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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.

This provider offers telehealth visits. 

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.

This provider offers telehealth visits. 

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.

This provider offers telehealth visits. 

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.

This provider offers telehealth visits. 

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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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.

This provider offers telehealth visits. 

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

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Dr. Wood is a staff psychologist at the Lindner Center of HOPE and serves in the outpatient and residential programs. He provides therapy to children, adolescents, and adults, and specializes in mood disorders, behavioral disorders, developmental disorders (primarily Autism Spectrum Disorders), and trauma disorders. In treatment, he primarily utilizes Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) techniques, but also incorporates facets of many others, including Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), Mindfulness, Trauma-Focused CBT (TFCBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), Strengths-based approaches, and Play Therapy. Dr. Wood has clinical experience with most diagnoses and prioritizes implementing a collaborative and patient-focused approach to treatment.

Dr. Wood earned his doctorate in Clinical Psychology in 2015 from Azusa Pacific University in Azusa, California. He completed his postdoctoral fellowship and APA accredited internship at Talbert House in Cincinnati, Ohio, during which time he worked in the school-based services at Princeton Community Middle School and High School, adolescent psychological testing center, and adult outpatient program. After earning his independent license, Dr. Wood was appointed the director of the APA accredited internship program and psychological testing center, as well as the clinical supervisor for various psychology interns and practicum students.

Prior to joining the Lindner Center of HOPE, he worked as a clinical psychologist at Lebanon Correctional Institution in Lebanon, Ohio. While there, Dr. Wood provided therapy for male inmates presenting with myriad diagnoses and symptoms, offered crisis management services, conducted suicide risk assessments, and offered brief psychological interventions for inmates in segregated housing.

Dr. Wood has been involved in research studies about social motivation and other social behaviors with additional emphasis on the oxytocin system and Autism Spectrum Disorders, which have been presented at multiple conferences and annual meetings in California, Louisiana, Hawaii, and Spain. He also was a co-author on a related scientific article about mouse strains and testing paradigms used in the social behavior research that was published in Brain and Behavior.

Presentation Topics:

• Mindfulness – Meaning, Techniques, and Its Use in Treatment
• Trauma and Its Impacts on Functioning
• Using Play in Treatment
• Basics of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Degree(s):

• 2005-2009 B.A. Psychology, MidAmerica Nazarene University, Olathe, KS
• 2010-2012 M.A. Clinical Psychology, Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, CA
• 2012-2015 PsyD Clinical Psychology, Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, CA

Internship and Residencies:

• 2014-2015 APA Accredited Pre-Doctoral Internship, Talbert House, Cincinnati, OH
• 2015-2016 Postdoctoral Fellowship, Talbert House, Cincinnati, OH

Licensure and Certification:

• 2018 Ohio State Board of Psychology, License #P.07688

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Chelsey Zulia is a Licensed Professional Counselor and serves as the Eating Disorders Counselor within the Harold C. Schott Foundation Eating Disorders Program.  She has been trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy (RO DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP).  Chelsey serves as an individual and group therapist for patients with eating disorders on the adult inpatient units, residential units, partial hospitalization program, and intensive outpatient program.  Chelsey also serves as a group therapist for the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center inpatient and partial hospitalization programs at Lindner Center of HOPE.  In addition to direct clinical services, Chelsey provides eating disorder trainings to staff and students, facilitates an eating disorders family support group, and co-leads community events, such as, National Eating Disorders Awareness Week and National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) Walks.

Prior to her current role as a counselor, Chelsey served as an OCD/Anxiety Specialist and Mental Health Specialist at the Lindner Center of HOPE on the inpatient and residential units.  This is where she gained experience and a passion working with patients with eating disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Chelsey earned her Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology in 2020. She completed her practicum and internship fieldwork at the Lindner Center of HOPE.  During her fieldwork, she provided individual and group therapy for patients with substance use disorders and trauma on Sibcy House and Williams House.  Additionally, Chelsey co-lead outpatient groups in mindful eating and self-compassion.

Chelsey holds memberships in the American Counseling Association (ACA), International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals (IAEDP), Academy for Eating Disorders (AED), and the international honor society for professional counselors, Chi Sigma Iota, Theta Chi Sigma chapter.

Areas of Specialty and Interest:

• Eating Disorders
• Anxiety Disorders
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
• Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy (RO-DBT)
• Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)

Degree(s):

• 2010-2014 B.S. Psychology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
• 2017-2020 M.A. Clinical Mental Health Counseling, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Chicago, IL

Practicum/Internship:

• 2019 Practicum, Lindner Center of HOPE, Mason, OH
• 2020 Internship, Lindner Center of HOPE, Mason, OH

Licensure and Certification:

• 2021 Licensed Professional Counselor, CSWMFT Board, Ohio, #C.2103138
  • Directly supervised by Dr. Chris Tuell, Ed.D., LPCC-S, LICDC-CS
    • CSWMFT Board, Ohio, #E.0002161-SUPV
  • 2021 National Certified Counselor, National Board for Certified Counselors, ID# 1429950

 

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Sidney Hays serves as an outpatient therapist at the Lindner Center of HOPE. She works with both adult and adolescent patients. Sidney earned her Master of Social Work degree from the University of Cincinnati, after earning a BA in psychology from the University of Cincinnati. She was named Psychology Student of the Year in 2015 and was a teaching assistant for introductory Psychology courses.

Prior to joining the Lindner Center of HOPE, Sidney assisted in serving the mental health needs of inmates at Warren County Jail during her graduate training. She also trained in the social service department of a community non-profit. After graduate school, she served as a day treatment therapist, working with adolescents. Prior to entering graduate school, Sidney volunteered and worked in various youth and student ministry positions for 10 years. Most recently, Sidney served as the Partial Hospitalization Program Social Worker here at the Lindner Center of Hope, where she gained experience treating patients with eating disorders.

Sidney has devoted significant time to specialized training in trauma treatment. She is certified in Developmental and Relational Trauma Therapy and enjoys working with patients who have experienced hurt and chaos in their families of origin. Sidney has also done training in TF-CBT, Seven Challenges addiction treatment, and Trust Based Relational Intervention, which trains caregivers who are caring for kids from hard places.

This provider offers telehealth visits. 

Degree(s):

• 2014-2016  B.A.            Psychology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
• 2017-2019  MSW          Social Work, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH

Licensure and Certification:

• 2019 Social Work License, Ohio Social Work, Counselor, and Marriage and Family Therapy Board
• 2021 Developmental and Relational Trauma Therapist, Healing our Core Issues Institute

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After studying Psychology at University of Kentucky, Erin received a BS in Nursing at Wright State University (WSU). After gaining 5 years of RN experience working at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) collectively between the Specialty Resource Unit and CCHMC psychiatry unit at Lindner Center of HOPE (LCOH), she completed a MS in the PMHNP program at WSU.

Since becoming a board-certified APRN, PMHNP, Erin has been on the UC/LCOH Child and Adolescent team working primarily with the inpatient and partial hospital adolescent programs.  She has a passion for helping people heal through developing resilience, mindfulness, and healthy coping using Cognitive and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy.

This provider offers telehealth visits. 

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Mr. Freudenberg has over 13 years of experience working as a licensed clinical counselor and serves as an Outpatient Therapist with the Lindner Center of HOPE Professional Associates.  Freudenberg practices as a generalist, working primarily with adults as well as older adolescents with a range of mental health and substance use issues.  His main focus is individual therapy, although open to seeing some couples as well.

Prior to joining the Lindner Center of HOPE, Freudenberg worked as a clinical supervisor at the Clermont Recovery Center.  Prior roles included Diagnostician/Clinician (CRC/GCGHS), and prior to that, 8yrs as an Outpatient Generalist Therapist (MH/SUD) in community mental health (GCBHS: Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health Services.)

He has a Master of Arts degree in Community Counseling from Xavier University, and is an independently licensed professional clinical counselor (with supervision designation) in Ohio.

This provider offers telehealth visits. 

Areas of Specialty and Interest:

• General adult mental health and addictions therapy
• Individual and couples counseling
• Counseling supervision
• Chemical dependency counseling and education
• Relationships and communication
• Career issues/counseling

Also has experience with parenting, anger mgmt. counseling and education.

Also of interest:

• Health and wellness (fitness, athletics, weight loss)
• Stage of life transitions
• Spirituality

Degrees:

• 1998  BSBA, Xavier University
• 2007  MA Community Counseling, Xavier University

Licensure and Certification:

• State of Ohio, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor with Supervision Designation  (LPCC-S)