Alexa Adkins Counseling LLC

05/17/2023

‼️‼️‼️‼️

02/16/2022

Sit with the negative… sit with the uncomfortable.

01/24/2022

Welcome to the Team Spencer!

We would like to give a warm welcome to KH Therapist, Spencer Wilhelm.


Spencer Wilhelm | LPC, M.A., Teletherapist

“A story doesn’t live until it is imagined in someone’s mind…What does the story mean, then?…It means what you want it to mean…The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon. Too often, we forget that.” -Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings

Your life is a story, with a rich history, captivating characters, an engaging plot line, and moments of joy and turmoil. When we experience the latter, most often we need someone to sit with us in the pain, empathize, remind us of our strengths, and visualize those moments of joy that are likely just around the corner.

Spencer is a licensed, professional counselor and earned his Master of Arts in Counselor Education from the University of Toledo. Historically a public-school choir teacher, Spencer noticed that his students often needed a listening ear, to know they were not alone, and someone to remind them of their worth. This led him to pursue a career in clinical mental health counseling, where he now works collaboratively with teenagers, college students, and adults to recognize the impact of their past experiences on the present and develop a more positive outlook for the future.

Spencer has experience working with anxiety, depression, PTSD, and OCD in both individual and group counseling formats. He began training with Karuna House to further his goals of working with teens who have experienced trauma. His approach involves cooperation with clients, wellness, mindfulness, and creative interventions to help clients meet their goals and make positive change.

*Spencer offers virtual appointments only


419.318.8905 | spencerwilhelm@karunahousellc.com

01/21/2022

Welcome to the team Lexi!!

We would like to give a warm welcome to KH therapist, Lexi Anteau.


Lexi Anteau | M.A., LPC, QMHS

"Do not compare, do not measure. No other way is like yours. All other ways deceive and tempt you. You must fulfill the way that is in you." -Carl Jung

Lexi believes that every individual has within them a universal intelligence with the capacity to guide them through healing. Her empathy and warmth help to create a safe, nonjudgmental space where individuals seeking healing can process and grow. She utilizes an integrative approach to therapy, collaborating with each individual to fit their unique needs. Lexi is a Licensed Professional Counselor who treats children ages 6 and older, as well as adults. She obtained her Master’s Degree in Counselor Education with a concentration in Clinical Mental Health at The University of Toledo, as well as her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at Lourdes University.

Lexi started her work in community mental health, and continued at a dual-diagnosis treatment facility where she facilitated day treatment groups and created a 15-week group curriculum, treating severe persistent mental illness and addiction. Lexi also has experience providing counseling services to college students at The University of Toledo. She works with Lial Catholic school, seeing children ages five through 15, focusing on behavioral concerns and mental health challenges that developing youth commonly face. Through her experiences, she observed trauma disconnecting people from themselves and from others, leaving its mark on the mind, body, and spirit. This led her to adopting a holistic lens through which she views the healing and growth process. Lexi is committed to incorporating wellness into her daily practice through utilization of the eight dimensions of wellness and mindfulness. She will begin EMDR therapy training in January and is excited to learn and grow alongside her clients as they embark upon their journey.


567.395.5891 | lexianteau@karunahousellc.com

11/22/2021

So grateful to work with this talent clinician…again! So happy to have you as a member of our team!!!

Samantha Brownlee | MSW, LISW, EMDR Trained

“I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship” - Louisa Mal Alcott

Samantha believes that all individuals have the right to determine how to sail their ship and recognizes that everyone’s learning and sailing process is different. It is Samantha’s goal to help others along their healing journey so they can become the best version of themselves on their own terms. It is recognized that everyone’s journey looks different and Samantha believes that all persons deserve a safe and supportive space to heal and utilizes techniques such as Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, skills based from Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, and much more to assist individuals within this journey.

Samantha holds her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from Bowling Green State University and also earned her Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Michigan. Her passion is focused on individuals healing from past experiences and trauma and identifying whom they are as healthy individuals today. Samantha’s professional experience includes working with both adults and adolescents whom have been diagnosed with mental health and/or substance use disorders. This experience has allowed her to gain a strong desire to treat individuals that have been impacted by anxiety, depression, trauma, life changes, struggles with self-esteem and much more. This also includes her drive to help individuals identify emotions that they experience, to provide a safe space to explore those emotions and experiences, as well as to find safe and healthy methods of coping. It is Samantha’s goal to continue growing as a clinical therapist by expanding their education on a variety of clinical interventions that can assist others to discover the strength and healing within themselves.

419.359.5176 | samanthabrownlee@karunahousellc.com

11/05/2021

Grateful to be a part of this team !

Alexa Adkins | M.A., LPCC, LICDC, EMDR Trained

"Wellness is the complete integration of body, mind, and spirit - the realization that everything we do, think, feel, and believe has an effect on our state of well-being" - Greg Anderson

When a person is truly dedicated to working towards change, healing, and growth...amazing things can happen. One of the aspects I love about being a therapist is getting a chance to connect with my clients and work collaboratively towards their version of wellness and stability. I work to embody empathy, approachability, and to create a safe and non-judgmental environment for my clients to progress. My job is to help guide clients on their journey towards reaching their personal goals.The root of most of our issues as humans is trauma of some sort. It is my pleasure to assist clients in identifying those issues, process through them safely, and help clients with motivation and empowerment towards self-efficacy and wellness.

Alexa is a licensed professional clinical counselor and a licensed independent chemical dependency counselor. She has been practicing for 6 years and has previously worked in the community mental health setting. She has extensive experience working with a variety of mental health and substance use disorders. Alexa is trauma focused and has worked with adults and adolescents. She currently has a passion for working primarily with adults in both individual and couples therapy.

419.283.2989 | alexaadkins@karunahousellc.com

10/29/2021

Our fearless leader/owner #2! So grateful to have Andy as a mentor. He brings so much guidance, compassion, and humor. Grateful to be apart of his team and continue to learn from his expertise !

Next up for our owners' introductions is Andrew Lesniewicz.

Co-Owner of The Karuna House, Lead Trainer and Consultant at The Karuna House Training Institute, Therapist, M.A., PCC-S, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor and Clinical Supervisor, Certified EMDR therapist, EMDR Approved Consultant, Level 2 Trained Sensorimotor Psychotherapy.

"Because I deeply believe that counseling makes a profound positive impact in people’s lives, allowing for transformation, healing and growth, I have co-founded Karuna House, a wellness center, where practitioners’ work will embody 'Karuna,' any action taken to diminish the suffering of others."

It's not about the rupture but the repair. Andrew believes therapy is about the repair that allows us to unshackle ourselves from the procedural ways of responding to the world which no longer serve us. During the course of our experiences as humans, we are faced with varying degrees of challenges that causes us to have to adapt to survive. Sometimes these adaptions become ways of responding to the world that no longer work for us in our adult life, but we need assistance in resolving the wounds that caused them in the first place. It is in this place that Andrew believes counseling/therapy makes a significant difference. When one is going on this type of journey, it is important to have a guide who is well versed in the terrain and can assist in shining a light into those areas that are difficult to see, in order to illuminate areas that may need attention and healing… Healing one’s trauma doesn’t happen alone or magically but by having someone there to bear witness, offer support, empathy, validation and understanding, things that may have been missing.

After over two decades in the mental health field, Andrew utilizes a variety of counseling and healing modalities to aid his clients as they move to achieve lasting and meaningful changes in their lives. Andrew deeply holds that each one of us has the capacity to heal, change, and grow. This fuels his commitment as a counselor. His work is informed by his ongoing practice of the Japanese martial art Aikido, meditation and yoga. Aikido is often translated as the way of harmony, a concept that Andrew cultivates with clients to aid in the process counseling. Andrew trains at Shobu Aikido of Ohio regularly, teaching classes there twice a week.

Andrew has also reached out to a wider audience co-presenting at the American Counseling Conference, the All Ohio Counselors Conference, Wood County
NAMI and radio spots on mental health and decreasing stress, as well as offering hypnosis seminars and numerous talks on mindfulness, coping with stress, grief, and humor.

Andrew continues to pursue professional training in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy and EMDR Therapy while developing professional and community based educational trainings to help broaden perspectives and knowledge bases on trauma and mental health issues with Karuna House co-founder Gretchen Leu.

419.467.9406 | andylesniewicz@karunahousellc.com

10/29/2021

Our fearless leader/owner #1! So incredibly grateful to be apart of her team and to learn from her expertise. She is kind, open, and challenges us all to be the best clinicians!

Let's introduce our owners! First up is Gretchen (Leu) von Seggern.

Co-Owner of The Karuna House, Psychotherapist, Consultant, Speaker and Business Coach. She is a lead trainer and consultant at The Karuna House Trauma Training Institute, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor and Clinical Supervisor, M.Ed., PCC-S, Certified EMDR Therapist, EMDR Approved Consultant and Level 2 Trained Sensorimotor Psychotherapist.

Every human being has their own governing intelligence and their own path of self discovery, growth and healing. Meeting her client’s with authenticity, Gretchen works with her clients to help them to explore and discover their path and the pain that may be blocking their path. She has a boundless capacity for holding light for people as she elucidates what has been adaptive for them while they work to transform the pain inside.

Over the past 25 years, Gretchen von Seggern has accompanied individuals and couples in their process of healing past and present psychological pain, opening them to the concept that life can be different. Understanding that our past informs our present and how we respond and embody our current pain shapes our present well being is at the core of Gretchen’s work with her clients.

Gretchen is a trained EMDR Psychotherapist and an expert in the field of trauma and attachment trauma, supported by her interdisciplinary approach that includes EMDR therapy and Sensorimotor psychotherapy. Gretchen is passionate about her work in the field of Trauma, understanding that when people understand their trauma they can begin to understand and heal their pain. She maintains a continuous commitment to her professional training in the field of Mind-Body Trauma Psychotherapy and provides training in the field of trauma and consultation and certification in EMDR therapy to therapists around the country.

She is the Northwest Ohio EMDR Regional Network Coordinator and is actively involved in expanding trauma awareness, training and treatment within the community, school settings, police, fire and rescue departments.

Whether your healing work exists in your personal life or professional world, all transformation begins with attachment to oneself and others. It involves the authentic expression of who we are and who we are to become. She welcomes the opportunity to work with you on your healing journey in both.

419.466.9891 | gretchenleu@karunahousellc.com

10/29/2021

Lisa is such an amazing clinician but an even more amazing person and friend. Forever grateful for her friendship and counsel! You’ll be in great hands with Lisa !!

Lisa M. DeClark, M.Ed, PCC, LPCC

“I believe that we all need someone to listen....really listen, and that is the power of the relationship between a client and a therapist. We all need someone to guide us, walk with us and help us through difficult times that are either happening now or have happened in our past. I strive to be that for my clients.”

Six years ago, Lisa DeClark switched her life course by leaving a career of 20 years to become a licensed clinical mental health counselor working with children, teens and adults in a community mental health environment. Her passion in the field of psychotherapy led her to yet another transition into the private practice sector at the Karuna House. Lisa has extensive knowledge working with teens and adults who have experienced abuse and trauma. Lisa uses a variety of different modalities and interventions to help her clients process abuse and trauma and cope with the impact the experience is having in their current life and relationships. Lisa believes that helping a client understand him or herself better, understand how trauma has impacted their mental health and assist them in finding the tools they have to cope with their pain is the path to recovery and healing. Lisa also has extensive experience, through individual and group therapy, in helping clients who are experiencing grief and loss as well as depression and anxiety. Lisa believes our mental health is strongly connected to our physical health as well as our relationship with others and ourselves.

419.376.6059 | lisadeclark@karunahousellc.com

10/29/2021

Rebecca is an amazing part of our team!

Rebecca Brown | MSW, LISW, Trained EMDR Therapist

“...Connecting is the nature of human nature...the loss of connecting is our deepest trauma, the trauma behind all traumas; and our life agenda is to restore connecting.” - Harville Hendrix and Helen LaKelly Hunt authors of Doing Imago Relationship Therapy: In the Space-Between

Trauma is inevitable. Healing is possible. I would be honored to guide you on your journey to heal. Through the innate healing powers of the body and mind and the restoration of human connection, I believe that people can overcome the deepest traumas including childhood abuse and neglect, abandonment, loss of relationships, grief, and more.

As part of my treatment approach, I use a holistic perspective and integrate the mind, body, and spirit into my work with clients, believing that healing takes place starting with the body. As part of this approach, I utilize Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy. EMDR is an evidenced based psychotherapy proven to help people recover from trauma and distressing life experiences including PTSD, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, OCD, panic disorders, and other mental illnesses.

I am also currently receiving training in Imago Relationship Therapy. Imago Relationship Therapy is a form of relationship and couples therapy that focuses on transforming conflict into healing and growth through relational connecting. Some ways to restore connections include using dialogue, the concept of zero negativity, and appreciation. In conjunction with Imago Relationship Therapy, I am training to become a Certified S*x Therapist who helps couples and individuals with sexual issues and concerns including sexual function and dysfunction, sexual pleasure, sexual development, sexual abuse, and more.

As a Licensed Social Worker, I strive to create a safe, relaxed environment to work collaboratively with clients on healing and recovery from trauma. I have worked with a wide variety of people including veterans, first responders, the elderly, and people with developmental and intellectual challenges.

I currently see adults (18 years and older) and couples.

419.455.1009 | Rebeccabrown@karunahousellc.com

10/29/2021

Joy is an amazing clinician! Happy to have her be a part of the Karuna House !

Joy Herrera | MSW, LSW, EMDR Trained Therapist

"Our job is not to deny the story, but to defy the ending--to rise strong, recognize our story, and rumble with the truth until we get to a place where we think, 'Yes. This is what happened. And I will choose how the story ends.'" -Brené Brown

You may not know when it happened exactly, but now it’s become your normal. Every day feels like an effort at times and you really try to push through it. You want your life to be different, make big changes, take risks, but there’s something that’s holding you back. You’ve tried everything, and maybe it provides short-term relief, but here’s the problem: it’s still there. You can see that life and those around you continue to move forward. All the while you feel stuck, helpless, haunted by the memory of what’s happened and bracing for what next tragedy is around the corner.

But what if it was possible to live without fear of the future or the weight of the past? To live life embracing the full extent of human emotion—grief, pain, fear—but also joy, hope, and love. To witness your children and their children thrive because you chose to take charge and make a change in your family’s history. To become the hero of your own story and feel fully alive once more.

Joy Herrera is a licensed, EMDR-trained therapist with 5 years of experience working in substance abuse, inpatient hospital, and outpatient individual and group therapy settings. She received her bachelor’s degree in social work from Eastern Michigan University and completed her master’s degree in social work from Spring Arbor University. She has received extensive training through Postpartum Support International to assist families dealing with perinatal mood disorders, traumatic births, perinatal loss, and infertility struggles. Her areas of specialty include working with a variety of women’s issues—such as childhood trauma, intimate partner violence, and human trafficking. Joy believes in partnering with others on their journey to wholeness by incorporating the body, mind, and the spirit into treatment. Her approach involves tailored, person-centered care that promotes resiliency and each person’s inherent worth.

815.207.1278 | joyherrera@karunahousellc.com

10/29/2021

Cole is an amazing new addition to the team. His passion and eagerness is great to witness. So happy to have him as a part of our team!

Cole Graham | LPC

“And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.”– Haruki Murakami

Cole is a licensed professional counselor and has earned his Master’s Degree in Counseling from Spring Arbor University. His undergraduate degree is from Taylor University, where he majored in psychology. It was during his years at Taylor when he realized he had a calling to go into the realm of mental health.

Cole utilizes his empathy and unconditional positive regard to assist every client with overcoming the obstacles that stand in the way of their full potential. Cole works side by side with each client and employs techniques and methods that are personalized just for them. His main areas of focus are trauma, depression, and anxiety.

Cole has experience working with children and adolescents, and has co-led group counseling for adolescents. He began his training at the Karuna House Training Institute to specialize in attachment trauma and complex PTSD, and has an unrelenting passion for what he does. Cole firmly believes that every child and adolescent has it within them to become the best possible version of themselves. He believes that the process of self-actualization is crucial for adolescents; they are only a few steps away from their future endeavors.

419.309.1008 | Colegraham@karunahousellc.com