Teresa Eicher was born and raised in Archbold, Ohio. She attended Bowling Green State University where she majored in Social Work and received her Bachelor in Social Work degree, and went on to the University of Michigan where she studied Clinical Social Work receiving her Master in Social Work degree. Teresa is licensed as a Licensed Independent Social Worker – Supervisor in the State of Ohio and has worked with individuals struggling with mental health and addiction issues for over 15 years.
Teresa works with adults, children, and families by joining them to overcome the challenges and obstacles that can be brought on by mental health and addiction issues. Her goal is to work with the individual and family in determining the best course of action while utilizing therapeutic techniques that assist in the process of change. Teresa believes it is important that through the therapeutic process goals are created, the individual and family feels empowered, a sense of hope is instilled, and change occurs.
Throughout Teresa’s career she has specialized in serving individuals throughout the life span and families that have experienced issues such as trauma - many times coming in the form of physical, sexual, or emotional abuse; struggles with depression and anxiety – including self harm and suicidal thinking that impacts day to day functioning and happiness; family or marital discord that leaves the union in jeopardy; and substance abuse and dependence. These are just a few of the areas in which she has experience in helping others and would embrace an opportunity of working with you.
Elizabeth Wilde was born and raised in Defiance, Ohio. She attended Defiance College where she obtained her Bachelor in Social Work degree, and went on to Spring Arbor University where she obtained her Master in Social Work degree. Elizabeth is a Licensed Independent Social Worker in the State of Ohio. She works with individuals throughout the life span struggling with life adjustments, depression, anxiety, misuse of and addiction to substances, identity issues, self-esteem issues, and self-harming behaviors.
Elizabeth has received specialty training in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) Therapy and has developed a core focus of treating trauma, including single incident trauma and complex trauma. She understands that trauma can overwhelm an individual and those closest to them. Elizabeth believes in the importance of not only treating the individual, but also the larger family system. Many times, traumatic experiences cause negative beliefs about yourself, others, and the world around us. Elizabeth utilizes therapeutic techniques to assist the individual in developing skills to cope with these negative belief systems and daily challenges, as well as healing the core past trauma.
Elizabeth joins with the individual to build a safe, trusting relationship that becomes the foundation to the greater work that is done within the therapy setting. Additionally, she empowers others to see their value and works with them to build hope for their future.
April McKenzie was born and raised in Williams County, Ohio. She attended Defiance College where she obtained her Bachelor Degree in Social Work and went on for her Master Degree in Social Work at Spring Arbor University. April is a Licensed Independent Social Worker (LISW) through the State of Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board. She has worked in the field of social work since 2008. April joins with individuals struggling with their mental health and or substance use and collaboratively explores ways in which they can overcome these areas of their life and live a healthier, more balanced life.
April is trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), a specialized form of therapy. EMDR is designed to target negative beliefs an individual possesses. These negative beliefs are tightly connected to the symptoms of such diagnoses as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and bipolar disorder. EMDR allows an individual to address current triggers to mental health symptoms and overcome associated pain from the past, resulting in a more positive outlook for the future.
April works with adults, children and families. She enjoys working with teenagers struggling with self-esteem, communication issues, and managing difficult emotions. She also enjoys working with family systems to improve communication patterns and increase positive behaviors and connection in the home. Historically, April has worked in crisis management, as well as with survivors of domestic violence, physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. Her history of work provides her with a broad understanding of individual’s experiences and understanding what individual’s need to find healing to their past and hope for their future.
Katelyn Britenriker is a Licensed Independent Social Worker through the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board. She was born and raised in Northwest Ohio and went on to attend and graduate from Malone University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Social Work. She continued her education to earn her Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Toledo. Katelyn has worked in a variety of settings throughout her career, allowing her to develop her skills with different populations. She has provided mental health support to first time moms in the Help Me Grow Program where she assisted moms in understanding and meeting their mental health needs throughout their pregnancies and birth of their child, up to the age of three. Katelyn has worked in the community mental health system with children and family’s assisting them in navigating and coping through mental health and day to day stressors that impact the child and family unit. She has worked in homecare providing mental health support to individuals in various stages of life, assisting them in living well balanced lives.
Aside from counseling, Katelyn has had other community interests that have allowed her to speak into the lives of others. She coached volleyball with youth ages 10-18 for ten years. Currently, she is a junior high youth leader at her church. Katelyn has a passion for building strong, confident, driven young women, joining them in their journey through the middle and high school years.
Katelyn’s desire is to walk alongside others when life is hard, as each of us encounter challenges at some point in our lives and help them find the peace and joy they desire. Katelyn’s foundation and rock is her Faith and that is at the core of who she is. But, she recognizes that is not everyone’s truth and has worked with others throughout her career, including in homecare, who have different beliefs. Working in hospice, there is a spiritual component, allowing an exploration of other’s belief systems and views of life. Whatever that is for you, Katelyn wants to walk alongside of you. Throughout her experiences, Katelyn has worked with so many others who are seeking something that is missing. Katelyn wants to assist you in discovering what it is that may be missing and walk with you in that journey, as we are not meant to do this life alone.
Jennifer Hernandez grew up in Henry County, Ohio and graduated from Napoleon High School. She went on to attend and graduate from Bluffton College with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Worker. Jennifer is a Licensed Social Worker through the State of Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board. She has been licensed since 2002.
Throughout Jennifer’s career, she has worked with populations based in rural communities, allowing her to understand the dynamic needs of individuals living in Northwest Ohio. Jennifer has worked with clients in a variety of settings, including individual’s homes through home-based work, office-based care, hospital settings, and telehealth-based services. She is adaptable and works to meet the client where they are to gain a better understanding of their needs. She has worked with individuals, families, groups, and couples, while serving children, adolescents, and adults. Jennifer enjoys working with a variety of populations and embraces what each population offers in the therapeutic environment. She has worked with families in the Help Me Grow Home Visiting Program where her primary focus has been on assisting parents to gain a better understanding of their child’s needs and helping them develop effective parenting skills and strategies. Jennifer has helped families to overcome obstacles and strengthen their connection with their children and family system. Most recently, Jennifer has been the Director of Social Programming that serves Defiance, Fulton, Henry, Paulding and Williams Counties through the local Health Department.
Jennifer believes that individuals present with a desire to improve their life circumstances and overcome life stressors, mental health challenges, and addiction struggles. Her responsibility is to join the individual in identifying their strengths and goals for care, building on those strengths and assisting the individual in building skills, and empowering the individual to create a plan to sustain change. Jennifer appreciates the opportunity to serve the community and strengthen individuals and families.
