Therapy Team

 While my specialty has always been trauma therapy for teenagers, it was shortly after my youngest brother committed suicide I decided to forever include Veterans and the prior military when considering new patients. With 2 Veterans in my family, my personal experiences help me better understand the psyche of those who have lived in a controlled environment, experienced personal trauma, or who have been in active combat. While I have experience using Talk Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and also Art Therapy, I know every situation is unique and I am ready to explore the many therapies available until we find what works for you.

I originally specialized in therapies for kids and teens diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), which includes the whole spectrum from Non-verbal to High Functioning. Though it doesn't matter if you are a parent seeking therapy for an Autistic child or teen, or an emotionally wounded veteran, I am ready to guide you to your solution.

My desire to help people through their traumatic experiences or difficult emotions is both genuine and true. My dedication as a Therapist should never be taken lightly. My developed organic approach to the therapeutic processes requires participation and consistency to Improve complete mental health. 

 A long-time resident of Orlando, I “CJ” am a Florida native with many years of professional and community-based experiences working within the human services field throughout Central Florida. I earned my Master of Science in Counseling Education, with a specialization in Play Therapy, from Palm Beach Atlantic University- Orlando campus. I am also an HBCU graduate from Florida A&M University, where I obtained my B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice. In addition, I am an active member of both the American & Florida Counseling Associations.

I am compassionate about the healing process. Since the tender age of 12, working as a volunteer coordinator with Habitat for Humanity- Orlando, I have always placed a significant amount of attention and energy on community wellness. As I matriculated through life developing my professional identity, various training and coursework have centralized my focus and prepared me to work well with an array of individuals from all walks of life. My approach to counseling involves a client strength-based model that encourages the individual to incorporate their gifts and knowledge into developing a healthy, judgment-free therapeutic working relationship toward self-efficacy and transcendence. Furthermore, I utilize an integrated lens to address clients’ independent needs with mechanisms from Person-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Narrative Therapy, Trauma-Informed Care, and of course Play/Experiential Therapy.

"Corey takes great pride in his work with children, adolescents, adults, families, and the foster population. He believes that his genuine desire to connect with his clients is what enables him to tailor an individualized treatment plan to appropriately combat issues of anxiety, personality, depression, trauma, behavior, grief, and family conflict."

“Life takes up one long, winding road to fulfill its seemingly endless journey, and when we find ourselves stumbling upon forks in the road, we choose wisely.”
- Amani Abbas   

 I love to help bring couples and families closer together through using Imago Relationship Therapy and help to have fulfilling relationships. I am passionate about helping people reconnect with themselves and others by helping them connect with their strengths and learning new ways to communicate. I believe in working from a warm, empathic approach to creating a safe and non-judgmental space where clients can learn, grow, and achieve their goals. 

My ideal client is someone who wants to be a better version of themselves. Someone who is motivated to learn how to deal with their problems and is receptive to positive change. I have always loved working with children and seeing positive changes in their behaviors and being able to witness personal growth and improved family relationships. I have a strong passion for this field and being able to help anyone overcome difficulties in their mental health is an honor. I have a strong passion to help others realize their potential and understand that change, while difficult, can be beautiful and liberating. Please reach out so that we can identify a plan to best suit your needs to reach your mental health goals.  

You can't go back and change the
beginning, but you can start where
you are and change the ending."
-C.S. Lewis
Life can be full of different
stressors and this is where I can
help. I will provide a warm, non-
judgmental, safe, and interactive
environment where we take on
complex subjects, deep-seated
traumas, or for you to say the
things you've never told anyone
before. I understand these are
difficult subjects to speak about,
and I will build a therapeutic
relationship with you so that you
feel strong enough to share your
worldview. By doing this, we can
establish realistic and attainable
goals to establish growth and
promote healing. And always
remember that healing is not linear.
The best gift you can give yourself
is to master the chaos in you. You
are not thrown into the fire, you are
the fire. - Mama Indigo. 

I have always been interested in helping my community in the best way I can! Ever since I was young I wanted to be a therapist. Finally, I can proudly say that I have achieved my goal of becoming a fully registered mental health counselor! I love being able to help guide children and families into a positive and healthy mindset! I love learning new things and finding new ways to improve myself! I hope I can provide you with the guidance you need to better yourself in any way during your journey here at Catalyst! I am open to seeing all ages and all situations! In the session, we can do puzzles or do a simple painting or even just talk if you prefer I am here to help you be the best you!  Oh, by the way, smile. It looks good on you! 

I got my bachelors from UCF in clinical psychology, and my master's in clinical mental health counseling through Nova. I have always had a passion when it came to psychology and mental health, I felt that if I wanted to help the community a career in counseling would lead me in the right direction. The approach I want to take with therapy is to let the client’s that I work with know this is their safe space and their self-care time. The goal in the therapy is to build a solid therapeutic relationship with your client, which allows them to come in and build skills to cope with their daily lives. I work with all ages, and use many methods of therapy depending on each client and what will fit their needs.

“ It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light” - Aristotle 

 As a clinician, I weave together an existential, psychodynamic, and multicultural foundation with a knowledgeable application of narrative therapy, positive psychotherapy, CBT, ACT,  mindfulness, and DBT. I strive to be person-centered, viewing my clients as people rather than a cluster of symptoms, and viewing the connection we have as pertinent to achieving growth. I walk beside my clients, connect with them, and aim to provide the safest space possible to explore all types of life experiences and collaborate on goals. 

I have four years of prior mental health experience implementing exposure response prevention, cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectic behavior therapy, mindfulness techniques, and acceptance and commitment therapy among adolescents with anxiety and OCD at a residential treatment program in New Hampshire. Upon moving back to Florida, I developed more experience utilizing trauma-informed interventions with children in group homes as a youth specialist, applied behavior analysis with individuals with IDD, ASD, and ADHD as a registered behavior technician, and psychodynamic, therapeutic art, and motivational interviewing with adults with various presentations as a mental health technician. 

Outside of therapy, I am a mother to a little girl and enjoy playing video games, spending time with friends and family, playing with my dog, Shirley, walking on trails, playing the piano, and reading science fiction and comics. 

Hello! My name is Luke Denny, I am an intern counselor with Catalyst. I am honored to have the opportunity to use my education and experience to make a positive impact in the lives of my clients. My philosophy on counseling is that the counselor’s role is to recognize the unique needs of each client and tailor an approach that will be effective with the client’s presenting concerns. My job is to help clients achieve the quality of life that they desire across any domain in life, including individual mental health, career, interpersonal relationships, education, family dynamics, and physical health. My core areas of

specialty are depression, substance abuse, anxiety, and trauma in adults and teenagers.

I obtained a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Central Florida. I am currently obtaining a Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling from Nova Southeastern University and am set to graduate in December 2023. I am currently the Overnight Victim Advocate for the Victim Service Center. I have a background in child welfare as I was a Case Coordinator for the Orlando Health Child Protection Team in which I conducted forensic interviews as well as worked as a Child Protective Investigator for the Department of Children and Families. I have a passion for advocating for those who have endured various traumas and helping them progress in their healing journey. In my free time, I enjoy traveling. 

 I am a Bilingual (English/Spanish), holistic, and mindfulness-based clinician. I believe that awareness is the channel to change. I consider the “whole” person and their environment when trying to bring about positive change, healing, and growth. This includes applying a multicultural approach in all sessions. I am experienced in the application of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, but also utilize an eclectic blend of techniques, all trauma-focused, from various modalities to create individualized experiences for everyone. I believe in the strength behind vulnerability and strive to create an open and judgment-free space where you can show up as your authentic self.  

I began my career in mental health in 2012. Since then, I have provided 10+ years of clinical care and built experience in domestic abuse programs with children, children’s inpatient hospitals, wellness programs, psychosocial rehabilitation, behavioral coaching, and managing a community behavioral health program. Through these areas, I have focused on complicated grief, teen/young adult issues, women’s issues, career and performance issues, and various other categories of life stressors. Whatever the life stressor may be, we will focus on reducing symptoms and building resilience together.

Ever since I was a child, I knew that my passion was to help others. After receiving my bachelor’s degree in both Psychology and Sociology from Arkansas State University, I am finishing up my master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Bellevue University in June 2023. I began working as a student intern at Catalyst which has been such a rewarding experience and has shown me that I have found where my passion can thrive. As a therapist, I use an integrative and person-centered approach in which I tailor my therapy to the best fit for my clients. I believe that by creating a safe, warm, and open environment we can build a strong therapeutic relationship through which we can navigate life’s challenges together. I am open to working with individuals of all ages and situations!