Jessie berg, Intern
Karen Garwin, therapist
Jessica Meeker, Therapist
Andrew Tang, Therapist
Elaine Evans, Therapist
Lindsey Hall-MeneNdez, Therapist
Brittany McCord, Therapist
Molly Johnson, Therapist
Sarah Eldridge, Practice Manager
Elisa MItchell, MACP, Co-founder
Caleb Mitchell, MDIV, MAC, LPC, Co-founder
Our Team
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"... we are people of hope. Hope wrestles with despair, but it doesn’t generate optimism. It just generates this energy to be courageous, to bear witness, to see what the end is going to be. No guarantee, unfinished, open-ended. I am a prisoner of hope. I’m going to die full of hope. Their’s no doubt about that, because that is a choice I make."
— Cornel West
Caleb does not approach therapy as the "all knowing" therapist. Instead, believing in his solidarity with his clients in both weakness and strength, Caleb trusts the internal wisdom of his clients to uncover their own answers for their path and replace ineffective coping strategies with effective ways of living more whole. Counseling is the process of slowing down to listen to and be aware of the impact of one’s story and the communal systems at work on one’s life. Out of a new awareness, one is able to choose to practice one’s internal wisdom, which leads to growth and freedom.
For the last 19 years Caleb has treated patients in inpatient, residential, and outpatient settings. Caleb typically works with individuals and couples and specializes in working with those with religious trauma, physical or sexual trauma, substance use, sexual addiction, depression, and other relational issues. He also works with those in the LGBTQIA community and those working through racial identity development. Caleb uses EMDR to help clients with trauma or are stuck in other arenas of their life.
As a consultant, Caleb pulls from his leadership roles and national speaking and graduate school teaching experience as he coaches leaders, runs groups, and speaks on the topic of Emotional Intelligence (EQ) in the workplace.
Caleb co-founded The Phoenix Counseling Collective and is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Supervisor in the state of Arizona. He believes that his work as a counselor is to facilitate a process where clients listen to their stories, are mindful of their bodies, and become aware of their internal experiences. Out of this process clients become aware of how they are automatically responding out of self preservation, which often leads to poor coping mechanisms and/or relational distress. They then are able to grow and make effective decisions that are in line with who they truly are - leading to freedom and getting “unstuck”.
MDIV, MAC, LPC
Co-Founder
Caleb Mitchell
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"At any given moment you have the power to say, ‘This is not how the story is going to end."
— Christine Mason Miller
She believes our stories not only tell us where we’ve been, but also who we are and where we are going. It is in these stories that we have experienced both great joys and great losses, and have learned how to relate to others and our world around us. How we live in our relationships is core to who we are and how our story continues to unfold. We don’t have to respond automatically in ways that once provided protection and now hinder our ability to be fully ourselves in this world. We have the gift to view our stories with grace and to learn to live in a way that hopes for a full and lovely life. Together we can walk through the stories and relationships of your past in order to illuminate your true self and help you live more freely in your world today.
The systems we live in, whether we are talking about family, culture, or community affect our emotional health. Elisa enjoys working with those in the LGBTQIA community, those working through sexuality identity development, and others who desire to wrestle with the impact the systems around them have had on them. Elisa often integrates traditional psychotherapy with body awareness to help invite clients to connect to their authentic self and navigate their current circumstances. She enjoys working with those desiring to feel less stuck with their anxiety, depression, relational issues, and the transitions of parenting.
Elisa received her Bachelor's from Arizona State University in Nutrition and Family Studies and her Masters from The Seattle School in Counseling Psychology.
Elisa co-founded The Phoenix Counseling Collective after over a decade of work in various therapeutic settings working at inpatient and residential facilities focused on eating disorders and dual diagnosis, a counseling center focusing on relationships, spiritual issues, & addictions, and in private practice working with adolescents, adults, and couples. Elisa feels honored to walk with clients as they gain insight, awareness, and experience growth.
MACP
Co-Founder
Elisa Mitchell
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"Sometimes we don’t need to pursue happiness,
we just need to pause and let it catch up with us."
— Rabbi Sacks
It is my sincere pleasure to assist you in connecting with our therapists and to answer any questions you have about what to expect. I will also be your point of contact for any billing questions you have along the way. I am available each business day at: 623-295-9448 or office@phxcounselingcollective.com
I have worked in marketing, conference planning and higher education, and I had a decade long hobby of pursuing master’s degree in Christian Studies, Counseling Psychology, and Adult Education.
Taking a big, courageous jump to engage my story through counseling changed my life, and now I have the privilege of supporting this group of therapists as the Practice Manager for The Phoenix Counseling Collective. It was taking the time to talk about my story in therapy at different points in my life that brought me the healing and self-awareness I needed. It helped me to find meaning, reconciliation, and personal growth. All of which now bring richness to my relationships and life pursuits.
Practice Manager
Sarah Eldridge
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"When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares.”
— Henri Nouwen
When clients invite Molly into that sacred space of healing, she will sometimes offer reflections of what she sees in them, reminds them of their values, helps them plan for future goals, or shares teachings from the research, but mostly she enters into their world and helps them piece it together so that it tells the story that most resonates with them. All of this work helps them get to their true story, not the lie that has snuck in and gotten stuck. (You know these lies, "I'm not good enough." "I'm powerless." "I don't have control." "I'm not safe.")
This journey together often creates space for you to realize your worth and purpose. Then you can actually believe the truth about yourself. Through this work, you are able to embrace and become a person who can handle honesty and intimacy in authentic fulfilling relationships. Molly's work with couples comes from a framework where the emotional experiences and needs of both partners are explored as the couple works towards deeper intimacy, including experiential and “turning towards” exercises. This work is to change the pattern in the relationship from hurtful, to healing. And so, the most powerful relational transformation can come during a phase of life when you feel most alone.
Molly graduated from Friends University in 2013 with a Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy.
Molly is licensed as a LAMFT in Arizona. She specializes in relational work, especially for couples and individual adults with childhood trauma. Molly believes that relationships are both where our deepest wounds and our greatest healing take place. This is why she sees her work with couples is so powerful. In couples work lies the opportunity to do the healing of those deepest wounds, with one’s partner right in the room, aiding in the process, and simultaneously receiving their own healing. Molly has seen countless times how rooting yourself in a foundation of a secure and constant relationship can help you face all that life brings.
Therapist
Molly Johnson
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"Courage starts by showing up and letting ourselves be seen."
— Brene Brown
Brittany uses a combination of Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP) and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (SP) in session. Both modalities believe that change comes not just from talking and insight, but from having a different experience. Both AEDP and Sensorimotor focus on emotions and the wisdom of the body to create new and healing physical, emotional and relational experiences.
Brittany is a Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapist in the state of Arizona. She graduated with her Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy from Bethel Seminary San Diego. She has experience working as a counselor with families and patients at San Diego Hospice. She has also worked at a counseling center in central Los Angeles and loves working with clients as they navigate and embrace their creative journey. Additionally, she has extensive experience counseling families involved with the Department of Child Safety (DCS) and understands some of the complexities and hardships of navigating that system.
Brittany specializes in working with individuals experiencing emotional dysregulation, trauma, relationship issues, disordered eating, anxiety, spiritual and/or religious trauma, faith transitions, grief & loss, co-dependency/boundary issues, and body image issues. She also works with clients in the LGBTQ+ community.
Brittany believes that each person has an innate healing capacity and natural drive towards growth. It is her job to help you reconnect with this innate capacity and walk alongside you as together you explore what previously felt too unknown and overwhelming to do alone.
Brittany believes that symptoms like anxiety, depression, substance use issues, and disordered eating are not simply a failure at the individual level as society often tells us, but that these symptoms tell a story. This story often leads to acknowledging how different cultures, institutions, personal traumas and historical traumas, among other things, have led to the development of these symptoms.
Therapist
Brittany McCord
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“Courage does not always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’”
— Mary Anne Radmacher
Lindsey feels deeply honored to listen to and participate in her clients’ stories. It is very important to her that therapy be a collaborative, shame-free experience where clients can explore, come to know themselves, and let themselves be known authentically. She understands that it can be uncomfortable to face the unknown and will walk with you through this process.
Lindsey specializes in working with couples, families, and parents and often works with identity issues, connection or attachment concerns, grief, life stage changes, general relationship and family concerns, and individuals struggling with anxiety. She has worked with a diverse population, ages 5-75, in private practice, medical facilities, university settings, and substance abuse in-patient facilities. Lindsey is trained in EMDR and utilizes this technique when it feels helpful to clients.
Lindsey is a Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapist in the state of Arizona. She earned her Master of Marriage and Family Therapy from Utah State University.
Lindsey’s work is centered around helping clients find inner peace by creating new relationships with their emotions through replacing judgement with curiosity. As their relationship with their emotions changes, clients often find themselves less overpowered by emotions and even find moments of inner peace and connection in place of deep pain and loneliness. Lindsey believes this is particularly transformative in the context of relationships, whether that be a significant other, parents, siblings, or other family. As the internal state changes, relationships are given more space to change as well.
Therapist
Lindsey Hall-Menendez
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"Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.”
— Brene Brown
Elaine firmly holds that change can be brought about in the context of safe relationship that is characterized by unconditional positive regard. As such, it is important that her clients feel seen, heard, and known and that this dynamic brings about an atmosphere of safety and trust with which to explore the depths of self to cultivate healing. Elaine aims to treat individuals holistically, incorporating physical, relational, spiritual, and emotional health within the context of mental health.
Elaine is a trained yoga instructor and has continuing education in trauma-informed yoga. Although she does not typically have clients engage in yoga poses, she does use this background to facilitate client’s awareness of how their bodies store experiences and emotion. She is EMDR trained and treats clients experiencing depression, anxiety, OCD, relationship issues, grief, life transitions, and process addictions. Elaine sees clients ages 16+. She also enjoys working with couples working through challenges of intimacy, communication, and life transitions.
Elaine looks forward to connecting and together beginning the next part of your journey toward wholeness.
Elaine, is an LAC who received a Masters of Science in Professional Counseling from Grand Canyon University in 2018 and a
Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Grand Canyon University in 2014
We all experience limiting forces in our lives whether it's thoughts, emotions, relationships, behavior patterns, or past experiences. Counseling is a powerful tool for accessing our truest selves in the journey towards freedom and wholeness. It's an honor to work with couples and individuals on this journey, providing insight and tools in line with effective practices for treating the symptoms of unhealth within the mind.
Therapist
Elaine Evans
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“Every life story can be a miracle or a tragedy – it just depends on how you write it.”
— Dr. Ramani Durvasula
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n session, Karen uses a combination of narrative therapy, interpersonal therapy and EMDR (trauma reprocessing therapy) techniques. She loves hearing peoples’ stories and believes therapy is a dynamic process that, while sometimes challenging, leads to positive change and growth. Karen works with clients to develop greater self-compassion and understanding of their personal values and dreams, so that they can lead more authentic lives.
When speaking with Karen, she will notice both your strengths and your wounds, and work with you to help you find the best way forward. It takes courage and determination to embark upon a therapeutic relationship, and Karen is honored to be a part of her clients’ journeys.
Karen works with people who struggle with perfectionism, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, body image issues, career transitions, codependency, decision-making, depression, eating disorders, and identity issues, as well as people with a history of sexual trauma, narcissistic abuse, and the children of personality-disordered parents.
Karen is a Licensed Associate Counselor and has experience working at ASU’s Counseling Services where she enjoyed working with teens and young adults. Prior to becoming a therapist, Karen worked as a professional ballet dancer. Her work in the arts has led her to see people through a creative lens and to appreciate their unique idiosyncrasies and strengths.
Karen believes that every person has the potential for a meaningful and joyous life, even after experiencing times of great suffering, abuse, or trauma. She believes her role as a therapist is to offer a space for healing by helping clients process trauma, develop insight, and experiment with behavioral change.
Therapist
Karen Gawin
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“Therapy is not about becoming, it is about unbecoming all the things you believed you had to be to be loved.”
— Hillary McBride
Jessica firmly believes that therapy is a collaborative process and that you are the expert on you. Therapy is a sort of unfolding, and it is Jessica’s desire to walk alongside you on this journey as the layers of hurt are peeled back to find healing as well as your genuine authentic self. It is Jessica’s hope that each person she enters into a therapeutic relationship with will find that they are seen, heard, and valued. Her goal is that you feel empowered to understand yourself more fully as well as to create new stories, behaviors, thought patterns, and ways of being that allow for a more functional and adaptive life.
Jessica treats individuals experiencing anxiety, PTSD, trauma, relational and attachment issues, co-dependence, faith transitions, grief, sexual assault, body image issues, spiritual trauma, and racial trauma. She enjoys working with individuals across various ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds, with a desire to serve those from marginalized communities. Jessica meets each client where they are at with a focus on how not only individual experiences have shaped a person, but also on how the family system, social system, and larger societal systems have impacted each person and that harm can occur at each of these levels and in different ways. Jessica values the fact that we are complex individuals who are fully human and encourages her clients to embrace paradoxical thinking which can be helpful in finding the grey area that allows for more self-compassion. Jessica utilizes various therapeutic modalities including Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), as well as sensory integration and mindfulness.
Jessica is a Licensed Master Social Worker in the state of Arizona. She graduated with her Masters in Social Work from Arizona State University.
We each experience hurt and suffering, often from the messages we receive as children and adults. As a result, we develop ways to manage and survive that can be dysfunctional or maladaptive. The journey to healing and undoing these hurts and messages we have experienced can often feel lonely and it is Jessica’s desire to walk alongside you, to bear witness to you, in a safe, secure, and honest therapeutic relationship based on trust and unconditional positive regard. Jessica sees herself as a fellow traveler, the one in the passenger’s seat sometimes giving directions or pointing out interesting things she notices and will help you get back on track if needed.
Therapist
Jessica Meeker
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“The mystery of human existence lies not in just staying alive, but in finding something to live for.”
— Fyodor Dostoevsky
He believes that it takes curiosity, courage, and compassion to peel back the layers of our pain and tend to the wounds we experience below. Until we can do this, we limp around as shadows of who we truly are, often pretending everything is okay. He understands that a number of us are walking around with open emotional and relational wounds. Afraid of painful stitches, we convince ourselves our wounds will heal on their own. But left unattended, they get infected, swelling into things like addiction, rage, anxiety, and depression. They prevent us from doing what we love and becoming who we truly are.
Andrew is passionate about walking with adults and adolescents through depression, anxiety, addiction, transition & loss, and other relational challenges. He works with individuals, couples, and families across diverse cultural, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds with a focus on trust, understanding, and collaboration.
Prior to entering the therapy field, Andrew also spent five years as a mentor for adolescents, helping them overcome anxiety, depression, trauma, abuse, substance and sexual addiction, and various life-transition and family related challenges.
Andrew received his undergrad from Arizona State University in Psychology and a Masters of Strategic Ministry from Johnson University in 2015. He completed his Masters of Marriage and Family Therapy from Fuller Seminary in 2021.
After serving adults and families in a multi-ethnicity community where he developed systems of hospitality and care, Andrew recognized a need for culturally agile mental health therapists. His priority as your therapist is to create a safe and secure space to acknowledge your pain, to sit with you in dark moments, and to accompany and encourage you in your journey. Together with his clients he seeks to cultivate their capacity to acknowledge, lament, and integrate their pain and become aware of their strengths, which leads to deeper connectedness with themselves and others.
therapist
Andrew Tang
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“We can do hard things.”
— Glennon Doyle
Jessie has provided support to children and young adults learning to regulate their emotions and improve communication skills in both the school and home setting. She uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help clients understand their thought patterns and discover where their behaviors and thoughts stem from; often they are coping skills stemming from childhood. Discovering new ways of looking at things helps children and adults learn how to respond differently and improve situations. Jessie believes in focusing on daily habits that will support change and that each person requires a treatment plan that is unique to them.
While she specializes in working with children and teens, Jessie also works with adults. She has a special interest in helping individuals who are dealing with societal pressures, self-esteem issues, anxiety, depression, stress, disability and relationship issues. She wants to help you see that past experiences may help you have a better understanding of your present but they do not define you. Jessie offers empathy, compassion and occasionally some laughter. She will work with you to pay attention to your needs and honor them.
Jessie has received mentorship in the area of mediation and resolution and has almost ten years of experience helping parents who are navigating Arizona’s school system and educational options. Her undergraduate degrees are in Anthropology and Global Health from Arizona State University. Jessie completed coursework for her Masters of Science in professional counseling through Grand Canyon University and has a specialty in childhood and adolescent disorders. She is expected to complete her internship, graduate and work towards licensure in May of 2022.
Creating meaningful change in your life takes work, Jessie wants to help you or your child along the way.
Jessie has a strong passion for connecting with kids and teens. While working in the primary and secondary education field she saw a great need for support for children, adults and the entire family unit. She believes that it is important to talk to kids and teens about asking for help and the benefits of therapy so that they understand there is nothing wrong with asking for help when they are older.
