Meet Our Team

Stephanie is originally from Wisconsin and earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire.

She is passionate about helping others and loves working in an environment that fosters equality and understanding.

In her free time, Stephanie enjoys traveling, salsa dancing, and spending summer days on the lake.

Hablo español, trabajo con niños y adultos. Guatemalan native with 13 years of experience working with all ages. My work is always centered on the person’s needs and personal goals, I’m trained in Stand Tray Therapy, and my therapeutic orientation is more experiential with existential influences.

I have a special interest in working with immigrant communities from around the world, helping them with cultural shock adaptation, and understanding the role their mental health plays in their life.

Bio coming soon!

Hello, I am an Act Six Scholar and I recently graduated Bethany Lutheran College. I am a recent graduate, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree with an emphasis in Computer Science. During my 4 years at Bethany, I have invested my time in making meaningful relationships and learning new transferable skills such leadership, being adaptable, and being dependable. I was born and raised in California. Growing up as a Hmong America, I want to give back to my Hmong community and serve others outside of that. I understand that there is a significant disparity between the elders and the youth. I want to build something that will bridge the gap between the two while inspiring the youth to pursue higher education, showing them, they too have an opportunity. And so, as an Act Six Scholar, and a recent graduate at Bethany Lutheran College, I aspire to motivate others by setting an example, to be a role model by being a lifelong learner and being a good communicator so that I can build more and better meaningful relationships, while being accountable and committed.

Sam has lived in Minnesota her whole life, mainly living in Shakopee, but recently moving closer to the Twin Cities. She grew up with a passion for astronomy and always thought she would want to share this knowledge with the world. They started their professional life getting a Bachelor of Science in Physics and then went on to get a teaching licensure for high school physics. During her time as a teacher, Sam dedicated her work to creating an equitable and welcoming environment for students that are traditionally disenfranchised in the realm of science. In the past few years, they have worked in administrative roles for a medical clinic and school catering company. Sam is excited to use these experiences to serve new people in their role as Clinical Scheduler.

Nicole is a native of Minnesota. Nicole has been working in the mental health field for over 15 years.

Nicole works with adults and provides supportive services focused on increasing independence and self-confidence for all.

Benjamin is a native of Brooklyn Park, MN. He currently resides in rural Pine City where he provides both individual/family CTSS services to surrounding communities within a 50-mile radius for the last 12yrs.

During this time he’s established himself within the tri County area (Isanti, Chisago, Kanabec ) as the preferred Practitioner. Benjamin also contributes his time, resources, and energy to developing social skills groups within the communities he serves.

Courtney has been working with Roots Wellness Center for six years as a Mental Health Practitioner providing home- and community-based services to clients with mental illness. Along with this experience, she has an extensive background in delivering quality care to clients in the home health/group home setting as a Direct Support Professional. The types of clientele that would receive her care had a wide variety of health issues which include both mental and physical needs.

Courtney continues to find reward in assisting her clients at RWC. She will continue to gain knowledge in the field of mental health and offer her professional services throughout the north metro/metro areas. Language or Cultural Specialty: English

Daniel received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Minnesota. Daniel spent time working with children ages 2-6 with a diagnosis of ASD before joining the Roots Wellness Center team as a Mental Health Practitioner. Daniel currently works in CTSS, promoting healthy development of clients and families

Kahmiyah is currently working towards receiving her MA from Saint Marys University and is expected to graduate in Spring 2021. She utilizes a humanistic approach that includes aspects of CBT, strengths-based, and person-centered approaches.

Kahmiyah believes it is important for clients to feel empowered in their therapeutic journey and toward reaching their full potential. Kahmiyah is passionate about working with children and families in underserved communities. As well as actively working towards closing the accessibility gap in mental health services and the disparity gap in education in these communities.

Kahmiyah enjoys collecting and growing house plants, as well as learning more about plant/nature-based therapy. She is striving towards being able to merge her passion for children and mental health with plants/nature.

Ahmisa is a proud first-generation college graduate, holding a Bachelor’s in Political Science and a Master’s in Social Work. Throughout her academic and professional experiences, she has notably valued working with young folx, diverse communities, women’s mental health, sexual health, justice-involved folx, recovery health, and grief and loss. She has over a decade of DEI and advocacy experience, which informs her profound appreciation for learning about the unique and intersectional events that have shaped each person’s life.

Although continually building her repertoire, Ahmisa has a multifaceted, client-centered, trauma-informed, and strengths-based approach — pulling from several modalities depending on an individual’s needs. Her goal is to collaborate with and empower each individual she works with to make life-long, sustainable, and fulfilling adjustments in their lives.

When Ahmisa is not working, she enjoys arts- and culturally-based events, watching teen dramas with her daughter, spinning cotton candy, and being out in nature with her pups and family.

Sara has been living in the Twin Cities area her whole life. She has experience with children and families through relationship-based and cross-cultural work. Her educational background is in Developmental Psychology and Spanish Studies and is a current Master of Social Work Student at Augsburg University in her final and clinical year. She is multilingual in Vietnamese and Spanish and passionate about learning new words from different languages and learning about other cultural practices and trying new foods! Sara wants to continue her career to provide culturally responsive care and advocacy work that focuses on social justice and anti-oppressive practices to holistically support others.

Careene was born and raised in the Philippines before immigrating to the United States as a teen in 2013. Her experiences of working with families, especially children and youth, include time as a youth camp counselor, school staff, housing case manager, and as a behavioral health specialist in a PRTF. As a lifelong servant leader, she values empowerment, inclusion, and cultural humility. At work, Careene strives to provide an honest, collaborative, strengths-based approach and will work to meet clients where they are at. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, cooking/baking, dancing, going to the gym, and spending time with loved ones. Some of her passions include celebrating languages, advocating for safety and preparedness through self-defense/gun safety classes, and SA/DV prevention and awareness.

Careene is currently in graduate school and hopes to receive her MSW (Clinical Social Work/Military Behavioral Health) from the University of Kentucky in December 2024.

Originally from Nairobi, Kenya, Mureithi has been living in Minnesota since 2002. He has worked for more than 15 years in social services and education. He is accomplished in areas of research, program design and evaluation. Mureithi takes a person-centered approach- trying to understand clients within their family, community, and cultural contexts- with a particular interest on how intersectional identities influence a person’s self-identity.

Mureithi has a Master’s degree in Community Psychology from Metropolitan State University, and an MA in Counseling Psychology from the University of Saint Thomas.

Betty is a native of St. Paul, Minnesota, and grew up in Frogtown. She completed her Bachelor’s degree at the University of Minnesota, majoring in sociology. She is pursuing her Master’s degree in clinical social work at St. Kate’s to serve her community more efficiently as a future social worker. She hopes to work with families and children and help them improve their social skills in their community. Betty has had various jobs that helped mold her and her expertise around working with the BIPOC and Asian American community. She hopes to bring her experiences to better use as a Family Support Specialist at Roots Wellness Center.

Asha is a trans-racial adoptee from India who received her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the College of St. Benedict. She has always held a value for honoring people’s journeys and stories. After working in the healthcare field for almost 20 years, she decided to go back to school to become a therapist. She recently earned her Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Kentucky. As a therapist, her desire is to walk alongside people, offer support and honor their stories as they navigate life’s challenges. She believes that each client comes to therapy with unique experiences and recognizes the importance of meeting clients where they are at. Asha works to build an authentic therapeutic relationship and utilizes a multifaceted and individualized, client-centered, trauma-informed approach designed to fit each client’s unique needs and goals. Because of her personal story, she is passionate about working with and advocating for underserved BIPOC communities. When she is not working, she and her husband can be found watching their two boys play soccer or their daughter swim. In the rest of her free time, she enjoys volunteering as a Board member for their soccer club, reading and hanging out with friends.

Joanne Hodgeman is a single mother of three, a social worker, and a foster care survivor. Joanne has been advocating in the child welfare arena since she was a teenager in foster care. Joanne recently completed grad school and obtained a masters in social work. Joanne intends to use her education and lived experiences to continue to advocate in child welfare with primary focus areas that include; family preservation, abolition, and liberation for all.

I started my spiritual Yoga path seven years ago, but my healing journey began with my mother. My mother, like my ancestors, was rooted in holistic healing and energy from the earth and its most natural form. I want to share and reclaim ancestral knowledge and remember the way of healing that has existed for thousands of years. Through Yoga, I created a space to heal and with it, I want to provide others with that space to heal.

I have certification for RYT-200 and will be receiving my RYT-500 certification at the end of June. I have Yoga certification specialties in anxiety, depression, eating disorders, body image, trauma, and chemical dependency. Currently, I’m in my graduate program for Marriage and Family Therapy at UW-Stout. In creating balance in my life, I enjoy doing yoga, meditation, biking, swimming, paddle boarding, and walking with nature.

A fun fact about me, I’ve been biking year-round for nine years now!

Hello! My name is Bertie. I am Dakota, native of Minnesota. I am pursuing my bachelor’s in social work with a minor in Chemical Dependency Counseling at St. Catherine’s University, and I plan to continue education for my master’s degree. I am currently licensed through the Board of Hypnotherapy, in the Krasner method. I value Social Justice and diversity. I emphasize use of harm-reduction and trauma-informed practice. My career objective is to listen, empathize, and assist in community resources, as well as holistic healing. A fun fact is I love outdoors and golf!

Lorene is a clinical/SUD intern earning her master’s degree at the University of Minnesota. She welcomes individuals from all walks of life and embraces diverse identities and backgrounds. She is passionate about supporting individuals on their unique journey toward healing and creating a space where they feel genuinely comfortable and safe. She is committed to ongoing self-assessment, addressing personal biases, and fostering a culturally competent, inclusive environment. She embraces a lifelong learning approach, staying current on the latest interventions to provide the best practice possible. A fun fact about her is that she plans to own a nonprofit pottery studio that makes the arts accessible to the BIPOC to increase diversity in the arts.

Tara is originally from Minnesota and served 4 years in the Marine Corps after high school before separating from Active Duty in 2015. She then became a holistic health coach and trauma-informed yoga teacher, serving the military and veteran community surrounding Ft. Campbell, Kentucky where her spouse was stationed with the 101st Airborne Division. During this time, Tara also served as the Nashville Platoon Leader for The Mission Continues and was a Clay Hunt Fellow with Team Rubicon, deploying to cities across the United States to engage in Asset Based Community Development and Disaster Response operations. Tara and her family moved “home” to the Twin Cities area in 2022, where Tara completed her MSW and trauma certification at Walden University. Tara brings her varied lived experiences into her work and utilizes a trauma-informed, holistic, and person-centered approach in alignment with the Neurodevelopmental Model of Therapeutics.

My name is Trista Miest and I was born in Mason City, Iowa. I moved quite a bit as a child, but I mostly grew up in Minnesota. I completed college in Mankato, MN where I obtained my Bachelor of Science degree in Human Services.

I am passionate about human services and I have worked in the field for over 10 years. My most recent experience has been in case management in the Twin Cities.

In my free time, I enjoy spending time with family/friends, hiking, and photography.  

My name is Desiree Smith. My role at “Roots Wellness Center” is the Adult Targeted Case Manager. I was raised in St. Paul, Minnesota until 12 years of age. I lived on the West Coast, between Northern California and Southern Oregon, for the rest of my adolescent years and adulthood. I migrated back to Minnesota in “2018”, to join my family on their journey to open a group home for adults with psychiatric disabilities. I extended my services to the state of Minnesota, where I served as a Behavior Specialist. I provided several rehabilitation techniques to individuals experiencing crisis. I see a clear path here at “Roots Wellness Center”, with room for growth as I continue to serve with passion. I find my work rewarding as I get to witness direct results from all my efforts. I am passionate about creating a positive impact on society and the environment, as I continue to navigate through life with an adult child, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia at the age of 16.

I was born in Guadalajara Mexico and immigrated to the US in the 90s and have lived in Minneapolis since 1997. My Professional background is in technology sales and project management.

I really enjoy making new relationships and working towards closing gaps in everyday life with the technology we have available.

Koya Siebie is a biologist from Atlanta, Georgia. She earned her degree from Georgia State University and relocated to Minnesota in 2019 to further her healthcare career. Her transition into birth work began in 2019 with the birth of her goddaughter and she has since completed training with Enlightened Mama.

She is currently pursuing her Master of Public Health at Saint Mary’s University, and Evidence Based Childbirth education certification with Holistic Continuum. Koya’s passion for birth work and accessibility for all led to the creation of Birthin’ Black LLC; a collective of birth workers who emphasize fighting disparities in minority groups.

Birthin’ Black services persons of all races, abilities, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic backgrounds. I aim to provide my clients with adequate education, advocacy, and preparation for their birthing experience.

I was born in Portugal, grew up in Brazil, and moved to the twin cities in ’98. Professionally I’ve worked in childcare, cosmetology, teaching, mentoring, and volunteering in my community. My greatest challenge and accomplishment has been raising my son.