Ann DelMariani
Ann is an attachment-focused and trauma-informed psychotherapist. She believes that therapy should feel nourishing and meaningful – and the effects should be transformative. Her treatment style is eclectic and uniquely tailored to each client’s goals and interests. As a Narrative, Mindfulness, Sandtray Worldplay, and IFS (Internal Family Systems) trained therapist, she helps clients “re-author” their lives — often using experiential and expressive arts activities or guided ‘parts’ exercises to help unburden clients from effects of trauma and ingrained patterns in order to make space for new ways of thinking and understanding. Ann helps clients access their own inner-knowing and strengthen their capacity for healing. Pulling from DBT, Emotionally-Focused, and Somatic toolboxes, she helps clients reduce/manage anxiety, work with neurodivergence, improve mood, regulate the nervous system, and center the mind. Ann’s work with clients often yields increased confidence, curiosity, compassion, sense of wonderment, and joy — as well as a deepened sense of connectedness with self, loved ones, and community. A session with Ann might look like traditional talk therapy, or it might involve a range of unique experiences — such as a guided meditation, art or sand play, or even a game of cards. Ann views her role as facilitator of a client-led process. Many sessions with established clients begin with the question; “how would you like to use our time today?”
Ann enjoys the wide variability of her long days made up of unique hourly sessions, but she especially loves less time-limited opportunities to go deeper. She offers extended off-site “walk-and-talks”; individual, couples, family, and small group intensives; and full-day retreats. And she is currently in development stages of a week-long retreat offering within a lovingly held space along the shore of beautiful Lake Michigan!
Ann is a deeply curious and passionate person with a hearty sense of humor. She is a mother of four (with ages spanning 15 years!) and a nature-loving born-beach-baby. She’s a science nerd, a music lover, and a talkative introvert who will never tire of over-filled antique shops, a perfect cup of coffee, and actual long walks on the beach. She dislikes cooking and describing herself in the third person 😉 She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and English Literature and a Masters of Clinical Social Work from Michigan State University.
Email: ann@chestnutservices.org
Atalanta Welsh
Atalanta is a recent graduate of the University of Michigan’s School of Social Work program and is committed to empowering and supporting children, teens, and women on their healing and personal growth journey. Her therapeutic approach is rooted in creating a warm and trusting therapeutic relationship, as a strong alliance is the foundation for growth and healing. She is dedicated to providing a client-centered and trauma-informed approach, ensuring that each individual’s unique experiences and needs are at the forefront of their therapeutic journey. She draws from various evidence-based modalities, including Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Mindfulness techniques and tailors the interventions to meet the specific needs of children, teens, and women, integrating creative strategies to facilitate self-expression and exploration. She resides in Traverse City and is excited to offer both in person and virtual sessions.
Email: atalanta@chestnutservices.org
Cierra Bengel
Cierra is a clinical social worker who seeks to support individuals in becoming the people they want to be. She supports the nurturing and growth of the intrinsic strength, resiliency, and vulnerability that exists in all of us. Cierra looks to partner with individuals, creating validating, gentle, and generous spaces that center each person. She has training in perinatal mental health, dialectical behavioral therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and mindfulness.
Cierra holds a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University where she studied sociology and English literature and a Masters of Social Work from the University of Michigan. She is a Licensed Master Social Worker Clinical (LMSW-C) in Michigan and a Licensed Independent Social Worker (LISW) in Ohio.
Cierra lives in Ypsilanti, Michigan and offers telehealth services in Michigan and Ohio and in-person, walk and talk sessions for those in Southeast Michigan.
Email: cierra@chestnutservices.org
Emily S. Kohler
Emily is both the owner of the practice and a seasoned therapist with a special interest in supporting women on their journey toward becoming the best version of themselves. She has extensive training in infant mental health and perinatal mental health and has a focus in supporting those individuals on their journey toward, during and following pregnancy and parenthood. She has experience supporting clients that have endured pregnancy and infant loss, infertility, birth trauma, perinatal anxiety, depression and OCD, adjustments during parenthood and many other experiences in between. The foundation of Emily’s work stems from attachment theory with a trauma informed lens, supporting you through the past experiences that have left traumatic imprints on your well-being.
Emily is trained in EMDR, an approach to therapy that facilitates the accessing and processing of traumatic memories and adverse life experiences to bring an adaptive resolution. She often weaves in EMDR into traditional approaches to talk therapy to support your goals for therapy.
Emily has been in private practice since 2016 after years of providing home based services. More recently Emily decided to expand the practice help meet the mental health needs within our community and across the state and is excited to have high quality therapists here to serve you. She is also active in collaborating with other agencies to support the ongoing advocacy of mental health within and across the community. Emily continues to work with the Strong Roots Team at the University of Michigan, providing Reflective Consultation to the facilitators of Mom Power and Fraternity of Fathers in addition to ongoing project based work.
Emily is a two time graduate of University of Michigan and received her Masters from University of Michigan’s School of Social Work. She currently resides with her husband, three children and many pets in Suttons Bay. She loves the beauty that northern Michigan offers and finds herself at peace when she can see the water daily and is even more fulfilled when she is able to walk the shores or be on or in the lake. Please reach out for support if you are interested in working with Emily.
Email: emily@chestnutservices.org
Caitlin Braxton
Caitlin (she/her) is dedicated to creating a warm, nurturing, and supportive space to engage in self-discovery and implement meaningful change. Committed to providing a unique therapeutic experience based on the needs of the individual, Caitlin draws on CBT, TF-CBT, DBT, Motivational Interviewing, Brief Solution Focused interventions, and Mindfulness as frameworks to walk alongside clients.
While she works with individuals across the lifespan experiencing a variety of impairments, Caitlin specializes in work with adolescents and the LGBTQ2IA+ community.
Caitlin is a Licensed Masters Social Worker (LMSW) based in Detroit, MI providing telehealth services to those throughout the state of Michigan. She received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Central Michigan University and her Master of Social Work from Grand Valley State University.
Email: caitlin@chestnutservices.org
Kelsey Fordyce
Kelsey Fordyce (she/her), LMSW, is a Perinatal Mental Health Specialist and Certified Lactation Specialist. She holds a strong belief in the transformative power of relationships and recognizes that change often occurs through meaningful connections.
With extensive experience in perinatal health and mental health, Kelsey has worked in various settings including hospitals (NICU, maternity, and pediatrics), home birth community, home visits, and one-on-one counseling. Certified as a Lactation Specialist, she is dedicated to providing holistic care during the transformative years of trying to conceive, pregnancy, and beyond.
Specializing in working with individuals experiencing mood changes during the perinatal period, Kelsey focuses on fertility/conception, adoption, pregnancy and infant loss, postpartum depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders.
Kelsey approaches her work with intentionality and flexibility, embracing imperfections and validating the complexities of life and the systems individuals navigate. She empowers her clients to navigate challenges and embrace their resilience, believing firmly that we can do hard things. She holds space for the full
experience of feelings and reality, living in the both/and.
In her therapeutic approach, Kelsey values authenticity, showing up as herself and recognizing her clients as the experts in their own lives. She is learning and embracing body-brain based therapies to enhance healing, and is trained in Brainspotting through a perinatal lens. She sees every meeting as a privilege, an opportunity to build new relationships—with her clients and with themselves. With a trauma-informed approach, she seeks to understand what supports healing.
Residing in Traverse City with her spouse and two young children, Kelsey dedicates time every day to learning how to be her new best self. She prioritizes purposeful slow time with her family and enjoys recharging with activities that feel like a mini vacation in Northern Michigan’s beautiful surroundings. With over 10 years of experience as a social worker, Kelsey holds a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Michigan.
Kelsey welcomes connections from individuals who are struggling, seeking a different perspective, or simply needing space for curiosity and something new. She believes that sometimes, you don’t need a plan; you just need to be ready to consider the choices each day presents.
Email: kelsey@chestnutservices.org