Meet Our Trainers and Consultants

Melanie Amini-Hajibashi, MS, LPC, NCC, C-DBT earned her master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Mount Mary University. Her clinical experience involves working with youth and families who are impacted by the effects of traumatic experiences and responses. Her integrative approach uses evidenced-based treatments including CBT, DBT, TF-CBT, ARC, Mindfulness, Nutrition, and Somatic body-based work. Melanie believes everyone deserves the opportunity to heal their past, step into and live their purpose, all while making a positive impact on those around them.

I began my career at Wellpoint Care in 2009. The diversity of the work that I do ensures that no day is like any other. I get to lead a team who is focused on supporting the work of our mission – even if it’s not in their job description. Wellpoint Care has created an environment that allows me to thrive professionally while supporting my work-life balance in the various seasons of both my professional and personal life. We are allowed opportunity to be innovative and creative together in how we achieve goals while never losing sight of our mission. It’s encouraging to see the result of the organization listening to feedback by providing space for us to come together as an agency and have conversations around diversity, equity and inclusion, and then be a part of the work towards change.

I am a first-generation Puerto Rican, born in the United States and first in my family to have graduated college and continued to receive master’s degree. I’m bilingual and fully fluent in Spanish. I oversee the Mentoring Program and am a part many other diversity-related committees.

Ireland Andrews MSW, APSW graduated with her master’s degree in social work with an emphasis in children and families/school social work. She has worked with children and families in a variety of settings including schools, hospital, and through crisis work. Ireland uses a strength based and trauma informed approach to therapy. She has worked extensively with families, children and the community through group sessions, individual sessions, and family therapy to work towards treating the “whole picture”. Ireland has always tried to use an empathetic, trauma informed, and patient focused approach to all past and future clients and is excited to be back in schools!

My Story

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” —Maya Angelou

When you give a teacher or administrator and understanding along with tools that they need to be successful, you not only influence the students they have right now, but all of the students who they will encounter in the future. At Wellpoint, we are always taking on new challenges and looking for ways to innovate to make a greater impact.

Education & Experience

Sara Daniel has been helping school districts and early care settings work with students affected by trauma, mental health issues and behavioral challenges for over 20 years. She is currently a senior coach and consultant for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Trauma Sensitive School Initiative and the co-author of the Trauma Sensitive Schools Learning Module Series. She has worked with countess school districts nationwide and has trained thousands of school staff on the 7ei of Trauma Sensitive Schools. Sara is also certified in the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT) and is the leader of the Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) Interface Master Trainer Project for the State of Wisconsin.

I earned my master’s degree in Social Work from UW Milwaukee and am certified in the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics and the Neurosequential Model of Education.

Jenna is a Cultural Humility Trainer and an Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) Qualified Administrator, providing coaching to increase intercultural competence for individuals, teams and organizations. She has collaborated with Childcare Resource and Referral Agencies throughout the state of Wisconsin and The University of Wisconsin Platteville developing Early Childhood curriculum with an emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion. She is also a University of Wisconsin Whitewater Adjunct Instructor, specifically supporting Early Childhood providers, educators and facilitators on diversity and related topics.

Most recently, Jenna’s former position with the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families, as a Program and Policy Analyst Advanced within the Bureau of YoungStar (BOY), initiated Early Care and Education Trainers, and Professionals from diverse backgrounds to collaborate in the Child Care Foundational Training Series with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion.

She believes when there is a culturally responsive mindset interwoven with the practice and polices that reflect of cultural inclusion, the approach will be grounded in cultural humility. Applying a cultural humility approach will aid in creating more system-wide and family partnerships/collaborations, relationship building and forming sustainable community connections.

Tim Grove serves as the Senior Director of Trauma Informed Strategy and Practice at Wellpoint Care Network. Tim has more than 25 years of experience in the social service field in a variety of programs and roles. Tim has been a Mentor with Dr. Bruce Perry’s Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT), is a master trainer of ACE Interface and is the creator of Wellpoint Care’s Trauma Informed Care (TIC) curriculum, 7 Essential Ingredients (7ei). In addition to leading the TIC efforts across all Wellpoint Care programs, Tim has been providing training and consulting on trauma, ACEs, secondary trauma/caregiver capacity and related topics for 15 years.  Tim has worked with and trained a diverse group of professionals – including judges, police officers, juvenile justice and child welfare staff, hospitals and healthcare staff, child development staff, veteran groups, college/university staff and professors, Boys and Girls Clubs, Religious Groups, Correctional staff, employers/employment staff and many others.

Tim and the Wellpoint Care team’s work has been highlighted in various radio and television projects, including a 2018 60 Minutes segment with special correspondent Oprah Winfrey and a three-year research study on the effectiveness of 7ei in child welfare published by the Journal of Child Custody in 2019.

Melanie Heindl, DAT, ATR-BC, LPC, is a doctor of art therapy and licensed professional counselor providing clinical supervision within the outpatient clinic. Melanie has over a decade of experience working in mental health services with individuals from infants to elders in community, outpatient, and in-home settings. Additionally, Melanie has significant experience developing and delivering training and curriculum to individuals of all skill levels and backgrounds. Melanie believes that the creative process can be inherently therapeutic, providing alternative ways of communication while also being regulatory in nature. Melanie finds a strengths-based, person-centered approach to be most beneficial to her therapeutic work but also takes into consideration the social and systemic issues clients face. Melanie has significant training in clinical supervision, reflective practice, the Neurosequential Model, anti-oppressive practice, and other trauma-informed modalities.

Carey Jacobsen is a Licensed Professional Counselor with over 20 years of experience, focusing on community-based, school-based and trauma-focused clinical work. Carey’s background is in art therapy and engaging multiple modalities to meet the mental health needs of children and families. Her experience includes direct clinical work with children, from infants through adulthood, teachers and education administrators, early childhood providers, offering mental health consultation and professional development training. Carey has significant training in the neurodevelopmental impact of trauma and multiple evidence-based practices, as well as reflective supervision and trauma informed supervision. Currently, she provides Clinical oversight to multiple programs, develops strategic goals, participates in grant writing and operationalizing and monitoring for excellence. Carey is passionate about bringing equitable access to quality mental health services to all by bringing the service to youth and families and adjusting the service delivery to meet the needs of the recipient.

Kaitlin “Katie” Kyle MS, LPC-IT, I received my Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. My goal is to create a warm, safe and compassionate environment for adolescents to regulate, relate and reason. I am dedicated to helping youth, families and their school community with conflict resolution, communication, boundaries, and concerns. My therapy room is a collaborative environment and open to each individual’s unique needs. Within my practice, I utilize evidence-based methods and ascribe to a culturally-humble, trauma informed, client-centered style of treatment. My theoretical orientation is influenced by Attachment Theory, Neurosequential Model, Play Therapy and Narrative approaches to treatment.

Ashley Maas MSW, APSW graduated with her master’s degree in social work with a clinical focus in children and families. She believes in utilizing a holistic and client-centered approach to incorporate all areas of an individual’s life towards healing. She uses empathy and humor to build a relationship as she wants people to feel seen and valued in therapy. She has experience working with clients who have experienced significant traumas in their lives and knows that being seen and valued is a first step towards healing. She has worked in a variety of settings including hospitals, schools, and outpatient clinics. She has conducted individual, family and group therapy. While she specializes in working with teens and young adults, Ashley has experience with clients across the lifespan.  Prior to coming to the clinic, Ashley worked in child welfare with Wellpoint for 3 years, specializing in human trafficking cases. Her primary treatment modalities include Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Internal Family Systems. She is excited to return to therapy after her child welfare experience! 

Corey Norlander is the Lieutenant of Criminal Investigations at the Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Office. He is currently in his 30th year in law enforcement, having served as a patrol officer, School Resource Officer, and then detective before becoming a supervisor in the detective group.

His work in sensitive crimes investigations and multi-disciplinary team development has brought him to an unintended recognition and understanding of trauma on victims and responders. In addition to serving in law enforcement, he serves as Co-Chair on the Attorney General’s Sexual Assault Response Team and trains for the Wisconsin Department of Justice and Wellpoint Care Network.

Martha Pena Acosta received a master’s degree in Community Psychology in 2022. Martha is a Licensed Professional Counselor In-Training with experience working with children from birth, three and older, adolescents and adults. Her experience includes assisting clients and their families with behavioral issues, parenting issues, life changes, anxiety, depression, anger, self-esteem, abuse, social skills and a variety of trauma issues. The approaches she uses most often include Mindfulness, Motivational Interviewing (MI), Client-Centered Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy and Play Therapy with younger clients. She uses a variety of approaches in her treatment to best meet each individual client’s needs. Martha values the importance of building a positive and trusting relationship with clients to help them overcome adverse experiences and reach their goals.

Shameka has 10 years of experience working in Human Resources and Training & Development. She has a deep commitment to life-long learning and enjoys sharing knowledge and learning from others, as she believes that education makes the world a better place. Shameka has devoted her career to serving as a resource to people wanting to learn or better educate themselves on diversity, equity, inclusion, leadership and soft-skill-building topics. After joining Wellpoint Care Network and learning the Trauma Informed Care framework, Shameka quickly developed a passion for sharing with anyone she encounters, because she knows that this framework can be applicable to almost any environment.

Julie Scott, MS, LPC, NCC, focuses on the impact of early life experiences on brain development. NMT Assessments provide a road map for services and therapeutic supports to best enhance a child’s current functioning. Julie works with families, schools and teams to enhance a child’s ability to regulate, relate and reason. Julie also consults and presents on the Neurosequential Model and helping children in home and school environments. Julie has been certified in the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics™ (NMT) and has completed Phase II/Train-The-Trainer certification.

Katie Twardosz is a Permanency Recruitment Liaison that has been working in child welfare since 2016 and has experience in many areas of the child welfare system including foster care, case management, initial assessment, and permanency consultation. Katie works with children and caregivers to match children in out-of-home care with adoptive resources and helps in the search for kinship relationships and placements. Katie is part of the Historical Trauma Workgroup at Wellpoint Care Network and has led internal learning opportunities on topics such as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and the Indian Child Welfare Act.

Katie is a Native American descendant from the Potawatomi Tribe and is a part of the Native American community here in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Katie is passionate about the Indian Child Welfare Act and transracial adoption issues that have impacted the Native American community for many years.

Alex Williams is a community leader, organizer and educator with a background in curriculum writing and youth development. As an experienced program coordinator, he has led learning at all levels from structured after-school activities for kindergarteners to skill-targeted literacy interventions for middle school students, all the way up to adult learning training sessions including “Literacy As A Social Justice Issue” and “The War on Black Males.” Alex is a lifelong humanitarian and has been serving and volunteering in the community for over 20 years at organizations, including City Year Milwaukee, Milwaukee College Preparatory School and Safe & Sound. As the Director of Community Engagement for Wellpoint Care Network, he works to bring the continuum of care and many other services Wellpoint Care provides into the communities and neighborhoods that need them the most.

My Story

“We cannot think of being acceptable to others until we have first proven acceptable to ourselves.” ― Malcolm X

Sonja Williams is an accomplished leader with 25 years of talent optimization, diversity, equity and inclusion, and organizational devlopment experience. She leads the delivery of innovative and equitable employee-centered services for Wellpoint Care Network’s workforce. Driven by a desire to support the work of community-based organizations with compelling missions, she has performed impactful work at organizations such as Acelero Learning, the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, American Cancer Society, Milwaukee County and Next Door. Sonja actively serves on the boards of Vision Forward and Triangle of Hope as a volunteer in her efforts to support the Greater Milwaukee community.

Education & Experience

Wellpoint Care employee since 2021. Master’s Degree in Administrative Leadership from University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration from University of Wisconsin – Whitewater.