Suzanne Allen, Ph.D. received her doctorate from the University of Memphis and completed her internship at the Worcester Youth Guidance Center, in Worcester, MA. She has worked for over 25 years in various community settings with children and families who have experienced trauma, particularly around adoption and attachment issues and the impact on physical, family and social functioning. She takes a multi-faceted approach to intervention. Dr. Allen has received training in many different approaches to treating families affected by trauma including Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (Dan Hughes, Ph.D.) and Internal Family Systems (Richard Schwartz, Ph.D.) and incorporates these tools in her work.

Specialized Services provided at MBHC: Treatment of Dissociation, Pathways to Permanency. TF-CBT

Gabriel Corens, LICSW is a staff clinician at the Trauma Center, where he also serves as assistant director of the Complex Trauma Treatment Network and clinician with the Metropolitan Boston Complex Trauma Treatment Initiate. He completed his masters in social work from the Smith College School for Social Work in 2017. Mr. Corens has clinical experience in outpatient counseling and community based mental health and has worked with children, adolescents, and adults in English and Spanish. He has also worked in the fields of contemplative and experiential education in the United States and internationally. Mr. Corens has particular interests in supporting individuals and families through attachment, relational, and body-based therapies as well as neurofeedback. 

Specialized Services Provided at the Trauma Center: ARC, Trauma/Sexual Abuse Evaluation, DBT, Neurofeedback

Kristina Donahue, LICSW is an Assistant Clinical Director and Staff Clinician at MBHC and Clinical Intake Coordinator at 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. 

Specialized Services provided at MBHC: SMART, ARC, EMDR Level II

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 MBHC: SMART, ARC, TF-CBT

Kathryn Keane, LICSW is a staff clinician and the Victim Services Coordinator for the Metrowest Behavioral Health Center. Within her role she provides individual therapy, parent consults, and also facilitates groups and workshops for families and individuals. Kathryn received her Master of Social Work degree from Boston College where she specialized in Trauma and was a member of the Global Social Work program. Kathryn has worked both domestically and internationally with individuals and families impacted by trauma. Most recently, she worked with adolescent girls with complex trauma as a clinician at a residential program, providing individual, group, and family therapy. Kathryn enjoys using trauma-informed interventions, expressive therapies, mindfulness, Internal Family Systems therapy, ARC, and mind-body approaches within her work.

Specialized services provided at MBHC: bilingual Spanish services, SMART, ARC, Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach (ACRA), VOCA services, and IFS Level 1 certification in progress.

Susan Lerner, MSW, LICSW is the Director of Clinical Services 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 2)

Katie McCarthy, Ph.D., is a clinician, project coordinator, consultant, trainer, and researcher at the Trauma Center. Dr. McCarthy specializes in the assessment and treatment of complex trauma, PTSD, and anxiety disorders in children and adolescents. Her research focuses on evaluating evidence-based treatments and clinical treatment outcomes for children and families impacted by complex trauma. She currently works as Project Coordinator for the first effectiveness trial of the Attachment, Regulation and Competency (ARC) framework and as both Project Coordinator and Clinician for the Metropolitan Boston Complex Trauma Treatment Initiative, an NCTSI Category III grant funded by SAMHSA. Dr. McCarthy earned her doctoral degree from the California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) at Alliant International University in San Francisco, CA after completing an APA-accredited pre-doctoral internship at Community Healthlink Youth and Family Services in Worcester, MA. She completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship and an advanced training certificate program in traumatic stress studies at the Trauma Center. She has worked in community mental health centers, schools, residential programs, and a juvenile justice center. She is trained in trauma-informed treatment models including ARC, Sensory Motor Arousal Regulation Treatment (SMART), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), neurofeedback, and biofeedback.

Specialized Services Provided at the Trauma Center:  ARC, SMART, TF-CBT, EMDR (Level II), Neurofeedback, CBT, DBT, Trauma/Sexual Abuse Evaluation, Psychological/Neuropsychological Assessment, Expressive Arts Therapy, Treatment of Dissociation

Shannon Pickett, Psy.D. is a postdoctoral fellow at the Trauma Center. She received her Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from the Hawaii School of Professional Psychology at Chaminade University and completed her predoctoral training at the Federal Medical Center at Devens, Massachusetts. Dr. Pickett has clinical experience working with children, adolescents, and adults in forensic and outpatient settings. Her areas of interest include complex trauma, intergenerational and secondary trauma, and traumatic stress within marginalized groups.

Jennifer Roman-Martin, LICSW is a staff clinician at the Trauma Center. She received her Master of Social Work degree from Boston College, and her post-graduate Certificate in the Treatment of Trauma from Boston University. She has worked in mental health programming and service delivery for asylum seekers, refugees, human trafficking survivors and in the United States and internationally (Africa, Asia). Jennifer’s background includes child and adolescent mental health treatment in medical and outpatient settings. Her interests include dissociative parts work, developmental trauma treatment, expressive therapies and culturally responsive treatment. 

Specialized Services Provided at the Trauma Center: EMDR (Basic Level), CPP, TF-CBT, Unified Protocol (UP), treatment of dissociation, drama and expressive therapies

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, EMDR Level II