Get to Know Us!
The Center for Healthy Families is the Couple & Family Therapy clinic housed in the Department of Family Science at the University of Maryland, College Park.
Our graduate student therapists provide family therapy to residents of surrounding communities under the guidance of our certified clinical and faculty supervisors. We serve approximately 300 families per year. The Center for Healthy Families operates as a non-profit clinic and provides services to individuals, couples (married or unmarried), and families.
Our therapist interns apply and integrate the latest research, theories, and methods in individual, couples, and family therapy. By offering direct services to the public, the Clinic bridges the gap between theory and practice and provides a unique service to the UMD community and surrounding areas.
The clinic is located at 4200 Valley Drive, College Park, MD, 20740 and is open Monday through Friday from 8am – 9pm and Saturdays from 9am-3pm.
Professor, Family Science
Director, Couple and Family Therapy Master's Program
Mariana K. Falconier, Ph.D. is a clinical fellow and approved supervisor in AAMFT and Licensed Clinical Marriage and Family Therapist in the states of Maryland and Virginia. She is a clinical fellow in AAMFT. Her special interests include diversity issues, stress and couples, immigration and financial stressors, emotion regulation, psycho-education programs. She is the developer of TOGETHER, a couples' program that integrates relationship and financial education. To learn more about Dr. Falconier visit the University of Maryland website.
Assistant Professor, Family Science
Director, Center for Healthy Families
- Tiara Fennell, Ph.D., is a professional member and approved supervisor candidate in AAMFT and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the state of Maryland. Tiara's clinical interests include couples and families managing life transitions, anxiety, behavioral concerns, stress and general relationship issues. Tiara has been trained to use integrative therapeutic approaches, which include Narrative Therapy, Emotion-focused therapy, Solution-focused therapy, as well as many others. She strives to be trauma-informed and community centered in both her clinical practice, as well as interactions with students, trainees, and colleagues. To learn more about Dr. Fennell visit the University of Maryland website.
Associate Professor, Family Science
Mona Mittal, Ph.D., is a clinical fellow and approved supervisor in AAMFT, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in NY. Her special interests include psychological trauma, intimate partner violence, and systemic interventions. To learn more about Dr. Mittal visit the University of Maryland website
Assistant Professor, Family Science
Amy A. Morgan, Ph.D., is a clinical fellow and approved supervisor in AAMFT and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the states of Washington, Maryland, and Virginia. Amy’s clinical interests include couples, parent-child relationships, trauma, family resilience, and family experiences with the criminal justice system. She is trained in a variety of evidence-based practices including EMDR, parent-child interaction therapy, and dialectical behavior therapy, among others. She strives to be trauma-informed in both her clinical practice, as well as interactions with students, trainees, and colleagues. To learn more about Dr. Morgan visit the University of Maryland website.
Diana Mayer is an AAMFT Clinical Fellow and supervisor candidate with over twenty years of experience working with children and families. Diana owns a private practice in Bethesda, MD where she specializes in childhood and adolescence anxiety and depression, parenting, and acculturation. She also works for the World Bank Counseling Unit. Diana’s preferred models are Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Narrative, and Structural Family Therapy. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Clinical Psychology in Venezuela, and her Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy by the University of Rochester, NY.
Zack Berman, Ph.D., M.S., LCMFT, CST is a Licensed Clinical Marriage and Family Therapist, Certified Sex Therapist, and AAMFT Approved Supervisor who sees clients in Rockville, MD as a member of a private group practice. After five years as a rehabilitation counselor supporting clients with severe mental illness diagnoses in a community mental health setting, Zack graduated from the University of Maryland's Couple and Family Therapy program and went on to complete his Ph.D. in the Department of Family Science. His clinical interests center on couples therapy, sex therapy, and men's mental and sexual health, and he has extensive experience working with diverse clientele in LGBTQ+, consensually non-monogamous, and kink communities. Zack's preferred models are Bowen Family Systems, Structural Family Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT). He frequently engages clients in spontaneous experiential exercises, blending psychoeducation with a strengths-based approach to help them achieve their goals.
Liann graduated from the UMD couples and family therapy program in 2018. In addition to her work in private practice Liann has provided counseling services at a private high school, trained as a massage therapist, birth doula, and yoga instructor, and teaches the course on child and adolescent therapy. She loves helping trainees conceptualize their cases through their chosen model and uses visual tools to capture the system factors.
Supervisor Trainee
Vickye is a licensed Clinical Marriage and Family Therapist and a registered nurse with over 25 years of experience in health care. She is the founder and owner of a private practice in Kensington, MD, where she works with individuals, couples, and families from diverse backgrounds.
Grounded in a client-centered approach, Vickye integrates various evidence-based therapy models— including Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and narrative therapy— to help clients navigate challenges related to anxiety, depression, life transitions, and trauma.
Her extensive health care background spans roles as a business consultant, public health nurse, health educator, and maternal-child health specialist in a variety of settings. This broad experience gives her a unique, systemic perspective on healthcare delivery and its impact on health outcomes.
Vickye earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Master of Health Science from the University of Arkansas, a Master’s in Couple and Family Therapy from the University of Maryland, and a PhD in Nursing from George Mason University. Her research focuses on trauma-informed care.
Sabrina Cermeno, (she/her), is a Licensed Clinical Marriage and Family Therapist in MD and an AAMFT Approved Supervisor Candidate. Sabrina graduated from UMD’s CFT program in 2021 and fondly remembers her time there. Sabrina has worked in private practice in Bethesda, as well as group therapy workshops in various MCPS schools through Identity. Sabrina is passionate about working with recently arrived immigrant youth and families, the BIPOC community, and the LGBTQ+ community in English and Spanish. Sabrina specializes in attachment-based interventions, life transitions, acculturation, trauma, anxiety, and couples counseling. Sabrina enjoys using a strengths-based approach, narrative, experiential, and Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT).
Stella Li (she/her) is a Licensed Clinical Marriage and Family and an AAMFT Approved Supervisor Candidate in Maryland. Stella graduated from Converse College’s Marriage and Family Therapy program; she has experience collaborating with co-therapists in high school, carceral, and community clinic settings. Stella currently works with individuals and couples in a private practice. Her areas of interests include neurodivergence, LGBTQ+ populations, and deconstructing dominant narratives that negatively impact relationships. Stella enjoys using experiential and narrative models to help clients identify the ‘shoulds’ in their lives, and shift their focus to ‘wants' and 'needs’.
Supervisor Trainee
Samantha Congdon is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with over a decade of experience supporting children, adolescents, young adults, and adults through individual, couples, and family therapy. They provide teletherapy across five states, offering accessible and compassionate care grounded in trauma-informed, neurodivergent-affirming, and gender-affirming principles.
Her clinical approach is rooted in Narrative Therapy, helping clients re-author the stories they’ve been told or have internalized, shifting away from problem-saturated narratives toward those that highlight agency, resilience, and meaning. They are also a certified Intuitive Eating clinician, passionate about helping clients heal their relationship with food and body. They support those struggling with disordered eating and body image issues through a non-diet, mind-body framework that promotes self-trust and body respect.
She integrates DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) skills to support emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness. They also draw from a range of modalities, including Internal Family Systems (IFS), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), CBT, Gestalt, and mindfulness-based practices. As a certified yoga teacher, they incorporate breathwork and relaxation techniques to support those managing anxiety, depression, and sleep issues.
Her work is deeply collaborative and systemic. They view mental health through the lens of each person’s environment, relationships, identities, and lived experiences. Whether clients are navigating trauma, life transitions, neurodivergence (such as ADHD or Autism), OCD, or self-esteem challenges, they strive to create a space where individuals feel seen, safe, and empowered.
Jannel Thomas (she/her) is a Licensed Clinical Marriage and Family Therapist,
an AAMFT Approved Supervisor Candidate, and a Board Approved Supervisor. She completed
her studies at the University of Maryland-College Park with a Bachelors of Arts degree in
Psychology and Family Science and a Master of Science degree in Couples and Family Therapy.
Jannel currently sees children, adolescents, and families at a local behavioral health clinic in
Montgomery County, Maryland. Jannel also sees clients in Columbia, MD as a member of the
Relationship Counseling Center of Maryland, LLC, a private group practice. Her clinical
interests include anxiety, grief, depression, infidelity, couples’ communication, emotion
regulation, and working with those in the LGBTQ+ community. Jannel’s preferred models are
cognitive behavioral therapy and emotion focused therapy, but will use a collaborative,
strengths-based approach to help clients achieve their goals and overcome challenges.
Christie Chorbajian, LCMFT (she/her) is a Licensed Clinical Marriage and Family Therapist (LCMFT) who has 12 years experience working with individuals, children, couples, and families. Christie is bilingual in English and in Spanish. She is a Clinical Fellow, an AAMFT Approved Supervisor and a Board Approved Supervisor in the state of Maryland. She is also certified in Dialectical Behavior Therapy. Christie has extensive experience providing community-based mental health services before transitioning into private practice. She is the former Program Director of the State's first Dialectical Behavior Therapy Program to be offered to clients with Medical Assistance. Christie is especially interested in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy as a means of incorporating values into one's everyday life.
All of our therapist interns have diverse identities and clinical interests, making them well-equipped to meet the needs of our UMD campus and the greater DMV community! To learn more about their specific interests and backgrounds, visit our program website!
First Year's become clinically active late October/early November.
Our first year therapist interns spend the first half of their first semester developing basic clinical skills to become clinical active at the Center for Healthy Families.
To learn more about their specific interests and backgrounds, visit our program website!