Dr. Dee Preston-Dillon
Dr. Preston-Dillon is the founder and director of the Center for Culture and Sandplay and the Clinical Director of Mindology. She is an affiliated graduate faculty in George Washington University, Art Therapy program; Psychology Professor in University of Maryland Global Campus.
A clinician educator, Dee’s 40 years teaching and clinical work anchor her immersive approach with clinicians and graduate students. She considers her life work a study of sand therapy as a projective process, incorporating cross-cultural, client-centered, and existential approaches. A master’s in counseling and a doctorate in psychology, her dissertation was a cross-cultural study of Sandplay, a qualitative analysis comparing indigenous and Jungian understanding of sand scenes.
Christy Huang, MA LCPC NCC
Christy Huang obtained her counseling degree in George Washington University. She is a member of the American Counseling Association, the Play Therapy Association and the Association for Creativity in Counseling.
Ms. Huang's experience as a therapist has been focused on helping individuals who have experienced traumatic, confusing, or stressful life events, such as physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, neglect, and the death of a loved one. She also has extensive experience working with children and adolescents using different modalities of expressive therapy. In addition to talk therapy, she uses EMDR, Flash Techniuqe, Sand therapy, sensorimotor therapy etc. to enhance therapy outcomes.
Ms. Huang's therapy approach is trauma-informed strength-based. She values the connections of mind-body-spirit holistic healing process in the therapy. She believes you are the expert of your life and her role in the therapy is to foster a collaborative therapeutic relationship where you can access to your inner strengths to experience a life you find meaningful.
Samantha Hutchison
MHS, MAEd, LGPC
Feeling stuck? I am here to help you move past your emotional and mental blocks to become the best YOU you can be. I believe that there are solutions to what may seem like impossible situations. I am here to sit with you in the mud and help you navigate your way to wholeness. I believe that the journey through growth and healing in therapy is unique to each person. Healing is not a linear process, and what works for one person may not work for another. I am a trauma-informed, holistic, culturally competent, and faith-based clinician who specializes in helping others heal and process generational, familial, religious, and racial trauma, navigate challenging interpersonal, intimate partner or family dynamics, and cope with major life changes and transitions. I am here to help you reconnect to purpose, find and create meaning, and develop a new, empowered narrative of your life story. It is never too late to get unstuck, it is never too late to stand your power and walk in liberty.
I am a Licensed Graduate Professional Counselor with six years of experience using evidence-based treatment modalities to address Depression, Anxiety, ADHD PTSD, Mood and Personality Disorders. I am trained in various modalities such as Trauma-Focused CBT, Cognitive Behavioral Interventions & Racialized Trauma, Play Therapy & Sandtray, Multicultural Counseling, Narrative therapy, Grief & Loss, and Art therapy. I also have a background in early childhood, children, and adolescents. I no longer offer early childhood services, but can provide counseling, consultation and coaching to parents in need of additional support managing difficult behaviors with their children.
I am currently seeing adolescent to adult clients ages 14 and up.
I firmly believe that spirituality is also an essential part of recovery. Christian-based, faith-based counseling can be offered upon request.
Emily Sunwoo
Emily Sunwoo received her master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Northwestern University. Emily's main approach to counseling is Rogerian psychotherapy, as this approach really supports seeing the client as a person before using any type of interventions. Emily allows her clients to steer the sessions in the direction they want it to go and will help try to find that safe and comfortable space for them where they can open up willingly and share.
Because each person has their own unique story and experiences, Emily also integrates various theories and techniques, other than person-centered therapy, including cognitive behavioral therapy, narrative therapy, psychodynamic therapy, and mindfulness. Her main goal is to instill hope and empowerment in all of her clients.
John Boyle
A counselor-in-training at Northwestern University, John takes a warm, friendly, and down-to-earth approach to the needs and goals of his clients. Whether you’re grappling with issues that have weighed you down for years, spinning because of a recent life change, or anything in between, John will seek to help you anchor yourself so you can then move forward based on your existing strengths.
Because of his psychodynamic training, John finds value in looking at where you’ve been to help make sense of where you are now. When you’re seeking relief, understanding how formative relationships and events may have influenced your patterns can be helpful. Theory aside, John’s role is to meet you where you are in order to help you on your journey – no matter which path you end up taking to get there.
Although he is highly comfortable in addressing a wide range of client concerns and challenges, his primary areas of focus include anxiety, depression, parenting, relationships, men’s issues, workplace issues, and major life changes. John also has a special focus on helping those living with chronic medical conditions.
Mariam Qahtani
Mariam is a master’s candidate in Clinical Mental health Counseling, and a Graduate Teaching Assistant at Northwestern University. She is also an intern at Doctors Without Borders in the Psychosocial Care Unit, supporting aid workers around the world.
A self-reflective practitioner, Mariam works to help individuals reach their goals by implementing Psychodynamic therapy, which focuses on the psychological roots of emotional suffering. She also integrates different therapeutic interventions and modalities to meet client’s
needs, such as Sand Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.
She takes a flexible and holistic approach, with a sensitivity to multicultural factors that make you the unique person you are. Mariam speaks Arabic and continues to work on
her Spanish to serve underserved communities.
