Meet the MindFit Team
The following clinicians meet regularly for clinical supervision and to integrate the services provided at MindFit. One of the things that makes us effective is our team approach that includes clinicians who possess a wide-array of strengths and credentials; just like the people we serve!
Robert Rice
Ph.D., LMHC
Dr. Rob Rice works with children, adolescents, and young adults who struggle with repetitive behaviors ranging from those commonly observed in ASD to OCD. His approach integrates narrative therapy with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This helps his clients gain the perspective and skills necessary to strategically confront what constrains them from achieving their fullest human potential. Often, this process involves the use of video games, biofeedback, and other interactive games and media; many young people with or without ASD find these tools helpful and engaging.
Dr. Rob Rice is a professor in the graduate program on Mental Health Counseling at St. John Fisher University. Nationally and internationally, he has spoken on the integration of mental health and technology. In 2022, he published a book for clinicians that teaches them how to integrate video games into their own practice. He is one of the co-founders and owners of MindFit.
Julie Cenzi
LBA, BCBA, LMHC
Julie Cenzi is a licensed and board certified behavior analyst and mental health counselor. She primarily works with children on the autism spectrum as well as those with anxiety, depression, ADHD, and challenging behaviors. She believes in combining traditional therapy (cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavioral therapy) with principles of applied behavior analysis in order to improve overall quality of life and well being. Her approach builds on clients’ strengths while teaching new skills to more effectively meet their needs. Technology is also incorporated in treatments. Julie has been in the field of mental health since 2003. In 2017, she formed MindFit Mental Health with Dr. Rob Rice.
Dan DeClerck
MS, LMHC
Dan has worked with various populations during his career as an LMHC. He graduated from St. John Fisher College with a master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling. He has over 10 years of experience in working with people with developmental disabilities and autism spectrum disorders. He helps folks who struggle with anxiety and social skill concerns in individual and group settings. He excels at working with people who go through crises, assisting families with behavioral strategies, and working with referrals. Also, he has experience working with people in a hospital setting. He evaluated patients in emergency rooms, inpatient settings, and community settings.
Jania Otto
MS, LCAT, ATR-BCJania is a licensed and board-certified art therapist. She has worked with children and young adults as an educator, a mentor, and a psychotherapist. She has experience counseling clients from ages 4 to 20 with the following diagnoses and challenges: high-functioning autism, anxiety, depression, emotional dysregulation, and adjustment/trauma-related disorders. She typically uses an integrative model by incorporating art and play therapy techniques with traditional cognitive and behavioral modalities to promote engagement and progress.
Jania is a person-centered therapist who is committed to adapting her therapeutic approach in order to best meet the needs of children and their families. In addition to providing counseling services, she currently supervises student clinicians part-time as an adjunct professor in the Creative Arts Therapy department at Nazareth College. She is the proud owner and operator of Otto Art Therapy. She shares space with MindFit.
Meet the Collaborators
The following clinicians work directly with us to see clients part-time at MindFit Mental Health. They have all received training in some of the cutting-edge therapies provided by MindFit and are available to see clients, but do so outside of the MindFit intake process. We appreciate our collaborators!
Brittney Selim
Psychiatric Nurse PractionerBrittney Selim is a board-certified Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner. She is a graduate of St. John Fisher University with her Master’s in Nursing Science. Brittney has worked in various healthcare settings in the Rochester area for over a decade. In addition to her work with MindFit, Brittney is an Associate Professor with the Wegmans School of Nursing at St. John Fisher University.
Brittney is currently accepting new patients!
Brighid Gavin
MS. EdBrighid Gavin joined MindFit in spring of 2023. She has a master’s degree in Early Childhood Special Education. She specializes in working with children ages 1-10. She has been a behavior specialist for different agencies in WNY for over 12 years and is currently pursuing her license in Behavior Analysis at Daemen University. She provides parent training/coaching. One of her biggest passions is developing custom interventions to help families thrive. She owns a consultation business called Childhood Behavior Solutions, LLC, which helps families navigate behavioral challenges within home and school environments.
In her spare time, Brighid enjoys exercising, playing tennis, watching reality TV, and doing fun activities with her family. She is a mom of 3!
Kirsten Nagel
LCSWKirsten has spent the past 13 years working with children, adolescents, and young adults in a variety of settings. She connected with individuals presented with anxiety, depression, autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, and developmental disabilities. She grew up in Boston and attended college in Vermont. She then graduated from University at Buffalo with a master’s degree in Social Work.
The cornerstone of Kirsten’s therapeutic work stems from the initial relationship built with the children, adolescents, and families with whom she interacts. As a client-driven and family-focused therapist, her aim is to establish a solid base from which to create goals, assist with roadblocks and hurdles that present themselves, and ultimately initiate forward progress and positive results. She has experience working in various school settings (kindergarten to 12th grade) and is familiar with CSE processes and OPWDD services.
Katie Purtell
MS, LMHCKatie has worked with children, adolescents, and adults from all walks of life. Currently, she is focusing on working with children, adolescents, and their families. She uses an integrated approach by utilizing cognitive behavioral therapy and narrative therapy. This helps children and their families reach their full potential. She believes in identifying strengths within individuals and family systems to ultimately reach agreed upon goals.
Katie has experience working in clinical settings with adults and children, In addition, she works in school settings where she collaborates with families and school personnel. She has worked directly with school psychologists, counselors, social workers, teachers and administration to integrate mental health services into the school setting. She graduated from St. John Fisher College with a B.S. in Biology and a M.S. in Mental Health Counseling.
Elya O’Bryan
MS, MHC-PElya is a practicing MHC, with a master’s degree in mental health counseling from St. John Fisher College. Elya is particularly interested in working with children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, however she also has experience working with anxiety, depression, and emotion regulation challenges. Elya takes an integrated approach to therapy, utilizing primarily Narrative and Dialectical Behavior Therapy techniques, implementing a biopsychosocial modality to assessment and treatment. Elya has experience using biofeedback, Dungeons and Dragons, virtual reality meditation programs, and videogames in a therapeutic setting, believing them to be valuable tools which provide motivation and unique processing opportunities for children and adolescents in therapy.
Megan Black
MS, LMHC, NCCMegan is a licensed mental health therapist who teaches and practices calm curiosity with her clients and their caregivers. As a doctoral student, her work is based on the neuroscience of modern attachment, mindfulness, and regulation theory. She is trained in infant and early childhood mental health, play therapy, regulation, and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
Megan specializes in working with kids from ages pre-k to adolescents. Her goal is to improve functioning in various settings, including home, school, work, and interactions with peers. She focuses on addressing the needs behind behavior and teaches skills for self-regulation to promote mental wellness. Her primary focus is to address the barriers impacting a child’s quality of life. She also works with caregivers to help understand the needs behind behaviors. She is the owner and operator of Sharing Calm Counseling Services, and share space with the MindFit team.
Graduate Interns in Mental Health Counseling
MindFit works closely with graduates in Mental Health Counseling program at St. John Fisher College and University of Rochester. We provide advanced-level support for our interns. Interns are able to see clients at a significantly reduced rate under the direct supervision of Dr. Rob Rice and Julie Cenzi.
