OWNER
Dwight Tolliver, Ph.D., Owner, Psychologist, Co-Author of Gentle Mending
Dwight earned his Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee in August of 2008. During the educational and training process, he worked in a variety of settings and with a variety of populations. Specifically, he has worked in community mental health centers, university counseling centers, and with a crisis organization for children and adolescents. Dwight completed his pre-doctoral internship at The Ohio State University’s Counseling and Consultation Service. Dwight has been a licensed psychologist in the state of Ohio since 2009.
Mending, Growth, and Empowerment:
Dwight’s orientation toward clients has a fervently humanistic slant to it. In essence, this symbolizes a desire to build, create, and foster relationships with clients that matter for the clients. To achieve this type of relationship, Dwight attempts to understand and connect to the whole human being, suggesting that acceptance is as important as change. Dwight views the therapeutic journey as a process of mending, growth, and empowerment, which can be accomplished by attending to the processes of daily living such as making routine decisions AND processes of existential living such as how human beings seek purpose and meaning in Life.
Dwight has a deep respect for clients, hoping they feel his care and concern as well as his belief in their ability to change. In this light, he views his role as one where he helps clients feel empowered to interact with others, the world, or themselves differently and to develop the confidence, resilience, and belief to live a sustainable Life. Dwight has been trained as a generalist and embraces his ability to work effectively with diversity and most presenting concerns (e.g., trauma, loss, ADHD, depression, anxiety, substance abuse). He is also proud to be the owner of Affirmations Psychological Services... where diversity, social advocacy, and the belief in the human spirit are appreciated, valued, and nurtured. Dwight sees clients at our Broad St. location.
Clinicians
Kim Czemeres, M.A., LMFT, LPCC
Kim Czemeres is a Licensed Independent Marriage & Family Therapist specializing in individual and couples therapy. Kim graduated from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Charlotte, North Carolina, with her Master of Arts Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy in May 2002. Born and raised in Western Canada, Kim also holds an Advanced Bachelor Degree in Psychology and a Bachelor Degree in Education from the University of Saskatchewan, Canada. She later worked as an Elementary School Teacher teaching students (K-9) in the public school system.
Kim and her family moved to the United States in 1996 where she became a US citizen and holds licensure as a Mental Health Counselor in Rhode Island and a Marriage & Family Therapist in California. Prior to moving to Columbus, Kim owned a therapy practice in Orange County, California, “Thrive with Therapy”. She has also held various positions in the mental health field. Kim was employed with Kaiser Permanente-California as an Employee Assistant Consultant and worked as a social services provider with In-Sight, a non-profit agency in Rhode Island, that provides services for people who are blind or visually impaired. In Charlotte, NC, Kim worked as a Hospital Chaplain at Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte, NC.
Kim is a solution-focused therapist, that has experience working with diverse client populations by applying complementary therapy approaches and techniques. If you’re looking for extra support and guidance through a challenging situation, Kim looks forward to meeting and supporting you in achieving your goals. Primary areas of interest include: work and career issues such as stress management and conflict resolution, depression and anxiety, couples counseling, parenting support and grief/bereavement counseling.
* Not accepting new clients *
Stephanie George, MSSA, LISW, CDCA
Stephanie is licensed by the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage & Family Therapist Board as a Licensed Independent Social Worker, and by the Ohio Chemical Dependency Professionals Board as a Chemical Dependency Counselor Assistant. She received her master’s degree in social work from The Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University, with a concentration in direct practice – adult mental health.
Her previous social work experience includes providing individual and group behavioral health services at a grief/bereavement center and at a federally qualified health center. Prior to joining the staff at Affirmations, Stephanie also worked as a behavioral health therapist at a not-for-profit community-based healthcare organization specializing in providing integrated care to the LGBTQ community and persons affected by HIV/AIDS.
Stephanie is trained as a generalist, but areas of particular interest include: working with individuals identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, transgender, gender non-binary; anxiety; depression; grief/loss; life transitions; relationship concerns; work/career concerns; co-occurring mental health and physical health concerns; stress management; HIV/AIDS; substance use.
She universally applies a strength-based perspective in her work with clients, giving emphasis to a client’s abilities, talents, and resources. Interventions utilized in her work include humanistic approaches, cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and mindfulness-based techniques while working toward client-identified goals for therapy.
Krystal Hernandez-Kane, Ph.D., Psychologist
Krystal is a licensed psychologist who joined Affirmations in Spring, 2016. A Columbus native, Krystal completed her undergraduate degree in Psychology and Theology from Ohio Dominican University. She earned her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Bowling Green State University. She completed her doctoral psychology internship and post-doctoral fellowship at counseling centers at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale and the University of Maine in Orono, respectively. Prior to returning to Columbus, Krystal served as a staff psychologist and Assistant Training Director at Ohio University Counseling and Psychological Services. During her time at OU, she also served as Coordinator of and a Core Trainer for Bobcats Who Care, an experiential suicide prevention gatekeeper training program. She has been licensed as a Psychologist in the state of Ohio since 2014.
Krystal has worked in college mental health and child community mental health settings. She enjoys working with diverse clients in a variety of services, including individual, group, and couple therapy. In the context of a safe and collaborative therapeutic relationship, Krystal helps clients discover and utilize what it is that provides them with meaning and purpose, self-worth, resiliency and healthy coping, and personal and relational growth. Primary areas of interest include relationship issues and couple therapy, religion and spirituality (either as a resource and/or source of struggle), depression and anxiety, trauma, major life transitions, grief/loss, family of origin issues, self-esteem, identity concerns, LGBTQ support, clinical supervision and training, and outreach on suicide prevention. Krystal is trained as a generalist, and her therapeutic orientation integrates interpersonal, emotion-focused, cognitive-behavioral and acceptance-based, humanistic, and solution-focused approaches. In November, 2017, she completed an externship on Emotionally-Focused Therapy for couples, and is currently completing ongoing training in this therapy; EFT is a therapeutic approach that acknowledges the power of the attachments we form and aims to build healthier interaction cycles between partners.
More about Emotionally-Focused Couple Therapy can be found at iceeft.com and drsuejohnson.com
* Not accepting new clients *
Amy Pfeiffer Nims, M.A., PCC-S
Affirmations is thrilled to include Amy Pfeiffer Nims, MA, PCC-S as a part-time psychotherapist on our staff. Amy has been with Affirmations since September of 2006.
Currently, Amy is the full-time Associate Director of Foster Care at The Buckeye Ranch. She has extensive experience with adolescent and family counseling, and formerly worked counseling students at The Ohio State University. Amy received her Master’s in Clinical Counseling at The Ohio State University and her Bachelor’s from Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana.
Amy is a goal-oriented therapist demonstrating trauma-informed approaches based in Solution-Focused Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Systems Approach, and some Psychodynamics. She specializes in individual, family, and couple’s work, adolescent and adult populations, and LGBTQ issues and support. Amy has experience working with depression, survivors of sexual and physical assault/abuse, family dynamics, Borderline Personality Disorder, self-esteem issues, and relationship issues. Amy has run empowerment, support, and psychodynamic groups for young women, gay/bisexual men, and LGBTQ youth.
Amy has guest lectured at Purdue University, The Ohio State University, and Texas A&M – Corpus Christi. At a local, state and national level, she has presented to mental health professionals, agencies, and the general public on issues such as: stress management, family relationships, LGBTQ culture, sexual development, relationship management, trauma-informed care, and foster care nuances.
Tracy Schurch, LISW-S
Tracy, a licensed independent social worker, grew up in a small town in Ohio before embarking on her educational journey. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Sociology from Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio where she spent her time focusing on research and behavior. She received her Masters in Social Work from the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University. Her concentration was in children, youth, and families, and she spent much of her time working in mental health settings.
Tracy has worked in school settings, community mental health, psychiatric hospitals, and education. She has provided mental health counseling services to children, adolescents, and families. Tracy primarily works with clients who are experiencing depression, anxiety, trauma, life transitions, family issues, self-esteem, identity concerns, and adolescence in the LGBT community. She also has received comprehensive training in Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy along with cognitive behavioral therapy. Tracy wants to engage you in a collaborative process where you are always respected and able to share and work to improve your life.
Rachel Secttor, M.A., LPCC, NCC
It all started at Earlham College. Rachel Secttor was finishing her senior year and needed help. She found it at a psychologist’s office and, after a positive experience in counseling, she graduated with her Bachelor of Arts in English and Music. Rachel tried a variety of jobs including working in the music industry, nannying a 2-year-old, and real estate management.
While living in Nashville, TN she decided it was time to go back to school and become a counselor herself. Rachel got her Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Trevecca Nazarene University while working at Starbucks. She moved to Cincinnati in 2015 to complete her internship at Xavier University. The day after she finished, she started working at Eating Recovery Center of Ohio in Cincinnati. Working with eating disorders, anxiety, trauma, substance abuse, and personality disorders for over 2 years has allowed Rachel to hone practical ways to help people make major changes in their lives.
She enjoys working with adults 18 and older and especially likes helping people through phase-of-life changes like moving, transitions to new jobs, and graduations. Rachel uses evidence-based counseling techniques (CBT, DBT, RO-DBT, ACT, narrative therapy and exposure therapy), her own life experience, and humor to show her clients that change, while challenging, can be an opportunity to grow. If you’d like someone to talk to in the hopes of living a valued life, Rachel is currently accepting new clients.
Heidi K. Carter, LPCC-S, LICDC
Heidi K. Carter is a Supervising Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC-S) and a Licensed Independent Chemical Dependency Counselor (LICDC), specializing in treating mental health and chemical dependency issues. Heidi grew up in Valparaiso, Indiana, a small town in northwest Indiana. She received herbachelor’s degree in psychology from Augustana College, her master’s degree in counseling psychology from Illinois State University, and her master’s degree incounselor education from University of Dayton.
In graduate school, Heidi worked with college students in the Student Counseling Center at Illinois State University. She also worked in a local mental health center during her graduate training with clients who had mental health and substance use issues. Her first job placement was working with adults who had suffered brain injuries at a rehabilitation center in North West Chicago.
Upon moving to Columbus with her husband, Heidi worked for a private practice treating children and adults who were referred by their physician. She also worked for a local mental health center with the chronically mentally illpopulation. She then moved on to working for Adena Medical Center’soutpatient counseling center with children and adults doing both groups and individual counseling.
Heidi has worked for the last 18 years with individuals with mental health, trauma, and addiction issues at CompDrug, Inc. where the primary clientele was individuals with opioid addiction issues on medicated assisted treatment. She had experience there with both individual and group counseling. She has been trained in EMDR (Eye movement Desensitization Reprocessing) since 2001 which is a therapeutic technique to assist individuals with unresolved trauma, grief and loss. Also, during her time there, she trained with Brené Brown and became aCertifiedDaringWayFacilitator. BrenéBrown’sworkfocusesonshameresilience, vulnerability, self-compassion, authenticity and living a whole-hearted life. ThiscertificationallowshertofacilitatebothTheDaringWayandRising Strong curriculums in groups or individually to help people move through difficult shame issues.
Heidi is trained as a generalist, and is comfortable working with most presenting concerns (trauma, addiction, grief/loss, depression, anxiety, life transitions, parenting, caregiver stress, co-dependency, chronic illness/health issues, and
communication/relationship issues) and is passionate about working with people whohavebeenmarginalizedbysociety. Heidi’sexperiencehashadafocusandtraining in attachment theory looking at the influence of family of origin issues on how we develop as people and interact in relationships. She looks at how our experiences and traumas forms us, looking at the patterns we have fallen into, examining our values and helping you be your authentic self to allow for full connection in relationships.
Office Manager
Paula Bearns Keller
Paula is a people person and enjoys working and interacting with clients. She joined Affirmations to round-out her professional career after holding various and diverse senior administrative positions in the non-profit and business communities, as well as a paralegal in private companies and law firms in and around the Columbus-area. Paula and her husband live on Big Darby Creek where she loves kayaking, gardening, and entertaining friends, neighbors and family.