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Dawn Anderson serves as a staff therapist and supervisor at the Lindner Center of HOPE. She attends to adult and child outpatient clients and is also a member of the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Eating Disorder (EDO) Teams.

Dawn Anderson completed her graduate and undergraduate studies at the University of Cincinnati. Her background in psychology and ongoing professional activity in this branch of science keep her informed about best practices and emerging treatment opportunities.

Her therapeutic expertise is complemented by over fifteen years of experience in clinical practice. Her practice philosophy is patient-centered, holistic, and pragmatic. Dawn utilizes evidence-based practice including Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Exposure Response Prevention (ERP) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). She is also is trained in experiential interventions including Sand Tray therapy. Dawn also has experience in working with a diverse range of clients including couples and family therapy.

Prior to joining the Lindner Center of HOPE, she has worked as an outpatient therapist and supervisor at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital as well as Central Clinic/ CDC Behavioral Health in Middletown and facilitated groups in inpatient psychiatry at The Christ Hospital.

She is a specialist in the treatment of trauma, depression, anxiety, and LGBTQIA+ populations.

Dawn has licensure in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana.

Presentation Topics

• Trauma Informed Clinical Care
• Trauma Informed Parenting/ Co-regulating

Degree(s):

• 2007-2010 B.A. Science, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
• 2010-2012 M.A. Mental Health Counseling, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio

Internship and Residencies:

• 2010-2012 Practicum and Internship at Central Clinic, Cincinnati, Ohio

Licensure and Certification:

• 2015 Ohio Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor Supervisor
• 2021 Kentucky Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor Supervisor
• 2021 Indiana Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor Supervisor

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Dr. Paul is a child and adolescent psychiatrist who recently joined Lindner Center of HOPE after completion of her medical training. She will be providing care to adolescent inpatients and will be a member of the care team at the Farmer Family Neuromodulation Center.

Prior to entering medical school at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, she earned a BS in Biochemistry and Neuropsychology at the University of Miami in Florida as she had an early interest in the behavioral sciences. In medical school, she was active in health outreach programs for youth in Columbus and participated in research involving transitional age youth in subspecialty care.

After medical school, Dr. Paul completed residency at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine where she was involved in the Program Evaluation Committee and the Residency Training Committee to help enhance her and her colleagues’ training experience. She fast-tracked into fellowship at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center where she developed an interest in neuromodulation and received training in the use of ECT, TMS, and esketamine.

Dr. Paul has an interest in providing comprehensive care to children/adolescents and their families. She believes in providing evidence-based care and collaborating with patients and their families to provide individualized treatment. She is interested in improving access to neuromodulation for adolescents with severe illness.

Degree(s):

• 2009-2013 B.A. Biochemistry & Neuropsychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL
• 2013-2017 M.D., The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH

Internship and Residencies:

• 2017-2020 Residency in Psychiatry, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH
• 2020-2022 Fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Licensure and Certification:

• 2021 Diplomate, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
• 2019 Medical License, State Medical Board of Ohio

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Anne Polasko has over 25 years of experience working with adolescents and adults. She has provided in-home family therapy for at-risk families and has been certified as a Functional Family Therapist. She began working at Lindner Center of HOPE in 2015 and previously worked as the Clinical Social Worker and Coordinator for OCACDA, Lindner Center’s outpatient adolescent diagnostic program. Anne earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from York University and her Master’s degree in Divinity from Acadia University, while living in Canada. After working as a Chaplain, Anne decided to obtain further training and returned to school and earned her Master of Social Work degree from Boyce College.

Anne specializes in the treatment of depression, developmental and relational trauma, and anxiety. She has a special interest in adoption, as she worked internationally, with extensive travel in Asia and Guatemala, assisting over 250 families with their adoptions. She utilizes evidenced based therapy models such as CBT, DBT and Trauma Informed CBT. She has a holistic approach, encouraging individuals to view their wellness within the framework of strengthening healthy relationships and exploring their personal purpose and spirituality. She works with young and older adults.

“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” – Rumi

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Carolyn Garten serves an outpatient therapist at the Lindner Center of HOPE.  She provides therapy for young adults and adults in the Outpatient Center.  Carolyn has a passion for helping her patients navigate through the difficulties and challenges of life and find healing and hope.  Within her role she conducts diagnostic assessments and evaluations, develops treatment planning and ongoing therapy.  Carolyn utilizes various treatment modalities, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, Strengths-based approaches and Motivational Interviewing (MI).

Carolyn has nearly 25 years of experience in the field of mental health, having served in roles as clinical school based mental health therapist and clinical supervisor in the Adoption and Foster Care field. Prior to joining Lindner Center of HOPE, Carolyn has provided individual, group, and family therapy to children, adolescents and adults in a variety of settings including public mental health agencies, schools and foster care and adoption agency.  Carolyn served as Clinical School-Based Therapist at Solutions Community Counseling Services in Warren County conducting diagnostic assessments, evaluations, developing treatment plans and ongoing individual, group and family therapy of junior high and high school students and families.  She has worked extensively in the foster care and adoption field as both an Adoption Assessor, Therapist and Supervisor over the Foster Care and Adoption licensing department.

Areas of Specialty and Interest:

• Adult Therapy
• Young Adult Therapy
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Trauma
• Grief and Loss
• Spiritual Care and Faith Integrated Counseling
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)

Degree(s):

• 1994 B.A. Social Work, Wright State University
• 1998 M.S.W. University of Cincinnati

Licensure:

• 1994 L.S.W. Ohio license # S.00205752020
• L.I.S.W. Ohio license # 210876

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Ms. Bunker serves as a staff therapist at Lindner Center of HOPE. She attends to adolescents and adults in the outpatient setting.

Prior to entering graduate school at the University of Chicago, she earned a B.S. in biopsychology at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.

Her academic studies are complemented by over 27 years of experience in clinical practice.

Prior to joining Lindner Center of HOPE, she has worked at a residential treatment facility, community mental health agencies both in Chicago and Cincinnati, then at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) where she has worked both in the Emergency Department performing Emergency Psychiatric Assessments and later in the Outpatient Department as an outpatient therapist. While at CCHMC she helped to train medical students and resident physicians in topics related to Dialectical Behavior Therapy as well as eating disorders.

She is a specialist in DBT and in the treatment of eating disorders.

She has presented at CCHMC Social Worker and Clinical Counselor Appreciation Conference on the Ethical Challenges in the Treatment of Children & Adolescents diagnosed with an eating disorder. She has presented at CCHMC’s Psychiatric Grand Rounds on non-suicidal self-injurious behaviors. She has presented at a National Triple Board Symposium on the Four Lenses Personality Assessment. She has edited a chapter in the published book Promoting the emotional and behavioral success of youths: a practical guide for clinicians, by Dr. Sergio Delgado. She has presented many times on topics related to DBT and eating disorders.

Presentation Topics:

• DBT in theory and practice. Mindfulness in the Workplace.
• Non-suicidal self-injurious behaviors
• Eating Disorders
• Four Lenses Personality Assessment

Degree(s):

• 1988-1992 B.S. in Bio Psychology, The University of Michigan- Ann Arbor, MI.
• 1992-1995 M.A. in Social Service Administration, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL.
• 1992-1995 Graduate Fellowship, The Sonia Shankman Orthogenic School, Chicago, IL.

Licensure and Certification:

• 1998 Licensed Independent Social Worker, Ohio Board

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Elisabeth serves as an outpatient therapist at the Lindner Center of HOPE. She attends to adult and young adult patients. Elisabeth earned her MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Xavier University, after earning a BA in psychology from the University of Cincinnati. She participated in Chi Sigma Iota, a counseling academic and professional honor society and was awarded Magna Cum Laude, at the University of Cincinnati.

Prior to entering graduate school, Elisabeth provided mental health and therapeutic group programming for adults at the Lindner Center of HOPE. Elisabeth assisted in serving the mental health needs of children, adolescents, and families within local school systems during her graduate training. Post graduate training, Elisabeth continued her work within local school systems and maintained a private practice serving the mental health needs of adults in her community. Elisabeth has devoted significant time to specialized training in strength-based, trauma-informed, and self-compassion focused treatment. She has also completed training in PC-CARE and Seven Challenges addiction treatment.

Areas of Specialty and Interest:

Women’s Health

Anxiety Disorders

Mood Disorders

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Degree(s):

• 2016 B.A. Psychology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
• 2018 M.A. Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH

Practicum and Internship:

• 2017 Practicum, Beech Acres Parenting Center, Cincinnati, OH
• 2018 Internship, Beech Acres Parenting Center, Cincinnati, OH

Licensure and Certification:

• 2021 Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor; Counselor, Social Worker & MFT Board

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Mr. Berendts serves as a psychiatric nurse practitioner at the Lindner Center of HOPE. He is an attending provider in the Adult Partial Hospitalization Program and works with outpatient adolescents (15+) and adults.

Prior to obtaining his advanced practice degree from Eastern Kentucky University, he earned his Bachelor of Science in Nursing from The Ohio State University. Previous experience as a Registered Nurse includes work in Sleep Disorders, Psychiatric Inpatient and Residential care, and extensive time performing clinical drug research. Prior to coming to the Lindner Center of HOPE, he spent time as a nurse practitioner in Child and Adolescent Outpatient Services at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.  Furthermore, Mr. Berendts has considerable experience presenting and teaching at national and international conferences on a variety of healthcare related topics.

His 25+ years in healthcare influences his evidence-based practice with an emphasis on the lifestyle choices of his patients, including but not limited to, the importance of adequate sleep, regular exercise, and brain healthy nutrition. He views these daily patient decisions as vital to support the work that is done in therapy, with medication as an assistance to those endeavors. He particularly enjoys working with the emerging adult population, but also enjoys the therapeutic relationship with established adults struggling with anxiety and depression. He is available for both in-person and telehealth appointments.

Degree(s):

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
• Master of Science in Nursing, Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond KY

Licensure and Certification:

• State of Ohio, Advanced Practice Registered Nurse - Certified Nurse Practitioner
• Commonwealth of Kentucky, Nurse Practitioner
• American Nurses Credentialing Center- Board Certified Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

Membership:

• American Psychiatric Nurses Association
• Ohio Association of Advanced Practice Nurses

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Heather Melena serves as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner at the Lindner Center of HOPE. She attends to individuals across the lifespan in the outpatient setting to provide holistic nursing care and medication management services.

Prior to obtaining her advanced practice degree, Heather earned her bachelor’s degree from Ohio University. Before becoming certified as a nurse practitioner, Heather worked as a registered nurse gaining experience in psychiatric, emergency, and medical-surgical nursing. She has worked in the inpatient and residential setting at the Lindner Center of HOPE, and alongside psychiatrists performing ECT, TMS, and ketamine aiming to care for those affected by treatment-resistant depression. She has worked primarily with adolescents and adults through out her nursing career but enjoys working with people of all ages.

Her clinical experiences throughout her advanced practice education involved both inpatient and outpatient services for children, adolescents, and adults in the psychiatric mental-health setting. She gained specific education and experience with the assessment and treatment of co-morbid medical diagnoses within the context of Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome and Autoimmune Encephalitis (PANS/AE) in adolescents and adults which she is eager to carry on into her practice at the Center. She is a member of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, Sigma Theta Tau Honors Nursing Society; Rho Theta Chapter; and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.  Also a member of the PANDAS Physician Network.

Degree(s):

• Associates Degree in Nursing, Galen College of Nursing, Cincinnati, OH
• Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Ohio University, Athens, OH
• Master of Science in Nursing, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, KY

Internship and Residencies:

• Clinical practicums:

• • Inpatient and Outpatient Treatment services for adults (Lindner Center of HOPE)
  • Inpatient and Outpatient treatment services for children and adolescents (Lindner Center of HOPE)
  • Outpatient treatment of Pediatric Neuropsychiatric Syndrome and Autoimmune Encephalitis (Lindner Center of HOPE)

Licensure and Certification:

• ANCC Board Certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
• Current Ohio Nursing and Nurse Practitioner License.

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Nicolette serves as Residential Program Manager for Williams and Sibcy Houses at the Lindner Center of HOPE.

Prior to joining the Lindner Center, Nicki worked with folks across the lifespan as a Behavioral Health Consultant in the primary care behavioral health model providing on the spot support, interventions and referrals to both physicians and patients. She has previous program development experience as part of a team researching and implementing the primary care behavioral health program locally.

Additionally, she has worked with foster parents and children coordinating services and providing support and stabilization in the foster home. She has training in ACT, trauma treatment and mindfulness.

Nicki has also had the opportunity to serve military families at Bethesda National Naval Hospital as part of the team supporting children of seriously wounded service members prior to entering grad school. She has since completed training in supporting military families as a civilian clinician.

Degree(s):

• 2009 B.S. Sociology, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC
• 2014 Master of Social Work, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, KY

Licensure and Certification:

• 2014 LSW, Licensed Social Worker, Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board
• 2017 LISW-S, Supervising Licensed Independent Social Worker, Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board

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Kristina serves as an outpatient therapist at the Lindner Center of HOPE.  She attends to adult patients working with individuals, couples, and families.

Prior to entering graduate school, she double majored, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work and Sociology from The College of Mount Saint Joseph.  Kristina went on to acquire her master’s degree in Social Work at the University of Cincinnati.  Kristina’s social work concentration track was in mental health.

Kristina spent most of her career specifically in mental health counseling.  Working in the nonprofit sectors, for nearly all her career, as a clinical practitioner.  Her practice philosophy is to integrate the science of wellbeing into all attended patients.

Prior to joining the Lindner Center of HOPE, she worked as the Performance Manager in the outpatient department at Child Focus.  In that role, she oversaw the expectations of employees and managed the outpatient team.  Kristina also helped cast the mission of the agency and build camaraderie amongst employees.  During this time, she also saw patients on an outpatient basis.

Kristina specializes in the treatment of depressive disorders, anxiety, trauma, and couples counseling.  Kristina utilizes evidenced based therapy models such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, and Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.  Kristina explicitly employs the Gottman Method for her work with couple’s.

Kristina is further interested in developing her skills in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and RO-DBT (Radically Open- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) treatments.

Degree(s):

• 2006 M.S.W. Social Work, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
• 2001 B.A. Social Work and Sociology, The College of Mount Saint Joseph, Cincinnati, OH

Internship and Residencies:

• 2000 Internship Clinical practice, Outpatient Department, Central Clinic, Cincinnati, OH

Licensure and Certification:

• 2019 Licensed Clinical Social Worker, State of Kentucky
• 2013 Licensed Independent Social Worker with supervisee designation, State of Ohio