Our Team
Find the Right Therapist for Your Healing Journey
Terri Blake, PhD, LPC
I am honored when clients choose me to help them navigate their healing journey. My approach is a holistic, strength-based, and trauma-informed approach. Additionally, I believe that clients are the experts of their lives, and my role is to provide guidance. My goal is to use therapy as a tool to empower, problem-solve, and reclaim self-love to begin thriving in life.
Amber Friscia, LISW-S
As a Licensed Independent Social Worker with Supervisory designation (LISW-S), I am dedicated to providing a supportive and empowering environment where individuals can explore—and discover—their authentic selves. I welcome clients of any age who feel we might be a good match, and I have a special passion for working with emerging/young adults facing challenges unique to that time of life’s journey. My goal is to help clients discover their own inner resources through providing a safe and challenging space in which to explore, think critically, and take control of their own lives.
Carter Asnien, LPC
As a Licensed Social Worker, I am passionate about helping individuals heal from past trauma and build fulfilling lives. I specialize in supporting clients aged 18 and older, especially those navigating the challenges of anxiety, depression, and unresolved childhood or adolescent trauma. My approach centers around understanding each person's unique story and empowering them to move forward with resilience and strength.
Erika Renteria, LSW
As a Licensed Social Worker, I am passionate about helping individuals heal from past trauma and build fulfilling lives. I specialize in supporting clients aged 18 and older, especially those navigating the challenges of anxiety, depression, and unresolved childhood or adolescent trauma. My approach centers around understanding each person's unique story and empowering them to move forward with resilience and strength.
Rachel Ryan, LMFT
Hi, I'm Rachel Ryan, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) passionate about helping individuals, couples, and families build and maintain healthy, fulfilling relationships. I believe that working as a therapist with a person requires comprehending their environment and the vast network of people who influenced their lives, positively as well as negatively. My goal is to guide clients out of their own heads and help them see how their past impacts their present, fostering improved relationships and personal growth.
Mariya Al-Ghawi, MFT
I am passionate about holding space for each person I work with to experience an opportunity to share their story and be heard. In hand with that, acknowledging and spending time considering the emotions we have as we go through different experiences can help us to understand them. I am also passionate about acknowledging individuality and diversity. I strive to give voice to diverse and minority populations in order to help understand lives in the contexts of our various environments. I value considering the ways in which the impacts of minority status may have on the development of one’s life and relationships.
Mathew Varughese, PhD, LPC, CHES
As a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES), I am dedicated to helping individuals aged 12 and above navigate the complexities of mental health challenges. With a Master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Bowling Green State University and a PhD in Health Education from the University of Toledo, I bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to my practice. My passion for mental health began at a young age when I found myself being a trusted confidant for friends and acquaintances.
Haley Kiser, PhD, MFT
I believe that each of us is the expert of their own life. As a therapist my job is not to tell you what you ought to do, but to work with you so that by working together, we can collaborate and find the most effective ways for you to achieve your goals. I also believe that often our experiences growing up create blueprints that shape our morals, ideas, and beliefs about all things in ways that aren’t always most helpful; however through intentional exploration and work we can change those blueprints.
Davina Adams-Jackson, IMFT
I am an Independent Marriage and Family Therapist (IMFT) who utilizes a blend of psychoeducation, CBT, ERP, DBT-informed techniques, ACT, and positive psychology. I place special emphasis on understanding and managing executive function challenges for my neurodivergent ADHD clients, adopting a strength-based, non-judgmental approach.
Kerri Pearch, APRN-PMHNP
I am a Board Certified Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMH-BC) with over 25 years nursing experience, including with Cleveland Clinic. I also hold certifications as a nurse practitioner in both family and emergency medicine. I have served as an adjunct professor at Aultman College of Nursing and Health Sciences and as a preceptor for Chamberlain University’s nurse practitioner program.
Darby Ivan, LSW
Welcome! I am a passionate therapist dedicated to building strong bonds with my clients based on trust, communication, and collaboration. My goal is to help clients embrace their authentic selves by confronting negative self-talk and channeling their inherent strengths. I find joy in helping clients find practical solutions for life's challenges, witnessing their personal growth, and supporting their journey of self-discovery.
MK Crimmel, LISW
As a licensed independent social worker with a Master's degree from The Ohio State University, my career spans a rich tapestry of experiences, from ensuring the well-being of senior citizens to nurturing the growth of children and adolescents facing mental health and substance use challenges. I am deeply committed to empowering individuals across all stages of life to thrive and discover their authentic selves.
John Coaxum, MDiv, LPC
In addition to my Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of the Cumberlands, I earned a Bachelor of Arts in from Oakwood University and a Masters of Divinity from Andrews Theological Seminary. As an ordained pastor, I began providing pastoral counseling to parishioners over a decade ago. Since gaining training and licensure as a Clinical Counselor, I have expanded my work to provide care to a wide variety of clients.
Maddie Penland, MFT
As a dedicated Marriage and Family Therapist, I am passionate about facilitating change and helping clients unlock their full potential. My approach is rooted in compassion, challenge, and growth. I am committed to supporting clients, whether individuals, couples or families, as they navigate life's transitions and overcome obstacles.
Kayce McCurdy, LSW
I am a licensed social worker with a master’s in social work from The Ohio State University and a Bachelor’s in English Literature from Ohio University.
I enjoy working with clients (age 16 and up) from a myriad of backgrounds and perspectives.
As someone with an ADHD diagnosis, I know what it’s like to be neurodivergent in today’s world. I have found that his diagnosis is not a problem that needs solving, just a different set of strengths. I am passionate about helping others discover their own unexpected strengths.
Amanda Miller, MS, MFT
I believe that being human is a beautifully imperfect experience. Each of us live lives that are filled with excitement, joy, love, sadness, anger, fear and loss. Sometimes it feels like you have it all together, and other times everything feels out of control and painful—perhaps even too much to bear.
Your inner world, your relationships with those you love, your work and school lives, even all of society can feel so heavy. The pain can sometimes be manageable and other times feel overwhelming and isolating. The many roles all of us play as a partner, a family member, and a friend can present challenges.
Cheryl Harstine, LPCC-ATR
I am passionate about working to connect with clients from all walks of life. I know how difficult finding a balance in work and home life can be, as I navigate being a wife and a mother to an energetic child. With my clients I focus on providing a safe space for each individual to express and honor their voice to help establish and reconnect with each client’s own voice to honor your story and regain a better understanding of self with compassion.
Lori Jarosz, LSW
I knew from a very young age that helping people was part of who I am. I love walking with people as they explore themselves and gain insight, discover their strengths, and work toward healing. Many of my own life experiences—both happy and painful ones-- have shaped me and given me opportunities to grow and become who I am. I try to build on those experiences as I walk with my clients in their life journeys.
David Bowers, PhD, IMFT-S
As a marriage and family therapist, I am attuned to clients’ interconnected webs of relationships even when working one-on-one. My experience and training with families and couples enables me to walk with clients through (re)discovering their connectedness with those they love.
I’m most passionate about exploring clients’ stories, and listening for places where personal narratives might differ from others’. This often provides spaces for clients to explore new or neglected understandings of themselves and their relationships leading to preferred, more fulfilling future stories.
Take the First Step Toward a Healthier, More Balanced Life
Reach out today to book your session with LifewRx, where personalized care meets compassionate support. Start your journey with us—schedule your session now and see what’s possible.
Columbus (Polaris)
Middleburg Heights