soul-friends.org

Kate Nicoll, MSW, LCSW Kate brings to Soul Friends more than 20 years of clinical experience working with families coping with grief, trauma and illness. Kate earned her MSW from Smith College and her BSW from Elms College; as well, she completed a graduate certificate in Animal Assisted Therapy and Education from DePaul University. Kate’s extensive mental health experience includes work with inpatient medical and psychiatric hospitals, children’s clinic, private practice, homecare agencies and hospice. She has presented across the country on the power of body-centered psychotherapy and animal assisted interventions for children. She has specialized in working with children with severe trauma and grief – and has partnered with community agencies and the state in adding the comfort of an animal partner to specific treatment plans.

Over the past five years, Kate has created five group curriculum based programs for children that has consistently demonstrated through outcome measures and research positive benefits for children including : increased eye contact for children with autism and ADHD; increased hopefulness for children living with trauma and improved peer relationships for teens. As the principal investigator of a year long humane education study, Kate and her partners demonstrated the benefits of adding therapy animals in a classroom setting in a published journal article in Society and Animals.  Kate is the author of Soul Friends: Finding Healing with Animals and A Therapy Dog at Work and Play; Teaching Children about Body Clues. Along with her four children, Kate shares her love with seven animal companions at home including three Delta registered therapy dogs. Kate is a member of the Delta Society, EAGALA, NASW, the International Society for Group Psychotherapy and NAHRA.  In the year 2008-2009, she was selected to be a Annie E. Casey Foundation Nonprofit Leadership Foundation to assist in her vision to bring Soul Friends, Inc to all the children in need of Connecticut.

---

Bonnie Cecarelli, MSW, LCSW ( her Delta partner Lola to the left)

Bonnie comes to work with her canine partner, Lola, a rescued pointer mix.  Bonnie has worked as a social worker at the West Haven VA for the last few years.  She has been providing animal assisted visits across central Connecticut for many years.  Bonnie brings to Soul Friends a special interest in working with children with acute and chronic physical illnesses.

Jodi first came to Soul Friends has a student intern.  She graduated from UCONN in 2007.  Currently, she is the coordinator of therapeutic mentoring at Community Residences, Inc. in Southington.  She works part-time at Soul Friends, particularly assisting with our Come, Follow Me! program for special needs children.

---

Vanessa Maznio, MSW, LCSW – Behavioral Consultant

Vanessa graduated from SCSU in Spring 2006.  She was also a student intern at Soul Friends.  Vanessa loves to help families develop meaningful behavioral plans and will be collaborating with the clinical staff as needed.

Alyssa Wurtzel, MSW, LCSW

Alyssa is a social worker in New Britain with a specialization in working with people with serious chronic mental illness and substance abuse. She has a lifelong love of animals, and group work. She assists in group therapy programs at Soul Friends.

Rich Smalley, MSW

Rich has a long, extensive history of helping children.

  Currently, he assists children adjusting to foster care through his work at Klingberg Family Services.  Rich has had training in MFT, attachment disorder through his training with Daniel Hughes and he is proficient in Sign Language.  Rich lives at home with his two Jack Russell terriers that keep him busy.  He has an interest in the benefits of nature programming and animal assisted interventions, particularly with adolescents.

Megan Giesen, MSW, LCSW

Megan comes to Soul Friends with a strong commitment to the holistic care of the child and family. Currently she works as a clinician in a school based health center.  She has specialized training in working with children who have abused animals.  Megan is also bilingual in Spanish.

Yvonne Burke, MSW, LCSW (her working partners, Jesse and Frankie, to the left)

Yvonne  joined the Soul Friends staff providing individual psychotherapy to children and teens.  She works for ACES in North Haven. Yvonne and her two canine partners, Frankie and Jesse, work in our Wallingford office.