Meet our Team of Thriveworks Westborough Counselors

Heather Audette, LMHC

Heather is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who has 12 years of clinical experience partnering with individuals seeking support with managing depression, anxiety, trauma, and life transitions. Heather is a strength-based therapist with a strong belief that people are doing the best they can with the tools they have. She is passionate about helping individuals discover their strengths and learn strategies to improve their overall quality of life. Heather’s treatment approach utilizes a blend of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, humanistic therapy, solution focused therapy, and mindfulness.

Heather’s counseling style is supportive, collaborative, and nonjudgmental. She strives to make therapy a positive and empowering experience, where individuals have a safe space to explore their life events and build insight into the patterns and challenges that may be barriers on the path to wellness. Her core values of kindness, empathy, and authenticity allow her to build trust and provide individuals with opportunities for growth and change.

Heather’s specialties include:

• Anxiety
• Stress management
• Depression
• Self-esteem
• Trauma
• Mood Disorders
• Life transitions
• Adoption/Foster Care
• Grief/Loss
• Mindfulness

Katie McGrath, MSW, LICSW

Katie McGrath is an independently licensed clinical social worker who provides counseling for a wide variety of problems, tailoring specific strategies to each person's unique situation and personality. Katie completed her graduate studies at the University of New Hampshire and has extensive experience in Medical Social Work, Crisis Intervention, Refugee Resettlement, Emergency Department Mental Health, Community Mental Health Services and Inpatient Psychiatric Social Work in addition to years of providing solution-focused, outpatient therapy with children (all ages), adolescents, adults, seniors and families. Strategies may include a wide variety of techniques such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy and Cognitive Processing Therapy. Katie also specializes in parenting support and uses attachment and acceptance-based strategies to help parents strengthen their relationships with their children, improve communication and increase cooperation and connection at home. Katie’s style is warm, empathic and supportive and she is committed to developing strong therapeutic relationships where clients feel empowered to develop the skills they need to make positive and lasting change in their lives.

Michael Gutierrez, LICSW

Michael is an experienced Clinical Social Worker and Psychotherapist who specializes in the treatment of anxiety disorders, acute and chronic depression, bipolar illness, substance abuse and adolescent ODD issues. Michael has worked in hospitals, community mental health centers and began his career as a child welfare social worker. He attended graduate school at Boston College and has also served on the School of Social Work advisory board. Michael has a special interest in working with creative persons as he himself is a writer and musician. Michael draws from several different therapy perspectives to find a good fit for his patients and believes that the desire for self-fulfillment and connections to the community and the world at large are the cornerstones to good mental health

Michelle Ledoux, LMHC

My experience includes working with adolescents, young adults, and the elderly. I was an adjunct professor for four years teaching courses in family counseling, group counseling, counseling theory and practice, developmental psychology, and research methods. 

I am passionate about helping individuals heal through the use of Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Positive Psychology or another therapeutic approach that will better serve your healing process – one approach does not fit all. 

Are you feeling bogged down with work, family, friends or whatever isn’t working at this point in your life? Are your children feeling anxious? Do either of you need to fill your toolboxes with strategies to get through these challenges? I would be delighted to identify helpful strategies/coping skills to get you (or your children) back on track to a healthier, more peaceful existence. I feel strongly about empowering individuals to accomplish their goals, to help with the healing process of having experienced death, loss of employment, divorce, or any other loss which you’ve experienced. 

Helping children with coping skills, treating anxiety, and strategies for ADHD. Helping adults feeling depressed, anxious, or needing organizational strategies. Having that non-judgmental third-party person lend an ear in one to three visits is sometimes all we need. In other situations, we need a little more time with that person. 

The decision and journey are yours and I would be honored to work with you.

Stephanie Wuebbens, PhD

Stress, anxiety, and depression do not discriminate. Many people hit bumps in the road because stress has spiraled out of control, or because of recurring worries and/or low mood that interfere with life. Children might begin to have behavior problems because they have depression or anxiety or a hidden developmental/learning problem. If any of these sound familiar to you, treatment can help.

I have been a psychologist for over 20 years, specializing in cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, and play therapy. I can evaluate emotional, cognitive or learning problems. Throughout those years, I have worked with families and children, with people who have developmental disabilities as well as people with substance abuse issues.

Specialties

• ADHD
• Academic Underachievement
• Addiction
• Alcohol Abuse
• Anger Management
• Anxiety
• Asperger's Syndrome
• Autism
• Behavioral Issues
• Child or Adolescent
• Coping Skills
• Depression
• Developmental Disorders
• Grief
• Learning Disabilities
• Obsessive-Compulsive (OCD)
• Oppositional Defiance
• Parenting

Venturiely Grullon, LMHC

Ayala Hamami, LICSW

Ayala Hamami is a licensed clinical social worker in the state of Massachusetts. She earned her bachelor's degree in psychology from Brandeis University and graduated with a master's in social work from Boston College. Ayala works with teens, young adults, and adults experiencing challenges with managing depression, anxiety, trauma, relationship issues, and difficulties adapting to changes associated with major life transitions. Ayala's therapeutic style is one in which she hears the voice of the clientele she serves, uncovers presenting issues, and provides feedback and coaching in order to help her clients gain insights and skills to manage emotions and behaviors, facilitate personal growth and make positive life changes.

Ayala’s expertise, skills, and enthusiasm for helping couples, families, and those experiencing relationship challenges shows from the moment you meet this caring mental health and wellness professional. She helps individuals and couples remove the emotional blocks that stand in the way of achieving their goals and creating opportunities for them to develop practical tools to make healthy relational and personal life shifts.

Whether working with couples, families or individuals, Ayala is a passionate professional who helps clients identify concrete treatment objectives and achieve their desired treatment goals and outcomes, while providing a safe space for the therapeutic process to be experienced.

Ayala works with various individuals including:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• PTSD
• ADHD
• Relationships
• College Transition
• Career/Work stress
• Personal Growth & Wellness
• Life Changes/Adjustment Related Issues (i.e., relocation, illness, break ups, etc)
• and more…

Joanie Barclay, LICSW

Joanie Barclay, LICSW, brings a diversity of professional acumen from over twenty-five years working with adults, military families, veterans, and with those who seek to build light, peace and hope within their lives. Her person-centered and strengths-based approaches to healing and wellness are enhanced with her ministerial background. Joanie earned her graduate degrees in Clinical Social Work and Pastoral Ministry at Boston College, along with a post-graduate certification in Spiritual Direction. She completed one chaplaincy unit of Clinical Pastoral Education at Saints Memorial Hospital, primarily working with oncology patients.

As a trained P.R.E.P. (*Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program) for Strong Bonds© facilitator for marriage enrichment, she offers critical gold standard evidence-based tools to assist military couples through the unique reunion and reintegration challenges of post-deployments. As a psychotherapist, Joanie assists clients to develop tools within the framework of cognitive behavioral therapy, psychodynamic therapy, solution focused therapy, interpersonal therapy and dialectical behavioral based-therapy.

Her work with community agencies and programs includes a repertoire of populations and issues unique to grandparents raising grandchildren, women’s wellness, bereavement and grief, end of life, and meaning-making through trauma and life-altering events. As a practitioner and advocate for mindfulness, she purposefully generates a milieu to make a client feel validated, to recover one’s voice, and to recognize and accept one’s gifts, imperfections, desires and aspirations.

Joanie acknowledges those who invite her into their lives as courageous individuals, and empowers them to navigate a life-giving path that embraces a fullness of often unexplored possibilities. She welcomes new clients who choose to embark on a journey of collaborative problem-solving and enhanced wellness for one’s life.

Vivian Sockol, EdD

Vivian Sockol has over twenty-five years of experience providing support for individuals, couples and families. She is a Psychologist specializing in counseling psychology using a holistic approach for children, adolescents, and adults along with teaching empowerment strategies, life transitions and coaching. She also extremely enjoys working with college-age students and the various stages they may go through. A few of the other areas that she has experience include; depression, anxiety and stress management, communication issues, grief and bereavement, self-esteem concerns and mindfulness.

She has completed her undergraduate degree in special education and elementary education at the State University of New York at Geneseo and received her Masters degree and EdD at Boston University, completing her dissertation about student-athlete stress and how to improve this area within the school systems.

Working with families with children that are having academic and/or social difficulties while working alongside the school system is one area of her expertise. She also extremely enjoys working with high school and college age students and the various transitional stages that they may go through.

Vivian has worked as a Special Education Counselor at the Justice Resource Institute in Dorchester, Massachusetts; a Unit Clinical Educator at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts; a Doctoral Intern at Boston College, Boston Massachusetts; a Counseling Psychologist at Worcester Youth Guidance Center in Worcester, Massachusetts; Owner and Educational Specialist at Our Future Learning Center, Inc. in Marlboro, Massachusetts and most recently as a Clinical Psychologist at Arbour Counseling Services in Franklin, Massachusetts.
Vivian is married with two children now in college.

"Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible." -- Francis of Assisi.

Donna Hayes, LICSW

Donna Hayes works to empower individuals to overcome personal obstacles, improve their relationships, and assist them to find their best selves. She is in an independently licensed clinical social worker. She received her master’s degree in social work from the University of Maryland School of Social Work. She utilizes evidenced-based interventions such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy, Person Centered Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing and Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy in sessions. Donna tailors her interventions to the needs of the individuals, families, or couples depending on the presenting problem and has a great deal of experience working with dual diagnosis, personality disorders, various mood disorders, crisis intervention, and Community Mental Health Services. She is passionate about working with young adult and college age individuals that may be struggling to cope with the overwhelming stressors and anxiety of their new life transitions. She also enjoys assisting adults to work through challenges that they may be experiencing and believes in meeting them where they are in life and identifying their strengths to help them grow. Donna provides a non-judgmental and compassionate atmosphere in which individuals can safely explore feelings, thoughts, or images and beliefs that may be keeping them stuck.