Meet the Team
We provide a comprehensive and personalized approach in meeting the individual needs of each of our clients. Our team is supportive and responsive, providing individualized care to ensure successful outcomes.
Meet Dr. Heather Bense
Hello! I am a doctorate-level Clinical Social Worker, specializing in assisting individuals with depression, mood regulation, decision-making, phase of life issues, anxiety, obsessions and phobias, traumatic stress, family and relationship conflicts, grief, environmental stressors, and specific to the LGBTQIA+ community.
While I have experience with various evidence-based therapeutic approaches, I primarily utilize narrative methods, trauma-informed approaches like Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Imago Relationship Therapy, Relational Therapy, as well as anti-oppressive and intersectional perspectives, Solution-Focused, and Strengths-Based Therapies.
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I hold several post-graduate certifications, which allow me to provide comprehensive support tailored to your needs and to help you navigate your journey. These certifications include Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Certified Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapist, and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP). Additionally, I am trained in Imago Relationship Therapy, which is a technique designed to help couples communicate more deeply.
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My professional experience includes supervising therapists pursuing advanced licensure, and have held the role of Program Director in higher education counseling and grant-funded programming. I also teach as an Adjunct Instructor in the Doctorate in Social Work (DSW) program at Simmons University and Part-Time Lecturer at the University of School of Social Work Policy and Practice in the Master of Social Work (MSW) program.
Meet Meghan Privitello
Hi, there! I am an alumna of the Bryn Mawr Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research where I received my Masters Degree in Social Services (MSS) in 2020. I received my BSW from Stockton University in 2019, in addition to a BA in Literature and Creative Writing in 2007.
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Since 2018, I have worked in the field of mental and behavioral health, with clients in domestic violence and sexual assault agencies, substance use rehabilitation, and outpatient therapy in both a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) and private practice setting. Prior to working in the mental health field, I was involved in the creative arts field, publishing my own work, and leading poetry and memoir workshops for teens and older adults with a focus on understanding and processing traumatic life experiences.
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Therapy provides a unique environment to explore these issues. Together, we will co-construct a safe, supportive, and non-judgmental space. We can then begin to discover the ways in which your past informs how you experience and interact with your present world. I believe in the potential of the therapeutic relationship to facilitate acceptance and warmth toward what might feel like the most painful or shameful parts of yourself.
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I offer both in-person and telehealth sessions and approach the therapeutic process with a mixture of empathy, curiosity, creativity, and humor. I enjoy working from various treatment approaches. This allows me to listen closely to your needs and tailor a plan that focuses on your strengths and meets you at your stage of readiness.
My favorite approaches include Psychodynamic and Relational approaches, Sex Therapy, EMDR (trained) and Internal Family Systems therapies (Level 1 Trained).