Staff

Cricket Steinweg

I am a graduate of the marriage and family therapy program (Ph.D.) at Purdue University, West Lafayette and am a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) with 40 years of clinical experience. I specialize in working with individuals experiencing a brain or mood disorder (such as anxiety, depression, bipolar illness, schizoaffective disorder, and schizophrenia) along with their partner and family. Also, having both a bachelors and masters degree in nursing, I have expertise working with individuals, couples, and families struggling with a chronic medical condition (cancer, heart disease, diabetes) where major life adjustments, preparing for death or non-compliance to treatment are concerns.

During the 40 years I have practiced in the Lafayette area, many times I have had the joy of working with the same family as they move through the life cycle. This included offering assistance with pre-marriage and marriage challenges, transition to parenthood, struggles with the school aged or adolescent child, children leaving home, in-law and grand parenting difficulties, retirement, chronic illness, and end of life issues.

I have specialized training working with couples experiencing closeness, attachment, and communication difficulties using the Emotionally Focused Therapy model (EFT) developed by Dr. Sue Johnson. I am certified in EMDR and work with adults and children after a traumatic event. Finally, I have completed advanced training in working with adults struggling in their relationship with their parents and have facilitated two groups of therapists and ministers wanting to examine their own families of origin and the impact it may be having upon their work.

I have appointments available on Monday through Thursday, 10am - 8pm. I am an in network provider for many insurance companies including; Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield; Cigna; United Behavioral Health; UMR: IU Health Network and others.

You may reach me at (765) 497-3932, extension 81.

Caralyn Wendling

I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) and a Licensed Addictions Counselor (LAC) with a Master's degree in Mental Health Counseling from Purdue University. I have worked with adults, teens, and families in North Central Indiana for over 15 years.

My passion and expertise includes working with teenagers. I enjoy guiding teens as they strive to define their personality and identity, manage the physical, emotional and psychological changes that accompany their passage toward adulthood and adjust to the expectations of peers, schools, families and society.

When seeing teenagers, I work in conjunction with parents, the family, school counselors, pediatricians and others to provide an optimum level of care. Family therapy is often necessary when working with adolescents because members of the family are interconnected and the success of the adolescent is often aided by the support and encouragement of their family.

My other passion and area of expertise lies in working with both adolescents and adults suffering with substance abuse and addictive issues and all of the related emotional, interpersonal, legal, and professional problems that accompany those disorders.

I also serve clients who have faced these issues in childhood and seek to make sense of their experiences to affect change in their lives. In the face of life's struggles, our relationships can be safe places for comfort and healing. This is the goal our family therapy work.

I offer a safe space in which you can discover the feelings, thoughts, and beliefs that hold you back. I adhere to an integrative approach to client-centered therapy, using primarily Internal Family Systems and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. I will help you challenge the thinking that keeps you locked in self-destructive or unhealthy patterns. You will learn new skills, understand the function of your undesirable behavior, and explore how to create lasting change to ultimately improve your quality of life and satisfaction of relationships.

It will be critical to understand your concerns fully and collaborate on solutions so healing may happen. I agree to consider your unique roles and circumstances and include your culture, strengths, religion, sexual orientation, and ethnic background into the counseling process.

I look forward to understanding what is limiting your quality of life, and I commit to help you reach your goals for change through the journey of therapy.

I will be an in network provider for the following insurance companies: Anthem, United Health Care, and Cigna.

I may be reached at (765) 497-3932, extension 83 or via email at caralyn.wendling@gmail.com.

Margarita Lora

I am a Licensed Mental Counselor with a Masters degree from Purdue University and 12 years of experience working with children, adults and families. I am a bilingual therapist, and can provide therapy in English and in Spanish.

If you are a parent trying to help your child with issues such as: difficulties making friends at school, poor school performance, stress, anxiety, irritability, or tantrums, frequent headaches or stomachaches, aggressiveness, difficulties to sleep, ADHD, your child may need additional help to be able to overcome his/her difficulties. Attending counseling will allow your child to alleviate those problems. In my work with children I do play therapy and implement techniques from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

I also provide counseling to parents struggling with parenting issues. , I provide consultation about healthy child development, rearing practices and adjustment to family changes, specifically addressing stressors related to the developmental tasks of being a parent.

Additionlly, I work with adults who present symptoms of depression, and anxiety, due to difficult life situations such as divorce, relationship issues, the loss of a loved one, illness, and other family changes. I In my work with adults, I work in a collaborative process of identifying problems, establishing goals for therapy, and finding ways to cope with difficulties. I implement concepts and techniques derived from Family Systems, Cognitive Behavioral therapy and Person Centered theories of therapy.

Through an empathetic, non-judgmental and positive approach, I help my client to express their feelings, process and cope with the difficult situations that they present giving them some tools to improve their quality of life.

You may reach me at (765) 497-3932, extension 84.

Heather Wuertz, MS, LMHCA

My passion for over 20 years has been to walk alongside individuals struggling in everyday life. I believe there is hope for every person to learn skills and find encouragement to make their lives a little better. I seek to provide space where individuals can feel safe, comfortable, listened to, cared about, and affirmed. I am EMDR trained through the EMDR Institute and integrate this method into my practice when appropriate. I am experienced in working with those struggling with anxiety, depression, self-harm, family conflict, emotional regulation, trauma, life transitions, grief, self-esteem, self-identity, anger management, friendships, and school related issues. I have primary experience with children, adolescents, young adults, and women. As a parent myself, I realize how hard it can be to see our children struggle. My goal is to work together with parents in understanding their child's needs and begin the journey of healing and change.

I am a Licensed Mental Health Therapist Associate with a Master’s degree from National Louis University as well as a Licensed School Counselor. I have worked in various mental health fields for the past 20 years, including 8 years in a school setting. My approach is to learn and understand the individual first, then utilize the best practices for each client.