Meet our Providers

Brandie Fitch, LMHC

Philosophy of Care

Brandie Fitch is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with more than 25 years of experience working with adults, couples, and families seeking help with trauma and other stress-related disorders, anxiety, mood disorders, personality disorders, relationship issues, life transitions, parenting issues, anger, impulse control, and substance use.  

Brandie utilizes a collaborative, strengths-based, trauma-informed, multiculturally competent approach, drawing from cognitive behavioral, dialectical behavior, rational emotive behavior, reality, solution-focused, and family systems theories, and incorporating motivational interviewing, mindfulness, and other evidence-based practices, always maintaining the creativity, flexibility, and awareness necessary to best meet the needs of every individual and couple.

Brandie seeks to establish a warm and caring partnership with you, working to build on your existing strengths and developing skills and strategies to support you in achieving your desired goals and living the meaningful and fulfilling life.

Education

Indiana University South Bend
Master of Education in Counseling and Human Services

Specialties

• Trauma/Stress-Related issues
• Anxiety
• Depression/Mood disorders
• Personality disorders
• Life transitions
• Anger 
• Women’s issues
• Relationship issues
• Impulse control
• Obsessive/Compulsive disorders
• Substance Use issues
• Parenting/Family issues

Ellen Minter, LCSW

Philosophy of Care

Ellen Minter is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the states of Indiana and Massachusetts. She has been working in the helping profession for 17 years. Ellen has worked with various populations in various capacities such as, a teacher, sexual assault victim advocate, hospice social worker, and direct support professional for the developmentally disabled. She attributes her passion for and success in the field of behavioral/mental health to the combined lessons learned from life experiences, exposure to adverse circumstances, and the stellar education she received in attaining her Bachelor’s in Human Services and her Master’s of Social Work.

In the therapeutic realm, Ellen uses a multimodal approach. In an effort to tailor the care to each client she combines various elements of different interventions including but not limited to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), Solution-Focused Therapy, and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TFCBT). Ellen is known for being very direct and this coupled with her informal conversational style of therapy provides the perfect balance of the comfort and trust that is needed in establishing and nurturing a therapeutic rapport.

Ellen understands the trials of life can be unpredictable, scary, and overwhelming and wants to help you successfully navigate them as they come. Ellen says “I know that life is hard and in a perfect world, we would tell our loved ones everything, but sometimes it’s easier to work things out with someone you don’t know then to tell your loved ones that you feel broken. I will be that ‘someone’.”

Education

University of Southern California
Master of Social Work

Specialties

• Trauma
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Life Transitions
• Identity Issues
• Faith-Based Issues
• Relationship Issues
• Family Therapy

Jennie Sells, LCSW

Philosophy of Care

Jennie is a Licensed Clinical Worker, School Social Worker, and Licensed School Counselor in the State of Indiana. She offers over 15 years experience working with children, teens, adults, families, and couples. Jennie completed her Bachelors of Science in Psychology and Masters of Social Work from University of Southern Indiana. She is also a Field Instructor for Boston School of Social Work and as a college instructor teaching social work, psychology and social science courses.

Through Jennies passion, experience, and dedication she helps the client navigate through lifes challenges and frustrations in a warm-welcoming relationship with each individual client and family. You are heard, accepted, challenged, and encouraged by building upon your strengths to overcome obstacles. 

Jennie is skilled in areas of addictions, chronic or terminal illness, grief, depression, anxiety, and trauma. Navigating children, teens, and families in their college and career path, providing couples with tools they need to strengthen relationships, developing healthy relationships, and communication within families and individuals. Fulfilling goals to a more meaningful and happier lifestyle where the client is always first and person-centered approach for success.

Education

University of Southern Indiana
Masters of Social Work

Specialties

• Marriage
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Eating Disorders
• Mood Disorders
• Schizophrenia and Psychotic Disorders
• Self-Harm

Jennifer Higgins, LMHC

Philosophy of Care

As a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, I would be honored to assist in supporting you through the challenges that life may bring. I currently have 5 years of experience as a counselor and over 10 years experience in the mental health field. I graduated with my Bachelor's Degree in Psychology with a minor in Biology, from Chicago State University, and went on to complete my Master's Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the same University. I specialize in working with individuals from vast backgrounds. I have worked my entire career with individuals with Depression, Anxiety, Bipolar Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, Schizophrenia, PTSD, Trauma, and individuals within the LGBTQ+ community.

Using an eclectic, or many different, therapy styles I am able to pull from CBT, DBT, Person Centered, Motivational Interviewing, Positive Therapy, Reality Therapy, and many more to uniquely craft a plan for treatment with the client at the center.

I understand that you may have tried everything that you know and used all the tools in your toolbox. Let's collaborate and explore new skills, new tips, new tricks and develop new tools to put in your tool box. My hope, is to create a safe space for you to feel comfortable sharing and allow for me to assist you on your journey.

Education

Chicago State University
Master of Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Specialties

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Trauma
• LGBTQ+
• PTSD
• Adjustment Issues
• Borderline Personality Disorder
• Bipolar Disorders
• Relational Issues

Tom Walters, LMHC

Philosophy of Care

Thomas Walters is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the state of Indiana who has over 10 years experience partnering with adolescents, adults, and couples seeking help with depression, anxiety, substance use, post traumatic stress disorder, trauma, problematic sexual behaviors, and relationship issues. He completed his Bachelor of Arts in Bible and Ministry from Bethel University and received his Master of Education in Counseling from Indiana University of South Bend. 

Thomas utilizes cognitive behavioral, strength based, motivational interviewing, and solution focused approaches to therapy providing a creative, intentional, and professional treatment setting, always meeting clients where they are in their journey, and helping develop goals to find emotional stability, improved relationships, improved functioning at work and home, and healthier relationships.

Through a mutual respect and a warm and caring relationship, Thomas will assist you with building on your strengths and help you achieve your goals, allowing you to live a more meaningful and fulfilling life, helping you not just survive but thrive in the areas of life you are seeking to improve. 

Education

Indiana University of South Bend
Master's in Counseling

Specialties

• Trauma
• PTSD
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Substance Use
• Family Conflict
• Adolescents

Veronica Medina, Ph.D., LCPC, LMHC

Philosophy of Care

Veronica Medina, Ph.D., LCPC. LMHC is an organizational psychologist with a master's in counseling. She agrees with Freud’s belief that everyone should be able to Love and Work. We should love our work and understand love. If we do not have any problems with Love and Work we will thrive. When a person experiences an imbalance with Love or Work. they become stressed. As time goes by, a stressed person will develop symptoms of anxiety and depression. Research has shown us that untreated stress accumulates in the body and can cause physical illnesses. Talk therapy or cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), has been known to help in the reduction of stress.

Dr. Medina, began her counseling career in 1995 when she obtained her counseling degree. Her first job was with the Aliveness Project in Gary, Indiana who serviced the LGBTQ community and provided outreach/prevention to the community. Counselor Medina, found additional opportunities in Illinois servicing the Spanish-speaking communities with Chicago Catholic Charities. 

Counselor Medina started to feel the symptoms of secondary trauma, which included compassion fatigue and doubt in her abilities. She decided to return to graduate school to learn more about burn-out, stress, anxiety, and the mind-body connection. Eventually, she understood how this affected the individual and the individual in the organization. 

Dr. Medina is an adjunct professor with a health studies department where she teaches holistic medicine, human sexuality, stress management, and statistics. She recently completed trauma training with the Boston Trauma Center, under the direction of Bessel van der Kolk, a leader in trauma research. 

Education

Valparaiso University
Masters in Counseling

Walden University
Doctorate in Organization Psychology

Specialties 

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• Stress Management 
• Work-Life balance
• Anxiety 
• Depression
• Holistic Remedies
• Somatic symptoms