Dana Murray is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and earned her Masters of Social Work from Southern University at New Orleans. She has been a dedicated therapist with over ten years of experience working with adolescents and their families in Louisiana and Chicago who have experienced trauma and difficult family experiences. She is skilled and specializes in working with youth and their families on needs regarding identity formation, anger management, posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, depression, self-esteem, and behavioral improvement. She values and embraces each facet of her clients’ identities and how they intersect to aid them in reaching their goals. Dana has a lengthy experience in a variety of mental health settings such as residential treatment centers, community outreach and non profit organizations.
Dana is trained in Sensory Motor Arousal Regulation Treatment (SMART), Attachment, Regulation, and Competency (ARC) and Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT). As a therapist Dana has used psychotherapy, strength-based approaches and a host of interventions that support healthy regulation and transitions into a structured setting that allows for healthy growth and development. Dana is passionate about helping youth and their families grow alongside each other during their time in treatment.
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Liz Delgado (she/her/hers) is a License Clinical Social Worker and Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) Practitioner. Liz is trained in Level One, Level Two and Group Theraplay and is working toward her Theraplay certification. She earned her Master of Social Work from Dominican University and is an adoption competent mental health professional. She works with youth of all ages, and their families, who have experienced issues of trauma, neglect, separation and/or loss, identity and other related issues. Liz has experience working in different settings such as hospitals, juvenile justice field, group homes, children summer camps, and home-based services. She has received additional training in Attachment, Regulation, and Competency (ARC), the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI), and adoption related mental health. Liz can be reached at [email protected].
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Tricia Robert (pronouns: she/her/hers) serves as the Clinic Intern at The Theraplay Institute and is simultaneously pursuing her Master of Social Work degree at Crown Family School of School Work at The University of Chicago. Tricia’s background involves providing social-emotional learning and group therapy for children and adolescents in the Chicago Public School system who have encountered traumatic loss, grief, community violence, and incarceration. Additionally, Tricia has gained experience within Partial Hospitalization Programs/Intensive Outpatient Program environments, providing essential behavioral health assistance to youths navigating Mood & Anxiety Disorders and other mental health difficulties that impact their everyday experiences.
Tricia is trained in Level One Theraplay and Group Theraplay and is supervised by a Certified Theraplay Practitioner. Additionally, she draws upon and implements skills from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. She aims to establish a nurturing and supportive environment for children and their families to explore and grow. Throughout her work with families, she aims to strengthen communication and attachment between caregivers and their children.
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Bridget Sutton is an associate Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the state of Illinois. Bridget believes that there is immense power in relationships, and works to empower family connectedness between caregivers and their loved ones.
In her work with children and families, Bridget sees the impact of life transitions, loss/trauma, disability, and relational challenges. Often, families navigate these difficulties while feeling stuck, alone, or ineffective. In play, however, we create opportunities to restore, understand, and strengthen loving bonds. Harnessing this creative power allows kids and adults to experience new ways of relating to themselves and their worlds.
Bridget is a white, queer therapist who strives to honor and incorporate the many social, ethnic, and religious identities that compose our families. Your unique family deserves celebration!
Bridget can be contacted at [email protected], and uses they/them and she/her pronouns.
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Katherine Vincent Lamb (she/her) is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Theraplay Practitioner with a degree in Art Therapy and Counseling. Prior to returning to school to pursue clinical training, Katherine worked for over a decade in residential and community-based programs for children and youth, providing case management services and later co-directing an after-school program in a Chicago public elementary school. Katherine is certified in the ARC trauma treatment framework and has experience working with children who have experienced personal and communal traumatic events. She supports children and adolescents navigating issues of identity and self-esteem, adjusting to parental divorce or separation, and developing skills in self-expression and regulation. In her therapeutic work, Katherine combines her understanding of art therapy, play-based approaches and sensory regulation techniques to support clients’ growth. In addition to offering caregiver-child therapy and individual art therapy for children and adolescents, Katherine provides support for parents and caregivers as they identify parenting approaches that align with their own strengths, values and goals.
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Kirsten is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Theraplay Practitioner. She earned her Master of Social Work with a mental health concentration from the University of Illinois at Chicago. There, she also earned a certificate in Integrated Behavioral Health with children and adolescents. Kirsten has received additional training in Attachment, Regulation, and Competency (ARC), Trust Based Relational Interventions (TBRI), the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI), and adoption related mental health.
Kirsten uses a strengths-based approach to promote secure attachments, foster healthy relationships between family members, and promote mutual enjoyment of each other. She has worked with youth in care, the refugee community, and youth and families who have adopted or have guardianship through DCFS. She has experience working with these communities on issues of trauma, grief, loss, displacement, identity, and other related issues. Kirsten can be reached at [email protected].
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Zaya Gillogly (she/her/hers) is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Certified Theraplay Practitioner, and Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) Practitioner. She is a Theraplay Supervisor-in-Training, Theraplay Trainer-in-Trainer, and is working toward becoming a Registered Play Therapist. She works with youth of all ages, and their families, who have experienced physical or emotional abuse, developmental trauma, neglect, domestic violence, separation, divorce, and/or loss. Zaya has experience working with youth who are adopted and their families on grief, loss, identity, and other adoption-related topics. She aims to build a working alliance with families to identify the specific needs of their child. Zaya aims to create space for parent and child to experience connection, attunement, and mutual enjoyment as a tool to build their relationship. Utilizing the power of relationships to meet the needs of the child, Zaya supports families in creating positive emotional and behavioral changes.
Zaya earned her Bachelor’s degree in Social Work at Ohio University and her Master’s degree in Social Work with a concentration in mental health at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She has worked in community mental health, youth and domestic violence shelters, LGBTQ centers, and home-based services. Zaya has additional training in Attachment, Regulation, and Competency (ARC), adoption-competent mental health, non-directive play therapy techniques, and art-based techniques. Zaya can be reached at [email protected]
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Anita Johanson Maddox is a licensed clinical counselor and licensed professional educator with over thirty years of experience in varied settings that include a community mental health center, the Special Education District of Lake County, and 20 years at The Theraplay Institute. She has enjoyed working with a variety of populations from infants to the elderly. Her experience as a staff therapist at a Community Mental Health Center involved treating individuals and groups with both young families and the chronically mentally ill. During that time, she also worked at The Children’s Memorial Hospital (renamed Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago) as an Infant Care Volunteer Coordinator. She was employed for thirteen years at The Special Education District of Lake County (SEDOL) as a Family Specialist. In the Spring of 2020, she became a Contractual Therapist at The Theraplay Institute. Anita has an interest in treating young children, children who have a variety of concerns that include, but are not limited to, characteristics of autism, medical and or developmental concerns, trauma and attachment concerns, and parent-child relationship difficulties. Using Theraplay® techniques, she guides families in experiencing happiness and togetherness. As a result, families achieve increased closeness and discover more positive ways of interacting. Anita creates a connection with families, and helps them develop a new perspective of their child’s worthiness and special strengths. Various experiences in her life have sparked her interest in working with families to assist them in understanding, accepting, and respecting each other. Anita has discovered the empowerment that can be provided to people who have experienced challenges in their lives.
Anita is a Certified Theraplay Practitioner and a Registered Play Therapist – Supervisor. She has co-presented at The Theraplay Institute International Conferences and also co-authored an article which was published in The Theraplay Institute Newsletter, as well as a chapter in the book Applications of Family and Group Theraplay, Rowman & Littlefield Publisher, 2009, edited by Evangeline Munns. In addition to mental health licenses in Illinois and Wisconsin, Anita also has a State of Illinois Educators License Early Childhood (Birth to Third Grade).
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M.S.W., J.D., L.C.S.W., R.P.T.
Mandy is a Certified Theraplay® Practitioner, Trainer, and Supervisor-in-Training. She is also the Executive Director at The Theraplay Institute. Mandy has worked almost exclusively with adoptive and foster families since she began her career. She takes a particular interest in helping families with young children form strong attachments and work through sensory concerns. Mandy is also experienced in helping adopted individuals with identity, loss, and anxiety concerns throughout their lifespan. Mandy provides ongoing therapy to anyone touched by adoption. Over the past few years, she has developed a specialty in helping children with FASD. She is also adjunct staff for The Ties Program, Adoptive Family Travel. In this capacity, she provides logistical and mental health support as adoptive families re-experience birth culture. She also assists with orphanage visits and provides support during birth/foster family reunions. While Mandy doesn’t regularly practice law, through her legal work she has advocated for children in both Illinois and Michigan’s child welfare systems. She continues to use her legal knowledge and advocacy skills to help families gain Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and other essential resources for children. Mandy earned her BA in Political Science and her BS in Psychology from Loyola University Chicago. She earned her Masters of Clinical Social Work and Juris Doctorate from Michigan State University. She is further trained in TBRI and ARC. Mandy can be reached at [email protected].
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