Our Team

As Executive and Clinical Director, Karla oversees our Counseling and Case Management programs for adults, children, and adolescents, as well as the general administration of the agency. She has over 18 years of experience as a counselor and play therapist, being one of the few Registered Play Therapists in the area. Her exceptional application of classical and play therapy methods have made her services very sought after in the community. She is often assisting families through difficulty transitions, offering creative ideas that help provide the connections her clients need. Karla maintains a strong focus on the individual cognitive, emotional, spiritual, and sensory needs of each client to assist them through their healing process.

Tabitha began with Karla and Mary at the inception of Ground Work Play Therapy, dedicated to the development of a counseling agency that would focus on children and their families. She is motivated by a desire to help children whose experiences impair their ability to grow, extending great patience to families going through difficult times. She is a Registered Play Therapist and Supervisor, using play as a means to process and resolve whatever is diminishing her client’s daily functioning.  A child’s past and future are deeply dependent on the influences in their life. For this reason, Tabitha is adamant about including parents/caregivers as participants in treatment. Past clients continue to report positively back to her regarding their progress and success, making her dedication and hard work worth it. She also provides supervision to our CPST case management team of Qualified Mental Health Specialists, offering invaluable support and leadership.

Danielle joined our team in 2024 with a strong desire to help children get through difficult times. She previously worked as a Kindergarten teacher and was so moved by the needs of her students that she chose to go back to school to gain her credentials as a Social Worker to offer children in her community more support. She specializes in using Child-Centered Play Therapy to assist her clients in working through whatever they are going through. Her clients arrive excited to engage with her as she greets them with a smile and an invitation to create their stories in playful and meaningful ways.

Jocelyn is the newest member of our team, joining Ground Work Play Therapy to complete her Master’s Program internship as a student from Malone College. She comes with years of experience serving children in the community, currently assisting in one of the local schools. She has a natural playful presence that attracts children and adults, an attribute that cannot be taught. She already has a strong interest in Child-Centered Play Therapy and we are all very excited to have her on our team!

Heather has several different areas of specialty. Having a special needs child of her own has helped her understand and navigate the difficulties many parents face with schools and doctors. Heather also has many years experience in ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) and is a Registered Behavior Technician. She enjoys connecting with children of all ages and helping the entire family make improvements in their daily functioning. She serves many families that refer to her as “invaluable” as she provides them with many great ideas and resources from the community. She has a natural intuitive presence that helps her navigate the ever-changing behaviors of her clients, allowing her to make meaningful connections to assist in shaping those behaviors. We are blessed to have her on our team.

Jennifer comes to us with a diverse background in education and finance. She has worked in the community for over 20 years as an educator (and continues to serve), and 8 years previously as an accountant. She graciously serves Ground Work Play Therapy as our Accounting Clerk, managing weekly bookkeeping and communicating with the local Accountants that file our returns and perform yearly audits. She has also been instrumental in applying for grants and assisting in any way she can administratively. She also serves as a Qualified Mental Health Specialist, providing a patient presence to some of our clients who need assistance with academic concerns that are negatively impacting their social and emotional daily functioning.

One of the organization’s original employees with Tabitha and Karla, Mary has been reliable and dedicated to the foundation for GWPT’s growth over the years. Mary also performs all tasks associated with insurance, billing, and accounts receivable. She has been a very important part of the Ground Work Play Therapy Team over the years, providing a lot of “behind the scenes” support to all the staff, and sometimes clients as well. She has a strong desire to help families get the help they need to resolve whatever problems area causing them pain. This passion is a great motivator for our team and we greatly appreciate her.

Arielle started in April of 2017 as an Administrative Assistant and has been an enormous help to both our clinical and administrative personnel as a scribe and clinical support. She has a degree and license as a social worker and that expertise has made her an invaluable connection between the clinical and administrative worlds. She is often answering calls, contacting clients for scheduling, and completing intake paperwork with new clients. She brings warmth, enthusiasm, and humor to all that she does.

James has previously served Ground Work Play Therapy as the Operations Administrator and provided years of amazing support and guidance in a full-time position. He developed the agency’s online health record data base during that time, which springboarded him into a career as a developer. He has recently returned to provide part-time assistance to Ground Work as the Financial Analyst, providing payroll support and quarterly financial analysis, while still working his very busy full-time job leading a team of program developers. His insight and skills are appreciated greatly, and we are very happy to have him on our team again.