Houston’s Trusted Mental Health and Wellness Experts

“Things happen for a reason,” my mother would say. My path led me to InnerWisdom to do the work I was brought up to care about. I have no doubt that I am right where I belong.    

As the daughter of a single mother, who worked tirelessly building a business whose mission was to help people, I witnessed first-hand what it meant to have a dream and give everything to make it real. I am fortunate. And it wasn’t just her. I watched my father build his own practice as an endocrinologist. I listened to stories of my grandfather, my father’s father, who was a doctor working for the US Department of the Interior. He was stationed on the Makah reservation in the pacific northwest serving all the medical needs of the Makah people. In fact, my father was born on that reservation. I watched my family work and learned what it meant to give, what it meant to help. What social responsibility means.    

I had recently graduated from Trinity University with a psychology degree, and my mom – JoAnne Mandel, InnerWisdom’s founder – asked if I would join her in building InnerWisdom. At the time, her goal was to expand what she built by creating the partial hospital and intensive outpatient programs. There were already several programs throughout the nation but none that were based on the idea of holistic treatment – giving equal consideration to non-mental and behavioral factors to mental wellness in addition to the primary reason for treatment. 

Too often patients would be waylaid by something else in their lives and drop out of treatment. This would worsen things even more and a cycle of crisis would ensue. It was frustrating. I understood what she wanted to do and the two of us would build a center that would break this cycle and keep patients engaged and active in sustaining the benefits of treatment.

This expansion would involve significant business to business relationships, federal and state certifications and accreditations, compliance guarantees, human resources, as well as increased financial support. JoAnne and I decided to divide the responsibilities.

She would run clinical and treatment operations. I would assume the role of finance officer and oversee the business side of treatment. That was over 30 years ago.

Today, I’m a mother and I work to pass on to my children what I have learned and what I believe it means to be a human being. 

My mother passed away in 2024. This was the hardest experience I have ever had.  It wasn’t until she was gone that I would see, in the light of her spirit, not only how beautiful she was but how heavy her responsibility was to lead InnerWisdom.

This work is personal for me. I’ve seen what it’s like to support a loved one through severe mental illness. I’ve seen the confusion, the grief, the loneliness—and the hope that follows when someone finally finds care that fits. That experience fuels everything I do. I don’t want anyone to feel lost in a system that wasn’t designed with them in mind.

At InnerWisdom, we do things differently on purpose. We measure progress, but we also listen. We provide structure, but we make space for humanity. I work closely with every department—from clinical and finance to transportation and food—to keep our care grounded and integrated. I want patients to feel known here. I want our staff to feel trusted and supported. I want families to feel like they have a partner, not a gatekeeper.

I’m the type of person who appreciates experience. I love doing things, cooking, traveling, learning, and being social.  To me, that is where the meaning of life is, in doing.

My perspective on mental health comes less through the lens of Jung, Freud, Erikson, or Maslow and more through Plato, Camus, Nietzsche, or James. I began working at InnerWisdom on the business side over 20 years ago. 

My wife, Erin (InnerWisdom’s CEO), wanted me to help her scale the business without compromising on quality. We did. But the idea of quality is what hooked me. At that time, I was only a few years out of college where I obtained a degree in Philosophy. When I met Erin, I was living in a small studio apartment and had in my possession some clothes, a piano, one chair, and a copy of Robert Pirsig’s book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. To this day, I’m still shocked she didn’t just turn around and leave.   

Pirsig impressed upon me how important the sense of quality is to living a meaningful life. Funny considering at the time I did not even have a bed. “The Buddha, the Godhead, resides quite as comfortably in the circuits of a digital computer or the gears of a cycle transmission as he does at the top of the mountain, or in the petals of a flower.” I take Pirsig’s meaning this way: everyone has the opportunity to find enlightenment, no matter the circumstances, or the diagnosis.

Not long after working in a mental health facility for acute and chronic disorders, it became apparent that happiness and wellness were not a result of being “fixed.” Curing wasn’t the goal, healing was. Or rather, the process of healing. Self-discovery and self-realization is the process of healing.  

InnerWisdom’s approach to treatment is better because of our holistic idea of what it means to be human. For nearly forty years, it has never been merely treating a diagnosis. It’s treating a person. Treating a person who loves, hates, makes choices, suffers – and grows.

Today, I am responsible for innovation, development and resilience. To that end, I work on programs that track treatment progress and effectiveness, neurodiversity initiatives to support mental health treatment, and building predictive analytics used to intervene in potential crises. 

At InnerWisdom, I want everyone to find themselves and live the best life one can, both those we serve and those who are serving.

Erin and I have now been married for 25 years, have 4 daughters, and have been working together for over 20 years.  

Since middle school, I knew I wanted to be a therapist. I was always curious about how the mind works and drawn to people who struggled to speak up for themselves. After earning my bachelor’s in psychology, a conversation with a friend nudged me toward social work—and it just clicked. I realized I could do far more than I imagined: serve individuals, families, and entire communities through moments of real change.

Today, I serve as the Clinical Director at InnerWisdom. My role blends leadership with hands-on therapeutic work. I provide clinical supervision, guide policy development, offer training, and support our incredible team of therapists and interns through the ups and downs of the work.

I started here as an intern. I wanted to work with patients who were more symptomatic and needed more complex care. InnerWisdom gave me the tools and support to grow, and I’ve been here ever since—moving from intern to therapist to Clinical Director over the past seven years. I’ve worked in mental health since 2013, from youth with anxiety and depression to adults with chronic and severe diagnoses.

My leadership style is direct and compassionate. I believe in gently challenging thought patterns, building accountability, and helping both patients and staff grow their own resiliency toolkits. I love teaching people how to see through a clinical lens. Therapy isn’t just “talking to people”—it’s deep, technical, emotionally demanding work that requires training, skill, and reflection.

Personally, I’ve experienced my share of grief and loss. That lived experience has helped me deepen my work in grief counseling and better understand what many of our patients are going through. I carry that with me in how I lead and how I show up for our team.

Outside of work, I’m a bibliophile with a library of over a thousand books. I’m into Greek mythology, true crime, biographies, and paranormal. I love hands-on projects—building furniture, doing puzzles, bedazzling anything that will sit still long enough. I’ve been through more than most people know, and I try to bring that quiet resilience to everything I do.

I’ve always known I wanted to help people—it’s just who I am. I used to joke that I hate math but love listening, and somewhere along the way, that turned into a career in mental health. I became a therapist because I wanted to help break the stigma around mental illness, especially in communities where it’s still seen as taboo. No matter where you are on your journey, I want you to know that someone cares—and I’m here to walk with you.

At InnerWisdom, I serve as Lead Therapist. I provide individual and group therapy, help manage crises, build treatment plans, and connect patients to the right resources and support systems. I also act as a bridge between our psychiatrists, patients, and caregivers—making sure any changes in care are understood and supported. I use a blend of CBT, solution-focused work, and behavioral interventions, but honestly, I try to meet people where they are. I’m known for bringing a lot of energy to the work—and when it’s used well, that energy motivates people to keep showing up for themselves.

Our team is deeply collaborative. I’m always reaching out to our Clinical Director, Outreach, Support Staff, or other therapists to make sure each patient has what they need. My hope is that every person I work with remembers something good about our time together. Even if it’s just my name or a small moment—I want that memory to be a bright spot during a hard time.

Before joining InnerWisdom, I worked with adults at a smaller community mental health center and spent time helping people navigate the maze of community resources. I’ve always worked with adults facing chronic mental illness or struggling with anger, depression, or anxiety. Now, I also have the privilege of being an LPC Supervisor, helping shape the next generation of therapists.

What keeps me going is that no two days are ever the same. I love hearing people’s stories and getting to understand what shaped them. And I try to bring that same creativity and openness to how we do therapy. Whether we’re drawing, writing, or trying something new, I believe in using people’s strengths and interests to help them heal.

Outside of work, I’m still a kid at heart. I draw, paint, and write poetry. Since 2016, I’ve kept a journal where I write down one positive thing from each day—it started as a New Year’s resolution and just stuck. I love traveling (especially to the beach), and I’m a proud comic convention fan. I collect anything robot-, panda-, or astronaut-themed, and yes—I still watch cartoons.

I started at InnerWisdom as a high school volunteer—and never left. I’ve grown up here, and this place has shaped not only my career but my outlook on life. In 2018, I survived a school shooting alongside my twin sister. Our teacher gave her life to protect us, and that moment changed everything. I realized how often the systems meant to help people overlook what they actually need. That’s why I do this work: to make sure no one gets ignored, and no one gets left behind.

As Outreach Coordinator, I help people connect with the care they need. I bring new clients into our program, build relationships with hospitals and community partners, and track down outside resources that support our patients during and after treatment. I also coordinate closely with our clinical and transport teams to make sure things run smoothly—from van rides to discharge planning. My goal is simple: if someone needs help, I want them to know they can come to me. And if I can’t solve it, I’ll find the person who can.

I’ve been with InnerWisdom since I was a teenager. I didn’t come into this role with a degree or years of experience—my mentors here, especially Joanne Mandel, believed in me and taught me everything I know. What I learned most is this: you’re more than your worst day. That’s something I carry into every interaction with our patients.

I believe in accessible, preventative health care. People shouldn’t have to reach a crisis point before they’re seen. And care should meet you where you are—mentally, emotionally, financially, logistically. My passion is making that kind of support real for the people we serve.

Outside of work, you’ll usually find me with a book or hanging out with my family. And if you meet my identical twin sister (who is one minute older and always quick to remind me), she’ll probably say she’s the better twin. I’ll let you decide!

My role at InnerWisdom is to help people find the care they need when they need it most. I work with hospitals, clinics, group homes, and families to connect individuals with structured outpatient services, including therapy and medication management. If someone is overwhelmed, stuck, or unsure what comes next, I help them take the next step.

I’ve worked in the medical field since I was 21, from chiropractic care to surgical practices to diagnostic imaging. After caring for my mother through her cancer journey, I knew I needed to do something more meaningful… something rooted in compassion. That calling brought me to InnerWisdom. I met Joanne Mandel during my interview and quickly realized this place was different. She taught me what it means to lead with empathy and to never forget that every patient is a person first.

Since then, I’ve made it my mission to help patients feel heard, respected, and supported through their recovery journey. I show up as their advocate, cheerleader, and sometimes just a steady presence when everything feels uncertain.

Outside of work, I travel any chance I get – especially to the US Virgin Islands. My dream is to retire on a boat in St. Croix, but for now, I’m proud to be part of a team working every day to restore dignity and hope to people navigating mental health challenges.