Staff Therapists
MEND Staff Therapists have completed their graduate-level training, are associate or fully licensed therapists, and work with our clinical team for ongoing supervision, consultation, and training.
Unlike our Intern Therapists who commit to MEND for a limited period of time, our Staff Therapists work at MEND long term, so there’s no program-specific end date for your therapist. With more training and experience, the fee for individual therapy with a Staff Therapist is $70-$150 per session and $85-$165 for relationship therapy. We understand that many people come to MEND in part because of our low-cost counseling, and we hope with the varying levels of experience and fee ranges, we can better serve our communities for many years to come.
Learn more about our Staff Therapists below.
Alejandra Morris, LMHC
they/them | biracial Latinx | queer | nonbinary | chronically ill
Alejandra believes the decision to enter therapy takes courage and holds it as a sacred privilege to sit with someone’s story. They view therapy as a collaborative dance between client and therapist, so their hope is to co-create a brave space to explore the complexity of your multiple identities and experiences and broaden your own imagination for your life. Here, what has been expands into what still could be. They ground their therapeutic work in relational psychodynamic therapy, with influences from intersectional feminism and trauma-informed care practices for an approach that treats each new client individually and holistically. Alejandra holds a Master’s of Counseling Psychology from The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology, and their areas of clinical interest include attachment, gender/sexuality and racial identity formation, grief/loss, chronic illness and medical trauma, as well as religious/spiritual trauma.
“ The wound is the place where the Light enters you.” – Rumi
Ann Thompson, LMHCA
she/her | Black | queer | cis | female
Ann sees therapy as a space to explore people’s narratives and contextualize their stories. She believes including the context enables meaning making and empowers new possibilities. Ann's work is about engaging collaboratively with clients and understanding each person's unique and intersecting identities. She wants to help each person tap into the creative expression, somatic attunement, and other deep wells illuminating pathways to healing, rest, and pleasure.
Barb Haupt, LMHCA
she/her | white | queer | cis | woman | bilingual
Many of us have had experiences that taught us to alter or set aside important parts of ourselves. Therapy is a space where we can reconnect with our wholeness. Barb offers a warm, connected, safe presence, in which clients can explore their experiences openly. She has received feedback that she is direct, gentle and playful. Her approach to therapy is informed by her background in community healthcare, working with individuals dealing with chronic illness, chronic pain and systemic oppression. Barb is fluent in Spanish and English.
“Trust the people and they become trustworthy.” – Adriene Marie Brown
Cecania Alexander, MSW, LICSW
she/her | white | queer | cis
Cecania believes therapy is a space for collaboration, curiosity, and warm acceptance of exactly who you are. Cecania completed a Master’s degree in Social Work at the University of Washington where she was trained in mental healthcare through the lens of deconstructing systems of oppression and has several years of experience in urgent and crisis intervention in community mental health and medical social work. As a therapist Cecania uses aspects of Internal Family Systems, Somatics, and Behavioral Activation as they align with your interest and needs. Cecania is a staff therapist and supervisor here at MEND, and also teaches part-time in the Social Work department at Seattle University.
“"Change is incessant, and change perhaps will never cease. Habits that had seemed durable as stone went down like shadows." - Virginia Woolf
Chris Long, MSW, LSWAIC
they/he | asian | second-generation immigrant | genderqueer | queer
Chris brings a non-judgmental, client-centered approach to therapy. They come from a background in crisis intervention, suicide prevention, and relational healing. Chris believes that we all are the experts in our own lives and can only be understood within the contexts of our environments. They view therapy as a mutual partnership based on trust and communication. As a queer second generation immigrant, Chris understands the complexity of navigating generational and cross-cultural divides. Chris earned his Master’s of Social Work at the University of Washington.
“ My mission, should I choose to accept it, is to find peace with exactly who and what I am. To take pride in my thoughts, my appearance, my talents, my flaws and to stop this incessant worrying that I can’t be loved as I am.” - Anais Nin
Dee Ure, LSWAIC
she/they | white | femme/nonbinary | queer/bisexual | neurodivergent
Dee is dedicated to emotional, psychological and relational healing through spirituality, nature, community and positive relationships. Dee is a direct communicator and brings a feminist, decolonial and anti-racist approach combined with joyful wisdom energy to the therapy space. Dee earned a Bachelor's of Applied Behavioral Science at Seattle Central College and a Master's degree in Social Work with a concentration in Health/Mental Health at the University of Washington. Dee has experience in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), strengths-based counseling, working with queer and transgender youth and young adults, crisis intervention, community mental health, housing case management, and resiliency. Dee practices Tibetan Buddhism and has over 14 years of experience in mindfulness and meditation.
“ You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop” - Rumi
Jas Harcum, MSW, LSWAIC
they/she | black native/afro-indigenous | shinnecock nation | bisexual | queer
Jas completed their Master’s of Social Work at the University of Washington with a Clinical Mental Health concentration in June 2022. Through their education, work, and volunteer service, Jas has worked extensively with immigrant and refugee communities and in crisis intervention amidst the pandemic, as well as facilitated QTBIPOC processing groups. They believe in a person-centered approach to therapy that acknowledges systemic barriers to wellness as well as encourages empowerment and [re]connection. They are passionate about working with Queer and Trans folks and Black, Indigenous, and folks of Color.
“You are your own best thing.” -Toni Morrison
Jenn Dela Cruz, MSW, LSWAIC
she/they | first-gen filipina | bilingual | cis | het
Jenn leads with an open heart when sharing space with folks and welcomes the vastness of the human experience and all that comes with it: identity exploring, generative conflict, and reflective self-analysis. She enjoys working with service providers, youth, and first responders in navigating transitions, moral injury (burnout), and complex trauma. With Jenn you can expect transparency and direct communication, which contribute to her therapeutic approach including client-led conversations, collaborative goal setting, community-centric applications, trauma-informed care, and a liberation-focused lens. She completed her Master of Social Work with a clinical track: Integrative Health-Mental Health Advanced Practice at the University of Washington in June 2023 and has a background in domestic violence advocacy, housing case management, crisis stabilization, and triaging acute mental health distress in clinical settings.
“I don’t see a sick person coming to be healed, I see a perfect spirit coming to be recognized.” - Ruth J. Beard, founding member of The National Association of Black Social Workers
Nefeteria (Nefie) Bolin, LMFTA
she/her | Black/Native/Creole/White | hetero | cis
Nefeteria (Nefie) is a first generation student and ciswoman of color with a masters of arts degree in marriage, couples, and family therapy at Seattle University. She believes therapy to be a process that helps people recreate the narratives of their life story. She believes in discovering the humanistic side of people and knowing who they are at the heart to understand what's important to them and how it shapes their personal identity. With empathetic teaching, active listening, and compassion, she hopes to provide a safe space for people from everywhere to share their stories authentically with no judgement or shame.
"I've learned that people will forget about what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel" - Maya Angelou
Renee Dionisio, MA, LMHCA
They/She | First Gen - Jamaican/Filipino | Queer | Genderqueer
Renee believes we heal through sharing our stories and working together as a community. We often think we are alone fighting against oppression and dealing with our trauma, which is why their approach to therapy is through a relational-cultural lens. Renee works with QTBIPOC folx (age 15 and up) and other communities to help them gain insight into their lives, feel validated in their experiences, and develop tools to create a meaningful and sustainable relationship with those around them and themselves. Renee earned their Bachelor’s degree at Clarke University and completed their Masters degree in Counseling at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology with concentrations in addictions.
“Not everything that is faced can be changed; but nothing can be changed until it is faced,” – James Baldwin
Sandra Saldivar, LMFTA, ATR-P
she/her | filipina mixed-race | cis | hetero
Sandra offers a welcoming space for creative exploration that is collaborative, strengths-based, and trauma-informed. She uses an integrative systemic approach primarily integrating Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Art Therapy with individuals and couples. Her practice is rooted in Kapwa (shared identity); a Filipinx value that considers the wellbeing of others with the intent to establish connection. Sandra believes true healing is an interconnected process between an individual and their community. She completed her Master’s in Couple and Family Therapy and Art Therapy at Antioch University Seattle.
Sher Roberto, LMHCA
she/they | chamoru / filipina / mexican | queer | cis | veteran
With a warm and empathetic approach, Sher strives to create a therapeutic environment that fosters trust, collaboration, and empowerment. She is dedicated to helping clients navigate their unique journeys, discover their authentic selves, and cultivate a greater sense of well-being and fulfillment.
Drawing inspiration from their background in music, Sher believes in the therapeutic value music can offer and encourages clients to explore its potential for improving mood and self-expression.
Additionally, Sher is passionate about psychedelic integration therapy, recognizing the profound impact that non-ordinary states of consciousness can have on personal growth and self-understanding. They provide a safe and supportive space for individuals who have had psychedelic experiences, helping them integrate and make meaning of those experiences in their daily lives.
“Heal yourself, with beautiful love, and always remember: you are the medicine.” - Maria Sabina
Talya Rozenberg, M.Ed, LMHCA
she/her | jewish | canadian | american | cis | previvor
* Currently unable to accept new clients *
Talya brings a warm, non-judgmental, and collaborative approach to therapy. She believes cultivating a safe therapeutic relationship is essential to help support clients move towards desired change, healing, and fulfillment. Talya earned her BA in Psychology from McGill University and her Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of Toronto. She previously worked at Stanford Outpatient Psychiatry before joining the MEND team as a Staff Therapist. Talya uses a client-centered, integrative framework to help clients cope with anxiety and depression, navigate grief, and process trauma.
She incorporates a variety of evidence-based modalities such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Talya is also trained in Gottman Method Couples Therapy and Sex Therapy. She enjoys working with couples to help them improve intimacy, relationship satisfaction, and navigate health challenges. She is LGBTQAI+ affirming and considers it a great privilege to support individuals and couples in their unique life journeys.
“Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing we’ll ever do.” - Brené Brown
Tomás Aguilera
he/him | Mexican-American/Chicano | gay | cis
The therapeutic relationship is key to psychological understanding and well-being. Tomás believes these aspects are complementary and deepen one another. Together client and Tomás address psychological and emotional distress, and recognize the impacts of trauma, marginalization, and the social contexts of the client’s lived experience. In this way the client’s fullness can be appreciated and cared for in a meaningful way. Working together you can expect respectful humility, thoughtful curiosity, and humanistic compassion. For Tomás, healing means a greater sense of stability, harmony, self-understanding, and dignity in life. Tomás earned his Masters in Psychology at Seattle University where they teach an existential-phenomenological approach to psychotherapy.
“Honesty and openness is always the foundation of insightful dialogue." - bell hooks