Meet the Team
We provide a comprehensive and personalized approach in meeting the individual needs of each of our clients. Our team is supportive and responsive, providing individualized care to ensure successful outcomes.
Meet Dr. Heather Bense
Hello! I am a doctorate level Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). I utilize connection and the therapeutic relationship to create a supportive space to promote healing for individuals across the lifespan.
​
I graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with my Doctorate in Social Work (DSW) and Rutgers University with my Masters in Social Work (MSW).​ I am a New Jersey Approved Clinical Supervisor and provide clinical supervision for Licensed Social Workers (LSW) and Licensed Associate Counselors (LAC) towards terminal licensure.
​
Over my 15 years experience, I have integrated my experience in higher education instruction and support programs with my clinical experiences in community mental health to create my unique approach. I specialize in helping individuals work through depression, mood dysregulation, decision-making issues, anxiety, obsessions and phobias, traumatic stress, family conflict, bereavement, environmental stressors, and challenges specific to the LGBTQIA+ community.
While I have experience working with a variety of evidenced based therapeutic approaches, I work most frequently with narrative approaches, Imago Relationship Therapy, Relational Therapy, Anti-oppressive and intersectional perspectives, Solution Focused, and Strengths Based Therapies.
I am a certified in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), am a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP), and a New Jersey Approved Clinical Supervisor.
Meet Meghan Privitello
Hi, there! I am an alumna of the Bryn Mawr Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research where I received my Masters Degree in Social Services (MSS) in 2020. I received my BSW from Stockton University in 2019, in addition to a BA in Literature and Creative Writing in 2007.
​
Since 2018, I have worked in the field of mental and behavioral health, with clients in domestic violence and sexual assault agencies, substance use rehabilitation, and outpatient therapy in both a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) and private practice setting. Prior to working in the mental health field, I was involved in the creative arts field, publishing my own work, and leading poetry and memoir workshops for teens and older adults with a focus on understanding and processing traumatic life experiences.
​
Therapy provides a unique environment to explore these issues. Together, we will co-construct a safe, supportive, and non-judgmental space. We can then begin to discover the ways in which your past informs how you experience and interact with your present world. I believe in the potential of the therapeutic relationship to facilitate acceptance and warmth toward what might feel like the most painful or shameful parts of yourself.
​
I offer both in-person and telehealth sessions and approach the therapeutic process with a mixture of empathy, curiosity, creativity, and humor. I enjoy working from various treatment approaches. This allows me to listen closely to your needs and tailor a plan that focuses on your strengths and meets you at your stage of readiness.
My favorite approaches include Psychodynamic and Relational approaches, Sex Therapy, EMDR (trained) and Internal Family Systems therapies (Level 1 Trained).