Executive Director, Psychologist
Hillary Wildt, PsyD, LCP
Hillary is the founder and executive director of Thamani. She is devoted to increasing access to mental health services through culturally and contextually informed therapy, research, training, and teaching. She has had the privilege of working with children, adolescents, and adults from many countries, nationalities, and cultural and religious backgrounds.
In her clinical work, Hillary focuses on equipping individuals, couples, and families with the insight, knowledge, tools, and skills to live healthy and balanced lives. Through therapy, research, and training, she aims to empower clients to advocate for themselves and their families within the contexts in which they live.
Hillary's specialties include posttraumatic stress, relationship difficulties, grief and mourning, marriage and couple's counseling, and coping with change and transitions. She enjoys working cross-culturally and with international populations.
Hillary earned her doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology - Chicago. Her preferred treatment approach is integrative, combining family systems with cognitive behavioral, psychodynamic, and empowerment-based models.
Publications:
Therapist
Rihab Yako, MA, LCSW
Rihab is a Multi-lingual (English, Arabic, Assyrian/Chaldean) clinical worker skilled in individual and group therapy, client-centered program development, and client advocacy. She is experienced at setting people at ease and structuring treatment plans around each person's strengths. She is passionate about providing people with the support they need to reach their personal goals.
Rihab has had extensive experience in working with adult and teenage clients with PTSD, depression, anxiety, and dysfunctional relationships by providing individual and group therapy to people from variety of cultures, especially Middle Eastern , Afghan, Sudanese , Burmese, and Nepalese.
Rihab earned dual Masters Degrees: Master of Social Work from Saint Louis University and Master of Arts, Pastoral Studies from Aquinas Institute of Theology in Saint Louis. She published an article in the International Journal of Intercultural Relations about Acculturative stress among Iraqi refugees in the United States; and she is currently working on publishing an article about the use of Spirituality in mental health practice.
Publications:
Therapist
Elizabeth Odette Pierre, MA, LPC
Elizabeth is bilingual (Creole/English) and is skilled at working primarily with individuals who have a history of interpersonal violence. She especially feels honored to journey with those navigating their relationships as they work through their trauma history.
Elizabeth recognizes how one’s racial, cultural, and faith background impact recovery and welcomes integrating these components in therapy. She also takes time to explore how childhood experiences shape the individual and their current relationships. Elizabeth’s hope is that, through your time together, you will gain greater insight into yourself, which will contribute to your flourishing and the flourishing of your relationships.
Elizabeth earned her master’s in counseling psychology degree from Boston College and did additional psychoanalytic training at The Center for Religion and Psychotherapy. She also holds a PhD in Pastoral Theology from Garrett Evangelical Seminary/Center for Religion and Psychotherapy of Chicago. Her preferred treatment is psychoanalytic and trauma informed.
Pierre, Elizabeth. Review of Marys of the Bible, by Boaz Johnson. Covenant Quarterly, May 2020.
Therapist
Lana Gummeson, MA, LMFT
Lana is a Marriage and Family Therapist skilled at creating a safe therapeutic space where hope fuels change, forges resilience and inspires growth for families, couples and individuals. She has been honoured to work in multiple cross-cultural contexts and is dedicated to incorporating culturally sensitive and contextually informed practices in therapy. She is passionate about empowering clients to find congruence, balance and well-worn pathways to self-compassion and transformation in their lives.
Lana actively considers a client’s multiple relational contexts and interactions that impact a client’s extended communities. She focuses on providing client’s with new and restorative experiences that can then be practiced and expressed in other contexts in their lives. She offers a warm and supportive atmosphere that is strength-based and goal-oriented. Lana is comfortable with working with clients from any age group or walk of life.
Lana especially welcomes engaging in the areas of trauma, anxiety and depression, grief and mourning, self-harm, relational difficulties, life transitions and support of ministry workers. As a former teacher, Lana also has unique insight and expertise to help students reach their full potential in educational settings.
Lana earned her master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Wheaton Graduate School. Her preferred treatment approach is integrative, collaborative and trauma informed. She actively combines attachment based and experiential therapy practices with evidence-based models.
Therapist/Supervisor
Angie Mapura, MA, LMFT
Angie is a bilingual (English/Spanish) marriage and family therapist who is passionate about empowering couples and individuals to improve their relationships, strengthen their boundaries, embrace vulnerability, and most importantly - address and heal from trauma. She believes in the importance of helping clients identify and understand the root cause of their issues to facilitate long-term healing.
Angie employs a client-centered and trauma-informed approach to therapy, gravitating towards family systems, attachment-based, and cognitive-behavioral interventions. Additionally, she is trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy and Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET).
Angie obtained her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and earned her Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy from Wheaton College.
Therapist/Extern
Jessica Love Burnside
Jessica’s therapy sessions are characterized by empathy, understanding, and a commitment to fostering a safe and non-judgmental environment. Through a creative and friendly approach, she empowers clients to overcome challenges, enhance their relationships, and ultimately live more fulfilling lives.
Jessica utilizes a comprehensive and integrated approach that caters to your specific needs. She enjoys combining traditional therapeutic interventions and holistic practices to create a well-rounded and personalized approach for clients. Drawing from training in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Trauma-Informed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Internal Family Systems (IFS), Jessica can offer a diverse range of techniques that are tailored to individual needs and goals. Her therapeutic style revolves around incorporating joy and finding moments of laughter as we navigate life and mental health together.
In addition to these evidence-based approaches, those who enjoy prayer, mindfulness, meditation, journaling, and somatic treatments can request the integration of these practices in session.
Jessica has worked with children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families who have encountered various situations. These range from surviving family and community trauma, domestic violence, housing insecurities, and discrimination to experiencing anxiety, trauma, depression, life transitions, parenting special needs, and terminally ill children. In addition to this, she takes pleasure in assisting individuals and couples with their relationships and navigating the intricate complexities involved.
Therapist
Liliia Chernytska, MA, LPC
Liliia is a bilingual (Ukrainian/English) therapist, who recognizes that the therapy process is a vulnerable and sacred space, where she is honored to witness and assist individuals on their journey to restoration and healing. Believing that a person’s life is complex and multi-layered, Liliia often turns to the intertwining of the past and the present for a deeper understanding of a person’s intricate tapestry of life. You will inspect the threads of your narrative, uncovering the patterns and connections that have influenced your growth, and embrace the unique intersections of your identity and experiences.
Liliia strives to create an authentic and accepting environment where you can openly share your thoughts and feelings, where you can feel seen, heard, and understood. By incorporating a relational lens, Liliia will help you explore the dynamics that impact you and your relationships with yourself, the people around you, and the world.
In her previous seasons of life she worked with diverse populations with different cultural and religious backgrounds, so she approaches individuals with a genuine curiosity about their unique ways of being, recognizing the importance of these aspects in the healing process.
Liliia earned her master of arts in clinical mental health counseling from Wheaton College, where she also earned a certificate in trauma. Liliia’s areas of interest are trauma, anxiety and depression, grief and mourning, relational difficulties, and various life transitions. She prefers an integrative approach, combining attachment-based theories and psychodynamic theories with narrative, emotionally focus-therapy—all through a trauma-informed lens.
Therapist/Extern
Mina Minanond
Mina is a bilingual therapist (English/Thai) who sees her clients as unique individuals. She acknowledges that behind every presenting problem is a person who has feelings, values, and passion. Being able to help clients see themselves clearly, become more self-aware, articulate their goals, make sense of their feelings, and highlight healthy boundaries and expectations is her joy. Mina also believes there can be healing and restoration through the power of grace toward others and oneself. Her wish is to see a client walk out of the room feeling heard, seen, empowered, transformed, and equipped with tools to respond to whatever challenge they are facing.
Mina believes that relationships are one of the greatest gifts in life. She loves to facilitate healthy relationships, whether they are romantic, family, workplace, or with oneself. Also, building a therapeutic relationship is very important to her. Mina welcomes the complexity of thoughts, grief, and feelings. Additionally, due to Mina’s cross-cultural experience, she sees the beauty of diversity and is comfortable working with individuals from different backgrounds.
Mina received her undergraduate degree from Mahidol University, Faculty of Science, majoring in Biotechnology, module of Food. She later became interested in humanitarian work and is currently studying Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Moody Theological Seminary.
Therapist/Extern
Juliet V Thomas, M.sc
Juliet is a South Asian Indian (Trilingual - English/Hindi/Malayalam) currently training to be a Marriage and family therapist. She has worked with clients of all ages, particularly families, teens, young adults, and couples, and has developed a heart for holistic healing and growth, focusing on all parts of Individuals and their systems that interact with the struggles they may face. Taking on a client-centered and narrative approach, Juliet sees clients as experts and authors of their own stories to build strong foundations, relationships, and security and help them lead a more fulfilling and flourishing life.
She leans on a collaborative, person-centered, and trauma-informed approach to therapy, believing that we as people ‘need to be held before we can hold ourselves or others’. She wants to offer a therapeutic space of just ‘being’, to be reminded of the value we all deeply and inherently hold as we discover our place in this world.
Juliet earned her Master's in Counseling Psychology from India. She has experience working with individuals struggling with relational injuries and conflicts, childhood trauma and abuse, grief and loss, social anxiety, depression, personality disorders, parent-child struggles, and couple conflict. She is currently pursuing her second Master's in Marriage and Family therapy at Wheaton College, seeing the ever-present need for a systemic approach. She is a Registered COSP Facilitator and finds immense pleasure in working with parents and children, hoping to build more profound and solid relationships right from the start.
Juliet also loves engaging with children, exploring different eateries and cafes, having hearty conversations and meals with friends, and thrift shopping. She aspires to explore, learn and pace well, slowly and steadily through the varying rhythms of life and its different milestones.
Therapist/Extern
Natalie KegG
Natalie is a bi-lingual (English and Indonesian) marriage and family intern who has worked with individuals and couples, and is also excited to work with families and youth. She has lived internationally in Indonesia for over 19 years and is passionate about offering care to those who have little to no access to counseling. She and her husband run an adventure tourism business in Sumatra and own a small organic farm. It is her dream to use her counseling skills on her farm by offering marriage retreats to local workers.
Natalie employs an emotionally-focused therapy approach, and believes that helping clients identify past lies and replacing them with new truths through attachment based interventions can lead to long-term healing.
Natalie is currently a student at Regent University working on her masters in Marriage and Family Therapy.
Therapist/Extern
Alex Mertz, MA
Alex (she/her) is intentional in working alongside clients to create a therapy space where they feel heard and understood. She takes an individualized approach to each client, aiming to foster safety and connection in therapy. She primarily draws from relational psychodynamic and experiential approaches to do so, working from a trauma-informed lens. This means that she enjoys connecting a person’s history with their current way of being and strives to support clients in re-integrating parts of themselves they may not be in touch with, so that they can live more connected and full lives. She also highly values understanding people within their unique contexts, and draws from family systems and community psychology perspectives to do so.
She is currently pursuing her doctoral degree at Wheaton College with a focus on couples and family, and is an advanced doctoral intern at Thamani. She looks forward to working with individuals, couples, and families of any constellation. She has experience working in the realms of anxiety, depression, trauma, family of origin difficulties, life transitions, identity development, grief, and relational issues.
Therapist/Extern
Kyle Winkel
Kyle is excited to celebrate the immense value and purpose of each individual or family unit. Kyle's special interests include encouraging clients who face health concerns such as cancer, illness, and disabilities. He also has a heart for the pursuit of relational health among couples, families, groups, and churches. He enjoys exploring life through the lens of others, and seeks to build pathways for client autonomy based on a client's value-driven goals.
Kyle has experience facilitating mental health support groups for those who are navigating depression, anxiety, physical health concerns, and more. He also led GriefShare sessions for those who have lost a loved one and abuse survivor workshops for adults.
Kyle is studying clinical mental health counseling at Moody Theological Seminary. Prior to this, he completed his undergraduate studies in media communications at Indiana University in Bloomington. Three of Kyle's favorite things include hip-hop music, pickup basketball, and breakfast diners.
Therapist/Extern
Emma Batson, MA
As a therapist, Emma (She/Her) is dedicated to providing individuals and families a space where they can feel valued and understood. She always aims to provide a therapeutic environment where clients feel respected and heard.
Emma primarily works from a person-centered approach with an emphasis on attachment relationships and believes that many challenges faced by individuals and families can be improved when people feel emotionally secure within their relationships. Her focus is on creating space for people to explore and understand what that security looks like for them.
In order to provide the best quality care, Emma employs a systems approach, which acknowledges the way a person’s context and intersections of identity (age, disability, race, ethnicity, social class, sexual orientation, gender identity, indigenous heritage, national origin, religion, etc.) interact and influence emotional and mental wellbeing. Emma specifically draws from Narrative Therapy, Attachment-Based Family Therapy, Emotionally Focused (Family) Therapy, and Solution-Focused Therapy.
Emma has clinical experience working in multiple settings, including a pediatric psychiatric hospital, where she served in both the inpatient and partial hospitalization units doing psychological assessments. She additionally has worked as a therapy extern in an outpatient hospital clinic and most recently at a therapeutic day school. Emma has experience working with anxiety, depression, ADHD, ASD, family dynamics, and trauma.
Emma earned her master’s degree in clinical psychology from Wheaton College in 2021. She is currently completing an advanced externship at Thamani while simultaneously working towards her doctoral degree in clinical psychology, with a focus on working with children, adolescents, and their families.
Clinical Supervisors
Frances Tung, PhD, LCP
Clinical Supervisor
Dr. Frances Tung is passionate about empowering people to thrive and fulfill their potential as well as achieve greater life satisfaction. She has worked with many people who are navigating difficulties to be able to gain greater levels of confidence and growth. She uses a collaborative and goal-oriented approach in therapy. She seeks to help clients build on their strengths and ultimately to be able to experience life more fully.
She enjoys working with clients of all ages. She is well equipped to address a wide array of issues including depression, anxiety, stress, ADHD, and trauma. She has expertise in working with children and adolescents, both individually and in groups. She also has experience providing tools for parents to set their child up for success.
She is trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy, which is highly effective in the treatment of trauma. She also has a special interest in providing psychological assessments to children and adults for a variety of issues including attention difficulties, learning disabilities, emotional and social concerns.
Nathan Sahyouni, PsyD, LCP
Clinical Supervisor
Dr. Nathan Sahyouni is a licensed clinical psychologist practicing in the greater Chicago area. He graduated from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology in 2017 and has since worked in a range of clinical settings including hospitals, community mental health centers, schools, and university counseling centers.
For the past four years, Nathan has worked in private practice with individuals and couples with a range of mental health diagnoses. He specializes in working with individuals with anxiety and trauma.
In his free time Nathan enjoys taking walks with his golden retriever, spending time with his wife and friends, and working on his golf swing.
Bethany Juby, PsyD, LCP
Clinical Supervisor
Dr. Bethany Juby is a licensed clinical psychologist who earned her doctoral degree in psychology from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology - Chicago. She has trained and worked in a variety of clinical settings, including nursing and rehabilitation centers, inpatient and outpatient programs at behavioral health hospitals, and private practice.
For the past five years, Bethany has owned and operated her private practice, Juby Clinical Services, LLC, now solely providing teletherapy to adults who have experienced trauma, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, or are having difficulty managing life stressors. She employs an integrative approach in her work with clients, but primarily utilizes ACT and EMDR. She also offers consultation to licensed therapists as well as supervision to pre-licensed individuals.
When Bethany is not working, she enjoys spending quality time with her husband, daugther, and dog. She loves reading, hiking, running, golfing, traveling, and spending as much time outdoors as possible.
Mikiela Cobb, PsyD, LCP
Clinical Supervisor
Dr. Mikiela Cobb earned her doctorate degree in clinical psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology and completed her internship at Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital. She currently practices at Mirjam Quinn and Associates.
Throughout her clinical training, She has gained experience working with children, adolescents, and their families across a variety of settings, including a university-based clinic, a pediatric development center, a therapeutic day school, a mental health hospital, and in-home.
Her clinical work focuses on the holistic assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with behavior concerns, attention and executive functioning difficulties, developmental disabilities (including Autism Spectrum Disorders), selective mutism, and general mood concerns. She also enjoys parent training and facilitating group therapy.
Mikiela practices from a family systems perspective and is trained in a number of evidence based treatments, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Parent Management Training (PMT), and Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA). Having a strong background in a variety of research-grounded frameworks enables her to approach therapy from a double perspective: she works individually with children in order to help them develop insight, resilience, and improved coping skills; simultaneously, she works collaboratively with parents to help them better understand the challenges their child is facing and to help empower them as an agent of change within the family system.
On the days Mikiela is not working, she is working out at OrangeTheory Fitness, training for her next 5k, playing with her cat, or volunteering at her church. Her favorite things to do on rainy days are drink tea and listen to podcasts.
Hayley Beth Van Serke, MSW, PSYD, LCP
Assessment Supervisor
Hayley (she/her) is the Assessment Supervisor for Thamani. At Thamani, she is dedicated to helping students understand psychological testing instruments and helping them to develop skills for improving patient experience, diagnosis and care. She has worked across the life span with clients from a variety of cultural and religion backgrounds. She specializes in care to the 2LGBTQ+ community. In her clinical work, Hayley works from an intersectional lens to understand how all aspects of your experience, from the societal level to the individual level, impact your wellbeing. She is dedicated to establishing authentic connection and creating a safe space for clients and students to begin or continue their process of growth and/or healing.
Hayley’s specialties include treatment of depression, anxiety, stress, grief, psychosis, posttraumatic stress, coping with chronic health conditions, and coping with life change and transition. Hayley enjoys working with clients to develop a greater awareness of how our mental health and physical health impact each other.
Hayley earned her doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology - Chicago. Her preferred treatment approach is third wave cognitive approaches including Recovery Oriented Cognitive Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). Hayley is also trained in hypnotherapy.
Administrative Team
Caroline Cool, B.A.
Director of Operations and Development
Caroline is a connector, system-builder, and servant leader. She currently serves as the Director of Operations and Administrations at Thamani, where she is able to share her passion for people and processes. Caroline believes in the power of vulnerability and has committed her career to entering into vulnerability to learn from and serve others.
In a prior role, Caroline helped launch and develop healthcare programs to care for youth and adults experiencing homelessness, including innovative services for people with opioid use disorder. She has extensive experience in medical administration and operations, project management, network development, and intercultural ministry. She is a passionate advocate for people with disabilities and leads Thamani's programming to support inclusive education both in Chicago and internationally. Caroline holds a degree in Anthropology from Wheaton College.
Jessica Wood, B.A.
Administrative Assistant/ Intake Coordinator
Jess loves helping others flourish and excels when she can support her team by serving from the background. Bringing a passion for excellence and a love for detailed work, she currently serves as Thamani’s Administrative Assistant. She is committed to keeping the invisible systems running smoothly in order to empower the rest of the team to thrive.
Jess loves learning the stories of her neighbors, whether they live in Chicago or internationally. She is a firm believer in the importance of mental health to holistic wellness, and she is passionate about improving access to quality care. Jess is dedicated to trauma-informed advocacy, serving her church by helping build an abuse prevention and response initiative. She holds a degree in Ministry to Victims of Sexual Exploitation from Moody Bible Institute."
Board Members
Karol Kurien, MSN, RN
Chair
Karol Kurien is a licensed registered nurse who obtained her B.S. in Nursing from Adelphi University and her M.S. in Nursing Education from Olivet Nazarene University. She has been a nurse for 9 years and is currently working in outpatient surgery in the Northwest suburbs.
Karol sees Thamani as an extension of the healthcare community to provide treatment and support to those who have reduced access to care. She is passionate about increasing accessibility to the culturally diverse Chicago community.
Ms. Kurien is actively involved in her local community and church. When Karol is at home, she loves to cook, exercise, and spend time with her husband and children.
Rev. Elizabeth (Betzy) Bower Cisneros
Member
Betzy has lived in Chicago for the last 23 years, but still considers Leavenworth, KS to be home. She currently serves as the Executive Director of Covenant Youth Collision, a collaborative youth ministry between churches in Chicago, as well as the Director of Networking and Administration for Grace Covenant Church, Chicago, IL.
Her great loves are Jesus, the church, her family, moody teenagers, coffee, conversation, cooking, community involvement, and Harry Potter. This year she will be celebrating 15 years of ordination to word and service in the Evangelical Covenant Church. She currently lives in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood with her husband and three teenage children.
Sarah Lesniewski, MA
Member
Sarah has served as the Co-County Representative for the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) in Guatemala and El Salvador for the past four years, overseeing personnel and programs in the areas of peace, development, and relief. She is committed to the formation of flourishing multicultural teams that support individual, community, and systems change in the communities those teams serve. Sarah also served as a Community Development Worker in Guatemala among the Q’eqchi’ Maya people, where she also was responsible for developing curriculum in Q’eqchi’ for the Bible Institute of the Q’eqchi Mennonite Church. When not living in Guatemala, Sarah lived in Chicago where she served her community in various capacities - most notably seven years as Resident Head forming communities of undergraduates at the University of Chicago as well as teaching adult and children's Sunday School and Bible Studies and small groups.
Sarah earned a BA in Theological Studies from Wheaton College and an MA in World Missions and Evangelism from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. She resides in Guatemala City along with her husband and four teen and pre-teen children.
Partners
