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Rebecca Blake, MSW, LGSW

Rebecca Blake, MSW, LGSW

Rebecca Blake, MSW, LGSW

Rebecca Blake, MSW, LGSW

Licensed Graduate Social Worker

Children, pre-teens, and teens often struggle in ways that are hard to understand. I pride myself in helping those children, and their families, to uncover the hurts, heal the pains, and build tools to live a life that offers more joy and better ability to handle struggle and pain. It’s hard for adults to always understand what an adolescent or child is trying to communicate. I can help bridge that gap. My passion drives my work which is why I only work with this age group. I provide a safe space where you feel heard and supported. I am a guide to help navigate thoughts, emotions, and experiences while building coping skills.

I use play with children to help them express their emotions and viewpoints. I use play because it is children’s primary language. Other techniques that I use in sessions include regulation, sensory objects, art, and books. For adolescents I use a more talk therapy approach with art techniques. As well, I help support and guide parent’s through stressors.

I have experience working with young adults, teens, elementary, and preschool-aged children. My experience in early childhood day treatment, elementary schools, and therapy has led me to understand adolescents and children’s ever changing needs. If you are looking for support for you, your child or teen I encourage you to reach out, all are welcomed!

Licensure & Education
Licensed Graduate Social Worker (LGSW)
Saint Catherine University: Master of Social Work
University of River Falls Wisconsin: Bachelors of Social Work

Jennifer sees clients at the Natalis Woodbury location.

Melanie Xiong

Melanie Xiong

Melanie Xiong

Melanie Xiong, MA

Integrated Behavioral Therapist

Melanie Xiong completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities in Child Development. She continued her education at the University of St. Thomas earning her Master’s degree in Counseling, specializing in child and adolescent mental health. Melanie is currently working towards her hours for LPC/LPCC licensure. Melanie has previous experience working in an intensive outpatient program and an adolescent residential program in the Twin Cities.

Melanie enjoys working with children and adolescents who experience depression, anxiety, trauma, relational conflicts, and troubles adjusting to new experiences. She enjoys helping others learn how to cope with their symptoms by providing healthy skills, build their self-esteem, and process traumatic events. Melanie strives to understand and creates a safe space for clients and their family members to express themselves openly and to feel heard. She values building healthy therapeutic relationships with clients to encourage self empowerment. Melanie’s approaches to therapy include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Trauma Focused CBT (TF-CBT), problem solving through Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) as well as Person-Centered Therapy.

Melanie was born and raised in Minnesota. She loves playing, watching, and talking about sports such as volleyball and football (she is a huge MN Vikings fan), enjoys traveling, and spending time with her family.

Melanie sees clients at the Central + Priority Pediatrics clinic in Woodbury.

Claire Decelles, PA-C

Claire Decelles, PA-C

Claire Decelles, PA-C

Claire Decelles

Physician Assistant

Claire is a Minnesota native who grew up in the suburbs of Minneapolis. She has long been passionate about mental health and received her undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of St. Thomas. Claire later attended Augsburg University where she received her Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies. She has extensive training in both inpatient and outpatient settings. She has been a Physician Assistant since August 2022.

Claire believes medication is a wonderful tool for those struggling with their mental health. She strives to meet patients where they are and work as a team to find medication regimens that work best for them. In her free time, Claire enjoys traveling, trying new restaurants, and spending time with her dog, friends, and family.

Claire practices at the Natalis University location.

Molly Carroll

Molly Carroll

Molly Carroll

Molly Carroll

Mental Health Practitioner

Molly Carroll, Mental Health Practitioner and Doctoral Practicum Trainee, has a passionate interest in helping people reach their mental health and wellness goals. She practices a person-centered, holistic approach, and strives to identify and utilize clients’ existing strengths, build new skills and supports to meet their goals. Her clinical interests include mood disorders, anxiety, depression, adolescents, and the LGBTQIA+ community.

Molly is a student at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota obtaining her doctorate in Counseling psychology. She is under the supervision of Ann Becher-Ingwalson. Molly sees clients at the University Avenue location.

Brittney Serbus, MSW, LGSW

Brittney Serbus, MSW, LGSW

Brittney Serbus, MSW, LGSW

Brittney Serbus, MSW, LGSW

Licensed Graduate Social Worker

Brittney Serbus is a Licensed Graduate Social Worker currently working under the supervision of Jennifer Joseph, PsyD, LP, and Marit Appledoorn, LICSW, RPT-S. Brittney’s primary experience is working with children and adolescents with a variety of concerns including Depression, Anxiety, Behavioral Concerns, and ADHD. Additionally, she has extensive experience working with children with a history of trauma as well as children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Brittney utilizes play therapy techniques in her work with both kids and teens. She believes that all behavior is communication and that, for kids, paly is the language and toys are the words. Brittney enjoys combining therapeutic work with paly activities and strives to create a collaborative therapeutic relationship with both clients and their families. Brittney works from a person-in-environment and systems perspective, considering the impact of both nature, genetics and brain chemistry, as well as nurture, the client’s environment and surroundings, when addressing symptoms, mental health, and well-being.

Brittney received a Bachelor of Science from the University of Minnesota and a Master of Social Work with a specialization in Trauma-Informed Care from the University of Northern Iowa. In her spare time, Brittney enjoys reading, gardening, baking, needle work, and anything outdoors. Brittney recognizes how hard and scary it can be for families to ask for help and she looks forward to guiding both parents and kids through the therapeutic process.

Brittney currently sees clients at the Woodbury Location and is supervised by Jennifer Joseph, PsyD, LP and Marit Appledoorn, LICSW, RPT-S.

Renata Tinoco–Stephens, MA

Renata Tinoco–Stephens, MA

Mental Health Practitioner and Doctoral Psychology Intern

Renata is a mental health practitioner and a doctoral psychology intern at Natalis Psychology under the supervision of Robin McLeod, PhD, L.P.

Renata believes that each individual frames their life from their experiences. Such experiences can cause distress, sometimes making life unbearable. She invites clients in the direction of the unconscious mental process to create healing and promote change. With wholeheartedness and non-judgmental support, she offers a deep journey in search of keys to unveil the answers that lie within. She helps clients to find insight, and cope with the underlying causes of emotional and psychological symptoms. She supposes that it is through telling one’s unique story that one can re-write it. Renata speaks English, Portuguese and Spanish which has given her the experience working with culturally diverse individuals, including immigrants and refugees.

Renata earned a bachelor’s degree in Language and Arts from Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. She has been trained in Lacanian psychoanalysis at the Brazilian School of Psychoanalysis, and at the Lacanian Psychoanalysis Institute in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Renata earned her Master’s degree in Counseling and Psychological Services from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, where she is also a doctorate candidate.

Rah Bridwell

Rah Bridwell MSW, LGSW

Rah Bridwell

Rah Bridwell (They/Them) MSW, LGSW

Mental Health Practitioner

Rah is a Licensed Graduate Social Worker working under the supervision of Richard E. Close, DMIN, PSYD, LPCC, LICSW, LMFT.

Rah believes in the power of connection and relationships. Co-creating an environment with clients, where they feel safe to share their story, is how a healing journey starts. Life is incredibly hard, complicated, and stressful sometimes and we aren’t always provided with all of the resources necessary to deal with it on our own nor should we have to.

Rah strives to always be learning and growing and is excited to join clients where they are at- wherever that is- with warmth, empathy, honesty, humility and a good sense of humor. Rah has a special interest in attachment, psychodynamic, and somatic therapy and views most of their work through the lens of queer & post-modern theory. They are particularly invested in working with trans and queers folks and those whose relationship structures and identities are not always validated by dominant culture.

Rah studied clinical social work at the University of Minnesota: Twin Cities where they interned at the Queens Center for Gay Seniors and Twin Cities Counseling Coop. In addition, Rah has a bachelor’s degree in Gender, Sexualities, and Women’s Studies from Augsburg University and has experience working in non-profit program management, particularly in food justice and insecurity programs. When they are not working, Rah appreciates cooking and feeding their friends, astrology, and reading contemporary fiction.

Rah also receives specialty supervision from Tera Jansen, PsyD, LP, CST and is on the journey to become a certified sex therapist.

Maggie Elinson

MAGGIE ELINSON, MPS, LADC

Maggie Elinson

MAGGIE ELINSON, MPS, LADC

Mental Health Therapist

Maggie Elinson is an LPCC candidate and Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor who serves children and their families, adolescents, and young adults with a variety of mental health and chemical health diagnoses.

When thinking about the arc of therapy, Maggie wants each person that works with her to feel respected and empowered by the therapeutic process and acknowledged for both their strengths and growing opportunities. Therapy is a collaborative effort in which we grow and change together. Maggie’s approach towards working with clients involves taking a reflective look at the relationship between the individual and their environment, recognizing the numerous ways in which an individual’s surroundings can impact holistic well-being. It is one of Maggie’s goals to always meet her clients where they are at without making assumptions or generalizations; everyone has a unique experience that deserves to be valued and heard. Maggie will welcome you into the counseling space with a peaceful and relaxed atmosphere that encourages open and honest disclosure. Involving creativity and experiential forms of therapy is a passion of Maggie’s; she would love to learn more about what inspires you.

Maggie is a multiculturally conscious provider and is welcoming to those of diverse cultural, gender, and sexual-orientation identity backgrounds. Maggie has specific experience in working with folks who are seeking therapy for support around body image, feeding/eating, substance use, anxiety, depression, and trauma. Maggie can also be helpful to those who are going through life and role transitions, are experiencing relational distress, pursuing identity development, and navigating the educational system.

Education & Training
Maggie received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies from the University of Minnesota- Morris. She then received a Master of Professional Studies in Integrated Behavioral Health with a minor in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health from the University of Minnesota– Twin Cities. Maggie is an LPCC candidate.

Maggie is working under the licensed supervision of Dr. Jennifer Joseph PsyD, LP and sees clients at the Woodbury location.

Lingyan Yu

Lingyan Yu, M.A.

Lingyan Yu

Lingyan Yu, M.A.

Mental Health Practitioner and Doctoral Practicum Trainee

Lingyan is PhD student in clinical psychology from the University of Minnesota, and Lingyan is at Natalis as a doctoral psychology trainee. Lingyan received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Washington University in St. Louis.

Lingyan has an integrated approach to treatment and believes clients will not be served fully unless they are taken as a whole person plus their past experience and current environment. Lingyan value identifying strengths, locating resources, and building cognitive-behavioral skills with clients, and particularly enjoys working with adolescents and young adults. Lingyan sees emerging adulthood as an important life stage of transition, stress, and development, and a critical period for risk detection and early interventions. Lingyan’s goal is to promote the internal and external resilience of clients to help resolve or reduce the burden of mental health and maladaptive behavioral patterns early in life. Lingyan has experience working with clients with depression, anxiety, identity-based stress, safety concerns, and psychotic symptoms.

Lingyan is practicing under the supervision of Dr. Lisa Johnson, PsyD, LP, LMFT and sees clients at the University Avenue location.

Lindsey Merritt

Lindsey Merritt, MA

Lindsey Merritt

Lindsey Merritt, MA

Mental Health Practitioner and Doctoral Psychology Intern

Lindsey Merritt, M.A. (she/her) is a mental health practitioner and Doctoral Psychology Intern from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota who is practicing under the supervision of Rita Sandidge, Ph.D., LP.

Lindsey has previously worked with clients experiencing complex trauma, dissociative disorders, domestic abuse, human trafficking victims, hoarding disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, depression, and co-occurring mental health and substance-use disorders.

Lindsey believes it is important to meet people where they are in their healing journey and empower people to stand in their dignity and act in a way that honors their values. She practices from a multiculturally feminist theoretical perspective that is relationally oriented. She finds it imperative to consider intersecting identities and power imbalances to better understand how people experience the world and what they are up against. As an Adaptive Internal Relational (AIR) certified provider, she practices from a framework that integrates developmental neurology into the treatment of complex mental health presentations. She also welcomes all types of people to her practice and has emphasized a focus on working with those from historically marginalized and intentionally exploited communities (e.g. LGBTQIA, BIPOC, women, people with chronic illnesses and disabilities, etc.). She believes healing is possible when people are seen and believed, and their lived experiences are valued and validated. She strives to help people learn more about their most resourced selves and who they were truly meant to be in the world.

Education & Professional Activities
Lindsey is presently enrolled at Saint Mary’s University of MN seeking a PsyD. She also received her MA from Saint Mary’s University of MN. Unversity of Saint Thomas (B.A. Psychology), and the University of Wisconsin-River Falls (B.S. in Marketing Communications; Minor in Spanish). Her professional association memberships include: PSI CHI International Honor Society in Psychology, Association for Women in Psychology, the Minnesota Psychological Association, and the American Psychological Association (Division 35 – Society for the Psychology of Women; Division 56 – Trauma Psychology)