OUR TEAM
DIRECTORS:
Teresa Montanaro, BCBA
Teresa Montanaro is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst working mainly with the school aged population, in particular, individuals diagnosed with behavior disorders, developmental disabilities, and autism spectrum disorders. Mrs. Montanaro began her career as a teacher and has taught both special education and general education. She has spent over 35 years working in the public school system of Pennsylvania, holding the positions of teacher, supervisor and director of special education, and principal. In 2008, Teresa completed a post-master's program in applied behavior analysis and received her board certification as a behavior analyst. Working off-site, she provides services to school districts and students through functional behavioral assessments, positive behavior support plans, and general supervision. Mrs. Montanaro has special expertise in the area of school refusal behavior and works with families to determine the function maintaining the behavior of not attending school. Targeted interventions can then be designed by function, such as cognitive behavioral interventions for school refusal behavior maintained by anxiety.
Along with her husband Michael, Mrs. Montanaro worked as co-director of JPA. Upon his untimely death in 2014, she assumed sole ownership of the practice that he had worked so hard and lovingly to establish. She plans to continue his legacy of providing expertise, sound therapies, and thoughtful care delivered in a respectful environment to those individuals seeking services.
Jessica Montanaro Paist, MA
Jessica received her Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from La Salle University in September 2010. She has been working in the mental health field for over 10 years in a variety of positions including work as a case manager, behavioral specialist, school-based prevention specialist, school-based Student Assistance counselor, therapist for at-risk teens, and individual/family/group therapist.
Jessica specializes in working with pre-teens and teens facing the challenges of adolescence: anxiety, depression, self-esteem, conflict with family and friends, suicidal thoughts, and self-harming behaviors. In addition to offering individual and family therapy, Jessica also runs groups for teens. She feels very passionate about the importance of teens connecting with each other and learning that they are not alone, and her groups create a safe environment to learn skills and both offer and receive support from peers. To learn more about Jessica's work, to see what groups are currently running, or to contact her directly please visit her website at www.jessicapaist.com
Jessica offers a warm, non judgemental environment where both cultural and religious beliefs are respected. She has been trained in the Family Systems approach, which emphasizes recognizing the important role played by family, friends, and environment on the client’s life. Jessica also utilizes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy techniques, and mindfulness practices to create a more comprehensive approach.
Together with her mother, Teresa Montanaro, Jessica is dedicated to continuing her father’s legacy of providing expertise, sound therapies, and thoughtful care delivered in a respectful environment to those individuals seeking services.
Teresa Montanaro, BCBA
Teresa Montanaro is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst working mainly with the school aged population, in particular, individuals diagnosed with behavior disorders, developmental disabilities, and autism spectrum disorders. Mrs. Montanaro began her career as a teacher and has taught both special education and general education. She has spent over 35 years working in the public school system of Pennsylvania, holding the positions of teacher, supervisor and director of special education, and principal. In 2008, Teresa completed a post-master's program in applied behavior analysis and received her board certification as a behavior analyst. Working off-site, she provides services to school districts and students through functional behavioral assessments, positive behavior support plans, and general supervision. Mrs. Montanaro has special expertise in the area of school refusal behavior and works with families to determine the function maintaining the behavior of not attending school. Targeted interventions can then be designed by function, such as cognitive behavioral interventions for school refusal behavior maintained by anxiety.
Along with her husband Michael, Mrs. Montanaro worked as co-director of JPA. Upon his untimely death in 2014, she assumed sole ownership of the practice that he had worked so hard and lovingly to establish. She plans to continue his legacy of providing expertise, sound therapies, and thoughtful care delivered in a respectful environment to those individuals seeking services.
Jessica Montanaro Paist, MA
Jessica received her Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from La Salle University in September 2010. She has been working in the mental health field for over 10 years in a variety of positions including work as a case manager, behavioral specialist, school-based prevention specialist, school-based Student Assistance counselor, therapist for at-risk teens, and individual/family/group therapist.
Jessica specializes in working with pre-teens and teens facing the challenges of adolescence: anxiety, depression, self-esteem, conflict with family and friends, suicidal thoughts, and self-harming behaviors. In addition to offering individual and family therapy, Jessica also runs groups for teens. She feels very passionate about the importance of teens connecting with each other and learning that they are not alone, and her groups create a safe environment to learn skills and both offer and receive support from peers. To learn more about Jessica's work, to see what groups are currently running, or to contact her directly please visit her website at www.jessicapaist.com
Jessica offers a warm, non judgemental environment where both cultural and religious beliefs are respected. She has been trained in the Family Systems approach, which emphasizes recognizing the important role played by family, friends, and environment on the client’s life. Jessica also utilizes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy techniques, and mindfulness practices to create a more comprehensive approach.
Together with her mother, Teresa Montanaro, Jessica is dedicated to continuing her father’s legacy of providing expertise, sound therapies, and thoughtful care delivered in a respectful environment to those individuals seeking services.
ASSOCIATES:
Brigette Potgieter, LCSW
Brigette is a Pennsylvania Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She graduated from the Bryn Mawr College Graduate School of Social Work and has 27 years of experience in the mental health field, working with children, adults, couples, and families in various therapeutic settings. Brigette offers a unique blend of traditional office-based cognitive psychotherapy, equine-facilitated psychotherapy and Mind-Body Intelligence (MBI)™ mindfulness practice to meet the individual needs of clients.
Brigette specializes in treating individuals 14years and older struggling with anxiety, depression, anger, and/or relationship difficulties – be it intimate relationships, family relationships, parent-child relationships, social relationships, or work relationships.
In 2012, she founded Philly Equine Partners, which is the only place in the eastern USA where The HEAL Model of equine-assisted therapy is offered. Brigette is a Certified HEAL Facilitator, and a Designated HEAL Instructor. You can learn more about equine assisted therapy by visiting her website at www.phillyequinepartners.com
MBI™ and horse-assisted therapy have the profound benefit of being experiential therapies. Experiential therapy allows you to practice shifts in thinking, emotions, and actions as they spontaneously (in the moment) arise, during the therapeutic activity. This is very different from “talking about” your difficulties and between sessions trying to make the insight ‘stick.’
When working with Brigette, you have the flexibility to choose the modalities in which you prefer to work and in the combination that best suits your level of comfort.
Joanne Kaminski, Psy.D.
I am a PA licensed psychologist with a broad-based focus consisting of treatment for several mental health disorders, substance abuse/dependence, trauma, palliative care for clients with chronic medical disorders, bereavement, family and marital therapy, academic stressors, professional impairments well astransferring from military to civilian life. My work with children and adolescents focus on social/peerrelationships, family relationships, as well as academic and avocational success.
I have several years experience as an administrator for a graduate degree program providing clinical supervision to counseling students as well as teaching both graduate and undergraduate courses. Successfully completing academic pursuits and/or Vocational Training can lead to more fulfilling employment choices and provide knowledge and skills demanded in the workforce. Treatment with university students and/or vocational students focuses on managing time and understanding issues that may be interfering with successful completion of career programs.
My work with children and adolescents focuses on social/peer relationships, family relationships, as well as academic and avocational success.
Life transitions can be particularly stressful. Marriage, starting a family, chronic medical/mental health issues, divorce/separation, career transitions, unemployment, death of a loved one, military deployment, caring for elderly parents and/or making choices about what type of care an elderly parent may need, entering middle age as well as senior years are major transitions in life. How one adapts to the changes that occur during these transitions is crucial to satisfying physical and psychological health for the individual as well as the family unit. Treatment with individuals, couples, and family focuses on identifying behaviors and thinking that block one from transitioning in a more healthy adaptive manner.
What is EMDR? EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a psychotherapy that enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress that are the result of disturbing life experiences. EMDR therapy shows that the mind can in fact heal from psychological trauma much as the body recovers from physical trauma.
What is Psychophysiological Retraining through Biofeedback? Stressors in our lives can alter our physiology as well as create tension in our muscles. Biofeedback provides you information about changes in temperature, sweat gland activity, heart rate and respiration and degree of muscle tension as you learn to take control and alter your physiology. Additionally, you can gain greater understanding of what may be contributing to these bodily changes: Is it related to an emotional response that you may having difficulty rebounding from that sustains bodily changes? Is it related to performance anxiety in which you may feel judged critically? or, is it related to always being in a hyper-alert state due to the inability to trust self or others? Diet also plays a role in physiologic changes.
I offer a warm, nonjudgmental environment. Cultural and religious beliefs are considered in all treatment approaches. Treatment approaches consist of EMDR, Cognitive Behavioral, Psychodynamic and/or Biofeedback.
Gayle Crespy, Psy.D.
Dr. Gayle Crespy is a licensed Psychologist in Pennsylvania and New York with twenty years of private practice experience. She received her Doctorate of Psychology from Widener University in 1995. She completed pre-doctoral internships at The Renfrew Center for eating disorders in Philadelphia and the Bryn Mawr Youth and Family Center in Bryn Mawr. Dr. Crespy specializes in helping individuals with a wide range of emotional challenges including anxiety, depression, loss, trauma, adjustment/life transition issues, and relationship issues. She also specializes in treating individuals with a full spectrum of eating disorders and body image issues, self-harming, and addictive behaviors including substance abuse. In 2000, she received special training to conduct Mind/Body medicine for Infertility as developed at the Harvard Mind/Body Medical Institute in Boston, MA. For the past 15 years, she has been working with individuals and couples as they progress on their journey of building their families. Dr. Crespy uses Mind/Body techniques to reduce the depression and anxiety of women who are dealing with infertility and pregnancy loss. She also provides evaluations for couples seeking third party reproduction and gestational carrier/surrogacy.
Dr. Crespy's approach to treatment begins with the relationship with the client. She offers a safe, non-judgmental environment where clients can feel free to discuss anything they wish. Dr. Crespy tailors each person’s therapy to his or her unique needs, goals, and personality. What might be helpful to one person may not always work for another and she tries to be as flexible and sensitive to individual differences as possible. Dr. Crespy will work with you towards your goals and to overcome any challenges that you face by developing insight into patterns in your life that affect your well-being, by understanding the thoughts and feelings behind those patterns, and by developing more effective ways to deal with any struggles that you are dealing with. Together, she and the client will work as a team to help you develop the skills and knowledge which will enable you to live a happier, healthier, and more fulfilled life.
Joseph DiCondina, Psy.D., LPC
Joseph received his Master's degree in Clinical Counseling/ Psychology from Chestnut Hill College in December 2010, which then led to becoming a licensed professional counselor (LPC). He has been working in the mental health field for over 5 years in a multitude of positions including employment as well as practicum/ internships experiences in an inpatient psychiatric facility, crisis intervention center, detox/ rehabilitation center, outpatient facility, and neuro rehabilitation center.
Joseph recently graduated from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) in July 2016 earning his doctorate in Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.). He is currently in the process of completing his post-doctoral training. Much of Joseph's training has been geared at utilizing cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with individuals across the developmental life-span, beginning with children aged 8 up through older adulthood. Much of Joseph's experience has been working with individuals suffering from depression, anxiety, substance abuse/ dependence, loss of independence, including those that have suffered from traumatic brain injury, as well as other general psychological issues. He too has training in providing family and couples counseling and grief counseling.
Joseph's goal through therapy is to help clients develop methods for dealing with mental health and relationship issues. Through treatment the individual will be equipped, with an adequate support system, to gain a sense of personal empowerment and well-being. This will allow one to utilize the tools that they will develop throughout the course of treatment in order to be more effective in dealing with any emerging issues that they may encounter.
Merle Clearfield, M.A.
Merle has worked as a Licensed Psychologist for the past 27 years. She has worked in community residential programs; a clinic for children with MH/ family/School issues;
As a Mobile Therapist with individuals and families; and in private practice specializing with adults 18 and older. The scope of her practice has been with adjustment disorders to everyday life cycle events , and to those individuals with psychotic disorders and symptoms, and co-occuring disorders.
Merle utilizes techniques from Client Centered, DBT, CBT, Motivational Interviewing, and psychodynamic approaches. She started private practice working with a Holistic Medical Practice. There, she incorporated acupuncture, body work and massage, and physician prescribed Chinese herbs to enhance or replace psychotrophic medications. She utilized yoga and meditation before they were common techniques in therapy.
Her wide range of techniques and experience with Major Mood Disorders; Personality Disorders, Trauma; Grief; LGBT issues: Terminal Illness and Hospice; Elders; and normal life cycle events , enables her to be creative in developing a unique experience and journey for each individual.