A Piece of My Story

by Riley Bidwell

I started telling people that I am gay when I was seventeen years old. Everyone important in my life knew a little after I turned eighteen. Before that, I kept myself hidden. On the outside, everyone around me saw a bright smile on my face even though there was a war going on inside. In the environment that I grew up in, being gay was looked down on and considered a moral flaw. Yet, as time went on, it became clearer and clearer to me that I loved who I loved and there was nothing I could do to control that even if I wanted to. However, for most of my adolescent years, shame was steering the ship. And I was headed straight towards an iceberg. With the information I had at the time, it felt like I had no one to talk to and nowhere to go and feel safe. 

When I first started telling people that I was gay, my legs were shaky, and my palms were sweaty. But, to my surprise, often, I was welcomed with open arms. Still, living my truth (even just by saying three simple words: “I am gay”) was a rigorous exercise in discovering how capable I was of being vulnerable. It was about time I started steering my own ship.

I went away to college a year after I came out to my friends and family. The first week that I was enrolled in courses, I called the school counseling services not knowing just how impactful therapy would be in my own life. I knew that I wanted to talk to someone about what I experienced living as a gay man. Little did I know that I was at the beginning of a beautiful path that led to acceptance, authenticity, and learning how to thrive as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community.

The Tension Between Attachment and Authenticity

Dr. Gabor Mate explained that we have two essential needs as human beings. First, we are hardwired for human connection. We receive connection in our families, our relationships with significant others, our friends, and even involvement in the community around us. Second, we must have the ability to be our authentic self. Dr. Mate says that “to be authentic is to be true to a sense of self arising from one’s own unique and genuine essence, to be plugged into this inner GPS and to navigate from it.” Authenticity is steering your own ship. 

What happens when being our authentic selves puts us at risk of losing connection with those around us? Unfortunately, members of the LGBTQIA+ community too often are confronted by this question. Too often, LGBTQIA+ individuals, their relationships, and families risk losing connection with those around them because of who they love and who they are. 

The Road to Healing

“It is not only necessary to leave blame and guilt behind on the road to healing, to move from self-accusation to curiosity, from shame to ‘response ability’ – it is also and always possible.”

-        Dr. Gabor Mate

I set out to help others the way therapy helped me thrive. I work with LGBTQIA+ clients to move from shame and unwarranted guilt towards acceptance and love. It is not only important to make this move, but also possible to do so and thrive.

Sierra Helms- MFT State Intern Therapist

Sierra Helms-MFT State Intern Therapist

“Life is a roller coaster,” Sierra’s mom would always say to her. And within every roller coaster ride there are safety bars, belts, and harnesses, to help support you through all of its ups and downs. Sierra Helms is a MFT student therapist who has always admired the idea of being the safety straps for others when life seems as if it is plummeting down hill.

It is only in human nature, that people need other people to be there for them to understand the motions, hear the screams, and support their ride in life with a non-judgmental, caring, and helpfully calm presence. Sierra’s areas of focus are teens, young adults, couples, and families, who are dealing with life transitions, relational issues, depression, anxiety, stress, family issues, and low self esteem/confidence.

Everyone’s life goes through ups and downs, but there is no need to go through them alone and without the care, support, and help of another person. Sierra wishes, not to give advice, but to inspire her client’s with a new way of living, that has them holding onto their harness until it’s finally time to raise their arms and smile throughout the ride.

Valerie Taylor- CPC Student Therapist

Valerie Taylor- CPC Student Therapist

Valerie (pronouns she/her/hers) is a Clinical Professional Counselor student therapist attending Wake Forest University who has previously earned a doctorate degree in education and master’s degree in public administration.  She believes that collaboration between a therapist and client is the key to creating a healthy path for the positive emotional and life changes that we all seek. Through the use of an integrative, narrative centered approach and culturally meaningful lens, Valerie’s clients are supported in finding solutions to address the difficult challenges that brought them to seek help.

She draws from her years of experience as a professor, trauma informed yoga instructor, teacher trainer and health educator and advocate. Her areas of focus include: anxiety, depression, grief, life transitions, self-esteem, stress and trauma.  She works with diverse clients and specializes in working with people of color and LGBTQIA+ communities.

The quote that guides her is  "I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept." by Dr. Angela Davis. Valerie’s counseling philosophy is that change is a process, but she will be here to help you sustain a vibrant, healthy and genuine presence in life. Valerie enjoys laughing at her Boston terriers and reading books on a plane, beach or at a vegan café. 

Alyssa Rochon-MFT Student Therapist

Alyssa Rochon-MFT Student Therapist

Alyssa is a true Ragin’ Cajun born and raised in South Louisiana. She attended The University of Louisiana at Lafayette where she obtained her BS in Psychology, paired with a minor in Sociology. Alyssa relocated to Las Vegas for an opportunity to work with a population different than what she grew up with in Southern Louisiana. She’s currently attending Capella University, where she’s obtaining her MS in Marriage and Family Therapy. Alyssa strives to merge her culture into her art of therapy, where she has learned to be empathetic, kind, and helpful through southern hospitality.

Her grandmother and father have quoted many Cajun-French phrases throughout her life, one of them being, “Lache pas la patate!” Translated, the phrase means, “Don’t drop the potato!”, but the Cajun/Creole people think of the phrase as motivation to keep going and don’t give up! This is something that Alyssa hopes to share with clients throughout the therapeutic process. Alyssa understands that society has a huge impact on our daily lives and sometimes, it’s easy to get lost in the sauce, or as the Cajuns call it, lost in the “fricassee”! Alyssa collaborates with her clients in order to understand their beliefs, thoughts, and feelings to generate new solutions, approaches, and ambitions that work for them!

She enjoys working with children through play therapy, teens and young adults, couples seeking counseling, families seeking cohesion, consensual non-monogamy, and the LGBTQIA+ community. Alyssa also focuses on bi-racial/cultural identity struggles.

Riley Bidwell- MFT Student Therapist

Riley Bidwell-MFT Student Therapist

Riley strongly believes that people can move through problems easier when they are met with empathy and a connection with others. His educational background has helped prepare him to work with individuals, couples, and families to overcome challenges they may be facing.

Riley believes that everyone processes life events and challenges differently. Therefore, his method is to collaborate with those he is helping to figure out the best way they are going to take on such challenges. Whether it be issues regarding self-esteem, relationship difficulties, LGBTQIA+ identification, or a major life transition, Riley supports clients throughout their therapeutic process.

Staying true to his goal of meeting clients wherever they are, he keeps this quote by Pema Chodron in mind: “Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded, it’s a relationship between equals.” Riley enjoys taking the time to honor each person’s story, working collaboratively to cocreate or “re-author” a new story of growth and healing.

Riley is willing to meet in person as well as virtually.  

Lauren Hunt- MFT State Intern Therapist

Lauren Hunt- MFT State Intern Therapist

Born and raised in Las Vegas, I am proud to begin my journey as a State Intern therapist, offering space to create change and sustainable self-growth. I enjoy working with families and individuals across the lifespan. I value autonomy and believe that clients are the experts of their lives.

With a collaborative approach to treatment, I want to empower my clients to navigate life's challenges while creating a space of empathy and self-compassion as a foundation for change. Fostering a safe therapeutic environment and a strong bond with each client is at the forefront of my process. Throughout therapy we work to identify goals and discover how we can get there together—providing an understanding, judgment-free environment to explore one's reality, the good, bad, and everything in between.

Robyn Taube- CPC Student Therapist

Robyn Taube- CPC Student Therapist

Children and adults alike experience unforeseen setbacks and barriers. Robyn wants to help children and adults succeed in their goals in life while learning coping mechanisms in a supportive, trusted environment. She has had over ten years’ experience with school-aged children and their families. She’s worked with children affected by Autism, ADHD, and social/emotional issues. As a Certified Professional Coach, Robyn has supported women going through divorce and other life hardships.

Robyn has a background in Education, along with a master’s in both Psychology as well as School Counseling. Robyn is pursuing a Clinical Professional Counseling (CPC) license within the state of Nevada. She is currently enrolled at Post University in their certification program with a concentration on substance abuse counseling. In learning about addictions, she has seen that underlying issues are common. Robyn is aiming to work with children and adults to resolve trauma, anxiety, depression, life transitions, and decision making. The author C.S. Lewis said, “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending”.  She is committed to helping her clients change their endings and achieve the life they dream of. Robyn’s goal is to create a supportive and non-judgmental environment for anyone that walks through her door.

Karrison Rimon- MFT Student Therapist

Karrison Rimon- MFT Student Therapist

Karrison is an avid believer in the power of a smile, a kind word, and a listening ear. His objective is to work together in a collaborative effort to sort through some of the many complex emotions and circumstances that often bring people into therapy. He has a desire to work with a diverse population and is happy to see clients both in-person as well as virtually.

He specializes in working with children, individuals, couples/families, infidelity, and trauma. Karrison has worked with a variety of clients struggling with anxiety, depression, and PTSD, and is looking forward to working towards having a positive impact on those he works with in therapy. Karrison’s favorite quote embodies his therapeutic approach,

“How do we change the world? One random act of kindness at a time,” - Morgan Freeman.

Dana Middleton- MFT Student Therapist

Dana Middleton- MFT Student Therapist

Dana is a student psychotherapist from the UNLV’s Marriage and Family Therapy program which is part of the School of Medicine. She is committed to helping her clients connect with their deepest selves and tap into their innate resources. Her work focuses on transforming lives psychologically, and physically through a person-centered approach. She believes your life story gets written into your nervous system, so not only is traditional theory important, but a therapeutic approach that engages the body and the nervous system is just as important.

Dana is passionate about creating resources and tools for those that want personal growth and those struggling with difficult events and challenges.   Dana is an animal lover and her favorite quote is “A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor”. (Franklin D. Roosevelt)

Dana’s areas of focus are teen mothers, family disputes, trauma, end of life, grief and acute and chronic medical conditions.

Emily Laurita- MFT Student Therapist

Emily Laurita- MFT Student Therapist

Emily enjoys working with individuals, couples, families, and children; she offers both in person and telebehavioral health services to help meet her clients’ needs. Emily is passionate about working from a systems perspective to enhance her understanding of her clients lives, and works collaboratively with her clients to empower them throughout their treatment. Emily’s collaborative approach can be encapsulated by the following quote: “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn” (Benjamin Franklin). Life is about learning and therapy is about learning how to grow.

Emily has experience working with depression, anxiety, self-esteem, PTSD, attachment injuries, infidelity, children, and grief. Of her experiences, Emily most enjoys grief work. Death and loss of loved ones, relationships, pets, and expectations can have a devastating impact on individuals and groups. This is a topic that affects people during every phase of life and should be honored and understood.

Emily has worked with terminally ill cancer patients and their families dealing with anticipatory grief and has a background in both Psychology and Human Development-Family Sciences.

Jennifer Tripp-Herring - MFT Intern

Jenn is passionate about creating a transparent, accepting, and healing space. This space is created by forming a sound rapport that is empathetic and founded on an unrelenting positive regard. In a collaborate effort, she works with clients to find strategies that are both expressive and progressive! Jenn strives to support those experiencing relational issues, anxiety, depression, and other life challenges by focusing on effective communication, connection, self acceptance, and fulfillment.

We all experience life's struggles and your unique experiences deserve to be heard, validated, and appreciated! It is her passion to offer a space unlike any other in the world: a place of peace, openness, respect, and an unrelenting positive regard.

She has years of experience with mood disorders, including anxiety and depression. Additionally, she specialize in relational issues, such as communication difficulty or infidelity. Whether an individual, couple, or family unit, each person’s expression and experiences will be valued, explored, and attended to!

Sheryl Goldstein -MFT Student Therapist

Sheryl Goldstein - MFT Student Therapist

Sheryl understands family struggles are complex and challenging. Her commitment is to create the path which enables her clients to live the life they want and deserve. She listens carefully and provides strategy, tailored to clients’ specific needs. Sheryl endeavors to create a safe and secure environment to conquer challenges and move towards a better tomorrow.

She acknowledges the willingness to improve mental health and believes taking that step is a critical and courageous decision. Her clinical approach is to assess situations based on the interactional patterns weaved in one’s life. She utilizes Experiential and Cognitive Behavioral methods specializing in young women, individuals, couples, and families.

Carmen Nieto - MFT Student Therapist

Carmen Nieto- MFT Student Therapist

Carmen is a graduate level student therapist, training to work with individuals, couples, and families. She is bilingual and offers services in both English and Spanish. She believes that individuals are the experts of their own lives and hopes to support her clients in their personal journeys towards healing and growth.

As a clinician, she has developed a passion for helping individuals with their attachment, infidelity, self-esteem, and trauma needs. Carmen is also passionate about expanding the accessibility for mental health resources within underrepresented communities, especially within the Latinx community.  

Jessica Gerloff- MFT-Intern

Jessica Gerloff- MFT-Intern

Welcome to Intentional Therapy! Often words will fail to convey our true intentions. Learned coping mechanisms, inability to choose authentic interactions and learned behaviors can all be changed. With time and work, there is ALWAYS hope. 

Jessi works with couples, families and individuals, offering both telehealth services and in person visits, located in Summerlin, NV. Jessi’s philosophy is that: “You are not alone. You are not merely what your fears tell you. Everyone has an opportunity to grow and let go of what no longer serves their truest self.” She specializes in grief, narcissistic personality disorders, family joining (primary and integration of step/new), recommitment after infidelity or amicable processing of separation, social anxiety, and improving conversational skills through confidence and clarity. Jessi is there to support her clients and guide them on an empathetic human level without any judgement.

Douglas Earle, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

Douglas Earle, LMFT

Douglas Earle is a member of the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists, and is currently working towards his certification with the association. Douglas works with couples, individuals, as well as poly relationships in a safe, sex positive environment. Here, Douglas helps people heal from past traumas, and identify and heal from out-of-control sexual behavior. He aids people identify elements in one’s life that may be inhibiting one from fully experiencing their sexual identity, needs and desires. Even if that means expressing in a way that is unique to you and differs from others. He helps relationships dealing with issues that cause distress in the relationship and inhibit exploration of their sexual selves.

Here you can ask any question free of judgement and criticism. Is it ok if I like this or do that? How does age, injury or medication affect me, my partner, or partners sexually? How do I talk to my spouse about my needs, fantasies, or set boundaries? Could I be addicted to sex or porn? How can we spice things up in the bedroom? How do I protect myself from pregnancy, or sexually transmitted infections? What does it mean if I do have an infection? How do I perform sexually when certain sexual body parts are not functioning like they should? What is “real” sex? In other words, Douglas helps you debunk myths and raise your sexual intelligence. Let us learn how to have sex that doesn’t fail and create closeness and intimacy with ourselves and partner, or partners.

Neeka Wittern, MFT-Intern

Neeka is trained to work with individuals, couples, and families from various backgrounds. Her goal is to help guide you through any challenges, trauma, or unexpected life changes you may experience. She especially has a passion for working with sex workers, infidelity, LGBTQ+, suicidal ideation, disordered eating, multicultural couples/families, sexual issues, and trauma. She believes that clients have everything that they need to make positive changes in their lives within themselves. She focuses on establishing reachable goals with clients that can be maintained even after their graduation from therapy.

She takes an evidence-based approach that combines well-researched interventions from Internal Family Systems, Strategic Family Therapy, Emotionally Focused Therapy, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy models to help clients overcome trauma, grow, and navigate life. Furthermore, she is pursuing a certification in Sex Therapy from AASECT as a specialization.

Her practice is open and affirming to all people regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, ability, socio-economic status, religious or political beliefs, and/or alternative forms of sexual expression and lifestyle. She personally understands the importance of promoting a compassionate and trustworthy relationship with her clients.

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Adryana DeBenedittis-CPC Student Therapist

Adryana DeBenedittis- CPC Student Therapist

As a Latina and as a clinician, Adryana strives to reduce barriers that minorities face by acknowledging, validating, and advocating their experiences, societal barriers, and lack of voice that they may have. Mental health stigmas prevent many individuals from seeking mental health services, especially minority populations. One skill set that helps her serve the Latinx community is being a bilingual clinician who speaks both English and Spanish. She strives to create a safe space with her clients, so uncomfortable topics can be addressed together. She also recognizes that she may not have similar experiences as her clients but she’s willing to listen and hear about theirs. She firmly believes that her clients are her equals and invites them to educate her on topics she may not be familiar with.

Most of her clinical and professional experience involves working with youth and adolescents. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Tampa in 2020. She’s currently working towards her master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She recognizes that everyone has their unique struggles and there is beauty in processing and confronting those struggles. As Helen Keller once said, “Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.”

Linny Le-MFT Student Therapist

Linny Le-MFT Student Therapist

Linny’s educational background gives her the opportunity to work with clients of different ages and backgrounds. She is equipped to help individuals, couples, and families cope with a variety of mental health issues. Her passion is helping individuals heal and see healthy changes in their lives- it can be anything from improving relationships, gaining self-confidence, overcoming major life experiences or acute life transitions- healing and change is possible!  

Her approach is supportive, reflective, collaborative and trauma-informed. Linny has an empathetic nature that creates a safe, judgment free environment where individuals will learn to  overcome any blockage that may hinder them from their personal growth and navigate through any limitation they may be feeling. 

Jessica Ingersoll - MFT Student Therapist

Jessica Ingersoll -MFT Student Therapist

Jessica believes that obstacles are vital to individual growth. They allow us to learn and push us out of our comfort zone. But some obstacles can feel absolutely crushing and sometimes that pressure is just too much to bear on our own. As a Student Marriage and Family Therapist, she has received the training needed to help her clients navigate the various obstacles life brings. She believe it is up to you to decide if those obstacles are going to make or break you. Choosing to try therapy tells her that you at least have a little bit of hope for things to get better. She will take that hope and put everything she has into helping you navigate to the place where you would like to be. Whether it’s a relationship that needs repairing, or an individual that needs healing, She is there, and is there without any judgment or bias. 

She works with couples, families, and individuals. She also works with both adolescents and adults. She is especially passionate about working with perinatal and postpartum moms and couples as they navigate that new stage of life. She will work with clients of all backgrounds, including all religions. She works with couples struggling with infidelity or addiction, couples who want a more secure relationship, families dealing with grief, parents who need help connecting to their teenagers, and individuals struggling to cope with anxiety and depression. She is also passionate about helping clients discover their self-worth. She believes every client is unique and just as worthy as the next. She feels privileged to work with every client that comes my way. 

I have a few approaches to therapy, depending on what is best suited to that particular client. Emotional Focused Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy are some of my favorites. I believe that the best therapy is done collaboratively. The client knows themselves better than anyone else so I believe that their best chance of success is best done when working as a team. 

Ashley Benoit - CPC Student Therapist

Ashley Benoit - CPC Student Therapist

Ashley believes that every individual can write their own story and change their endings; sometimes, people just need a little guidance on the direction to go, much like therapy. Seeking out counseling can be one of the hardest things, but Ashley makes a point out to show you just how strong you are. She primarily works with individuals who have experienced significant traumas. Ashley has a background in working with youth and families in the child welfare system and individuals who struggle with addiction. She utilizes several approaches, such as Cognitive Behavioral therapy and person-centered techniques, to encourage growth and promote healing.