Kate Mezick received her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Minor in Psychology from Quinnipiac University. Kate has spent her career crafting exceptional skills in communication, empathy, and advocacy in the mental health field. She has over 8 years of diverse experience both clinically and with case management for clients of all ages throughout multiple levels of care.
Prior to joining the Turnbridge family, Kate was a Senior Counselor with an intensive in-home program working with adolescents and their families. This role primarily involved collaborating with outside providers and meeting with educational facilities to advocate for appropriate services needed. Kate has also maintained a Per Diem position as a Telephone Counselor for the Accessline since 2018. Accessline is a statewide program supporting individuals seeking treatment resources for substance use. Additional experience also includes working in an outpatient setting as an Art Therapy Mentor for youth and case management of Special Needs Trusts for adults and elders with disabilities. Outside of work Kate enjoys traveling, seeing live music, and playing in seasonal bowling and softball leagues.
Autumn Chase is a Licensed Professional Counselor Associate and Art Therapist. She received her dual Master’s Degree in clinical mental health counseling and art therapy from Albertus Magnus College, and her Bachelor’s in Art and Psychology from Albertus Magnus College.
Autumn is a person-centered therapist who uses evidence-based practices, including Dialectal Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Art therapy, as well as other techniques to help clients feel empowered and have the tools they need to manage and cope with life stressors through self-awareness and the creative process.
Over the course of her career, Autumn has worked with adolescents, young adults, adults, and geriatric populations in multiple settings; such as in-home, outpatient, inpatient, and therapeutic day treatment programs. Autumn is experienced in working with individuals who struggle with anxiety, depression, trauma, substance abuse, mood disorders, personality disorders, intellectual disabilities, and terminal illnesses. In her spare time, Autumn spends her time hiking with her dog, creating art, and spending time with family and friends.
Tyler is a Licensed Professional Counselor Associate. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Fordham University and continued on to Fairfield University’s School of Education and Human Development, earning his Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Tyler has clinical experience working with the young adult population and has an appreciation for working specifically with college age adults, around helping them gain skills and tools to manage through the stressors to come to appreciate and thrive in this transition age range. He also has experience working in the substance use and recovery field, specializing both previously and currently in individual and group therapies. Through running therapy groups, Tyler believes in the knowledge and growth that his clients can gain through interaction, universality, and psychoeducation. In individual therapy, Tyler uses CBT, DBT, and solution-focused interventions to help his clients gain insight into their potential, increase their sense of self-worth, and build a healthy well-rounded lifestyle in recovery by gaining more self-awareness of personal hobbies and interests. Tyler also works with clients toward supporting them to develop and work toward achieving recovery, mental health, and life goals.
In his free time, Tyler likes to go camping, play the bass guitar, and play board games with his friends. He has been involved in the Boy Scouts of America for over 20 years, achieving the rank of Eagle Scout, and is currently the Assistant Scoutmaster of his town’s first all-girls unit of the program.
Lee Girion is a Licensed Master of Social work specializing in trauma-informed, strengths-based individual and group therapy. In long-term recovery himself, Lee understands the importance of relearning one’s identity in sobriety and rediscovering what makes life worth living.
When providing psychoeducation in group settings, Lee prides himself on explaining “the why behind the what.” Not only is it important to offer useful tools with which to navigate life’s challenges, but it is important to explain how and why they work, and to deliver this information from multiple angles so as to accommodate a variety of learning styles. Furthermore, the environment must be nonjudgmental and engaging. To that end, Lee seeks to foster a safe and fun learning experience.
When working with individual clients, Lee combines elements of CBT, DBT, insight-oriented therapy, parts work, as well as other evidence based therapeutic modalities. He strives to make every client feel seen, heard, and appreciated for who they are. His mission is to subvert shame and stigma and to walk alongside clients on their journey to wholeness.
Lee earned his MSW from the University of Southern California and a BA in Music from University of California Los Angeles. He is a singer-songwriter and an avid hockey fan.
Liam O’Mahony is a Marriage and Family Therapist. He earned his Bachelors at Binghamton University where he majored in Psychology. Liam received his Masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Southern Connecticut University. He uses evidence based practices such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Solution Focused Therapy and Emotionally Focused Therapy along with other techniques in order to help clients increase their understanding of the problems, and subsequently empower them to manage in a healthier way.
Prior to working at Turnbridge, Liam worked in MCCA’s Intensive Outpatient Program, helping adults achieve and maintain sobriety while learning new and helpful life skills. Liam also worked in the Southern Connecticut Family Therapy Clinic, where he conducted therapy sessions with both families and couples. Here he helped them gain awareness of their own unhealthy patterns and work towards healthier relationships.
When Liam is not working, he is often spending time with friends and family, reading, or playing soccer.
Amanda Jurgens is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist. She received her Master’s degree in marital and family therapy and her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Southern Connecticut State University. Amanda has a passion for family work which is evident in the way she cares for her clients. She is dedicated to helping families heal, and providing guidance through difficult therapeutic moments.
Amanda practices from the perspective of the following modalities: Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Strategic Family Therapy, Collaborative Language Systems Therapy, and Bowenian Family Therapy. These models all assist Amanda in attuning to each individual in the family while helping them shift perceptions and behaviors in the here and now.
In her free time, she loves engaging in athletics, and traveling to new places as a way to practice her own grounding techniques and self-care in order to more effectively show up for her clients.
Rachel Brennan is a Licensed Master Social Worker. She earned her Bachelor of Science from Syracuse University where she majored in Human Development and Family Science with a minor in Addiction Studies. Here, she learned about the neurobiological processes of addiction and the impact substance use can have on individuals and their families. Rachel received her Master of Social Work from the University of Connecticut with a concentration in Individuals, Groups, and Family Practice with a strong focus on child and adolescent trauma.
Prior to working at Turnbridge, Rachel facilitated groups at Yale New Haven Hospital’s Intensive Outpatient Program. Here, she worked with individuals in the Young Adult General Mental Health Track as they navigated recent hospitalizations, mental health diagnoses, substance use disorders, and relational concerns. Prior to this experience, Rachel completed an eight-week-long intensive Dialectical Behavior Therapy seminar through Yale University’s School of Medicine. She implemented these learnings into her group practice by focusing on skills associated with the four DBT modules (mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness). Rachel’s individual practice has been largely influenced by the core concepts of motivational interviewing, narrative therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy as she is certified in Trauma-Focused CBT. Rachel has a specific passion for working with individuals and families impacted by the loss of a loved one to suicide.
Rachel is a lifelong New Haven resident who enjoys traveling, exercising, reading, and spending time with her family.
Hallie Brady is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Registered Play Therapist with nearly a decade of experience in the mental health field. She earned her Master of Arts degree in Psychology from Boston University and then continued her training in counseling though internships at a local community college and non-profits in Texas. Hallie is certified in Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR) and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT). She is trained in other evidence-based treatments, including Dialectical- Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), PC-CARE, and Problematic Sexualized Behavior Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (PSB-CBT).
Hallie’s background is in working with children, teens, and adults who have been the victims of abuse and neglect. She specializes in PTSD and has served as both fact and expert witness in criminal child abuse court in Dallas, TX. Hallie’s experiences have shaped not only her ability in provided trauma informed care but also her strong belief in the importance of taking a trauma-informed approach to therapy when working with individuals with both mental health and substance abuse concerns.
David’s extensive business background combined with his personal story of recovery led to the founding of Turnbridge in 2003. Under his direction, Turnbridge has evolved into a nationally provider of residential behavioral healthcare services for both young adults and adolescents. He has pioneered innovative approaches and developed programs specifically for these age groups that have changed the way the industry approaches treatment.
His educational background includes a Liberal Arts education from Harvard University. In addition to spending most of his career in the non-profit world, his professional experience also includes a variety of leadership roles with start-up organizations and educational institutions.
He enjoys spending time with his sixteen year old daughter Alexis, is an aspiring musician, and an avid golfer.
As President, Brett provides oversight and support to all departments within Turnbridge. He joined Turnbridge in February 2010 and is responsible for maintaining focused and driven clinical operations, project management and execution, increasing programmatic efficiencies, and ensuring quality outcomes and customer satisfaction are acheived.
As a longtime alumni of the Turnbridge Young Men’s Program, Brett offers a unique perspective on client-centered treatment. He frequently speaks with families and clients to share his experiences and knowledge of the Turnbridge Program. Before joining Turnbridge, Brett worked for Blum Shapiro, the largest regional accounting, tax and business consulting firm in New England. He graduated from Champlain College with a B.S. in Professional Writing. In his free time, Brett enjoys spending time with his family, maintaining an active lifestyle, the arts, and the pursuit of personal growth.
