About Us: Meet the Therapists at Welsh Therapy

Hello, I've worked with parents and teens in Doylestown for over 30 years. Currently my focus is on the post pandemic crisis for adolescents.  The emotional affects of children/adolescents with virtual schooling are devastating. Many anxious adolescents are suffering from School Avoidance, and are struggling to go back to a normal school schedule.  We work with parents and school counselors to assist in any way possible to help the kids with school avoidance to get back into the classroom. In addition, many adolescents have fallen behind with academics. Ellen Curthrell, our Educational Therapist, works with adolescents and their families to get kids back to a level ground with learning and education. 

With the current mental health crisis in our country, my focus is also directed to ensuring that our practice can meet the current mental health demands in our community. I am focusing on outreach programs to continue to build strong relationships with other healthcare professionals and organizations in our community so we can share those resources with our clients.

Our goal is to be responsive to new client callers in a timely manner and to find the right fit for a therapist whether that be inside or outside of our practice.     

When you call/text our offices, Joyce Cooney, Ariel Virk, or myself will speak with you about the best fit to support your child, adolescent, young adult, college aged adolescent, or yourself.  Joyce, Ariel, or I speak with each potential new client to understand what issues they are struggling with to ensure that we find the therapist that is the right fit for them. We strive to respond to every call within 24  hours and match new callers with a therapist as quickly as possible. If our practice is full, we have many referral partners in the community who work similarly to our practice that we can connect you with.

After our initial call, Joyce, Ariel, or I will quickly connect you with a therapist who is the best fit for you or your child on the same day. If there are other mental health care professionals needed in addition to a therapist, such as a psychiatrist, we will connect you with these professionals in our community at that time as well.   

We are here for the Doylestown and Bucks County community and are doing everything we can to adjust and adapt our practice to meet the mental health demand at this challenging time.

I am the Clinical Director and Clinical Supervisor in our practice. I see clients on a daily basis and am also involved in management systems to keep our practice running efficiently to meet the current demand for therapy in our community at this challenging time.

I have a personal interactive approach to help my client's reach their highest self. I listen intently and provide guidance to help clients find the answers inside of themselves. Working in tandem with the teen therapists, I support parents in their role of the child's healing process as one of our Parent Support Therapists.  While your child is meeting with their therapist,  I am guiding and supporting you as parents. I am involved in helping parents whose adolescents are struggling with anxiety, depression, self esteem issues and other mental health issues.  Since the pandemic and virtual schooling, School Avoidance has been something many adolescents and  parents are struggling with. I work with the parents who are struggling with how much to push and when to stop pushing for the kids to go to school each day. The epidemic of School Avoidance at this time has parents pulling their hair out. They are working and are concerned about their adolescent possibly being home alone in an online school program.  I support the parents to set boundaries if the decision comes to online schooling.  With the help of Ellen Cuthrell, our Educational Psychotherapist, the family can choose a program that works for your adolescent and your family. 

Specializations: Parent Support, School Avoidance in Adolescents, Life Transitions such as Postpartum, Menopausal Issues, Women re-entering the work force after raising children and Mental Health and Menopause.

 My approach is warm and interactive. I work with clients of all ages, adults, young adults, and teens. I want to help my clients to sit, feel, and experience their emotions, and then I equip my clients with the skills needed to manage their emotions. I work with adolescents who are struggling with anxiety, depression, self esteem issues, body image issues, and School Avoidance. 

Since the pandemic and the integration of virtual schooling, School Avoidance is on the rise. Students are having a difficult time going back to school after so much time away in virtual schooling. We work with the adolescent, the family, and the school to help the child continue going to school each day. We also work with guidance counselors for accommodations as needed. The goal is to slowly get them back into school full time. If this is not possible after trying all avenues to no avail, we can aid in the search for online schooling options. Ellen Curthrell is our Educational Psychotherapist who can make recommendations of different online school programs so the adolescent has to the best fit for their particular needs. 

I work with Adolescents suffering with depression, anxiety, school avoidance, disordered eating, multi-cultural issues, family conflict and self harm. 

Specializations: Adolescent Therapy, Adolescent Issues of Racial and Cultural Identity, Adolescent Anxiety, Adolescent Depression, Adolescent Body Dysmorphia, OCD, Family Conflict and Adolescents, and Overcoming struggles with  Intimacy in romantic relationships. 

I work with women and moms who are in transition.  I work with empty nest syndrome and the difficult feelings that arise when we drop our kids at college and drive away with feelings of loss. Only to arrive home to an empty bedroom and begin to face the reality that our child no longer lives at home. I also work with women who are in narcissistic relationships, some of them are not yet aware that their partners have these issues. We can begin to reflect on the relationships and learn methods to calm and contextualize the tumultuous environment.  I also work with moms who need support with their teenagers, and to help them navigate all of the exposure and stress they are under in this day and age.

.  

Specializations: Women's Life Transitions, Narcissistic Relationships, Parent Support, and Empty Nest Syndrome

I work with couples who are struggling with communication and want to learn how to better their relationship.  We work together to learn the story about their relationship and identify the issues that take away from enjoyment. 

 I also work with women individually to evaluate happiness in their marriage with regard to expectations and reactive behavior.  We explore reactive behavior in the relationship when a woman's needs are not being met, as well as how much dependence on a spouse is reasonable. I aim for us to think together about other ways to meet those needs through career, friendships, hobbies and activities that enrich their lives, and ultimately take pressure away from the marriage. 

 In addition, I work with women who are experiencing empty nest syndrome as their kids leave the home. We work together to process the feelings of loss and to create a life after their children move out that fulfills them on a daily basis.

Specializations: Couples Coaching, Women in  Relationships, Empty Nest Syndrome 

I want to be an advocate for adolescents and teens who don't feel like they have a voice. I believe that care needs to be trauma informed and focused on the needs of the client. I invest in my client's well-being and provide compassionate and culturally competent care. 

I am working on my Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology at Chestnut Hill College. I am an intern in the practice working toward licensure for my LPC. 

Under supervision, I work with teens who are struggling with anxiety, body image issues, ADHD, family conflict, and self esteem issues. I use talk therapy, behavioral techniques, and DBT to identify triggers and understand what's under those reactions.  Once clients can identify what creates triggers, they can begin to pause and make more conscious decisions. 

Lia creates a warm and personable environment that enables her to be safe enough to share the feelings and what's going on in their inner world. 

Specializations: Child and Adolescent issues, Self Esteem, Anxiety, Body Image issues, ADHD, and Family Conflict.

Rob works virtually and in-office (weekends). Rob works with teens and young adults with depression, anxiety, self esteem issues, and ADHD.  Rob spends his time between NYC and Philadelphia. Rob is personally dedicated to the practice of yoga and TM Meditation to keep him balanced and grounded for his work with clients.  

Rob has many years of experience working with adolescents in the Harlem School District. His work focuses on working through anxiety, depression, body image issues, bullying, social media addiction, gaming addiction and gender identity issues.

I work with adolescents and young adults who are struggling with anxiety, depression, body image issues, ADD/ADHD, executive functioning skills, self harm, risky behaviors, and family conflict. I value trauma-informed, strengths-based, and individualized care, because each person has their own narrative to tell.  

I work with clients using CBT, ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), and talk therapy, and assist clients in learning executive functioning skills. 

I have a double Masters from University of Pennsylvania in Professional Counseling.  I am School Certified in Pennsylvania as well.  

Since the pandemic and virtual schooling, I also have been working with adolescents who are going through School Avoidance issues due to anxiety related to going back to the in-person classroom after a virtual schooling because of the pandemic. With these students, I work with the school guidance counselor to arrange accommodations to make it possible for them to attend school daily. At this time, there are adolescents whose School Avoidance is so extreme that none of our efforts are successful. The parents may make a decision for the adolescent to learn at home, and we can assist them and work with the school. If virtual schooling becomes a factor for more than a month or two we can turn to our Educational Psychotherapist, Ellen Curthrell, for guidance on different online programs and what would be the best for both student and their family. Ellen also works with kids who are having a hard time keeping up academically and with their assignments after so much time learning virtually.  

Although I work with adolescents and young adults, there are times when it is beneficial to have the parents attend some sessions with consent.

One of my specialties is Adoption Trauma and Transracial Adoption.  I am Certified as an Adoption Competency Counselor. 

Hello I'm Jess.  I work with children and adolescents who feel like they don't fit in anywhere. They may feel quirky or different than their friends or peers. They may feel like they just don't belong. Being brave enough to be your authentic self in this mainstream world where middle schoolers and high schoolers are abandoning their true selves simply to fit in has such lasting consequences. The cost of leaving one's self to fit in to someone else's version of who you "should" be is detrimental to the psych and many mental health issues may arise as a consequence.

  Depression, anxiety, obsessive thoughts, and many other symptoms may arise out of this escape from self. If kids can stay true to themselves it can be a lonely road. They have a hard time finding a group to sit with in the school cafeteria for lunch or to walk in the hallways from one class to the next. To be true to yourself may sacrifice peers and friends who want to spend time with you.

  I love working with these kids. I like to help them find their sense of belonging in hobbies, interests, and hopefully meeting a few other quirky kids by doing those things. Watching them come into their full selves against the odds in this crazy teen world is so rewarding.  

I work with children, and teens who struggle with anxiety, depression, OCD, trauma, self-esteem issues, ODD, school avoidance and body image issues. 

A particular issues that has come about because of the pandemic and virtual schooling is school avoidance.  Anxious kids who were home during the pandemic are having a tough time going back into the classroom.  We work with the child to help them develop coping skills, if medication can be helpful and parents are open to that, we can refer clients to the psychiatrists that we have found that are great with adolescents.  We work with the guidance counselors to ask for reasonable accommodations so the students feel more comfortable going to school and are able to stay in school longer each day. There are times when a student is not able to push past the feelings and go into the classroom at all. At those times either we work with the school so the student has their work and can complete at home or our Educational Psychotherapist, Ellen Curthrell, can guide the families on the best cyber online school program that is the best fit for the adolescent and families needs. 

I create a partnership with the kids I work with and as a team we identify what is bringing discontent to their lives and together we strive toward goals to alleviate that emotional pain. I utilize DBT techniques, talk therapy mindfulness, skill building, writing, and art. Together we achieve the goals of treatment.

Nicole has been working with children, teens, and young adults for 24 years. Her work spans from working in the Philadelphia School District to private practice in Doylestown, PA.  Nicole's work with kids is rooted in being authentic and genuine and allowing them the time and space to feel safe and build trust in order to share what is going on in their inner world.  Nicole's work with children, teens and young adults is for issues with anxiety, depression, trauma, OCD, defiant behavior, school avoidance, self harm, mood disorders and disordered eating

Nicole does involve parents in her work in with teens in the form of parent support sessions.  Parents become worried and stressed when their children are suffering.  Nicole can work with parents, if the minor client approved, and support them while remaining HIPPA compliant.  There are times when a child prefers to not have their therapist work with parents for support.  In that case another member of the practice can see the parents and Nicole can remain with the minor client.  

Her style is engaging, casual and a holding space.  Parents are thrilled with Nicole's ability to reach their child's inner world.  

School Avoidance is a a articular issue that is rampant at this time and is a result of the pandemic and virtual schooling.  I work with the adolescent to teach coping skills and learn to manage the uncomfortable feelings they are experiencing at school.  If the student needs accommodations we can work together with the family and the school counselor to ask for reasonable accommodations in the interim.  As a last resort, if all else fails, there are times when the anxiety is so severe that the student may need to learn at home on their own and we can assist the family in helping for this transition to go smoothly.  We will work hard to try to integrate the student back into the in-person classroom as soon as possible.  The goal is always to get your teen back into the classroom.

Madeline is dedicated to the developing a strong therapeutic relationship with clients and is committed to fostering an environment where individuals can feel comfortable to express themselves fully. She places emphasis on a client’s unique historical, cultural, and personal experiences to individualize and maximize treatment outcomes. Madeline believes that, while past life experiences and events play a role in shaping our thinking and behavior, we can use the therapeutic process to better understand the impact of these experiences and shift our perspective in relation to them. 

Madeline works with older teens and adults of all ages and has experience with trauma-related and attachment difficulties, anxiety, grief, life-transition challenges and depression. She has a passion for empowering individuals who find themselves in abusive or narcissistic relationships. She sees clients as active participants in a process of healing and integrates multiple therapeutic models that cater to the specific needs of each client.

  Judy has been working with addictions for 12 years.  She has also been working with children, teens and adults for over 30 years.  Her work setting has spanned from  intensive outpatient to private practice.   Judy began in juvenile and correctional facilities and within the prison system as a therapist.  Judy has vast experience with teens and their families not only with the role of addictions within the  family systems but also with other mental health issues that impact the entire family.  Judy works with other mental health issues such as bipolar, depression, anxiety, ADHD, OCD, and ODD.  

Sue Claricurzio is a Nationally Certified EFT Practitioner and works with clients of all ages...adults, children and adolescents, to assist the with hands-on tangible techniques, exercises and coping skills to manage their mental health symptoms such as anxiety, depression, phobias, PTSD, Chronic Stress and Test Anxiety.  

Sue also works with therapists and other mental health professionals with symptoms of burn out.  There is a national mental health crisis as a result of the pandemic and many therapists, psychologists, social workers, psychiatrists, and medical doctors are burnt out and at their limit.  

Sue can work with you in sessions to talk through what you are going through and utilizes EFT skills and techniques to go directly to the anxiety, fatique, depression, insomnia and lack of self care.  You can experience relief in the first session. Sue sends you home from the sessions with tools to be able to do the techniques on your own in the comfort of your own home.  

Sue is also a Registered Dietician by formal training.  Sue works with clients on negative body image and disordered eating.  Sue's approach is holistic and integrative knowing the mind and body are one.  She believes one thing connects to the other.  Her approach is to treat the whole system and learn to tune into your body and understand through trial and error what works and what doesn't for each individual.  She works with clients to heal through mindfulness eating, food, supplements, hydration, sleep, exercise, meditation and stress reduction through EFT.

Maryluz Robinson is an Artist in Bucks County and has an art studio in Chalfont, PA .  MaryLuz' Artwork has been featured in art exhibits through Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia County.  Maryluz is a therapeutic coach and an Art therapist.  In Art Therapy she works with child and teen clients to help them place their inner world and feelings on paper.  She is also a Therapy Coach and works with individuals of all ages to explore the issues that they are not content with in daily life and she and the clients explore ways to enhance their well being  by creating conscious choices to make change.  Settling into a weekly session time with Maryluz to begin this process of working on the issues that are creating suffering for the client  can be life changing.  

In Art Therapy, she asked for the client to choose the music for their session at the Art Studio and the clients can begin to create on paper and then verbally express their feelings while doing so.  Maryluz also gives the kids the choice if they want her pup in sessions with them to help them relax. For her Art Therapy clients,  Maryluz often works with the client in addition to a therapist and other team members.  She is a team player and very passionate about understanding her clients through their expression of art.   

You will find Maryluz works of Art on the walls throughout our building.

Dr. Jennifer Irvin, Psy.D. specializes n adolescent therapy with teens and parents to help navigate the tumultuous adolescent years..  Jen has vast experience in inpatient, intensive outpatient, and private practice settings. Her style is interactive and she creates a warm environment for adolescents to feel safe enough to open up and speak about issues that are difficult to talk about.   She works in adolescent therapy with anxiety, derpession, sexual assault, self harm, body dysmorphia, self esteem issues and family conflict.  In addition, she provides Parent Support to parents to learn ways to better communicate with their child and walk along side them at the challenging developmental stage of adolescence.  Jen is certified in CBT therapy and uses that along DBT and talk therapy to explore and work through difficult feelings and the triggers that come up in school, dating relationships and with parents and siblings.  Jen is open to collaborating with family doctors, pediatricians, guidance counselors and psychiatrist with HIPPA consent.   Jen dives into the deeper issues that lie under the painful emotions such as anger and depression. 

Ellen's passion is education for high school teens,  young adults in college, and graduate and doctorate students.    Ellen is an Executive Functioning Coach , and a Certified Educational Psychotherapist.  Parents ask Ellen for assistance when their children need help with academics.  Ellen meets the child and studies their style of learning, reviews all educational and academic assessments and evaluations from the students academic years, familiarizes herself with their curriculum and jumps in on the student portal to help the client organize and learn executive functioning skills to keep up with their school work and succeed in getting the results they have as their goals.  Oftentimes, Ellen will have to work with the school to help clients acquire accommodations so they can attend school in a manner that is comfortable for them.  Ellen works with students with anxiety, depression, ADHD, school avoidance, learning disabilities and many other issues. These issues impact their ability to learn. 

  Luke is a Certified Life Coach and working on his psychology degree at Temple University.   Luke works with children, adolescents and young adults.  Luke works with kids with ADHD, Gaming Addiction, Teens dealing with their parents Divorce, Anger Management Issues, Family Conflict, Depression, and Anxiety, and ODD.  He also works with kids who are in the midst of breakups in their teen romantic relationships as this can often wreak havoc in all other areas of their lives.    

Luke works with clients through talk therapy and he and the client begin the journey to understanding what feelings lie beneath the symptoms.   This is a difficult process and kids need time to begin to open up and make progress.  Our practice offers parent support, with another therapist in the practice, to parents while their children are doing this work.  Family therapy is also available with another therapist in the practice if there is conflict in the family..  

 Luke's approach is personal and relaxed, he has a way of helping kids feel comfortable opening up to him. 

  Laura is a Certified Life Coach and will be pursuing her Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology in Fall.  Laura is CBT Certified and  is trained in DBT therapy.  Laura works with children, adolescents and young adults who are seeking evidence based treatment to learn skills and techniques to deal with their anxiety or other issues. .  Her specialty, amongst other mental health issues, is Grief and Loss.  Laura works with kids who have experienced the loss of a close family member such a parent or sibling.     Laura also works with kids who have a family member who is suffering from a chronic or terminal illness.  Laura has a particular interest in working with kids who have a family member suffering with ALS or MS.

In addition to grief and loss, Laura works with girls who struggle with body image issues, body dysmorphia, self esteem issues, social anxiety, OCD, Pure Obsessional Disorder, and communication issues with their parents.  Oftentimes with communication issues with parents the teen will also be in family therapy with one or both parents with another therapist in the practice.  

Another area of interest for Laura is working with young women who are currently in or healing from relationships with Narcissists and the pain and struggle of narcissistic abuse.  

Laura's  approach is structured and skill based to help kids overcome these issues with the goal of achieving less stress in their daily  lives.  

Reilly Brady, B.A.

Certified Life Coach

Reilly Brady is a Certified Life Coach. She has a degree in Behavioral Health and Addictions Counseling from Drexel University and is pursuing her Masters Degree in Art Therapy. Reilly works with children, adolescents and young adults who are struggling with anxiety, addictions to alcohol and pot, depression, self esteem issues, body image issues, disordered eating, and social anxiety. Kids struggling with social anxiety often have a hard time going to school each day, they may experience stomach aches or nausea. Reilly’s approach with kids focusses on talk therapy and art therapy to help them express their feelings on paper.  

Reilly helps kids who are coming to terms with sexual and gender identity issues. Some kids have a very difficult time talking with their family about their sexual identity. When parents are not accepting of a client who is coming out, Reilly can help her client understand that it may take time for parents to accept their new gender identity. Reilly also may refer the teen and parent to another therapist in the practice for a family therapy session to deal with this issue.  

Reilly is also a Learning Skills Coach to help middle school, high school and college kids organize their schoolwork and student portal, develop a study schedule and proofread papers. She also enjoys helping kids with college essay ideas and will proofread their essays. 

Deirdre Is a teacher by formal training.....she has her passion for teaching, certification in Life Coaching and her love of the outdoors to work with children and teens.  Deirdre works with children and teens who are struggling with academics and learning skills to deal with daily routines and schedules, self care, getting out into nature and experiencing fresh air and movement, and simply talking about what is in their hearts when they feel no-one will listen.  Deirdre also does exclusively coaching with teens struggling with self esteem issues, body image issues, and simply kids who are going through a tough time at home.  If requested, Deirdre's helpers Doyle and Ireland Mae (and a new addition to her clan, Fergus Rene'.) can come along to sessions and add comfort.  

Becca has a Bachelor Degree from Temple University in Psychology.  She was a teen mentor for Welsh Therapy in high school and assisted with Interventions with the therapy teens to assist the team in helping kids who require a higher level of care to go to inpatient facilities.  Becca spoke with the teen clients and their parents about the experience of going inpatient and what they can expect.  She works as a team with therapists in our practice for the kids who need a mentor to support them outside of the therapy sessions to talk through their struggles and respond to calls in the evenings and weekends.  Becca is not a licensed therapist, she is a Certified Tee Life Coach, with that training along with her Psychology Degree her role is integral part of the healing process for our teen clients who need more than just one therapy session per week.     She works with anxious girls, girls who are angry with their parents , girls with body image issues, and girls who are using substances such as alcohol and pot to deal with their emotions.   Becca has a warm personal, yet direct approach with her clients.  

Samantha works with adolescents who are struggling with their dating relationships.  Her clients meet with a therapist weekly and Sam meets with them outside of the therapy session when they have a need to talk with a coach for extra support.  These kids are going through the tumultuous teenage ups and downs of dating in today's world of technology with snap chat, instagram and cyber bullying . 

Often her clients find it difficult to hold on to their sense of selves while dating someone.  All of their value goes into the other person as they were not on steady ground when they began dating.  When their partner begins acting differently than the person they once knew by not being faithful or treating them unkindly, this can trigger many feelings and strong reactions. Sone of her clients turn the anger in on themselves, question their own worth, begin thinking it was because of the way they looked....if only they were thinner, prettier, or taller.  All of these defenses are a way not to feel the real pain of the loss. 

 Because the loss is played out in the halls of their high school in front of peers those vulnerable feelings are difficult to feel.  At times they retaliate online with posts to get back at the person they were dating. All of these actions often lead to pubic shame and embarrassment.  They will do anything to hold onto the relationship, even at the expense of their mental health.  

Sam is available to listen, reflect back, and validate the pain of the loss.  And to be fully present for the intense raw feelings of a breakup, that in this day and age,, is often played out all over social media and in harsh and unkind ways.  The lack of discretion and privacy of some in this technology-driven generation creates other issues with the ups and downs of dating, that their parents did not have to deal with at their age. This lack of understanding on the parents part often leads to frustration and  the "just get over it" attitude which only pushes the child away and takes them feel more alone in the world.  When a child feels profoundly alone after a loss other issues may present .  

Sam can be very helpful to parents as well to help understand how to meet their child exactly where they are, and not try to hurry the process.    Sam emphasizes that the adolescent needs to feel supported and not alone at these troubling times as that aloneness leads to other issues.