Nik Dier, LMSW

EAP Coordinator/Therapist

Nik is a graduate of the Edinboro University MSW program and completed her undergraduate work at Keuka College, also in social work. She has experience working with teenagers (13+) and young adults and enjoys working with couples and families as well. With her clients, Nik takes a strengths-based approach and draws on a variety of intervention methods, including CBT, Solution-Focused Therapy, Motivational Interviewing as well as narrative work, and art/music therapy. In addition to working with individuals and families, Nik enjoys providing trainings as one of the EAP coordinators within the agency. She is passionate about conflict/communication work either with individual clients, families, or in the workplace.

Sue Funicelli, LMSW

Psychotherapist

Sue has been practicing Clinical Social Work for 25 years in various outpatient clinical settings in the Southern Tier. She works with people of all ages: children, adolescents, adults, and families. She's trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing and the Harm Reduction approach toward substance abuse treatment. Her therapy is Trauma Informed. She believes it is important to get to know her clients, their values and comfort zones. She enjoys working with clients to help them increase their skills in managing their emotions in ways that are comfortable for the clients. She practices from a holistic, practical approach. Sue is located in our Ithaca office.

Barbara Ganzel, PhD, LMSW

Director of Community Programs

Barbara's background includes 25 years in academia studying psychological trauma and teaching trauma-informed care. She has a deep understanding of how “big T” and “little t” traumas interact with lifespan development to create pain in our lives. 

Barbara is also trained as a hospice social worker and has a special place in her heart for mental health intervention with people who are seriously ill and/or dying, and with caregivers and those in grief. 

Barbara uses EMDR to desensitize/process distressing memories and negative cognitions about the self, along with mindfulness, stress reduction, resource development, structured problem solving, and ACT. Areas of clinical interest: 

• Trauma, grief, anxiety, depression, substance abuse, stress management.
• Issues related to aging, serious or terminal physical illness, comorbid mental health issues and serious physical illness.
• Challenges with academia -- undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, staff. 

Wendy Jones, PhD, LMSW

Psychotherapist

Wendy Jones became a Licensed Master Social Worker after a first career as an English professor. Work as a crisis-line counselor for a total of nine years, together with the wish to extend this genre of help and a fascination with the mind-brain, motivated this decision. Since becoming a therapist, Wendy has worked with a truly diverse clientele in terms of the ways people identify themselves: race, gender, heritage, socioeconomic status, belief, and age (from three to seventy). Her clients have for the most part sought therapy for depression, anxiety, and trauma, but she has also worked with people diagnosed with schizophrenia, autism, and substance abuse disorder. She has trained in AEDP (accelerated experiential dynamic psychotherapy), a mind-body based approach to helping clients deal with trauma; as a ballet major at the Performing Arts (the Fame school), and a lifelong participant in fitness regimens, Wendy is very aware of the ways that the body and mind interact. She is also especially interested in psychotherapeutic approaches grounded in attachment theory, the basic belief that the relationships we experience with others determine our ways of being and perceiving to a great extent, and in narrative therapy, because the story we tell about ourselves—our identity—similarly determines perception and behavior. Contemporary life is fraught with anxiety and fear, and we appear to have fewer external supports than ever before to deal with such stress. Seeking therapy is a smart and constructive way to find help in times of need. When not at work as a therapist, Wendy pursues her scholarly interests. She has written a book explaining the social brain using Jane Austen’s novels (Jane on the Brain: Exploring the Science of Social Intelligence with Jane Austen), writes a blog (Intersubjective) for Psychology Today, as well as publishing in other popular and academic venues. 

Beth Midura, LCSW-R

Clinical Site Supervisor - Ithaca

Beth received her Bachelors degree from Lycoming College in Williamsport PA as a double major in Psychology and Sociology/Anthropology. Her Masters Degree in Social work was completed at Marywood University in Scranton PA. She received her Yoga Instructor Certification from Kaivalya Yoga Academy in 2011 and has been practicing Ashtanga Yoga for 20 years. Her yoga practice and instruction compliment her social work experience. Beth has been working in the social work field for the last 35 years. She has had the experience of working with individuals and families in a variety of settings. Her diverse experience includes working in a low-income housing project, Domestic Violence Shelter, In patient Medical Detox, Out patient Drug and Alcohol Clinic, Cattaraugus County Mental Health Clinic on the Seneca reservation located in Salamanca NY and Tompkins County Mental Health Clinic. For the past 22 years Beth has worked as a psychiatric Social Worker and Clinical Supervisor for the Tompkins County Mental Health Clinic. Working for Tompkins County Mental Health Clinic she has had the opportunity to provide mental health assessment/diagnosis, individual and group therapies, school based clinical services and clinical supervision. Her varied experience has provided the opportunity to work with individuals and families assisting them transiting through the transitions presented by the stages of life. Beth enjoys working with people through life stages from ages 5 to 95. When Beth is not working with people she enjoys spending time with her family and Australian Sheppard, Cosmo. You can often find her practicing yoga, working in her gardens, participating in out door activities , traveling, cooking/baking, reading or just relaxing beside a local waterfall.