First Responders

Ry Smith, MA

Professional Counselor Associate
I work with:
I Specialize in:

Helping People Understand the Roots of Their Patterns and Create Lasting Change.

Does this sound familiar?

  • Do you feel stuck in patterns that keep repeating no matter how hard you try to change them?
  • Do stress, overwhelm, or burnout make it hard to feel present in your life?
  • Do anger, shame, or perfectionism get in the way of your relationships or your own peace of mind?
  • Are you moving through a transition or identity shift and wondering who you are on the other side?
  • Are you wanting to heal from unresolved childhood wounds, trauma, or grief?
  • Are you wanting more connection and meaning in relationships and daily life?

Whether your symptoms show up as exhaustion, conflict, or just that quiet sense that “something has to change,” therapy offers a path forward.

I Can Help.

I work with adults who are ready to look beneath the surface and create lasting change. Together, we’ll uncover the roots of what keeps you stuck, explore the needs that have gone unmet, and build new ways of responding with clarity and intention.

You’ll learn how to:

  • Slow down and notice your emotional triggers
  • Break cycles of anger, shame, or disconnection
  • Manage stress and burnout with tools that actually work
  • Build deeper, more authentic relationships
  • Move toward a life that feels freer, more grounded, and aligned with who you truly are

What can you expect?

  • A warm, collaborative space where you’ll feel supported but also challenged to grow.
  • A balance of insight and practical skills you can carry into your daily life.
  • A chance to laugh, reflect, and reconnect with parts of yourself that may have felt hidden or stuck.

 


 

Before becoming a therapist, I worked as a career counselor in higher education, where I helped students and professionals navigate transitions, clarify their goals, and find meaningful next steps. I also spent time in the military and environmental science fields, experiences that deepened my perspective on resilience, identity, and change.

In therapy, I draw from Schema Therapy, Internal Family Systems, Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy, Solution Focused, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Relational Life Therapy, and attachment-based approaches to help you not just cope, but transform the way you understand and live your story.

When I’m not working with clients, I’m often at the forge shaping steel into useful tools. The process requires patience, attention, and care — qualities I also bring into my work as a therapist.

Jesse Cetz, MA

Marriage and Family Therapist Associate
I work with:
I Specialize In:

Are you navigating one of these areas in your life?

  • Relationship issues
  • Marital conflicts
  • Intercultural communication
  • Racial/ethnic identity exploration
  • Systemic racism
  • Life transitions
  • Grief and loss
  • Men’s issues
  • Anxiety and depression
  • Premarital support

What would it look like to work with me?

I believe in helping you on your path toward flourishing relationships. I am a first-generation Latino with white privilege who grew up in a low-socioeconomic neighborhood. I received my master’s degree from George Fox University in Marriage, Couples and Family counseling. I utilize an attachment-based approach (Emotionally Focused Therapy) that emphasizes change occurring in the therapy room with an exploration of core emotions at the root. I also use mindfulness as a way to gain awareness into the present moment. I have 4.5 years of experience in higher education helping young adults navigate racial/ethnic identities and life transitions. You can expect me to show up as the unique me because I value you bringing your unique you.

Potential counseling outcomes

  • Learning how to communicate with your partner
  • Feeling connected with your partner
  • Increased understanding of your internal world
  • Identifying and expressing your emotional needs

Shannon Liebel, MA

Professional Counselor Associate
I work with:
I Specialize In:

Does this sound familiar?

  • Are you struggling with anxiety or depression symptoms?
  • Have you experienced past or current trauma?
  • Are you finding it difficult to adjust to life changes or transitions?

I Can Help.

  • With 12 years of experience of teaching yoga, breath work, meditation, and mindfulness, my experience in somatic practices helps to regulate the nervous system and strengthening the mind – body connection
  • With unconditional support, I help guide clients to self empowerment and enhance their sense of self worth

What can you expect?

  • My clients express having navigated difficult life transitions and come out on the other side feeling empowered and excited for their next chapter.
  • Resolving past and current trauma has allowed clients to be more present in relationships and more authentic in how they show up in their life.
  • Clients will leave with tools and somatic practices to help regulate their nervous system and keep symptoms of anxiety and depression at bay.

August Smith, MS

Marriage and Family Therapist Associate
I work with:
I Specialize In:

Does this sound familiar?

  • Struggling with your or a loved one’s gender identity, sexuality, or level of self-acceptance?
  • Experiencing difficulty in discussing, exploring, or engaging with intimacy, pleasure, or sex tied to shame, trauma, or relational distress?
  • Grappling with current, past, or generational trauma, seeking a safe space to process and utilize coping tools to expand your emotional capacity?

I Can Help.

  • I utilize integrative trauma-informed Narrative Therapy, DBT, and Polyvagal Theory to guide clients through understanding their internal beliefs shaped by early life experiences and how those foundations impact tolerance, behavior, and relational dynamics in adulthood.
  • I believe therapy can assist clients in unlocking their internal resources needed to promote individual and systemic growth, leading to meaningful change.
  • I implore a liberatory approach by analyzing the client’s context within the systems theory framework and the effects of interpersonal interactions on the client.

What can you expect?

  • I work on an individual and relational level to build clients’ innate resources, fortify distress tolerance, promote understanding of behavioral functionality, and fine-tune awareness of interacting communicative patterns.
  • My notable clinical interests include sex therapy, trauma processing, and identity exploration involving gender & sexuality, collectively framed by liberatory practices and systemic thinking.
  • As a queer and transgender therapist, I have experienced facets of systemic oppression and witnessed its impact on other marginalized communities, driving my own goal to expand the accessibility of mental health services and aim to provide a safe and inclusive therapeutic environment to support client’s mental health regardless of cultural or personal identities.

Wyatt Yurkovich, LPC

Licensed Professional Counselor
I work with:
I specialize in:

Does this sound familiar?

  • Are you feeling worried, anxious, or depressed about major life changes or transitions?
  • Do you feel like you are stuck or struggling in your relationships with family, friends and loved ones?
  • Wanting to build a stronger sense of self and identity?

I Can Help.

  • I’m here to help clients learn and develop skills to better manage their emotions, life stressors, and deepen their relationships with themselves and others.
  • I create a safe and welcoming space for clients to explore their concerns and experiences through a humanistic and psychodynamic approach.
  • I help clients identify and work toward their therapeutic goals in a collaborative way, as I believe each client is the expert in their own life.

What can you expect?

  • A safe and non-judgemental space to freely express your thoughts and emotions.
  • An increased ability to manage and process your emotions and life stressors.
  • The opportunity to strengthen and grow your relationships with others and with yourself.

Libby Quinn, CSWA

Clinical Social Worker Associate
I work with:
I specialize in:

Does this sound familiar?

  • Are you anticipating or experiencing a major transition and feeling overwhelmed by change?
  • Are you wanting to explore your fears, desires and anxieties or make better sense of their origins?
  • Do you find yourself navigating questions about identity and wanting to build a stronger sense of self?

I Can Help.

  • My approach focuses on understanding the deeper stories that shape our lives, helping clients to reframe their narratives and empower their personal growth.
  • My experience in social work, public policy and disability justice lead me to encourage clients to consider the larger systems at play, and reclaim agency in a sometimes imperfect, unpredictable world. 
  • Using a strengths-based approach, I work with you to identify, build and reinforce the unique strengths and resources which support your pursuit of self-determination.

What can you expect?

  • You will be able to utilize your strengths and access your personal sources of power more readily, leaving you feeling grounded and autonomous.
  • Our work will be collaborative – together, we will explore identities, challenges and aspirations which are important to you, ultimately building resilience and autonomy.
  • You will be met with respect, patience and curiosity but also be encouraged to explore and expand your comfort zone, as it relates to self-advocacy and self-determination. 



As a graduate of Smith College School of Social Work (Northampton, MA), I was trained in a range of modalities, with an emphasis on psychodynamic approaches. I strongly believe in the power – and fun! – of stories, and utilize narrative therapy principles to explore the impact of the stories we tell ourselves, as well as the larger narratives told about the identities we might hold. Having lived with a chronic illness since birth, my own disability experience has shaped how I invite clients to consider the role of social norms and expectations in the development of positive self-esteem. My practice borrows from relational therapy, in which I encourage clients to reflect on the impact of past or current relationships, including the working relationship which we shape together. 

Savannah Rigney, MA

Professional Counselor Associate
I work with:
I specialize in:

Does this sound familiar?

  • Feeling overwhelmed by significant life changes or experiencing issues related to complex trauma?
  • Striving to build trust in yourself and secure relationships with others?
  • Are you seeking a life filled with more joy, purpose, and sense of peace?

I Can Help.

  • In our work together, I’ll guide you through a journey of self-discovery, helping you understand the connection between your mind and body, and supporting you in creating new patterns and insights that align with your personal hopes and goals.
  • I’m trained in a holistic and systematic approach, which means I consider how all aspects of your life have influenced you.
  • I approach our work with compassion and curiosity, always fostering hope and confidence in your healing journey.

What can you expect?

  • Let go of the burdens from the past, heal emotional wounds, and address the effects of trauma.
  • Enhanced self-awareness and understanding of your relationship with others.
  • Deeper access to your inner self, fostering qualities such as playfulness, connection, self-belief, and compassion.

Mayan McDermott, MA

Marriage and Family Therapist Associate
I work with:
I Specialize In:

Does this sound familiar?

  • Difficulty trusting your own needs, boundaries, or instincts?
  • Wondering why your emotions feel intense, confusing, or hard to regulate at times?
  • Wanting to live more authentically, but unsure how or where to start?

I Can Help.

  • My role as a therapist is to facilitate a personalized, collaborative space in which you feel safe, comfortable, and understood. What’s important to you is important to me.
  • You can expect me to meet you with compassion, authenticity, humor, and openness. I rely heavily on a trauma-informed therapeutic approach that emphasizes the connection between your mind and body.
  • As a neurodivergent therapist who was diagnosed later in life, I know firsthand the grief, confusion, and internalized ableism that can sometimes come along with this discovery. Together, we can figure out how to soothe your nervous system, heal your relationship with yourself, and get in touch with your innate resources.

What can you expect?

  • Feeling more calm, curious, clear, compassionate in your relationships – with yourself and with the people that matter most to you.
  • Make sense of longstanding patterns of behavior and resolve feeling “stuck” in various places in life.
  • Learn how to express yourself authentically, to experience yourself fully, and to know yourself deeply.

Noah Belcher, LCSW

Licensed Clinical Social Worker
I work with:
I Specialize In:

Finding clarity, balance, and joy in your everyday life.

Does this sound familiar?

  • Feeling stuck, lost, or directionless?
  • Overwhelmed with feelings of sadness or anxiety, making it difficult to foster happiness?
  • Struggling with a life transition?

I Can Help.

  • I have experience in both clinical and community-based settings, providing a perspective on how mental health impacts life at all levels of treatment.
  • I provide a mindfulness approach informed by evidence-based practices that are grounded in reality and tailored to the individual and their needs.
  • I use humor and irreverence to help identify strengths, skills, and goals in a genuine, supportive, nonjudgmental, safe space.

What can you expect?

  • Improved ability to cope with day-to-day stressors.
  • Greater capacity for change and identifying goals.
  • A renewed passion for connections and interests.

Alexandra Aguirre, MS

Marriage and Family Therapist Associate

I work with:

I specialize in:

Supporting you to navigate life, relationships, and identity with clarity, confidence, and care.

Does this sound familiar?

  • Struggling or feeling stuck in your relationships?

  • Exploring or experiencing challenges related to your gender or sexuality?

  • Feeling stressed or worried about major life changes or transitions?

I Can Help

I provide a collaborative, client-centered, and nonjudgmental approach, working with you to create therapy goals that align with your needs and priorities. As a transgender woman, I bring both lived experience and professional insight to support transgender clients.

I also use a systemic lens in my work—looking at the relationships and systems you are part of to understand how they shape your experiences and challenges.

What can you expect?

  • Improved relationships: Feel more heard and supported through better communication skills
  • Gender and sexuality support: navigate gender transitions and gain clarity and confidence around your identity.
  • Emotional tools: Identify emotions, communicate needs, and develop coping strategies to manage stress and challenges
  • Healthy boundaries: identify and maintain boundaries in personal relationships and creating a work/life balance.

Marlene Monette, LCSW

Licensed Clinical Social Worker
I work with:
I Specialize In:

Does this sound familiar?

  • Feeling stuck or not heard?
  • Having problems with health concerns, or grief and loss?
  • Experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma, abuse, stress management?

I Can Help.

  • I practice Interpersonal process therapy (IPT) which sees the therapeutic relationship as the foundation for change and growth.
  • My life experiences have taught me the value of empathy and understanding; for myself, as well as others. These are skills that help enhance relationships and help patients establish trust and feel safe as we work together.
  • My work experience encompasses Veteran advocacy and support within the VA and the community. Most recently, I provided resources and emotional support for patients and families dealing with life-changing illnesses.

What can you expect?

  • My clients have shared that they experience increased self-acceptance and a more positive outlook.
  • They find they have greater insight and understanding into their patterns of behavior which helps them move toward becoming the change they wish to see in their lives.
  • Couples have remarked they communicate better with each other and begin to take responsibility for their roles in the relationship.

 


I focus on helping others be the change they wish to see. I’m a believer in nurturing positivity and promoting mindfulness. I recognize many of our own negative thoughts are formed due to internalized guilt and shame. As we learn self-love and acceptance, we will truly begin to be the change we wish to see in the world.

Amanda Bueffel, LMFT

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
I work with:
I Specialize In:

Build understanding, connection, and confidence in your life and relationships.

Does this sound familiar?

  • Struggling to communicate or connect with others?
  • Feeling anxious, depressed, or overwhelmed?
  • Facing difficult life changes or transitions?
  • Stuck in recurring conflicts with your partner(s)?

I Can Help.

I take a holistic approach, considering your relationships, values, and life experiences to help you live your truth. In a warm, collaborative, and judgment-free space, clients explore their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors while working toward meaningful goals. My background in education and nonprofit work allows me to support people of all ages through stress, trauma, and life transitions. I also help partners facilitate conversations that build trust, understanding, and connection.

What can you expect?

  • Greater insight into yourself and others
  • Improved communication and emotional expression
  • Increased confidence and clarity in navigating daily challenges
  • Stronger, healthier connections in your romantic relationships