Meet Our Therapists in Tampa, St. Petersburg & Sarasota
View our team of top-rated therapists and explore by location and specialization
Kelly Kellogg, Graduate Counseling Intern
Tampa | Anxiety, Depression & Life Transitions
ABOUT
Kelly works with teens and adults experiencing anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and the stress of major life transitions. Kell'y’s experience spans across school and community based settings.
SPECIALTIES
Anxiety, depression, self-esteem and identity development, life transitions, and relationship and communication skills. Kelly uses CBT to identify the core beliefs behind unwanted feelings and behaviors, builds from a strengths-based perspective, and helps clients become aware of their own inner dialogue. She is comfortable integrating a client's faith or spirituality into the work when it matters to them.
Jennifer Appelbaum, RCSWI (Registered Social Worker Intern)
Tampa | RCSWI | OCD, Anxiety & Life Transitions for Adults & Children
ABOUT
Jennifer works with women navigating the reproductive lifespan, adults living with anxiety and OCD, and adolescents working out who they are becoming. Her practice centers on a collaborative, person centered approach in which the shape of treatment is built around each client rather than applied to them, and she brings art into the therapy room for clients who find expression easier through their hands than their words.
SPECIALTIES
Jennifer utilizes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, the Gottman Method for Couples Therapy, and person centered, collaborative treatment planning. She works with anxiety, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, life transitions, relationship distress, and the full range of women's mental health concerns including infertility, pregnancy, postpartum adjustment, and menopause. Specialized work with couples focused on strengthening communication, repairing relationship injuries, and rebuilding emotional connection after rupture, and with adolescents navigating academic pressure, social difficulty, and identity development.
Meghan Hargaden, LMHC
Tampa | LMHC | Trauma, Addiction & Couples Therapist
ABOUT
Meghan specializes in supporting compulsive behavior, trauma, and the relationship conflict that so often grows out of both, and she works with partners at every stage, from premarital preparation to couples caught in long-standing gridlock. Trained in EMDR and DBT she helps clients move from compulsion and reactivity toward freedom, regulation, and genuine connection.
SPECIALTIES
Meghan works with adolescents, adults, and couples, and her clinical focus is in trauma. Trained in EMDR, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Motivational Interviewing, she treats PTSD, complex PTSD, anxiety, and the emotional dysregulation that trauma tends to leave behind. She has particular strength in men's issues, including anger management and compulsive behaviors such as substance use, pornography, and gambling, approached through harm reduction that meets people where they actually are. Her couples work spans premarital preparation, communication breakdown, and partnerships strained by addiction or unresolved trauma. Tampa office and Florida telehealth.
Dr. Mary Perleoni, PhD, LMHC, NCC
Founder & Clinical Director | Tampa | Couples & Trauma Therapist
ABOUT
Founder and clinical director of It Begins Within, Dr. Mary Perleoni brings doctoral-level expertise in counseling, clinical supervision, and trauma-informed care. She supports couples and individuals through infidelity recovery, infertility, discernment counseling, and the complex relational dynamics that define modern partnership.
SPECIALTIES
Couples therapy, infidelity recovery, discernment counseling, and trauma therapy. Trained in Gottman Method, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Gestalt, and mindfulness. Specialized work in intensive couples workshops and breakthrough retreats. Adults and couples. Tampa office and Florida telehealth.
Kaitlyn Shelp, MA, LMHC-QS
Clinical Director | Tampa & St. Petersburg | Infidelity & Trauma Specialist
ABOUT
Clinical Director for the Tampa and St. Petersburg offices, Kaitlyn Shelp brings deep specialty expertise to couples and individuals seeking healing after disclosure of infidelity. Her trauma-informed, directive approach pairs systematic treatment with the steady warmth this most vulnerable clinical work requires.
SPECIALTIES
Infidelity recovery, betrayal trauma, and couples healing. One of two clinicians in Florida formally trained in Systematic Affair Recovery Therapy (SART). Also trained in Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) and Gottman Method. Couples and individuals. Tampa and St. Petersburg offices, with Florida telehealth.
Ellie Smith, Mental Performance Student Intern
St. Petersburg | Mental Performance Intern | Sport & Performance
ABOUT
Ellie supports athletes and performers at our St. Petersburg & Tampa offices, focusing on the mental side of sport and performance. A former athlete and dancer who navigated her own recovery from bilateral ACL injuries, she brings lived understanding to the confidence, focus, and identity challenges that come with high-level performance. Currently pursuing a master's degree in Applied Physiology and Kinesiology and working toward the Certified Mental Performance Consultant credential, Ellie helps clients build practical mental skills that translate directly into training, competition, and life.
SPECIALTIES
Mental performance skills, confidence building, focus and resilience training, and goal-oriented performance consulting. Performance anxiety, burnout, consistency under pressure, injury recovery, return-to-play, and athletic identity. Specialized work with athletes and performers navigating setbacks, rebuilding trust in their bodies, and developing a balanced sense of self beyond sport. Individuals, couples, and families.
Christine Pickering, Ph.D., BCBA, NCSP
Tampa, St. Pete & Sarasota | Psychological Testing & Evaluations
ABOUT
Dr. Pickering provides psychological testing and evaluations for children, teens, and adults across our Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Sarasota offices. With 17+ years of experience and triple credentialing as a Licensed Psychologist, BCBA, and Nationally Certified School Psychologist, she specializes in ADHD, autism, learning disability, and gifted assessment.
SPECIALTIES
Evidence-based standardized assessment, integrated cognitive and behavioral testing, and ABA-informed evaluation. ADHD, autism, learning disability, gifted, and psychoeducational evaluations, plus 504/IEP and accommodation documentation. Children, teens, college students, and adults.
Lauren Pankuch, MA, LMHC
Tampa | Child, Teen & Play Therapist
ABOUT
Lauren Pankuch brings a strengths-based, trauma-informed presence to her work with children, adolescents, parents, and individuals. Her client-centered approach pulls from the modalities that best serve each person, with a particular passion for the developmental and emotional world of younger clients.
SPECIALTIES
Play Therapy, Child Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), and Polyvagal-informed nervous system regulation. Working toward credentialing as a Registered Play Therapist (RPT). Trauma, behavioral concerns, neurodivergence, LGBTQIA-affirming care, and foster youth support. Children, adolescents, and parents. Tampa office and Florida telehealth.
Emma Groskind, MS, LCSW
Tampa | EMDR Certified Couples Trauma Therapist
ABOUT
Emma Groskind is a trauma-informed, strengths-based clinician committed to authentic, compassionate therapeutic relationships. She supports children, adolescents, and adults healing from trauma, depression, and anxiety, tailoring her approach to each client and meeting them in the work that matters most.
SPECIALTIES
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Trauma, grief, anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, self-esteem, identity, and interpersonal relationships. Significant work with foster youth and adults navigating life transitions. Children, adolescents, and adults. Tampa office and Florida telehealth.
Kelly Morrissey, MA, LMFT, LMHC-QS, CAP
Tampa | Lifespan Integration & Family Systems Therapist
ABOUT
With more than fourteen years of clinical experience, Kelly Morrissey offers a thoughtful, candid, collaborative space for individuals, couples, and families. She is one of only two therapists in Florida providing Lifespan Integration Therapy, a neuroscience-based modality offering gentle and rapid healing.
SPECIALTIES
Lifespan Integration Therapy, attachment-focused work, and family systems therapy. Trauma, codependency, addiction in family systems, burnout, perfectionism, life transitions, and self-esteem building. Florida-Qualified Supervisor for Registered Mental Health and Marriage and Family Therapy interns. Individuals, couples, and families. St. Petersburg office and Florida telehealth.
Samantha Kindler, MA
Tampa | Registered Mental Health Counseling Intern | EFT & CBT
ABOUT
Samantha Kindler is a Registered Mental Health Counseling Intern who brings a relational, strengths-based presence to individuals, couples, and families. Her collaborative style empowers clients to gain clarity, rebuild connection, and move forward with greater confidence at every stage of their work together.
SPECIALTIES
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Anxiety, depression, trauma, betrayal, and complex relationship challenges. Experience working with clients ages eleven through sixty-five in private practice. Individuals and couples. Tampa and St. Petersburg offices, with Florida telehealth.
Annie Mowbray, MA
Tampa | Registered Mental Health Counseling Intern | Chronic Illness & Disability
ABOUT
Annie is a trauma-informed clinician in Tampa offering virtual therapy across Florida and in-person sessions for adults and couples. She specializes in the inner world of high-functioning clients who look composed on the outside while privately carrying anxiety, perfectionism, OCD, or the long-term weight of relational trauma. With a Master's in Rehabilitation Counseling and Disability Sciences, Annie brings rare specialty depth to therapy for adults living with chronic illness or invisible disability, and to the partners and families navigating life alongside them.
SPECIALTIES
Annie draws from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Gestalt therapy, and a trauma-informed lens, adapting her approach to the person in the room rather than applying a single protocol. Her clients often carry high-functioning anxiety, OCD, or perfectionism alongside deeper layers of relational trauma, complex trauma, and PTSD, with depression, life transitions, adjustment disorders, or disordered eating frequently part of the picture. She brings particular depth to therapy for adults living with chronic illness, autoimmune conditions, chronic pain, neurodivergence, and the invisible disabilities the world tends to overlook. She works just as closely with the caregivers and families navigating a loved one's illness or disability, and with couples rebuilding emotional safety after infidelity or strained communication. Annie sees young adults and adults at the Tampa office and across Florida via secure telehealth.
Brianna Garcia, MA, LMHC
Tampa | Child, Teen & Family Therapist
ABOUT
A Tampa native, Brianna Garcia brings deep care to the community she calls home. Her trusting, safe space invites children, teens, families, and adults to learn, heal, and express themselves freely as they take meaningful steps toward growth and self-understanding.
SPECIALTIES
Solution-Focused Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Family Systems approaches, trauma-informed care, and play therapy. Anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, neurodivergence, identity development, and family conflict. Children ages five and up, teens, adults, and families. Tampa office and Florida telehealth.
Dr. Alex Castañeda, PhD, LMHC
Tampa | EMDR, Trauma & Addiction Therapist
ABOUT
Dr. Alex Castañeda helps adults and couples heal from trauma, process addiction, and emotional patterns that no longer fit the life they want. His doctoral work in psychology and theology lets him pair rigorous psychological science with a faith-aware approach for clients who want their values honored, while working just as readily with clients of any belief system or none. He sees clients at the Tampa office and through telehealth across Florida.
SPECIALTIES
Advanced training in EMDR, drawing additionally on Emotionally Focused Therapy, the Gottman Method, existential, and CBT and DBT informed approaches. Single-incident and complex trauma, pornography and process addiction, religious trauma, anxiety, depression, and relationship repair. Deep doctoral focus on addiction and its impact on partners and relationships, paired with couples EMDR for trauma carried into the relationship. Adults and couples. Tampa office and Florida telehealth.
Lauren Pages, MSW, Registered Clinical Social Worker Intern
Tampa | Registered Clinical Social Worker Intern | Child, Teen & Young Adult Therapist
ABOUT
Lauren Pages is a Registered Clinical Social Worker Intern specializing in children, teens, young adults, and families. She is passionate about the moment when a child's struggle becomes the family's healing, working collaboratively with parents to create meaningful and sustainable change. With older teens and young adults, Lauren creates space to explore identity, navigate major life transitions, and build a life rooted in personal values.
SPECIALTIES
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Motivational Interviewing, and trauma-informed care, integrating mindfulness, movement, art, music, and play. Anxiety, depression, school-related stress, emotional regulation, ADHD, mood disorders, family conflict, self-harm, life transitions, and identity work. Children five and up, teens, young adults, and families. Tampa office and Florida telehealth