Counseling Team
Sheri Mitschelen, LCSW, RPT-S
Sheri Mitschelen, LCSW, RPT-S, a co-founder and the Executive Director of The Heart Leaf Center, has over 35 years of experience working with children, adolescents and families as a Clinical Social Worker. She is also the founder and owner of Crossroads Family Counseling Center, a for-profit mental health organization, which she has run for over 30 years. She has been recognized as One of the “Best Child Therapists in the Area”, by her peers in the Washingtonian magazine and in 2023 received the prestigious Anne Stewart Play Therapy award by the Virginia Play Therapy Association, recognized as a top contributor in the field of Play Therapy.
Sheri was the President of the Virginia Association for Play Therapy (VAPT) for four years.
Sheri is passionate about play therapy and created a play therapy training program through Crossroads Family Counseling Center to provide low cost, high quality play therapy training to professionals in the community. She also has presented on numerous play therapy topics locally, nationally and internationally for many organizations such as: The Association for Play Therapy, The Mid-Atlantic Play Therapy Institute, Virginia Association for Play Therapy, University of Maryland Continuing Education program as well as Fairfax County Public Schools.
She also has been an Adjunct Faculty member at Virginia Tech., Marriage and Family Therapy Master’s Program teaching Play Therapy, an Adjunct faculty member at George Mason University and Catholic University of America in the Schools of Social Work.
Contact information: sheri@heartleafcenter.org, 703-472-1725
Tracey Wilson, LPC
Tracey is a Licensed Professional Counselor, and specializes in working with children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families. Tracey utilizes a client-centered approach, to meet client’s specific and unique needs and wants. Tracey seeks to establish a strong rapport and developing a therapeutic relationship that foster healing and progress. Tracey is passionate about treating children’s needs and improving the family’s ability to provide effective support for the child to promote healthy functioning of the child within the family.
Tracey has experience in individual and family therapy, and crisis stabilization. Tracey’s areas of focus include anxiety, depression, substance use/abuse, relationship/family issues, Post-Traumatic-Stress Disorder (PTSD), anger management, behavioral issues, and emotional disturbance. Additionally, she enjoys psychoeducation and working with diverse/multicultural clients. Tracey’s approach to therapy is eclectic; using evidence-based techniques that have been proven to help with specific problems and adapting her approach to each client’s unique needs and treatment goals. She most often uses interventions from Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), mindfulness, and Solution-Focused methodologies.
Tracey Wilson received an Associate in Law Enforcement, and a Bachelor of Science In Liberal Studies (Sociology) from Southern University A& M College and a Master of Arts in Community Counseling from Argosy University in Arlington Virginia. Tracey has also worked in intensive-in-home therapy and mental health skills building.
Contact information: tracey@heartleafcenter.org, 571-932-3245
Mariam Abdelwahab, MEd
Mariam Abdelwahab is a Resident in Counseling. She is passionate about providing holistic mental health care to diverse children and families through a child/person centered, collaborative and multicultural approach to provide meaningful care for children, adolescents and families. Mariam predominantly utilizes non directive play, sand tray, expressive art, and other expressive modalities that provide clients with safe and developmentally appropriate ways to process their inner and outer worlds, and to develop the tools necessary for growth. Mariam is working on her Registered Play Therapy Credential.
Mariam has experience providing play therapy directly in schools and coordinates with teachers, counselors and administrators regarding school related behavioral and emotional issues. Mariam has worked closely with parents in the schools, and outpatient counseling setting, working to support parents and caretakers with psycho education and connection, to address the overall family unit, and collaboration with treatment goals.
Mariam has experience working with diverse clients, including English as a second language and immigrant families, neurodivergent families, military families, etc and finds beauty in meeting families where they are at, engaging protective factors and resources within culture/society, faith, language, etc., alongside treatment. Mariam is bilingual in Spanish.
Prior to pursuing her masters, Mariam spent 5 years facilitating self advocacy and development programs for immigrant adolescents.
Mariam received her M.Ed in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at George Mason University, and her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication and
Rhetoric from the University of Pittsburgh.
Contact: mariam@heartleafcenter.org, 412-559-1529
Matt Beebe, MEd
Matt Beebe is a Resident in Counseling, Coordinator for the Community and School Therapy (CAST) program. He is a former THLC Graduate intern who received his Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree from George Mason University. Matt has worked at THLC for over one year coordinating our School Partnership program with Fairfax County Public Schools. He provides counseling in the schools as well as in the out-patient program. He also oversees the Data and Research Committee. In 2024, Matt Beebe was recognized as Virginia Health Care Foundation’s Mental Health Champion of the Year for his work providing counseling to students in the schools and coordinating the CAST program to increase the number of families engaging in the program. Matt was previously a special education teacher in FCPS and uses his knowledge and experiences to support families and schools when working with children.
Contact: matt@heartleafcenter.org, 703-646-1189
Susan Daly, MSW
Susan is a Supervisee working toward licensure to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and a Registered Play Therapist (RPT). Susan has been a school social worker for Fairfax County Public Schools since 2021. Prior to that she worked as a school social worker in Central Virginia for 25 years. She also has experience in the hospital and social services settings. Susan’s professional interests include supporting diverse families, using art and play in therapy and addressing areas such as trauma, learning challenges and anxiety and depression with an emphasis on developing her clients’ strengths, empathy and resilience. Susan incorporates mindfulness and yoga in her work. She is a registered yoga teacher (RYT-200).
Susan has Bachelor’s degrees in English and Psychology from the University of Virginia. She earned a Master of Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1994. She completed a yoga teacher certification in 2021. Susan is currently enrolled in an advanced yoga certification program.
Contact: Susan@heartleafcenter.org, 703-397-8163
Liza Fitzgerald, MSW
Liza Fitzgerald earned her master’s degree in social work from George Mason University in May 2023 with a clinical focus on children and families. During this time, Liza received training in Child-Centered Play Therapy as an Intern at The Heart Leaf Center. She loves creating spaces where children can express themselves without constraint and fostering a relationship where they are seen and accepted as they are. Liza loves working alongside children, teens, families, parents, and couples to help them grow through their difficulties and strengthen their relationships.
Liza holds her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from George Mason University. She is married and has three children. Liza also feels a strong connection to military families struggling through some of the highs and lows of these life experiences, as she spent 16 years as a military spouse while her husband served in the Army. Outside of work, she loves to spend time with her family, friends, and cat, Jimmy.
Liza is thrilled to be part of The Heart Leaf Center and considers working with children and their families a privilege.
Contact: liza@heartleafcenter.org, 571-293-0461
Jennifer Gisin, MSW
Jennifer Gisin, MSW. Jennifer is passionate about providing a safe and nurturing environment to facilitate positive growth and change for her clients. Jennifer anchors her therapeutic work in a uniquely tailored approach for each child, working from a strengths based perspective to foster and nurture the unique and special dynamics already residing within the child. She invites family involvement to create a holistic approach that will support continued long term healing for the whole family system.
O’neil Nation
O’neil is a Resident in Counseling with a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from George Mason University. He is passionate about helping kids learn to better cope with life, relationship issues, and mental health conditions. O’neil is currently an ABA therapist which applies behavioral analysis to help clients decrease maladaptive behaviors and promote helpful behaviors. His goal is to provide the best services for kids in need so they can function in their daily life and increase their well-being.
O’neil’s theoretical approach centers around cognitive behavioral therapy which involves the connections between our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. He believes our negative thoughts can lead to problems in our behaviors. He also believes it is important to build a therapeutic relationship so that it promotes positive change for the client.
O’neil has lived in northern Virginia his whole life and was raised in a Jamaican and black household. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and is a Registered Behavioral Technician. He has a mentor in the counseling field who guides him to grow as a person and be the best version of himself.
Contact: oneil@heartleafcenter.org, 703-397-8163
Mandy Robitaille, MSW
Mandy Robitaille, MSW, Supervisee in Clinical Social Work. Mandy strives to provide support and relief by offering a nurturing and safe therapeutic environment for children, adolescents, and families. Mandy is passionate about helping individuals and families become empowered by realizing their potential and gaining new perspectives, knowledge, and skills in order to overcome life’s challenges. Mandy demonstrates an appreciation for the importance of connection and the ways in which relationships influence well-being by encouraging self-advocacy, exploration of current relationships, and identification and utilization of healthy boundaries. Mandy uses a strengths-based and solutions-focused approach with clients in order to establish rapport as well as build a strong therapeutic foundation for progress.
Mandy has experience in individual and family therapy, client advocacy, crisis prevention and intervention, and safety planning. Mandy’s areas of focus includes processing and healing from trauma, behavioral and emotional regulation, anxiety, depression, self-harm, suicidality. Mandy is passionate about supporting, affirming, and empowering all members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Mandy completed her Bachelor of Social Science and Master of Social Work at Brandman University in Irvine, California and is currently earning supervision hours for clinical licensure in Social Work.
Contact information: mandy@heartleafcenter.org, 404-455-1219
Diva Rojas, MSW, ACSW
Diva Rojas, MSW, ACSW, Supervisee in Social Work, I am passionate about working with preschoolers, school age children, preteens and young adults. I strive to engage parents in their children’s treatment plan and enjoy helping children recognize their emotions. I help parents understand the emotions children can experience and support families developing a constructive dialogue. I guide children in the process of advocating for themselves with teachers, classmates and other adults, and help them understand that their voice matters despite their age. My therapy styles involve CBT, Play Therapy, Talk Therapy, Person- Centered approach, Behavior Therapy, Emotional regulation and Child Parent Therapy.
I have experience in various areas of social work (schools, social services, medical and mental health), I have always been drawn to family dynamics. Most recently, I was a school Social Worker for both Alexandria and Fairfax County schools working with preschoolers.
I am bilingual in both English and Spanish and as a Latina, I like being able to help immigrant families and their children understand the differences and beauty between the American and Latin cultures and learn to embrace them both.
I earned my Bachelor of Arts in special education from George Mason University. Shortly after obtaining my Bachelors, I moved to Florida and enrolled in Barry University in order to obtain my Master of Social Work. I am currently an Academic Certified School Social Worker with the state of Virginia and recently I applied to obtain my clinical hours to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.
Contact: diva@heartleafcenter.org, 571-766-6499
Kayla Williams, MA
Kayla Williams, Resident in Counseling, received her Masters degree in Clinical Mental Health through George Washington University. Kayla has experience and specialized training in working with children, adolescents, parents, and families struggling with grief and loss, divorce, emotional regulation, adjustment, anxiety, depression, navigating child-parent relationships, and attachment disruptions. She also has experience working with foster families and military families.
Before becoming a counselor Kayla’s background was centered in working with children in a teaching, tutoring, and mentoring capacity. This experience informs her current clinical work as she has a wealth of knowledge on the social, emotional and cognitive processes involved in learning and developmental growth and how these aspects are impacted by mental health.
Kayla believes that the therapeutic relationship is one of the most important factors that impact growth and change. Through her empathetic nature and passion for children and families, Kayla hopes to better support children and families through their various challenges. One of Kayla’s biggest goals is to continue to bridge the gap between children, adolescents, and their families.
Contact: kayla@heartleafcenter.org, 301-392-7908
Anastasia Schlaefer
Anastasia is a Supervisee in Social Work with a Masters in Social Work from the Virginia Commonwealth University. She received her Bachelor’s in Social Work from George Mason University in 2023 and will graduated with her MSW in the spring of 2024.
She has prior experience working with youth and adults with developmental or intellectual disabilities at the Fairfax/Falls Church Community Service Board, and also spent time working with Haymarket Food Pantry. Her goal for the future is to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and continue on to become a certified trauma-informed counselor for youth and families. She believes early intervention can be very important in helping individuals to live a safe, successful, and supported life despite the hardships they may have faced. This is why she has a strong passion for supporting youth and their family members.
She believes everyone deserves access to quality mental and physical health care. That is why she is very passionate about creating a safe, supportive, and caring environment for her clients throughout her future career as a social worker.
In her free time she enjoys spending time in nature. You can often find her rock climbing, taking her pets on hikes, and having a nice picnic in the sun. She is a big fan of reading and is always on the lookout for new fantasy books to dive into!
Contact: anastasia@heartleafcenter.org, 703-397-8163
Rohini Aadipudi
Rohini Aadipudi is a graduate student obtaining her master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from George Mason University. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Virginia Tech in 2022. She brings three years of hands-on experience as a Behavioral Therapist providing one-on-one Applied Behavioral Analysis therapy for children with autism and other developmental challenges. Collaboratively, she worked to design and implement tailored strategies aimed at promoting functional independence and enhancing their overall quality of life.
With a strong interest and dedication to working with children, Rohini firmly believes in the significance of early intervention in enabling individuals to lead secure, fulfilling lives despite adversities. Her passion lies in supporting youth and their families through this crucial journey.
She actively addresses and engages in discussions surrounding racial, cultural, and societal issues pertinent to her clients, particularly those from marginalized backgrounds. She advocates for counseling with a multicultural perspective, emphasizing the importance of equitable access to quality mental and physical healthcare for all. Committed to fostering a safe, supportive, and empathetic therapeutic environment, Rohini prioritizes the well-being and growth of her clients.
Contact Information: Rohini@heartleafcenter.org, 703-828-5027
Amanda Confair
Contact: info@heartleafcenter.org, 703-397-8163
Rachel Enser
Rachel Enser is a graduate student obtaining her Masters in Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Virginia Tech.
Rachel started her career as a data analyst. Then, she transitioned to working with youth in many capacities, including as a parent, a teacher, behavior therapist, and an autism advocate. Rachel plans to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker to provide counseling and advocacy for the neurodivergent community.
In her free time, Rachel enjoys nature walks, bird watching, and frequent visits to modern art museums. She also loves reading science fiction and fantasy.
Contact: info@heartleafcenter.org, 703-397-8163
Makeez Qaderi
Makeez is a graduate student pursuing a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at George Mason University. She holds an Associate degree in Early Childhood Education and a Bachelor of Individualized Study (BIS) degree in Social Work and Psychology. Makeez was born and raised in Virginia and brings her unique set of lived experiences as a daughter of Afghan refugees. Makeez’s populations of interest include children and families, adolescents, young adults, refugees, and immigrants of all ages. She uses person-centered and cognitive behavioral therapeutic approaches. Additionally, Makeez enjoys integrating expressive and creative arts counseling interventions.
Makeez strives to create an inclusive, safe, warm, and welcoming environment so that the client feels comfortable sharing their thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Makeez’s goal as a counseling intern is to foster a strong therapeutic relationship built on trust and to make sure her clients feel respected, heard, understood, validated, and comfortable. She believes it is vital for a counselor to treat their clients with dignity and respect. Additionally, she is passionate about strengthening her client’s voices through advocacy.
In her free time, Makeez values spending time with family and close friends and learning about various other countries’ cultures. She enjoys traveling, learning languages, nature, mindfulness, music, poetry, reading, and advocating for topics she is passionate about.
Contact: info@heartleafcenter.org, 703-397-8163
Dega Sabrie
Dega Sabrie is a graduate student working towards her master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at George Mason University. She is passionate about helping children develop behavioral skills and become the best version of themselves. Since 2018, Dega has worked as a Registered Behavioral Therapist providing one-on-one Applied Behavioral Analysis therapy for children diagnosed with autism and other developmental disorders. She works collaboratively to create strategies to help facilitate functional living and improve their quality of life. Dega’s experience extends to career counseling young adults with developmental disabilities providing job coaching and mentorship.
Populations of interest include children and families, teens, and immigrants of all ages. She incorporates Person-centered, Narrative, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy theories, taking an integrated approach to tailor and meet each client’s unique needs. Dega’s clinical training encompasses body image, emotional regulation, and working with parents to name a few areas of expertise. She has extensive experience in supporting immigrant families and marginalized populations.
Contact: dega@heartleafcenter.org, 703-397-8163
Amanda Williams
Amanda is a dedicated graduate student pursuing her Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at George Mason University. Drawing from her background in Social Work and her previous experience as an Education Specialist, Amanda has made a significant impact working with children in educational settings. She has provided valuable parent education, fostering environments of growth and understanding.
Driven by a passion for helping others, Amanda adopts a person-centered approach in her counseling practice. She believes in creating a supportive and empathetic environment where clients feel heard, valued, and empowered to explore their own paths to healing and growth. With Amanda’s guidance, clients can embark on a journey of self-discovery and transformation, navigating life’s challenges with resilience and authenticity. Amanda brings extensive experience working with diverse cultural backgrounds and a proven ability to create inclusive and supportive spaces for individuals with intersectional identities, including first-gen+, migrant-origin, undocumented, and displaced backgrounds.
Outside of her counseling practice, she finds joy in expressing her creativity through art and crafts, channeling her imagination into tangible works of beauty.
Complementing her artistic pursuits, Amanda prioritizes her well-being through regular hiking and engaging in physical fitness activities, recognizing the importance of self-care in maintaining a balanced lifestyle.
Contact: info@heartleafcenter.org, 703-397-8163
Ariel Gonzalez
Ariel Gonzalez, M.S., is an intake interpreter who assists the intake coordinators with Spanish to English and English to Spanish translations.
Contact: Ariel@heartleafcenter.org