The Clinicians at RISE work from a trauma-informed and strengths-based lens. Each therapist is trained and specializes in a variety of clinical modalities that address individual, relational, and family needs. RISE specializes in working with children, youth, parents, and families providing both crisis management and support for mental health challenges and stress in daily living.
Sar
ah Chodorow, LCSW (She/Her/Hers)
Sarah works with adults, children, and families, and has significant experience supporting youth with anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and self-harm, as well as their families. She also supports those struggling with the impacts of trauma, including physical violence, sexual trauma, and traumatic grief. She holds a systems lens in her approach and brings an awareness of how societal oppression can cause and compound trauma. Sarah identifies as a cis white woman and strives to make her therapeutic space safe and healing for individuals of all backgrounds and identities.
Kjerstin Gurda, LCSW (She/Her/Hers)
Kjerstin partners with her clients to nurture healing, growth, and resiliency. She offers trauma-specific therapy including EMDR, Brainspotting, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), and Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) for adults, teens, youth, and parent-child pairs. Kjerstin enjoys supporting children from infancy to teens around attachment and trauma work, engaging parents in their own healing and growth, and working with women around fertility, loss, pregnancy/birth, postpartum, and parenting issues. Kjerstin also often works with participants in the areas of racialized trauma, grief, healthy relationships, health concerns and positive identity development. Kjerstin is a white, cis woman who has two young kiddos, loves doing things outdoors, and has a weakness for flamin’ hot Cheetos.
Karen Fujikawa, LCSW (She/Her/Hers)
Karen works with adults, children, adolescents, and families. She has over 15 years of experience working with families and individuals experiencing depression, anxiety, grief, and attachment challenges. She particularly enjoys working with families and using a strength-based, trauma-informed, and solution-focused approach to exploring and addressing challenging interpersonal and family dynamics. Karen’s practice draws from a variety of therapeutic modalities such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Interpersonal Psychotherapy, Motivational Interviewing, and Structural Family Therapy. As a Queer woman of color, she strives to provide a safe and welcoming therapeutic relationship for all participants, and particularly for those who have experienced the layered impacts of marginalization. In her spare time, Karen enjoys spending time communing with nature or at home cooking and hanging out with her pets.
Robyn Wallin, LCSW (She/Her/Hers)
Robyn aims to support those she works with from an authentic, empowering, collaborative, and strength-based approach. She works with youth, adults, and families, and has experience supporting those with self-esteem challenges, anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. She uses an eclectic approach, borrowing from cognitive-behavioral (CBT and DBT), experiential and interpersonal therapy, motivational interviewing (MI), and structural family therapy. Robyn is skilled in providing parent and co-parenting skills support. She is a cis, white woman and a self-identified movie-buff who enjoys gardening, music, good food, and loves her fur-kids (1 cat and 2 dogs).
Nereida Quiñones, LPC-IT (She/Her/Hers)
Nereida has been supporting youth and adults experiencing mental health and adjustment issues in various school and community-based settings for over 20 years. Nereida specializes in art/creative and mindfulness-based practices to promote individual healing, recovery, and community integration, and uses a person-centered approach. Nereida is deeply committed to collaboration which supports individual pathways (mind/body) for healing, empowerment, and wellness. Nereida invites change conversations using MI skills and psychoeducation materials to address cultural issues to empower full participation in services. Nereida is passionate about supporting youth recovery, resilience and ability to thrive, while working alongside their families and in their communities. Nereida can provide services in Spanish, English and French. Nereida engages in regular sitting/walking mediation or yoga practices and enjoys making meals; these practices sustain a compassionate presence in life!
Sarah Hedgcock, APSW (She/Her/Hers)
Sarah enjoys working with adults, children, adolescents, and families and has experience working with those impacted by anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, self-harm, mood dysregulation, and attachment issues. Sarah strives to partner with caregivers and youth to provide a safe place for everyone to feel heard and work together on identified needs. Sarah meets participants where they are, comes alongside on their journey, and builds on their strengths to persevere through adversity. She believes every person and family are unique and that individualization in work is important. Sarah is creative during therapy, and enjoys using games, crafts, and other activities. Sarah has a passion for working with LGBTQ+ youth and their families and foster or adopted youth. Sarah is a white cis gay woman, has a sassy cat named squeaks, enjoys walks with friends, and trying new foods.
