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OUR THERAPISTS
Partners Mary Ellen Ladd, LCSW, CSW-G Beth Juliano, LCSW Associates Lisa Kuntz, Ed.D. Liz Mongillo-Herman, Ph.D. Liz Feder, LMFT Janna Phillips, LCSW, LMFT Rachelle Minkoff, LCSW Elizabeth Houghton, Psy.D. Cynthia Nichols, LCSW 
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We at WCP believe that the weaving together of self, family, and cultural influences into the therapeutic process is essential to healing and change. We use the client-therapist relationship as a primary vehicle for helping clients focus on their lives.
Our clinicians draw from psychodynamic theories, body-oriented Gestalt therapy, Control-Mastery, systems theory, and cognitive therapies and we specialize in treating those suffering the effects of trauma, with both psychotherapy and DBT. We provide services geared towards the needs of children and offer therapy accessible to deaf & hearing-impaired clients in American Sign Language. We embrace the LGBTQ+ community and are strongly committed to providing affirming treatment. WCP offers training and consultation to professionals and organizations. Call us at 860.523.4450 x51 or Contact Us to schedule an appointment. We are currently providing services via telehealth until further notice due to the COVID-19 pandemic. |
MEET OUR THERAPISTS
Mary Ellen Ladd is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who joined WCP in 2002 and has been a partner since 2015. A graduate of Hartford College for Women, Drew University and Columbia University School of Social Work, Mary Ellen works with adult clients of all ages and ethnicities and with the LGBTQ+ population. She has specialty certification from NASW as a Clinical Social Worker in Gerontology (CSW-G) and worked with geriatric residents in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. She recognizes the unique needs of the aging population which can often be complicated by declining health, increased need for medication, multiple losses and being caregivers to other adults. She accepts most insurance including Medicare and Husky. She is a Dementia Friends Champion and is available to offer free, one hour information sessions in the community to raise awareness about Dementia. Mary Ellen is also available for clinical supervision to licensed clinicians seeking additional support and to therapists working toward a license.
Beth Juliano is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who joined WCP in 2006 and has been a partner since 2016. She is a graduate of New York University School of Social Work, practicing in the field of Social Work for over 15 years. She has worked in a variety of settings and with many different populations, including domestic violence, sexual assault, complex trauma in children and major mental illness in residential, outpatient and hospital settings. Beth shares the philosophy of WCP that the weaving together of self, family and cultural influences into the therapeutic process is essential to healing and change. She frames her clinical work with client-therapist relationship as a primary vehicle for helping clients focus on their lives, while drawing from psychodynamic theories, body-oriented Gestalt therapy, and cognitive therapies. Beth provides counseling services to individuals, couples and children. She takes most insurances including Medicare and Husky.
Dr. Lisa Kuntz is a licensed Psychologist and nationally and state certified School Psychologist, who is trained in Multimodal Behavior Therapy. Fluent in American Sign Language (ASL), Dr. Lisa specializes in the assessment and treatment of persons with a variety of disabilities including deafness and hearing loss. A Board Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctor (BCBA-D), Dr. Lisa infuses cognitive and behavioral techniques in her therapy. Dr. Lisa is also an Associate Professor of Psychology at University of Saint Joseph. She has extensive experience working with the court system and protective services when persons with deafness and hearing loss are involved. As of January 2019, Dr. Lisa added Certified Mental Health Integrative Medicine Provider to her list of credentials. She is excited to begin working with patients to help them use nutrition, supplements, exercise, movement and other integrative medicine approaches to feel better and stay healthy.
Liz Mongillo-Herman, Ph.D. is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist specializing in the treatment of trauma and dissociation. Prior to joining the practice at WCP, she worked at the Victims of Violence Program and at the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center in MA. She takes a trauma-informed, integrative approach to therapy that draws from skills-based (CBT, DBT), relational and narrative modalities. Her work is guided by feminist ecological, social justice, and empowerment frameworks which understand distress as deeply intertwined with systemic inequalities and oppression, and which recognize that individual behavior and experiences cannot be understood without taking into account the larger contexts in which an individual is situated.
Liz Feder is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with almost 20 years of experience. She has worked at several outpatient community health centers and residential treatment facilities for adolescents. Supporting adolescents as they transition to young adulthood remains a passion for her. She enjoys working with families, couples, and adults as well. She is trained in structural and strategic family therapies and maintains a strength-based and solution-focused approach.
Janna Phillips has recently moved to Connecticut from Denver, CO. For over fifteen years, Janna has been a therapist supporting families, couples and individuals. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a Licensed Addictions Counselor. Janna believes every client has the right and ability to author their own story. She is a strength-based and collaborative therapist who utilizes systems theory, narrative therapy, social justice and trauma focused models. She provides EMDR for clients both as individuals and within couples work. Janna has also had years of experience teaching and supervising new therapists on their journey toward intentional clinical social work and family therapy. She is passionate about working with those suffering from trauma (including as the result of experiencing oppression), grief and loss, life changes, family conflict, anxiety and depression as well as any problem getting in the way of connection with others and self. Her practice strives to be culturally sensitive and affirming of those in the LGBTQIA+ community, clients with intellectual and developmental disabilities, as well as an ongoing commitment to antiracism work. Janna is thrilled to be a new member of the WCP team.
Rachelle Minkoff is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who works with adults of all ages, ethnicities and genders. She is a graduate of Princeton University and New York University School of Social Work. Over the past 17 years Rachelle has provided individual, couples and group therapy in a variety of settings, including outpatient community mental health clinics and The Institute of Living. These experiences have given her the opportunity to treat clients adjusting to temporary distress and patients living with acute and chronic mental illness. Believing that no one type of therapy provides all the answers, Rachelle uses psychodynamic, insight-focused, interpersonal, cognitive, behavioral, expressive, trauma-informed, social justice and mind/body techniques to guide patients on their journey toward radical acceptance and change. Above all, Rachelle believes that the client-therapist relationship is the foundation of all healing. She takes most insurances, including Medicare and Husky.
Elizabeth Houghton is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist who received her master’s degree and doctorate from the Wright Institute in Berkeley California, an institution with founding values of social responsibility and lifelong learning. She completed her doctoral training at U.C. Davis
Medical Center in rehabilitation neuropsychology. For over fifteen years she has worked to combine her interest in neuroscience and her passion for recovery and wellness. Dr. Houghton has worked in
inpatient hospital settings, outpatient clinics, community mental health agencies and
private practice. Specific clinical interests include early trauma and dissociative disorders/personality disorders, depression, anxiety disorders, gender identity issues, self injury, and disordered eating. Dr. Houghton uses an analytic lens and evidence based treatment interventions such as cognitive behavioral and dialectical behavioral therapy, acceptance and
commitment therapy and mindfulness based stress reduction. She has extensive
experience in psychological testing and neuropsychological testing. In her past position as psychiatric hospital administrator and staff educator, she was recruited to join Maine’s DHHS Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Coalition to address biases in the state’s workforce and develop LGBTQIA+ training for state employees. Elizabeth is able to work with children age 7 and older, adolescents, adults and geriatric clients. She is honored to be joining the WCP family.
Medical Center in rehabilitation neuropsychology. For over fifteen years she has worked to combine her interest in neuroscience and her passion for recovery and wellness. Dr. Houghton has worked in
inpatient hospital settings, outpatient clinics, community mental health agencies and
private practice. Specific clinical interests include early trauma and dissociative disorders/personality disorders, depression, anxiety disorders, gender identity issues, self injury, and disordered eating. Dr. Houghton uses an analytic lens and evidence based treatment interventions such as cognitive behavioral and dialectical behavioral therapy, acceptance and
commitment therapy and mindfulness based stress reduction. She has extensive
experience in psychological testing and neuropsychological testing. In her past position as psychiatric hospital administrator and staff educator, she was recruited to join Maine’s DHHS Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Coalition to address biases in the state’s workforce and develop LGBTQIA+ training for state employees. Elizabeth is able to work with children age 7 and older, adolescents, adults and geriatric clients. She is honored to be joining the WCP family.
Cynthia Nichols is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who recently returned to Connecticut after residing in Boston for several years following completion of her MSW at UConn School of Social Work. While in Boston, Cynthia worked as a clinical social worker offering dual diagnosis therapy and group counseling in outpatient and inpatient treatment settings, including methadone maintenance, inpatient detoxification, and outpatient Suboxone and Vivitrol treatment. Cynthia aims to treat through supportive self-help and strength based approaches incorporating elements of cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, and motivational interviewing into her therapy. Cynthia has facilitated early mother’s parenting groups as well as Seeking Safety groups (a curriculum for PTSD and substance use disorders) and is passionate about supporting women through life transitions, relationships, and trauma. Along with being an LCSW, she is also a Licensed School Social Worker in the states of Massachusetts and Connecticut as well as a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor in the state of Massachusetts. In addition to working at WCP, Cynthia is pursuing her PhD at UConn School of Social Work. She is available to work with adults age 18 and older.