therapy and other expressive and creative methods with clients to help them reach their goals within therapy where they may have struggled before. Kelly looks forward to working with young adults experiencing life transitions, as well as those who struggle with trauma from abuse/exploitation.
When Kelly isn’t in session, she spends time with her husband, their pets, family and friends, as well as in the art studio where she is also a painter.
Currently, Kelly is offering virtual sessions only.
Jessica Manning is a Registered Clinical Social Work Intern in the state of Florida. She received both her Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) and Masters of Social Work (MSW) from the University of Central Florida. She spent her internships working with children in the school setting. She has specialities in providing individual support to children experiencing anxiety, school phobia/anxiety, depression, ADHD, ASD, behavior struggles and poor social skills. She ran small groups for the children to help promote appropriate coping strategies, develop their self-awareness and to help them deal with the pressures of school, social and home issues that impacted their ability to cope effectively. Jessica specializes in using a strength based approach to counseling to help the individual develop positive self-esteem and meet the child where they are developmentally to achieve the best possible outcome. Jessica uses other treatment modalities such at CBT and positive behavior interventions.
In her free time, Jessica enjoys traveling, exercising, concerts and spending time with family and friends.
Jessica Manning
Registered Clinical
Social Work Intern
Camara is a clinical social worker that offers clients a safe therapeutic relationship through compassion and curiosity. She fosters discovery of how personal experiences shape our beliefs, behaviors, feelings, and relationships. Camara is passionate about working with adults navigating grief, depression, anxiety, religious trauma, gender inequality, and parenting challenges. Camara also holds special interests in helping BIPOC, mixed-race, and transracial adoptees work through challenges in identity development and racial trauma.
Camara holds a Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Central Florida. She is trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Prolonged Exposure Therapy, Trauma Focused Narrative Groups, and Expressive Arts. She is attachment-informed, strength-based, and uses techniques from somatic experiencing frameworks. Camara especially enjoys offering ways for creative and clinical things to converge by encouraging clients to use different mediums of art for self reflection and expression.
Camara has worked with college students, survivors of domestic violence, adults and youth in residential treatment centers, and veterans recovering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Camara is passionate about her artistic and athletic hobbies. She finds joy in creating spoken word poetry, roller skating, playing pickleball, and doing improv games. Camara is blessed with a vivacious daughter and a loving husband.
Camara Gaither
Clinical Social Worker
Courtneigh is a Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern in the state of Florida. She holds a Master's Degree in Counseling and a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology. Courtneigh has experience providing mental health counseling to children, adolescents, college students, young adults, adults, and families.
Courtneigh specializes in grief counseling, LGBTQ+ services, trauma, child-parent relationships, sexual abuse, spiritual abuse, anxiety, depression, life transitions, self-esteem, and emotional regulation.
Her approach to counseling involves building an empathetic and trusting therapeutic relationship with each client providing a place for the client to feel seen and heard. A part of her practice is emotion focused therapy where a client will learn to identify the role of emotions in their life and work through emotional experiences. Courtneigh also utilizes mindfulness and self-compassion techniques to help clients become more present and aware.
Courtneigh believes that the goal of counseling is not solely focused on fixing issues and experiencing change quickly. Counseling involves self-discovery and then navigating what is revealed compassionately and bravely, leading a client to be more aware and experience a higher quality of life on the other side.
Courtneigh Bumgardner
Registered Mental
Health Counselor Intern
Jennifer Coleman is a Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern in the state of Florida. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Central Florida. Jennifer has provided counseling services to adolescents and adults in individual, family, and group settings. She has worked with clients experiencing issues around grief and loss, anxiety, mood disorders, trauma, abuse, life transitions, family-of-origin concerns, self-esteem, perfectionism, body image concerns, and spiritual concerns.
Jennifer creates a tailored therapeutic plan that supports each person’s goals and desires. She engages the whole person through reflective listening, creative arts, and grounding with the senses. Jennifer integrates different counseling approaches, including person-centered therapy, solution-focused therapy, cognitive interventions, somatic and experiential therapy, and family-of-origin inquiry.
Jennifer is passionate about supporting clients in their journey of self-understanding, acceptance, and empowerment. She recognizes resilience and strength in each one of her clients. Jennifer believes appropriate support cultivates growth towards a more confident, fulfilling life. Outside of sessions, Jennifer enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She enjoys cooking, singing in a community choir, traveling, playing with her two dogs, and snuggling with her cat.
Jennifer Coleman,
Registered Mental Health
Counselor Intern