Our staff is a diverse group of clinicians from numerous backgrounds and specialties. All are licensed professionals in the state of Wisconsin and the clinic is state certified as an outpatient mental health and substance abuse clinic.
James A. Burns, PhD is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist. He obtained his Doctoral degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His research interests were primarily cognitive-behavioral theories of anxiety disorders. He gained experience working with medically complicated cases in several hospitals through his training including University of Nebraska Health Services, Rogers Memorial Hospital, and the Milwaukee VA Hospital. He is widely regarded in the community as an expert in the cognitive-behavioral treatment of anxiety disorders in adults and children. He spent an extensive part of his career working in specialty clinics honing his clinical technique for treating panic disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Although his practice at Genesis is quite general, he has further developed his practice by applying behavioral techniques to parenting, ADHD, and oppositional-defiant children. He splits his patient care with being the clinical supervisor and president of Genesis Counseling Services Ltd.
Sara Cerar, MS is a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Clinical Substance Abuse Counselor. Her approach to psychotherapy encompasses the understanding that you are the expert on you. Nobody else experiences life the way you do, has emotions the same as yours, or has the same desire to live a fulfilled life. She views her role as a support and guide in your quest for reaching your potential using compassion, creativity, intuition, humor and non-judgment in her approach to working with people. She uses mindfulness practices as an addition to a person-centered and problem solving understanding of healing and potential. No matter your age, race or understanding of life she works to provide a safe place to explore the thoughts and behaviors that keep you from moving forward. She has worked with individuals and families with AODA issues, teenagers in foster care, and adults with mental health issues. With each type of position she has held she has come to believe that if an individual was present with themselves they could be the most honest about their place and purpose in the world. She seeks to continue to encourage each person to find mindfulness, caring, and self-respect a crucial part of life.
Sarah J. Hoffman MS obtained her Master of Science degree in Community Counseling and School Counseling from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor and a National Certified Counselor. She has well over 15 years of experience in individual, family, and couples therapy and has extensive experience working with adolescents and their families. She worked with teens and their families in a runaway program and facilitated a day treatment program early in her career. Through these experiences, Sarah became adept at building relationships with teens while helping them though difficulties. She has also had great success in helping the parents of teens communicate with their adolescents. Sarah has a person-centered cognitive-behavioral approach to counseling. This approach has had a positive impact in the lives of men, women and children (ages 12-65) struggling with a variety of mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD. She has also had several years of experience counseling couples, which includes teaching communication techniques and relationship re-connection. Sarah hopes to help people discover their worth and inner strength as she continues her work at Genesis Counseling Services Ltd.
Janet Irvine, Psy. D., is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist. She received her Doctorate degree from the Adler School of Psychology and has been in practice for over 20 years. She has had extensive training with children, and earned prior degrees in Speech and Language Pathology and Special Education. Janet has also had extensive experience with adults with depressive disorders and employs a variety of methods to help enhance mental health. Janet believes that warmth, compassion and humor are powerful tools to enhance healing.
Cynthia Johnson, MS, is a PC-IT. She received her Master of Science degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Capella University and has focused on Child and Adolescent Psychology. She has 8 years of experience in the public school system with children from PreK through High School. Cynthia has experience counseling individuals at all stages of development, as well as couples and families. She brings with her twenty years of experience working in law enforcement, as well as experience in providing support to First Responders. Cynthia primarily works from a cognitive behavioral approach; however, her primary focus is to form a supportive relationship with a client, meeting the client where they are and helping clients to identify their own inner strengths and capabilities. Cynthia also has had certified training in EMDR, Trauma-Informed Creative Arts Therapy, and Play Therapy.
Emily McCabe, MS is a Professional Counselor In-Training and a Substance Abuse Counselor In-Training and has earned her Masters Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from UW Whitewater with a concentration in marriage & family therapy. While still exploring her therapeutic style, Emily’s main focus is in using CBT in conjunction with narrative therapy for a more holistic approach to counseling. While primarily interested in working with LGBT+ individuals and helping families navigate new experiences, identities, and dynamics, she is open to clients of all backgrounds. Previously, she has worked with clients who have experienced substance abuse, depression, loss, anxiety, panic disorder, sexual abuse, natural disasters, trauma, ADHD, and PTSD.
Neal Reed MS is dually licensed as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Clinical Substance Abuse Counselor who earned his Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His clinical experience includes providing individual, family, and group therapy for children, adolescents, and young adults who are experiencing symptoms related to mental health and/or addictions. Neal’s clinical experience includes providing treatment in a variety of different environments including the outpatient, day treatment and in-home/community settings. Neal has a background in working with individuals who are experiencing symptoms related to depression, anxiety, and past trauma or abuse. He also has experience working with adolescents and young adults who are experiencing difficulty with transitioning to adulthood. Neal facilitates therapy sessions using a Strengths-Based approach while incorporating evidence-based practices such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), Solutions-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), Mindfulness-Based practices, and Transition to Independence Process (TIP) Model concepts. He also has experience in facilitating Aggression Replacement Training (ART) groups with adolescents in need of improving their overall social skills, anger control, and understanding of moral reasoning concepts.
Tiffany Strodthoff MS is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Clinical Substance Abuse Counselor and Nationally Certified Counselor with a Master’s of Science Degree, concentrations on Trauma and Substance Abuse from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, as well as a certificate in Infant and Early Child Mental Health from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She specializes in children, birth through 5 years old, adolescents, and adults with traumatic experiences, adoption/attachment related issues, and those who are struggling with various addictions (themselves or a loved one). Her primary focus is currently young children and their families who have experienced trauma in their lives. She is trained in Trauma-Focused CBT, Prepare-Enrich, and the Comprehensive Resource Model. She is a level II EMDR therapist and is registered as an Adoption Competent therapist. With this array of treatment modalities, Tiffany will work closely with her clients to find which approach would be most effective in order to meet the client’s individual needs. Tiffany also has professional experience with Reflective Supervision, Parenting Coaching, Forgiveness Therapy, and Compassion Focused Therapy. She has previously developed successful treatment programming and continues to strive for more effective treatment options in the Rock County area. Other topics that are in her scope of practice are as follows (but is not limited to), LGBTQA, Co-Dependency, Relationships/Divorce, Grief, Mindfulness-based coping skills, Complex PTSD and Attachment issues. She believes each client has the ability to heal, grow, and change through the therapeutic process. Tiffany will work to educate and empower each individual by helping them gain mastery over their lives by recognizing and/or emphasizing their choices and capabilities.
Kasie Weiler,MS is a Professional Counselor In-Training and a Substance Abuse Counselor In-Training. She received her Master of Science degree in counseling and substance abuse from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. She is well rounded in many types of therapeutic needs including helping those with symptoms related to anxiety, depression, PTSD, and personality disorders. She has experience working with adolescents in a day treatment setting and in intensive substance abuse groups. Kasie has done extensive research on trauma related to sexual abuse, violence, neglect, abandonment, and co-occurring substance use. She thrives on helping those with dual-diagnosis of many combinations. Her eclectic counseling style utilizes positive psychology while integrating mindfulness, experiential strategies, and narrative therapies. Kasie also incorporates evidence-based strategies in the areas of CBT, Person-Centered, and Solution-Focused practices. Her unique life experiences offer her the opportunity to relate to a wide variety of people and to assist them in making the life changes that will set them on a path that meets their individual wants and needs. She believes that all people have the ability to heal and experience life from a more positive perspective.
Jack Wheeler is an intern pursuing a master’s degree in mental health counseling at UW–Whitewater. He received his B.A. in philosophy from Whitman College and spent his junior year abroad at Oxford University. Jack became a therapist because he deeply values the private inner experiences that people cannot always be open about in day-to-day life. His style of counseling emphasizes sustained, deep listening and is inspired primarily by the Classical Person-Centered and Emotion-Focused traditions of counseling. Jack believes that clarifying and expressing one’s true thoughts and feelings in the presence of someone willing to receive them—no matter what they are—can provide relief, self-understanding, and a grounded sense of what one really wants in a given situation. Jack makes sure to take seriously everything clients communicate to him because he is sensitive to the human worry that one will not be fully understood or accepted as one is. His main areas of clinical interest are depression, anxiety, and PTSD, as well as helping clients to process and connect with their emotions more generally.
Julie Williams, MS is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Licensed Professional Counselor. She obtained her Master of Science degree in counseling from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. She has had extensive training in cognitive-behavioral interventions for various specialty populations including developmentally disabled adults. She is widely regarded in the community as an expert in treating developmentally disabled adults including those with co-morbid mental illnesses. During her career approaching 2 decades she has developed her skills of applying cognitive-behavioral approaches to parenting, anxiety, work related problems, anger management, and mood disorders. She also has significant knowledge and experience working with victims of sexual abuse and complex trauma. Always adding to her repertoire she has more recently been building her practice providing mental health care to the elderly population.
Helen Link, MSN is a Licensed Advanced Practice Nurse Prescriber and Board Certified Clinical Specialist. She completed her Master of Science degree in Psychiatric Nursing from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is board certified to provide psychiatric care to adults and children. Her career in mental health includes over 30 years experience providing clinical care in inpatient and outpatient settings in a range of capacities from psychotherapeutic to prescribing services.
