Welcome to Anchored Hope Therapy, LLC. We look forward to working with you towards your goals and supporting you in creating a customized therapy plan.
All of the clinicians at Anchored Hope Therapy, LLC have received extensive training in the use of evidence-based and evidence supported treatment models in the reduction of symptoms related to Anxiety, Depression, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. In addition, Chelsea and Christine have received training through Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. Caitlin, Ruth, Emily, Laura, Susie and Christa have pursued advanced training and certifications that support them in creating comprehensive treatment plans for their clients.
Chelsea M. Haverly, LCSW-C
Owner/Full-Time Clinician
Chelsea is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW-C) and Co-founder of Anchored Hope Therapy, LLC. She obtained her undergraduate degree in Psychology from Le Moyne College and her Master’s in Social Work from the University of Maryland. Since then, her career has focused on supporting individuals and families, with complex trauma exposures and ongoing experiences of stress, in making the changes they identify as important for them. Chelsea has completed the International Association of Trauma Professionals Certification Program. She is a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional- Level II C-PTSD. She integrates brain-based research and neuroscience into treatment planning and specializes in interrupting "stuck" patterns of functioning that have persisted as a result of trauma. Chelsea believes that a strong therapeutic alliance can be supportive and helpful in the healing process and that everyone is able to make changes in life.
Chelsea treats a variety of symptom presentations stemming from single and complex trauma exposures including ongoing depression and anxiety. Trauma can include a single stressful event that one endures or ongoing troubles within the family system or the individual that happen over time. She has a specialized training background in treating adult and child survivors of sexual abuse, assault, and sex trafficking utilizing an integrated brain-based and body-focused approach to complex trauma symptoms that have not subsided with traditional therapy models. She also has specialized training in treating and managing high risk behaviors such as substance use and non-suicidal self-injury utilizing a DBT-informed approach to therapy. In addition to supporting individuals struggling to manage chronic pain, and other health related issues.
As a TF-CBT certified therapist, Chelsea believes in utilizing evidence supported treatments in therapy and tailoring treatment to fit the needs of each individual, child and family. She also works with adults and families who are in conflict and struggling to communicate their needs and desires within personal, marital and professional relationships related to issues stemming from trauma, narcissistic upbringing, HSP experiences, and more. Chelsea works with the L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ community and believes in collaborating with other service providers to ensure quality care is provided. Chelsea has experience treating military families, first responders, and law enforcement in managing work/life balance issues. Chelsea is an active member of the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, Victims Service Subcommittee, and a certified trainer through this committee. She provides state-wide consultation and training to service providers and law enforcement on trauma informed therapy practices as a subject matter expert in Child Sexual Exploitation and Complex Trauma Experiences.
Christine N. Coyle, LCSW-C
Owner/Full-Time Clinician
Christine is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW-C) and a Board Certified Supervisor in the state of Maryland. She is the co-founder of Anchored Hope Therapy, LLC. She obtained her undergraduate degree from West Chester University and her Master’s Degree in Social Work from Widener University. Prior to starting the practice in 2016 with her partner Chelsea Haverly, Christine worked for almost ten years at the Center for Child and Family Stress at Kennedy Krieger Institute providing individual, family, and group therapy. Christine’s work has focused on implementing evidence-based and trauma-informed treatment to help her clients cope with traumatic stress. In addition to her work with individuals and families who experienced trauma, Christine also supports clients to learn how to manage symptoms of every day stress.
Christine received a certification in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy (TF-CBT) and is trained to treat single and complex trauma exposures. She also has training in Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) to help clients evaluate and change the upsetting thoughts that they experience after a trauma. Christine believes that helping client change their thoughts, they can also change how they feel. Christine also has experience with treating individuals presenting with high risk behaviors such as tension-reduction behaviors and non-suicidal self-injury. She utilizes DBT informed therapy and has received training to implement Exposure Response Prevention Therapy, a type of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy,
Christine has experience utilizing non-directive therapy approaches in her work including play therapy and sand tray. She also utilizes mindfulness in her work with clients. Christine received a Budding Yogis certification from Circle Yoga in Washington, D.C. and collaborated with other trauma therapists in developing a Yoga-Based Psychotherapy Group protocol designed to increase self-awareness promote emotional and behavioral regulation and pro-social behaviors in children. She has adapted this protocol in her work with individuals and families.
Caitlin Heffernan, LCSW-C
Full-Time Clinician
Caitlin is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW-C) and a Board Certified Supervisor in the state of Maryland. She obtained her undergraduate degree in Psychology from James Madison University and her Master’s in Social Work from University of Maryland, where she also worked as a Research Scholar with a professor, aiding in research and curriculum development focused on family-centered care. Since graduating with her MSW, Caitlin has worked with children, families, and adults providing therapy in home, community, and office settings. Through this work, Caitlin has supported individuals and families with complex trauma histories, PTSD, Depression, Anxiety, life transitions and stressors, and issues related to family dynamics or family of origin.
Caitlin believes that every person deserves the space and supportive ear offered by a skilled therapist to express and explore their life stories. She uses an integrated brain-based approach to treatment planning, utilizing mindfulness, brain-based psychotherapy, CBT, and other integrated approaches to support client's with complex needs and presentations of complex histories. Caitlin appreciates an approach that is relationship-focused and values connections, incorporates reasonable expectations, and honors where the client is and where they are coming from, striving for slow-paced changed that is sustainable over a "quick-fix." Part of this work with Caitlin includes exploring patterns of behaviors or choices to incorporate into treatment planning for long-lasting change, as well as utilizing different models around self-compassion, self-empowerment, and self-forgiveness.
Caitlin has received certification in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Plus (CBT+, through the National Center for Evidence-Based Practice in Child Welfare), and training in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Parts-based trauma therapy (Janina Fisher), DBT skills, and Neuroscience/Brain-based trainings - all to inform a holistic, integrative approach to each individual and to therapy. Outside of trauma-based work, Caitlin also has experience in helping individuals cope with symptoms of Anxiety and Depression and managing the stresses of life or conflict within families more effectively. Caitlin strives to create a comfortable, peaceful space for therapy in order to build a strong, trusting therapeutic relationship, which she believes to be the foundation of the work that is done within therapy. She works to utilize evidence-based practices balanced with warmth, empathy, and a strengths-based perspective to individualize therapy for each person and family.
Ruth Milsten, LCSW-C
Full-Time Clinician
Ruth Milsten is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, MSW, LCSW-C, and received her Master’s in Social Work from The University of MD in 1995. Ruth has been a certified yoga teacher since 2000 and a Holistic Health Educator since 2007. Ruth has 24 years of experience working with women, adolescent girls, ages 12 and up, and their families.
“If you are always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be.”-Maya Angelou.
Ruth’s passion is helping women and girls connect to their “amazingness”, quiet their inner critic and develop more self-compassion, while strengthening their connection to their inner selves and innate wisdom. Ruth helps her clients with a variety of issues, including: postpartum depression, grief and loss, separation and divorce, childhood abuse and trauma, anxiety and depression, PTSD, career, school and relationship struggles, highly sensitive person and caregiver stress, emotional eating, bullying and low self-esteem. Ruth believes in creating a safe, nonjudgmental and supportive environment for women and girls of all colors, sexual and gender identity orientations and provides holistic counseling, drawing on psycho-dynamic and insight oriented therapy, as well as Eastern philosophy, mindfulness, yoga and breath work.
Ruth is currently receiving training in Lisa Ferentz’s Level I Trauma Training for Therapists. She is also trained in Imago Relationship Therapy and provides counseling for both traditional and alternative lifestyle couples, who want to improve healthy communication and safety in their relationship.
Emily Young, LMSW
Full-Time Clinician
Emily Young is a Licensed Master Social Worker and received her Master’s in Social Work from the University of Maryland. She has over seven years of experience working in the health care and end of life settings as well as experience working in an Assisted Living Home providing therapy services to individuals with Dementia, and their grieving families.
Emily has worked as a Grief Counselor in a hospice setting providing therapy to children, teens, adults, and older adults. She also has experience working with children, teens and adults who are presenting with symptoms connected to anxiety, depression and ongoing stress. Emily has specific training from the Center of Complicated Grief and specializes in working with clients who have experienced traumatic losses of a loved one from suicide, substance abuse, homicide, and perinatal traumas. She believes that grief is not pathological and that everyone experiences the grief process differently, and on their own timelines. Emily strives to create a safe space for clients to share the story of their loss without judgment.
Emily values using a partnership approach to therapy and works to create a therapeutic relationship that is built on trust, support, self-empowerment and the client’s strengths, to achieve goals determined by the client. Emily utilizes evidence-based approaches including Trauma and Complicated Grief Informed Therapy, Mindfulness, Play-Based Therapy approaches, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in order to best serve her clients and their journey toward progressive and positive healing. Emily is certified to provide Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. She is also a Certified Clinical Trauma Specialist and obtained a certificate in Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training from Behavioral Tech.
Emily is supervised by Christine Coyle, LCSW-C.
Christa Bellanca, LMSW
Part-Time Clinician
Christa Bellanca is a Licensed Master Social Worker specializing in family-based psychotherapy for children and their families. Christa holds an undergraduate degree in Communications (Magna Cum Laude) from the University of Delaware and a Masters in Social Work from the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Christa has worked as the Family Outreach & Behavior Specialist for the Anne Arundel County Public Schools’ Infants & Toddlers program since 2013, providing comprehensive in-home behavior support to families with children with developmental disabilities and delays. She helps families access a broad array of critical resources, and conducts trainings on a variety of topics for parents and caregivers across Anne Arundel county. Christa’s passion for delivering both individualized therapeutic interventions and dynamic community collaborations infuses her practice with a warm, holistic and nurturing experience for her clients and their families.
Christa combines her unique background in communications and media – including stints as an award-winning news and video producer –with community engagement expertise to identify and effectively address the complex behavioral needs of children within the context of the overall family system. Christa is trained in specialized family-based intervention techniques – including Eco-Systemic Family Therapy – and the family systems approach to creating positive change for children and families. She has experience working with children with ADHD, sensory-processing and sensory-integration concerns, and complex trauma including prenatal substance exposure.
Christa is also the Founder and Board President of Isabel’s Gift, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping families with children in the neo-natal intensive care unit at Anne Arundel Medical Center. She has won numerous community awards recognizing her commitment to NICU families, including the Governor’s Volunteer Service Award and most recently, the William Donald Schaefer Helping People Award. Christa believes in the strength of human connection and the indelible healing power of relationships to empower her clients, no matter their age. She is an avid reader, passionate music lover, rookie gourmet cook, and dedicated Redskin fan. She loves hiking, yoga, friendship and of course, her family.
Christa is supervised by Caitlin Heffernan, LCSW-C.
Laura Marques Brown, LGPC
Full-Time Clinician
Laura is a Licensed Graduate Professional Counselor (LGPC). She received her Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a concentration in Nature-inspired Psychotherapy, from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. Laura’s is trained to help people re-engage in nature, both indoors and outdoors. This approach to psychotherapy can enhance people’s mental, physical and spiritual connection to self and others. Laura’s favorite co-facilitators are plants, horses, and natural objects like rocks, water, and pine cones. She believes that by mindfully connecting with nature, we actually connect deeply with ourselves.
Laura enjoys working with young adults, families, couples and groups. She is experienced supporting people struggling with addictions, eating and body disorders, historical trauma, PTSD, and co-occurring disorders like anxiety, depression and other mood disorders. Laura likes to offer psycho-education, CBT and DBT skill building into her work with clients. This has proven effective and empowering for many clients as it provides information, resources and a sense of understanding as to why they often feel stuck. Through this collaborative process, clients learn to practice new coping skills and grow insight into their thoughts, behaviors and patterns. Laura also enjoys helping couples and families practice the tenants of Non-violent Communication, giving and receiving feedback, and working with conflict resolution to repair ruptured relationships.
Laura has four years of intensive mindfulness and meditation training, and practices through the model of transpersonal psychology, a sub-field of psychology that integrates the spiritual & transcendent facet of human experience. This approach honors the health in learning to slow the body and mind, and replace self-judgement with self-compassion. This approach also helps support trauma symptoms such as anxiety, depression, disassociation, numbness, detachment from the body, and more, by bringing awareness back to the body in a gentle self-paced manner.
As a bi-cultural person, Laura is passionate about doing anti-oppression work by supporting people who feel socially, racially, economically, or culturally marginalized. Laura is experience working with bi-cultural families, women and girls, people of color, and folks across the spectrum of sexual and gender identities. Laura understands that so often, trauma is historic, intergenerational, and passed down through systems. In turn, the therapeutic relationship can be profound for healing what needs healing, no matter the background, body, or family.
Laura is a member of the American Counseling Association. Laura is supervised by Chelsea Haverly, LCSW-C.
Susie Cooper, LCPC
Full-Time Clinician
Susie is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor. Her undergraduate education is in Psychology from East Carolina University and her Master’s degree is in Urban Education with a concentration in Guidance and Counseling from Norfolk State University. In addition, she received post-Master’s education in Professional Counseling Studies from the University of Baltimore. She is a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP) and a Certified Clinical Anxiety Treatment Professional (CCATP). She has additional training and certificates in Advanced Mindfulness, Trauma/Attachment Therapy, and Intensive Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Susie is a member of the International Association of Trauma Professionals.
Believing that life can be complicated at times, Susie incorporates an eclectic array of therapeutic tools that include evidenced based CBT, Positive Psychology, Bibliotherapy, Psychoeducation, and Experiential/Exposure Therapy. With an intense passion for health and nature, she believes that the above modalities can be augmented positively with nutrition education, sleep efficiency training and integrated movement in therapy. Susie trusts in a unified goal of reducing psychic pain/life suffering and increasing insight, growth, and self-compassion/appreciation. These tools and approaches can enhance the possibility of change, honor change as a natural part of life, deepen nurturing relationships, create greater satisfaction in daily living, and promote the discovery of intrinsically rewarding outlets.
Susie’s diverse mental health background includes crisis stabilization work, short-term Urgent Care, long-term Outpatient Mental Health, and Mobile Crisis. She treats teens, adults, couples, and families with a range of issues such as depression, anxiety, marital/sexual challenges, eating disorders, ADHD, substance abuse and more. Her sub-specialty is in treating complex trauma exposures & PTSD with multi-layered childhood deprivation; including physical, sexual, and emotional abuses, and adult single episode traumas. Sometimes life adjustments such as medical issues, aging, career, menopause, divorce and parental concern can simply feel overwhelming. As a 21+ year military veteran, Susie also has extensive experience working with military and first responders. In addition, having obtained a second Master of Science Degree in Leadership and Human Resources, she also works with clients from corporate settings with executive level stressors. Confidentiality and alliance building are key components in therapeutic work.
Change is hard. Effort matters. Secrets can be laid to rest. Life’s joys can be realized!
Kendall Patterson, LCPC
Part-Time Clinician
Kendall Patterson is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in the state of Maryland. She obtained her undergraduate degree in Psychology at Davidson College and her Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology from Towson University. Kendall has experience providing trauma-informed therapy to children, adults, and families as well as therapeutic services to individuals across the lifespan. She roots her treatment in evidenced-based treatment modalities. She has received training in Cognitive Behavior Therapy from the Beck Institute and has also been trained in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy.
Kendall has extensive experience providing therapeutic services to children and adolescents with developmental disabilities. Prior to obtaining her degree in Counseling Psychology, she provided Applied Behavioral Analysis services to children on the Autism Spectrum. She additionally offers IEP advocacy services to families who are working with the school systems to ensure that their children receive appropriate services in school. Kendall has facilitated social skills groups for children on the Autism Spectrum and frequently helps children learn new social skills and self-regulation skills in individual therapy.
Kendall’s experience also includes utilizing non-directive therapy interventions including play therapy, sand therapy, and art therapy and addressing issues related to self-regulation skills, behavioral concerns, and sensory issues. Kendall provides didactic support to parents as they work with her to address their children’s needs.
Kendall strongly believes in empowering individuals and families to make meaningful changes in their lives. She enters into partnerships with individuals and families to jointly develop treatment goals to address their individual goals and move towards positive changes. Adapting treatment modalities to address the specific needs of her clients, Kendall provides highly professional, caring, and personalized psychological services to promote well-being and growth.
Jocelyn Vas, LCPC
Part-Time Clinician
Jocelyn is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Maryland. Her undergraduate education is in Psychology from James Madison University and her Master’s Degree is in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Marymount University. Jocelyn has spent the majority of her career in a hospital setting working to stabilize individuals and families in crisis. She has experience providing intensive care, transitional care and in-home services for individuals, families and the geriatric population with complex mental health and physical health needs.
Jocelyn’s passion is to assist teens, adults, families, and couples in healing, learning new skills and developing a greater sense of self-awareness and strength. Throughout life, many of us encounter roadblocks that create stress and anxiety, overwhelm our coping skills and undermine our growth. Jocelyn specializes in psychoanalytic/psychodynamic theory to promote healing for her clients. Jocelyn finds what is most therapeutic is examining our childhood experiences and understanding patterns of behaviors overtime to help correct and change maladaptive behaviors and beliefs. Jocelyn believes through revealing and bringing these issues to the surface, healing can occur. Jocelyn also utilizes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in order to promote self-awareness for clients to interpret thoughts, understand core beliefs, and develop goals for a journey into a healthier and more fulfilling life.
She has specialized training and experience working with individuals with chronic mental illness issues who have experienced chronic and/or passive suicidal thoughts or suicide attempts. She has spent the last year working as a group counselor at a Partial-Hospitalization Program tailoring a variety of treatment modalities like mindfulness, DBT-informed skills learning, insight driven activities and Art-Based Psychotherapy projects to meet the needs of the program participants. Jocelyn’s wide array of clinical skills allows her to meet the needs of many clients looking to increase their awareness through insight driven healing.
chelsea@anchoredhopetherapy.com
christine@anchoredhopetherapy.com