Meet our specialists and find the right match for your therapy needs. Select a specialty below to see who on our team covers each area.
Clinical Director, Intensively Trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy and DBTPE
I serve as the clinical director at Beach Therapy & Consulting, providing ongoing supervision to staff, residents, and licensed clinicians as needed.
A guiding theme for me is that of relationship – two statements inform this interest. The first by Irvin Yalom, who instructs, “It is the relationship that heals.” I have experienced the positive aspects of being healed in my own relationships and the immense power of how relationship heals others through counseling. The second by Jon Kabat-Zinn, in defining mindfulness: “Paying attention in a particular way; on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally.” Being in relationship with oneself and others requires a focused mind and focused awareness in both the self and the other. The challenge is to be nonjudgmental and authentic in those interactions.
I have worked in the field of counseling and therapy for the past 25+ years in a myriad of settings. Since 2003, I have been in private practice in Virginia Beach, working as a licensed professional counselor with adolescents, adults, families, substance abuse, depression, anxiety and additional clinical symptomology.
I received intensive training and utilize evidence-based treatment – Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to treat teenagers, families and adults. This approach has integrated well in how I understand relationships and how to develop peace by utilizing mindfulness. I am Intensively trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy Prolonged Exposure (DBTPE), a specific adaptation of PE.
My interests include counselor development, qualitative research methodology, mindfulness in teaching and supervision, technology in teaching, and clinical training for supervisees. I am passionate about students and trainees receiving effective training to allow them to be competent counselors. It is not uncommon to be supervising several residents as well as have a few practicum students.
I currently serve as a full Professor at the Townsend Institute for Counseling at Concordia University Irvine (CUI). I am a remote faculty and teach in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Master’s program and the Counselor Education & Supervision PhD program. I have taught in higher education since 2005 and as a full-time faculty in academia since 2012. I specialize as the subject expert in ethics.
I have conducted a wide array of trainings over the years at multiple conferences in DBT (validation, chain analysis, and DBT theory), adolescent and family therapy, pedagogy, substance use, mindfulness, the ASAM criteria, psychopharmacology for counselors, and DSM-5 for adolescents.
I currently work with clients that may struggle with depression, anxiety, emotional dysregulation, self-harming and suicidal behaviors, family chaos and conflict, substance abuse, PTSD, and family of origin issues. Due to my teaching demands, I have limited clinical availability at Beach Therapy & Consulting.
I am available as a clinical supervisor for licensure for LPC, LMFT, LSATP, and CSAC. I provide expert consultation and supervision to group homes, treatment programs, colleges, and outside organization in a wide range of topics and travel across the country to train and present. I enjoy teaching and training in the areas of substance abuse and DBT as well as mindfulness and emerging adulthood. Please click here to view our consultation page for more information.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, adolescents ages 13 and up, adults, families, substance abuse, adolescent & young adult addiction, depression, anxiety, borderline personality disorder, emotional dysregulation, family of origin issues, and additional clinical symptomology.
Practice Manager, Dialectical Behavior Therapy Provider, Intensively Trained in DBTPE, Resident Supervisor
My name is Kerry Boone-Savinsky and have been a Licensed Clinical Social Worker since 2003. I obtained my master’s in Social Work in 1995 and have worked in a variety of settings that have allowed me to grow in my skills of assessment, treatment planning, crisis intervention and trauma work. I have worked in the field of counseling and mental health now for over 20 years and have been in private practice since 2003.
Prior to private practice I worked in multiple agencies providing individual and family therapy to high risk adolescents and provided adolescent anger management and parent training. I became interested in teaching teens skills that increased their effectiveness of changing their emotions and how to change their expression of that emotion without suffering negative consequences. I found that many of the teenagers I worked with had significant trauma histories and traumatically invalidating environments including abuse, neglect, family addiction, poor communication, and many other struggles. This led me to explore Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) as many of these teenagers were developing patterns of extreme emotional dysregulation. At times the dysregulation was expressed through behavioral struggles such as self-harming, suicide attempts, addictive behaviors, aggression at school, and stealing or shoplifting.
Beach Therapy & Consulting was opened in 2013 to provide this unique and complicated treatment approach for adolescents and adults of all ages as well as other evidenced based treatment approaches. As I have trained, I have learned more about Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and have grown more understanding of how complicated developmental trauma can affect a person and the struggle to know how to effectively cope with the various challenges to which basic, everyday life exposes us. I have grown less judgmental of my clients and more aware of how they have done the best they can under their circumstances. I have specialized training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure Response Prevention, Exposure Therapies, Mindfulness based treatment approaches, and I am Foundational Trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy.
I am Intensively Trained in DBT Prolonged Exposure Protocol for PTSD, based on the adaptation by Melanie Harned, PhD of Edna Foa’s initial prolonged exposure work to adults and adolescents. Prolonged exposure has been used for many years to treat PTSD that developed from a one-incident trauma and has been available for combat veterans. This adaptation is designed for those that have may have developed PTSD from multiple traumatic experiences, often occurring in one’s development. Prolonged Exposure (PE) is evidence-based to treat active PTSD symptoms and this adaptation is woven into Stage 1 DBT treatment when a client is ready. This treatment offers hope for clients that there may be a period of their life where they will no longer meet the criteria for PTSD and suffer from the shame of the past. Traditional Prolonged Exposure can be utilized with PTSD that may not contain a personality disorder and for one specific trauma.
In addition to my DBT and trauma treatment work, I enjoy working with adolescents and adults over the age of 10 in the areas of anxiety disorders, depression, and bi-polar disorder, as well as family addiction, divorce, ACOA and family of origin issues, and substance abuse. I provide individual, family therapy, and facilitate DBT group skills weekly. I enjoy actively working with clients to identify their personal goals and grow in their ability to understand the difference between what they can change and what they need to learn to accept. It is not uncommon for me to include residents in my sessions as patients will allow. I believe part of my job as I have matured and aged in the field of social work is to give back through supervision and training of the next generation.
I am a Certified Trauma Specialist (NASW-VA) and clinical supervisor for licensure supervisees in social work. I am a member of the International OCD Foundation and of the NASW. I am an active member of the ethics committee of Virginia’s NASW. I offer licensure and non-licensure supervision for individuals and agencies. I have provided trainings for many years in a variety of areas including but not limited to suicide assessment, emotional regulation, anger management with teenagers, and family systems. I currently have interests in providing evidenced based treatment as a practice philosophy and supporting the growth and training needs of newer clinicians in the field through offering training grounds such as intern and residency sites. I am an active member of Beach Therapy & Consulting’s DBT treatment team. I am the co-owner of Beach Therapy with Dr. Savinsky and practice manager.
I believe that in seasons of crisis, loss, and pain counseling is a space to reflect on the past and recover for the journey ahead. I seek to partner with individuals as they heal from past hurts, manage current stressors, and refine their strengths on their path to restoring hope.
I obtained my Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in May of 2015. Prior to this, I worked internationally with a variety of nonprofits to improve community resources for adolescents and their families and became increasingly passionate about serving individuals from a variety of cultural backgrounds. While in the field, I obtained experience working in inpatient and group home settings providing crisis stabilization services.
In 2019, I joined Beach Therapy & Consulting and their Dialectical Behavior Therapy team bringing my training and skills in working with chronically dysregulated adolescents and young adults. I currently co-facilitate the adult skills training group and participate in the consultation team on a weekly basis. I have a special interest in trauma and use cognitive-behavioral therapy, EMDR, and a family systems approach to facilitate change while helping individuals discover and utilize their unique strengths in their personal journey towards growth and healing.
I currently work with men, women, adolescents, and children with anxiety disorders including PTSD, panic and social anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, trauma, grief, life transitions, self-esteem, ADHD, childhood oppositional and family-oriented struggles. I work with children and their families over the age of 10, adolescents, and adults. I co-facilitate the DBT Adult Skills group and am an active member of the DBT team at Beach Therapy providing individual DBT treatment. I provide EMDR for PTSD. I currently do not offer marital counseling or substance abuse treatment.
My name is Kayla Gasper, Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Substance Abuse Treatment Provider, Certified Substance Abuse Counselor. I am certified in Trauma- Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Foundationally trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy., and Intensively trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Children (DBT-C). I am part of the Dialectical Behavior Therapy team at Beach Therapy & Consulting.
I believe therapy is an active relationship between the therapist and patient. It is a safe, comfortable space to be open and honest with oneself to gain the tools to change. We all deal with life stressors, which may come from past or current events or trauma. I am passionate for assisting others with their journey to cope and better understand their own responses to their stressor and what gets in the way of being effective.
I primarily specialize in Cognitive Behavior Therapy as a base theory for treatment where individuals can learn new thought and behavioral patterns to help improve their lives. I want each person to leave their session with the tools, strength, and encouragement to navigate through life as challenges may arise. I am certified in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy to adolescents and children 8 and older that have experienced either a single trauma or a traumatic childhood. This treatment also has a component where the parents are involved to provide the child with extra support.
I spent many years working at correctional facilities early in my training that led me toward specializing with adults with substance abuse issues. I found that addiction not only affects the individual but the family as a whole and how there was room for growth for those individuals. That led me to use those skills working with children and adolescents as I worked in day treatment programs in school settings providing community and school based mental health services.
I joined Beach Therapy & Consulting in 2020 with an interest in joining the Dialectical Behavior Therapy team. I wanted to learn more about how to provide effective therapy for patients that struggle with multiple issues which can include trauma, mood disorders, substance abuse, family conflict and that are often mis diagnosed. These patients have frequently had several treatment experiences that have been inadequate to fully address the root of the emotional dysregulation. I am Foundationally Trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy and found an interest in extending my work with children through the adaptation of DBT-C or DBT with Children. I am Intensively Trained in this adaption, working with children from 8 years old -13yo and their parents. I currently am offering an adapted DBT Skills only group for those in Substance Recovery with at least 1 month clean. I am LGBT-Q affirming and enjoy working with this population within my specialty areas.
Licensed Professional Counselor, Certified Perinatal Mental Health Professional (PMH-C), DBT Provider
I am Ashanti Conner, Licensed Professional Counselor and I am passionate about equipping each client with the tools and strategies needed to thrive in life. I believe the therapeutic process is a collaborative effort with the client and therapist. I have always had a heart for people, a helping spirit, and I love assisting individuals find their purpose. I believe people have the ability to overcome every issue of life if they have an ounce of hope. I strive to create a therapeutic atmosphere that is empathic, understanding, and compassionate. I seek to share in your experiences, emotions, and thoughts to dismantle barriers of feeling loneliness and isolation.
I decided to become a therapist after witnessing women (especially minorities) experience oppression from relationships, work, and family that lead to broken esteem, feelings of worthlessness, and a belief that they were “not strong enough.” I am here to change what leads to an unhealthy mind by addressing and healing the generational traumas that weaken their hope in achieving their dreams of healing and wholeness.
I have training in CBT and am a member of the Dialectical Behavior Therapy team at Beach Therapy & Consulting, having been fully foundationally trained by Behavioral Tech. I am interested in complex trauma and women’s issues including domestic violence and human trafficking. I am passionate about women’s health issues as related to perinatal mood disorders including prenatal and postpartum and have completed all of my training requirements to test for the Perinatal Mental Health Certification or PMH-C.
I have worked in many different settings including crisis, evaluation, in-home counseling with children and adolescents, and traditional outpatient. I have many years of experience in the mental health field working with children over 12, teens, adults, and families with a variety of mental health needs including ADHD, anxiety, depression, borderline personality disorder, self-harming, and PTSD. I have counseled homeless women, victims of domestic violence, and victims of human trafficking.
As a counselor, I have worked in a variety of mental health settings including outpatient in a military hospital; inpatient for severe psychiatric diagnoses; residential for at-risk youth and adolescents; intensive in-home counseling; and run a partial hospitalization program for substance abuse/chemical dependency. I currently hold a master’s in clinical mental health counseling and am a national board-certified counselor. I am a certified substance abuse counselor and licensed professional counselor.
In my position as a substance abuse counselor, I have heard stories from my clients about their losses, their triumphs, the challenges they face and the barriers they have overcome. One of my favorite things about working with this population is seeing them break through their mental biases and negative thinking in order to truly live a life of recovery, and not just sobriety.
I utilize a humanistic and cognitive-behavioral approach to address clients’ negative thinking patterns and help them learn the connections between their addictive thinking and behaviors. In therapy, I often use dialectical-behavior therapy to teach mindfulness, distress tolerance, and emotion regulation. I believe that each person who comes to treatment brings a unique story and set of experiences with them. I work with my clients to identify their strengths and barriers in an effort to provide the best therapeutic experience. My goal is to bring out each individual’s potential through a combination of problem-solving, goal-setting, and emotional reflection and processing.
As a member of the Beach Therapy & Consulting Team, I will be joining the Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) team and receive cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) training.
I am available as a clinical supervisor for those seeking certification for CSAC and CSAC-A. I also am an adjunct professor for Purdue University Global’s online Bachelor program in psychology where I instruct, primarily, psychopharmacology of drugs and alcohol and focus on addiction and substance abuse studies.
My areas of interest include LGBTQ+ counseling & advocacy; substance abuse counseling; trauma; and recidivism rates. I particularly enjoy the intersectionality of these interests, i.e., how the LGBTQ+ population is affected by substance abuse/use and whether recidivism rates are impacted by substance abuse/use.
When not working, I enjoy reading, spending time with family and friends, going to amusement parks, and traveling the world.
My name is April Schlau and I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker I have training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Cognitive Processing Treatment, (CPT) and Grief Counseling, specializing in Prolonged Grief Disorder. I have completed my Foundational Dialectical Behavior Therapy certificate through the Linehan Institute at Behavioral Tech. I also provide couples counseling through the DBT lens and currently am a Gottman Level 2 clinician.
I enjoy working with people across the lifespan and have experience working with children, teens, adults, families, and couples. I have worked in a clinical setting with active-duty military and their families on a base Behavioral Health Clinic as well as with in a therapeutic foster care setting. I have experience in working with clients with anxiety, ADHD, autism, depression, life transitions, grief and loss, PTSD, emotional dysregulation, parenting, and marriage.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, life as we know it, has changed. For some, these changes have been much larger and much more traumatic than others. Depression, anxiety, self-harming behaviors, and suicide attempts are just a few of mental health concerns that are on the rise in our country. Feelings of isolation, loneliness, and fear in children and adults have become unfortunate byproducts of the pandemic. At times we may feel powerless or even hopeless. It is my hope to help those who may be feeling this way find ways to cope and reengage in their life. Engaging in therapy from a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy perspective (CBT) can give one the tools and skills needed to navigate this unprecedented time and help manage life’s stressors in a healthy, safe, and proactive manner.
I enjoy working with my couples and am passionate about how the Gottman Method assists couples in working through their barriers to enrich their relationship with one another. Couples counseling
We all deserve the opportunity to be our best selves. I believe that therapy is a place where clients can rediscover who they are while making attainable goals for themselves to set them on the path to living their best lives. I have chosen the field of clinical social work because I believe in the power of positive behavioral changes through examination of our own cognitive processes and thought patterns. Because I believe in the importance of the relationship between client and clinician, it is my goal to provide a space that is safe, honest, and non-judgmental where families, couples, and individuals can work toward their mental health goals.
I joined Beach Therapy and Consulting in the Fall of 2023 as a Clinical Assistant. I am currently pursuing licensure as a Professional Counselor. I graduated with my master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Walden University.
I enjoy helping patients achieve their goals and consider counseling as a partnership that is collaborative in nature. I believe that by working together patients can realize that growth is possible, and that their problems are treatable.
I most enjoy working with children, adolescents and young adults from ages 10 and up. Growing up has always been an inherently difficult process, which has been more challenging due to the COVID-19 epidemic and increases in social media usage. Youth today are experiencing all the typical developmental challenges while simultaneously navigating an increasingly complex world. I have worked extensively with youth who are experiencing social anxiety, depression, bullying, academic challenges and developmental milestones, using CBT based approaches. I am a strong believer in intervening early to give our kids and teens the best opportunity to develop into healthy adults.
I primarily utilize a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) approach. I believe the person is the expert of their lives, and by providing an empathic and safe environment, patients can challenge their beliefs, and develop the skills necessary to live life to the fullest. I particularly enjoy utilizing mindfulness-based approaches to help individuals navigate the stresses of life, helping individuals to connect with the present moment, and identify and sit with their full emotional experiences.
My interest in therapy stems from my own experiences in adolescence. I discovered that I had a natural curiosity of what makes an individual who they are, and an empathic drive to help them achieve acceptance, growth, and healing. This natural drive is what ultimately led me to a career in the mental health field.
I received my bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University in 2014, and soon thereafter began working with adolescents in crisis in multiple residential settings. This work afforded me an opportunity to work with a variety of individuals, from different backgrounds, with multiple presenting problems. This also increased my empathy and understanding for the everyday adversity that people can face in their lives. These experiences fueled my drive to seek the specialized education and training needed to pursue a career in mental health counseling.
My name is Vanessa Monahan (she/her), and I am a Resident in Counseling. I obtained my Master of Arts degree in Forensic Psychology from The Chicago School. I have a certificate in Forensic Interviewing from ChildFirst Virginia. I am working towards licensure, and I am under direct supervision of David Savinsky, Ph.D., LPC, LMFT, LSATP, CSAC, ACS.
For the past 10 years, I have provided direct care services to children and families in the child welfare systems. Having worked in this system, I have seen first hand abuse, neglect, and the trauma that can happen to children and adolescents and the impact on the family systems. I believe in advocacy for children and teenagers and as a professional, that it is part of the care that we as clinicians should provide. I will attend school based meetings for 504 and IEP.
I enjoy working with children, teenagers, young adults and families from ages 6 and older. I also enjoy working with adolescents and families in the areas of anxiety, depression, ADHD, behavioral disorders, trauma, and developing appropriate coping skills. I utilize a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy framework and strongly believe you are the expert on your life, but sometimes you may need a guide to help you challenge your negative thoughts, body sensations, and behaviors and start living a more fulfilling life.
I provide a trauma-focused and child-friendly approach when working with children and adolescents. I am non-judgmental and aspire for you to be the best person I know you are capable of being. I am proudly LGBTQ+ allied and provide affirming care to all identities and family structures. If your child is struggling and you’re not sure how to help, you’re not alone.
In my free time, I enjoy going for walks, watching horror movies, cooking, and spending time with my family.
Ms. Phillips serves as the Program Development and Policy Coordinator with Beach Therapy and Consulting, taking on special projects and assisting throughout the agency. Ms. Phillips holds a master’s degree in Clinical Social Work from Norfolk State University. She is a certified Trauma and Resilience Specialist as well as a certified Anger Management Specialist. Ms. Phillips possesses 23 years of professional work with children, adolescent and adults in school-based mentoring, child residential facilities, the adult homeless population, and 23 years of professional experience working in administration and project management. Ms. Phillips spent 5 years on Active Duty with the Navy working in Naval Personnel. Ms. Phillips is a member of the National Association of Social Workers and the National Anger Management Institute.
I am Amber, the current front supervisor and billing specialist at Beach Therapy & Consulting. I may be the first voice you hear when you call and attempt to answer your billing questions or guide you through scheduling your clinical intake. I will attempt to answer most of your questions regarding insurance accepted. I graduated from Old Dominion University with a bachelor’s in health administration and services. I am passionate about helping people get the services and care that they need and do my best to ensure it is possible. I am happy to be a part of the Beach Therapy and Consulting team and look forward to growing with the practice in the future.
My name is Karen and I am often the voice on the phone or at the front desk greeting you each morning. I make it my priority to know each of you by name as it is often my job to assist you in making payments for services and submitting your claims to your insurance. I graduated from Norfolk State University with a bachelors in math and have spent many years working at major insurance carriers in claims, customer care, network data and lastly working with the claims from the other side. I am a Certified Notary Public and have skills in sales, organizing, customer service, data entry and working with numbers. Feel free to contact me either at the front desk in the early morning hours or leave a message for me or Amber in the billing department if you questions about your bill or any of the payment process.
If you or a loved one is in need of our services, please reach out to us today.
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