Jamie Wood Chiarelli, LICSW is the Clinical Director, supervisor and clinician at MBHC. Prior to earning her Masters Degree in Social Work from Boston College, she worked in Child Protective and Adoption Services in Chicago, IL. Ms. Chiarelli has worked in therapeutic middle and high school, residential, and outpatient mental health settings. Her work and training has focused on providing trauma-informed therapy services to children, adolescents, young adults, and families. Ms. Chiarelli incorporates various evidenced-based and trauma-specific approaches into her work including ARC, CBT, DBT, Collaborative Problem Solving, EMDR, Internal Family Systems, SMART, and PCIT-A. She is also experienced in working with children, adolescents, and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders, anxiety, depression, and substance abuse struggles.

Specialized Services provided at MBHC: ARC, CBT, SMART, EMDR (Level II), ACRA/ACC, DBT, Trauma/Sexual Abuse Evaluation

Kristina Donahue, LICSW is a Staff Clinician at MBHC and Clinical Intake Coordinator at MBHC and the Trauma Center. She earned her MSW from Simmons College and has extensive experience working with children, adolescents and families, particularly those who have been affected by trauma, complex mental health issues, and learning challenges. Prior to joining MBHC, Ms. Donahue worked for over five years as a clinician in a therapeutic day school where she worked directly with students providing individual therapy, crisis management, animal-assisted therapy, parent/care-giver consultation, and facilitating parent/care-giver support. Additionally, Ms. Donahue is experienced in providing both outreach and in-home therapy services to children, youth and families. She has completed the Certificate Program in Traumatic Stress Studies and has specific interests in trauma-informed approaches including SMART and ARC. 

Susan Lerner, MSW, LICSW is the Assistant Director at MBHC. She works with children, families, adolescents, and adults whose lives have been impacted by trauma. Ms. Lerner is trained in EMDR, AEDP and Sensory Motor Psychotherapy and integrates these approaches in her work with clients. In addition, Ms. Lerner provides parent consultation, training, and coaching. Using several evidenced-based therapies focusing on increasing attachment through increased attunement in her work with parents, Ms. Lerner's focus is on helping families understand each other and strengthen their ability to connect, accept one another and develop a sense of playfulness. She received her Masters in Social Work from Boston University in 1988 and is committed to ongoing training in trauma, attachment, dissociation and parenting issues.

Specialized Services Provided at MBHC: EMDR (Level II), Treatment of Dissociation, ARC, PCIT, P2P, SMART, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (Level 1)

Jennifer Moore, M.A., LMHC is a staff clinician at MBHC who has worked with children, adolescents and families impacted by trauma. She received her Masters of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Saint Michaels College in 2013. Her interests include attachment-based therapies for young children and caregivers, the impact of complex and multigenerational trauma, and differential diagnosis around the impact of chronic interpersonal trauma and other pathologies of childhood.

Specialized Services Provided at MBHC: SMART, ARC, Sand Play, Trauma/sexual abuse evaluations, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (Level 1)

Kara Wetzel, LMHC, MT-BC, REAT is a Staff Clinician, Expressive Arts Therapist, Board-Certified Music Therapist at the Metrowest Behavioral Health Center in Acton. Ms. Wetzel received her Master’s in Mental Health Counseling and Expressive Therapies from Lesley University and has also pursued post-graduate studies at Anna Maria College in their Institute for Music Consciousness. Ms. Wetzel has a great passion for the arts as well as mindfulness and meditation and incorporates this expertise into her work at MBHC. Her professional experience includes work in schools, hospitals, outpatient and residential facilities such as Germaine Lawrence in Arlington and McLean Hospital in Belmont. Ms. Wetzel has worked with clients of all ages, facing a broad spectrum of diagnoses utilizing an eclectic, client-centered approach.

Specialized Services Provided at MBHC: Expressive Arts Therapy, ARC, Pathways to Permanency, Meditation/Mindfulness, Social Skills Training, Music Therapy

Ava Lorenzo, Psy.D. is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Metrowest Behavioral Health Center. She is a New Jersey Certified School Psychologist (NJCSP) and received her degree in School Psychology from Rutgers University in Piscataway, NJ. Dr. Lorenzo completed her pre-doctoral internship at the Haven in Piscataway High School, a school-based mental health center for children, adolescents, and families, where she engaged in individual, group, and family therapy. She has also worked to introduce school-based social-emotional learning interventions, and studied teacher perceptions of disruptive behavior in students, toward the goal of creating safe and supportive schools.

Specialized Services Provided at MBHC: Treatment of Dissociation, ARC, Trauma/Sexual Abuse Evaluation, TF-CBT, Psychological/Neuropsychological Assessment

Allison Gold, MSW, LCSW, received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland in Psychology and her Masters in Social Work from Simmons College. Before graduate school, she worked with adolescents and adults in a residential eating disorder treatment center. Ms. Gold also has experience providing individual and group therapy in an outpatient setting to clients with complex trauma, anxiety, depression, and substance use issues. Her interests include mindfulness, meditation, and Internal Family Systems, which she integrates into her clinical work. Ms. Gold values building strong therapeutic relationships with her clients and is committed to continuous training in trauma-informed approaches.

Specialized Services provided at MBSHC: SMART, ARC