Meet Our Therapists

Brianna “Bri” Jaworski, BCHC, LMHC-QS is a licensed Mental Health Counselor in the state of Florida, Board Certified Health Coach, and Owner of Mandala Counseling Services. Bri graduated from the University of Central Florida with a bachelors degree in Business and Health with a minor in Psychology. After starting her own business at age 25, she pursued a new career in counseling in 2010. Bri received her Masters Degree in Mental Health Counseling from Webster University in 2015. She is currently a doctorate and PhD student studying Integrative Medicine. 

Bri is trained in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), as well as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and has spent a large portion of her career working with child victim’s of sexual abuse. Bri also worked for many years with victims of domestic violence, and their children. Bri is a certified Domestic Violence Core Competency Trainer in the state of Florida and trained all new employees and volunteers at her agency. Bri served as the Primary Prevention Advocate while teaching 7th-12th graders about healthy dating relationships and warning signs of abuse. Additionally, Bri provided group services to teens in the local shelter, taught Drug Court and Teen Court classes at the Manatee County Courthouse, Life Skills Training classes for survivors as well as parenting classes. 

During her clinical Internship, Bri worked for a child protection center in Sarasota, Florida which specialized in providing TF-CBT to child victims of sexual and physical abuse, neglect, and child welfare; as well as their non-offending caregivers and family members. Bri provided Individual, family and group counseling. Bri also worked with at-risk youth and adults in-home and in schools and also with sexually reactive children in the “Kid Kindness” Program.

Bri continued on, working with trauma victims including: adult victims of childhood sexual abuse, depression, PTSD, anxiety disorders, adjustment disorders, personality disorders, Bi-polar disorders, trauma, grief, and ADHD amongst many others. Bri also facilitated both teen and adult support groups as well as animal supported counseling. Bri has also worked extensively with the child welfare system including DCF contracting, and intensive in-home substance abuse counseling. 

Bri is an EMDRIA approved EMDR therapist. EMDR or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is an empirically evidenced technique that has been shown to significantly help clients of trauma, grief, PTSD, addiction, phobias and many other issues by utilizing bi-lateral stimulation that mimics a REM sleep cycle. Disturbing events are able to be “reprocessed” thus lessening and many times diminishing negative cognitions and feelings. 

Bri has also worked as a Psychology professor, at a local polygraph credentialing and assessment center teaching Psychology classes as well as classes on administering polygraph assessments to convicted sex offenders. Bri has taught students from all over the globe! 

Opening a practice that is warm, open, comfortable and non-judgmental was imperative in the formation of Mandala Counseling Services. Bri prides herself in being able to build rapport and establish long lasting therapeutic relationships with her clients. She strives for the perfect balance of professionalism and genuine care and compassion for her clients. She loves animals, is a Reiki Master, enjoys Transcendental Meditation, traveling and of course... Batman. She cares deeply for her clients and has devoted most of her adult life to non-profit centers and helping victims of trauma. 

Hello, my name is Stephanie and I look forward to meeting you!I’m originally from Pennsylvania where I earned my Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling from Kutztown University in 2015. I chose to become a Licensed Mental Health Counselorafter many years of working with children and families involved in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. The time I spent working in that field was invaluable, having taught me a great deal about people, particularly their resiliency and the kinds of difficulties that so many of us face. Whether our struggles be related to trauma, family, relationships, finances, employment, health, or managing our daily stress, everyone faces hardship. You are not alone! My personal and professional experiences instilled in me a deep passion for helping others. Over the years, I have found true joy and fulfillment in working together with clients to identify their goals and reach their full potential through counseling. While I’m not busy finding joy in my work, I find it in spending time playing sports, listening to music, creating different forms of art, going to the beach, exploring the outdoors and hanging out with my friends and family (especially my pups)! I’ve found that these are a few of the simple things in life which make my soul happy! 

Now, putting all of this happy stuff aside for just a minute, we also have to acknowledge the occasional curveball life throws our way, many times when we least expect it. Unfortunately, we aren’t always prepared for these situations and they can quickly challenge or overwhelm our ability to cope; otherwise, you probably wouldn’t have found yourself on this page. However, I firmly believe that the inner strength to overcome these obstacles already exists within each of us and sometimes we just need that one person to help us see it for ourselves. So often, this inner strength is buried beneath all of the mental and emotional“clutter” causing the discomfort in our lives that we don’t even realize we have any strength left. This “clutter” steals our energy and occupies enormous amounts of space in our hearts and minds, that it prevents us from experiencing the joys in life. Allow me to help you sort through and unpack the “clutter” so you can live the kind of life that makes your soul feel free and at peace, the kind of life that you deserve. I know for some, it canfeel overwhelming to reach out for help. But if you find yourself with thoughts such as, “Is life really supposed to be this hard?”, “I hope life gets better than this,” or “Why can’t I just be happy?”, then I assure you, reaching out to talk to me will be the first step in learning how to break through this cycle of feeling defeated by life. Because simply put, no, life doesn’t need to be and shouldn’t be this hard, it does get better, and yes, you can be genuinely happy. I hope you will allow me to be a part of your journey towards reaching that inner peace you so desperatelyneed and which you are so very much worthy of. 

Specialty Areas:
 

Family Struggles
Foster and Adoption Family Stress
Children/Adolescents
Behavioral Issues
Depression
Anxiety
Stress Management
Personality Disorders
Trauma
Abuse/Neglect
Relationship/Marital Issues
Substance Use or Other Addictions
Child welfare Involvement
Juvenile Justice Involvement
Parenting
Trafficking 

I am a Registered Mental Health Counselor in the State of Florida. I graduated from a Bachelor Degree in Organizational Psychology in a University in my Country (PUCMM): Dominican Republic in 2006. After working in Human Resources, I came to the United States to pursue my career in Counseling. In 2011 I received my Master Degree in Mental Health Counseling from Nova Southeastern University. 

I am trained in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. I have also trained as a Doula and Childbirth Educator, Positive Discipline Parents Educator, Yoga Teacher, Reiki Practitioner, and Sound Healer. 

I have worked at Hospital settings providing individual and group counseling, as well as educational programs for teenagers at risk, emotionally, physically and sexually abused, with severe mental health, and/or chronic health problems. I have also worked for organizations providing services to people and families in hospital setting, that were going to receive open heart surgery. I have led many Parenting workshop for families with children of all ages in approaches such as Positive Discipline, mindful Parenting, and Strengthening families program. 

I also worked as a Professor in the Psychology undergraduate program of Pontificia Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra, in Dominican Republic, both in theory classes and in their internship at the University Hospital I was working for. 

Outside my Mental Health Career, I have also worked as a Doula and Childbirth Educator, Yoga Teacher, and Reiki Healer. I run moon circle gatherings at a local yoga studio. 

You deserve to live a life that leaves you excited to wake up every morning. Life itself sometimes can be a roller coaster. While for many people might bring joy and excitement, for many others it can be a great challenge to go through periods of grief, distress, or stress. If you are not sure that what you are going through is normal, reach out... I can help you navigate through this journey in a mindful way and help you heal anything that burdens you and is causing any distress.

I provide an empathic and supportive environment to embark your healing journey, taking a holistic approach to your presenting issues. Every session is unique to your needs, and through them we will explore your thinking patterns, beliefs, emotions, and decisions. I will support you while we tap into your subconscious and foster empowerment from within.

My approach to therapy is to build a strong relationship to work together, I am eclectic in my use of techniques, from mindfulness, yoga-psychology, Cognitive behavioral therapy, art therapy, solution focused, narrative therapy, and transpersonal approach. 

Areas I work with: Family issues, Parenting, Adolescents, Adults, Anxiety, Depression, Stress Management, Trauma, Relationship issues, life transitions, chronic illness, adjustment issues, grief and loss, Pregnancy and postpartum.

Modalities I work with: Individual, family, couple, group. I also enjoy offering workshops as needs arise. 

Outside of my professional life I am always in a journey of taking care of myself holistically and energetically, trying different approaches. For myself, I practice yoga, self-healing with reiki, meditation, functional training, crafting macrame pieces or other crafts, and going to self-growth or spiritual retreats. I enjoy traveling with my family, going to the beach and nature trails, and homeschooling my children, as well as getting involved with the homeschooling community. I am always studying or reading something, I am very curious and love learning something new.

Hello, my name is Ann and look forward to meeting and to working with you. I moved from Pennsylvania in 2019 as I could not handle winter any more and needed to be somewhere warm! I have two Master of Arts degrees from Kutztown University - one in Counseling Psychology ( obtained in 1995) and the other in School Counseling ( obtained in 2004). I started in mental health therapy in 1995, then moved into substance abuse counseling for several years, then school counseling while I raised my son for 18 yrs, and now back to mental health/substance use counseling as that is my passion. I am currently working on obtaining my Mental Health Counselor license here in Florida. Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my husband doing outdoor activities - especially riding the Harley and our jet skis. I love to walk daily and enjoy knitting in my spare time.

Everyone in life ( including therapists at times) need someone to talk to in order to help resolve  problems, manage stress, process trauma or enhance coping skills. I believe in looking at what you want to accomplish as the goal of therapy and then working on skills to achieve that goal. I utilize cognitive-behavioral techniques as well as person-centered techniques and when needed will involve the family if the client is willing and if it will enhance our work together. I believe everyone has the tools inside them to achieve their goals; it is just about unlocking them and utilizing them. I enjoy working with teenagers and love helping them manage school related issues including peers and anxiety in relation to school and parents as they look to manage the challenges of a teenager. I have worked extensively with trauma survivors and have utilized mindfulness exercises. I also have worked extensively with clients who have co-occurring disorders including depression/anxiety along with substance use disorder. 

Expertise:

Adolescents ages 11 to 18

Young adults

Anxiety

Depression

Trauma including Abuse/Neglect

Addiction/Substance Use Disorders

Co-Dependents

Adjustment Issues

Eating disorders

Peer relationships

Family relationships including parenting skills

LGBTQI+ and including transgender youth/young adults

Stress Management

Anger issues

Hello, my name is Lori Brooks and I believe each person has the tools they need to live their healthiest and happiest life.  It is a privilege to walk with another person as they navigate part of their journey. With over 30 years of experience as a teacher, school counselor, and mental health professional, I work with youth, adults, couples, and also with families when a family session may be beneficial to the client. 

My mission is to help you identify your strengths so you can unlock your best self to improve your emotional well-being, enhance your personal relationships, and achieve your life goals. Therapy is a process, and we will work towards building trust in order to navigate your challenging life experiences together. I offer a personalized strengths-based approach tailored to each of my clients, keeping your goals the primary focus.  I integrate evidence-based modalities including person-centered, cognitive-behavioral, mindfulness, motivational interviewing, solution focused, family systems, trauma-informed care, and several other approaches to help you achieve your goals and live your most authentic life. 

As a therapist, my role is to restore hope, help you face challenges in a safe, non-judgmental space, focus on your strengths, make meaning of your world, and work on the power of personal choices. I will design an individualized treatment plan to meet your needs and help you accomplish your goals. Therapy is an opportunity for personal growth, building resilience, and leaning into the happy life you deserve!