Our Professionals
Our Mission:
To treat the whole person with therapies that release and heal.
To provide in-depth Sand Play Training for clinicians
around the world.
Founder
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Founder:
Gretchen received her BA in Psychology from Loyola University in Maryland in 1995, followed by her MSW from The University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice in 1997. In 1998, Gretchen completed her Level I and II EMDR training with Francine Shapiro, Ph.D. and William Zangwill, Ph.D., becoming one of the earliest EMDR practitioners in New Jersey.
Gretchen was first introduced to Sand Play in 2000 and found the process to be transformational both personally and professionally. Frustrated with the practice limitations placed on clinicians at that time in community mental health, Gretchen opened a private practice in a basement office in Point Pleasant Beach, NJ that same year (a week before her 26th birthday). The practice was co-owned with her mother Mary Pat McGeehin, LCSW and they decided to name it Lighthouse Counseling as an homage to Old Barney on L.B.I. where Gretchen grew up. Lighthouse Counseling was focused on providing superior trauma-informed treatment to children and families in Ocean and Monmouth Counties.
After years of study and practice, it became clear that there was limited access to professional Sand Play Training in the State of New Jersey, as well as a perception that formal Sand Play Therapy Training was too costly, required extensive travel, and was too time-consuming to pursue. Gretchen felt that all Healing Arts professionals should have the ability to access training in Sand Play so that this culturally sensitive, client-centered healing technique could be available to clients everywhere. To that end, Gretchen moved the practice to a larger and more accessible office space in 2004 and began developing the Lighthouse Sand Play Therapy Training Program.
Gretchen, along with Lighthouse affiliates, have trained over 4000 clinicians in Sand Play Therapy since 2005 (both nationally and internationally), and offers the only Certificate in Sand Play Therapy in NJ that is approved for CE by NBCC and the NJ CE Collaborative. Gretchen is a former adjunct professor in Graduate Level Social Work Programs (Monmouth University) and is a Registered Clinical Supervisor with the State of New Jersey since 2005. Gretchen has had articles published about Sand Play Therapy and has undergone hundreds of hours of personal Sand Play Therapy Training, supervision, and personal process work. Additionally, she has had over 200 hours in training in trauma and body-centered psychotherapy (including EMDR, Thought Field Therapy, IFS, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Trauma Sensitive Yoga, and 75+ hours of training with Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.).
Gretchen received her Certified Professional Coach designation in 2019 and does business consultations for private practice owners. She maintains a virtual clinical practice with a focus on supervision, consulting, coaching and clinical training. Gretchen is an avid and vocal supporter of the Social Work Compact and looks forward to a day where there are no geographical barriers to mental health treatment.
Gretchen’s greatest passion is travel, and when not working, she can be found in Europe or Costa Rica with family and/or friends. She lives in Monmouth County, NJ with her husband, daughter and Chihuahua Sophie.
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An interest in people and helping others led to Toni’s career as a social worker, which began at Ithaca College. In pursuit of a deeper level of education, Toni received her Masters Degree in Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania in 1999.
A wide range of interests motivated work with different populations. This has been accomplished through a variety of community settings including mental health agencies, schools, and families’ homes. Toni has worked with children, adolescents, and adults, in individual, couples, family and group therapy settings.
Having worked closely with families referred by DCPP (Division of Child Protection and Permanency), a strong focus of practice has been child welfare, including child abuse/neglect, behavioral and parenting issues. Play therapy and EMDR have been strongly integrated in her work.
Toni coordinated the group therapy program at Lighthouse Counseling for nine years, offering social skills and targeted groups to a variety of populations. These groups utilized a unique blend of Sand Play Therapy, yoga, art and play therapy.
Toni has shifted her current practice to working with adults. Focuses include, but are not limited to, childhood trauma, anxiety, chronic pain and fatigue related issues, parenting and family issues. Working with adults on their journeys, fostering an understanding of how their past shaped who they are, as well as recognizing their strengths and potential, has been so valuable in leaving behind what no longer serves them. Envisioning, becoming and accepting the true self and life one desires can become possible.
One of Toni’s proudest accomplishments is co-facilitating Lighthouse’s Sand Play Therapy Training Program, in which clinicians are trained to become Sand Play Therapists. Being able to witness others experiencing the power of Sand Play Therapy has been incredible. Knowing each clinician will then help many others with this technique has been a highlight of Toni’s career.
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Heather was a Psychology major from West Virginia University and continued her education at Caldwell University with a Masters in Mental Health Counseling. Heather is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Addictions Counselor, Clinical Supervisor and a certified life coach. Heather is one of our Sand Play Therapy trainers at Lighthouse Counseling.
Heather has worked in crisis, IOP/PHP, the emergency room, outpatient settings. She has held individual and group therapy sessions for children, adolescents & adults. Heather focuses on trauma, depression, anxiety, autism, addictions and tailors each session to the individual client’s needs. Heather uses some of the modalities of Sand Play Therapy, EMDR, DBT.
Heather strives to help children and adolescents navigate barriers and struggles in mental health. She focuses on working with the client and their family and meeting them where they are as well as advocating for the client. Heather uses sand play therapy to help her client’s express their experiences, fostering emotional healing and greater self-awareness through creativity and play.
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Barbara has worked with both children and adults struggling with unresolved trauma, anxiety, life stressors and depression.
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Bill Heath is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with over 15 years of experience, specializing in helping children, youth, and families navigate life’s challenges. Currently, Bill is an Affiliate Outpatient Therapist with Lighthouse Counseling, where he focuses on using expressive sand play therapy and EMDR to facilitate healing and growth. He believes in the capacity of these modalities to help clients process trauma, explore emotions, and find new paths forward in a safe and creative way.
Bill's personal philosophy is meeting people where they are and walking alongside them on their path. He values creating and maintaining genuine connections, ensuring each client feels heard, understood, and supported throughout their therapeutic journey. His aim in session and life is to be trauma-informed, strengths-based, and resilience focused. His hope is to empower awareness, liberation and self-efficacy.
As a Certified Sand Play Therapist, Bill uses sand play to help clients—especially children—express their experiences, fostering emotional healing and greater self-awareness through creativity and play. Additionally, his EMDR training allows him to help clients effectively process past traumas, reduce emotional distress, and develop healthier perspectives. Bill also incorporates DBT techniques, drawing on his foundational training to assist clients in building skills for emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness.
In addition to his therapeutic work, Bill takes pride in providing clinical supervision for associate-level therapists and students, guiding them in their professional growth and development. Likewise, Bill is a certified Advanced Trainer in the Nurtured Heart Approach, focusing on engaging interactions & healthy, robust, relationships.
With a Master of Social Work from Rutgers University and multiple certifications—including EMDR Basic Training, DBT training, and Life Coaching—Bill is passionate about empowering clients to achieve lasting change on their terms. His dedication to fostering resilience and personal growth ensures that each session is a supportive and meaningful step in his clients' journey toward healing.
Bill’s ultimate goal is to never see his clients again…in a good way.
"A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves." - Lao Tzu
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Joana brings warmth, creativity, and a multicultural lens to her work with children, teens, adults, and couples. She specializes in life transitions, anxiety, depression, and relationship challenges, offering individual and couples counseling. Joana draws from Gottman Couples Therapy, Emotion-Focused Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Expressive Art Techniques, and Sand Play Therapy to support healing and growth. Joana is trained and also offers Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP).
She believes in the power of connection, resilience, and storytelling as tools for transformation.
In addition to her clinical work, Joana teaches in the Graduate Counseling Program at The College of New Jersey
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Kat has been practicing Social Work in various settings including domestic violence, outpatient, and partial care programs. She has a Masters of Social Work from Seton Hall University. She has experience working with all ages and populations but particularly enjoys working with children and teens.
A note from Kat.: My favorite part of being a therapist is seeing people make breakthroughs. My goal is to help people become the best version of themselves. If this is your first time seeking therapy, please know we do not always need to be serious. I embrace laughter for healing.
I believe therapy is a team relationship between the client and the therapist. I take a “meet the client where they are” approach, allowing the client to guide their own therapeutic experience in a way that is most beneficial for them. I have advanced level training in Sand Play Therapy and am trained in EMDR.
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Clinician/Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapist
Yvonne often refers to her theory of “LYF” – Love Yourself First
She believes in radical self-acceptance, self-care, and compassionate self-inquiry as a pathway to change.
Yvonne is a strengths-based, and trauma-informed therapist who is passionate about helping clients go within to identify and access their strengths and solutions to challenges. She walks alongside those seeking to recognize, allow, investigate, and nurture emotional difficulties, to work through any barriers impacting mental health and wellbeing. Yvonne believes in bio-individuality and that everyone’s unique worldview and personal spirituality play a key role in overall well-being.
Yvonne earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Rutgers University and a Master’s Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Kean University. Yvonne completed her Certificate in Sand Play Therapy at Lighthouse, particularly resonating with the Advanced Training in Male and Female Archetypes in 2019. Yvonne’s approach includes talk therapy, integrating DBT, Polyvagal Theory, Parts work, and expressive and mindfulness-based therapy interventions with trauma treatment. Yvonne is excited to now offer Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) in our Tinton Falls office! KAP and Sand go hand in hand and work synergistically to support deep insight growth and change. Reach out now to learn more and schedule your first preparation session!
She has had the good fortune to work alongside and learn from wonderful mentors in the field. And as much as these therapeutic rock stars have taught her, sometimes the most powerful and gifted teachers are her clients. These survivors and thrivers, through their vulnerability and courage, discover their inherent gifts, resources and worthiness. The key to healing is not necessarily in knowing what happened, but transforming how the mind, body, and spirit remember, protect and carry it.
Yvonne has experience presenting guided imagery, holistic health & wellness education workshops, and cooking classes to communities, corporations, groups, and individuals of all ages.
Get to Know Yvonne: Yvonne loves spending time in nature, hiking, biking, kayaking, and balances her free time with her family, her friends, and her cats, Brody and Foxtrot (Foxy). She enjoys carving out time for solitude, reading, practicing meditation, self-hypnosis, and other Mind/Body practices.
Especially when working in the sand with clients that may not initially want to work in the sand, the following quote resonates… “When our eyes see our hands doing the work of our hearts, the circle of Creation is completed inside us, the doors of our souls fly open and love steps forth to heal everything in sight.” -Michael Bridge
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Hi I’m MacLean! I am a Licensed Associate Counselor with an integrative approach and creative spirit. I am passionate about helping people of all ages grow into their potential. I draw from the following counseling theories: Sand play therapy, Internal Family Systems, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Narrative Therapy, and more. I have years of experience counseling people with depression, anxiety, relationship issues, autism, ADHD, addiction, grief and loss, PTSD, as well as many other diagnoses. My education consists of a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and a master’s degree from The College of New Jersey.
I am an avid reader, athlete, and adventurer. I could talk about favorite foods and restaurants for hours and I am always excited to learn new things. For example, in recent years I have enjoyed diving deeper into hobbies like weightlifting, rock climbing, jujitsu, meditation, and cooking.
In Sand Play therapy, I explore symbolism and metaphors with clients to support them in better understanding their thoughts and emotions. In the book Circe by Madeline Miller, a Greek Goddess grapples with the imperfect business of being human. Her thoughts mirror many aspects of the therapy and healing journey. As she navigates her fears, she writes: “This is what it means to swim in the tide, to walk the earth and feel it touch your feet. This is what it means to be alive.
If you are interested in learning more, please feel free to reach out!
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Ana is a Licensed Associate Counselor (LAC). She earned her Master’s Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Monmouth University. Ana has experience working with children, adolescents, and young adults impacted by mental health and substance use disorders in partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient levels of care. She has also worked with youth in the community and those involved in the juvenile justice system, engaging them in a variety of developmentally appropriate, strengths-based interventions.
Ana has provided clients with psychoeducation, conflict resolution skills, support in developing healthy coping strategies, and other individualized, needs-based clinical interventions. She is well-versed in working with families and understands that each family member may need something different from the therapeutic process. Ana values collaboration and believes it is important to recognize these differences while working toward shared goals.
Ana aims to meet clients and their families where they are, creating a safe, supportive environment where trust and a strong therapeutic relationship is nurtured. She strives to help clients feel empowered and confident in guiding their therapeutic journey in a way that feels right for them. Whether a client needs space for humor or support in navigating difficult conversations, Ana encourages authenticity within session to promote healing.
Ana believes that Sand Play is a powerful tool for children, adolescents, and young adults to explore emotions they may not yet have words for, while also discovering new insights along the way. She enjoys walking alongside clients in their journey, fostering creativity, self-expression, and healing in a way that feels natural and meaningful.
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Rachel is a Licensed Social Worker (LSW). She earned her Master’s Degree in Social Work with a specialization in clinical practice with families and children from Monmouth University. Rachel has experience in working with children, adolescents, teens, adults, and families who have experienced or been impacted by domestic violence and sexual violence. She has worked in roles varying from talking about consent and teen dating violence to youth, to providing direct support and safety planning for adult survivors involved in the child welfare system, and in psychotherapy.
She has supported clients with a wide range of presenting concerns, such as anxiety, trauma, depression, emotional dysregulation, and challenges related to boundaries and self-esteem. Rachel practices from a client-centered, strengths-based, LGBTQIA+ affirming, and trauma-informed perspective so she is able to authentically meet clients where they are and honor their diverse identities and lived experiences. In working with Rachel, she leads with warmth and age-appropriate humor, so you can expect a collaborative, compassionate, and non judgemental supportive space for clients to feel safe to show up as their authentic self.
In Rachel’s free time, she loves to cozy up at home with her two cats, Binx and Ember, read lots of books, play games, do yoga, and try different foods! Rachel believes that sand play can be a beneficial and powerful tool in exploring one’s emotions in a safe capacity, in addition to calming one’s senses in talking about difficult topics. Rachel is looking forward to meeting clients where they are and being a part of their healing journey!
