Alex Klein, MS, LCSW, Executive Director

For nearly 20 years, Alex has been working with children, adolescents, young adults, and families. Starting in entry-level, direct-care positions, Alex has steadily expanded his education, increased his training and certification, and broadened his experience and skills in this field. While rising within the ranks of previous organizations, Alex developed a vision for combining dynamic counseling and community partnerships to meet client needs in the least restrictive environment. Alex’s creation of SPBH is a manifestation of his prior experience and his mission moving forward: to direct a therapeutic program in which clients and families receive treatment on the path to living healthy and productive lives. …read more»

Kate Bender, DNP, APRN, Medical Director

Kate knows, firsthand, life is messy and hard. Sometimes people need support and help from a professional. When working with Kate, your mental health will be compassionately addressed in a manner that honors your mind, body, and spirit. Multiple surgeries and hospitalizations as a young child sparked Kate’s interest in healthcare. She long thought medical school was in her future, but life can be unpredictable. Her love of math and science brought her to Worcester Polytechnic Institute for her undergraduate education. At WPI, Kate graduated with a Bachelor of Science in biomedical engineering. After graduating, Kate knew her future was not in a lab but rather directly helping people. When considering what type of training to pursue to enter the healthcare field, Kate considered various options. The nursing field where a holistic approach with patient-centered care meets science and evidence-based practice was the right fit. Kate’s initial training as an Adult Nurse Practitioner at The Ohio State University, lead to an early career with an internal medicine focus. …read more»

Dennis Rinaldi, MPA, Director of Operations, Coach

​Dennis Rinaldi joins the The Center team from Harrison, New York. During his college years, he was a stand-out basketball player and led his team as Captain, MVP, and the school’s first All-Conference first-team award winner. Dennis applies his positive on-the-court attitude to his work with children and families. He has always found joy working with kids and has led volunteer trips, nonprofit fundraisers and community events to support youth development.

After graduation, Dennis worked at a therapeutic boarding school for adolescents who, because of social or emotional difficulties, have been unable to make satisfactory adjustments in their home or school environments. He began as a teacher/counselor and was quickly promoted to an advisor/ residential administrator role. He spent 3 years working directly with families and young adults. He was a mentor, coach and role model for residential students and the staff he worked with.

For the past 4 years, Dennis has been working as the Program Director at a non-profit organization  for children with severe and life-threatening illnesses. He manages a team of thirty-five counselors, overseas safety for all program activities and focuses on providing a different kind of counseling and healing for children and their families.

Dennis has called New England home for the past 10 years and presently lives on the Connecticut Shoreline.

Brittany Parker, LMFT, Associate Executive Director

Brittany graduated with her Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy and completed her clinical internship hours at a residential boarding school, providing student counseling sessions, family sessions and group therapy. During her year and half of clinical supervision, she worked with individuals and couples under the guidance of a trained Marriage and Family therapist.  This experience has guided the development of her theoretical orientation as well as enabled her to gain knowledge and receive feedback in her work.

As a former college field hockey player, Brittany offers a deep understanding of the athlete’s role as well as the inner workings of the larger sports community.  The application of this experience helps guide her work with high school and college athletes struggling with mental health conditions who may experience the stigma of seeking professional support. Brittany believes in a holistic approach that integrates systems theory and emotionally focused therapy, while emphasizing the importance of staying active to help clients achieve their ultimate potential.

Jake Zoubek, LMFT, Therapist, Clinical Director – Westport

Jake comes to The Center with experience working directly with individuals with behavioral health needs, ranging from autism spectrum disorder to anxiety and substance use disorders. Jake completed his bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in addictions. During his time at college, he worked counseling adolescents with autism, providing one on one care to improve maladaptive behaviors. Jake also spent 6 months in Spain, studying psychology, which afforded him an opportunity to grow as a culturally competent therapist.

During his time in graduate school, Jake worked as a milieu therapist at a residential substance program, providing support to adolescents struggling with substance abuse in an inpatient setting. He provided individual, group, and family therapy to adolescents and young adults struggling with substance use and co-occurring mental disorders. During this time, Jake also created and facilitated a parent support group for loved ones of clients. Jake worked as an in-home counselor for a community mental health agency, helping adolescents with conduct/substance disorders navigate struggles within school, community, family and judicial settings. Jake brings a solution-focused approach to therapy, providing clients with support while helping them take steps to achieve their goals.

At The Center, Jake works with adolescents and their families, he is active as a clinician and as a connections coach. Additionally, Jake provides supervision and consultation for all of our Connection coaches.

In his free time, you can find Jake snowboarding, rock climbing, and doing anything else that gets his heart racing!

Emily Fulcher, LPCA, Therapist, Creative Director

Emily first decided to enter the therapeutic field after dealing with a serious medical condition as a child. Through her time in the hospital, Emily felt immense impact from the compassionate adults helping her cope and process her medical experience. Emily became inspired by the visual arts and the ability to cope with the world around her through creativity. This led Emily to pursue a career in human services, working with youth and young adults in various settings.

Emily received her undergraduate degree in Art Therapy and her Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a specialization in Art Therapy. Within these programs, Emily had various experiences in the field working with youth in nonprofit, art studio, and hospital environments. Emily’s most recent fieldwork consisted of working with adolescents in a a partial hospital setting supporting client’s transitions out of inpatient mental health settings.

Emily previously spent 8 years working at a nonprofit serving children and families with life-threatening and serious illnesses. Emily spent several years working on family and child-exclusive programming, volunteer coordination, and creative program design with the organization. During this time, it became clear to Emily that the mental health needs of individuals experiencing hardship and transition were not addressed to their potential.

Emily can best be described as creative and goal-oriented, which are characteristics important to her therapeutic work. Emily utilizes the visual arts and creative expression in her work with clients of all ages, especially children. Emily believes that there are several ways to cope through challenges and obstacles, and her clinical responsibility is to work with clients to explore and utilize these options. She believes that medical and psychiatric challenges affect the individual facing them as well as the entire family and support system. Through fostering a safe environment and meaningful relationship, Emily aims to connect with each client she works with on an individual basis, meeting them where they are at.

In her free time, Emily enjoys creating art, reading, cooking, and traveling with family and friends. She enjoys spending time at the beach and being outdoors with clients whenever possible. Emily hopes to integrate these passions and experiences in her creative and therapeutic work at Shoreline.

Janice Lynch, Business Assistant

Jan is The Center practice manager. She ensures that our office runs smoothly and is often one of the first people our clients interact with during the intake process. In short, without Jan, The Center would simply not function!

Jan is a native of Connecticut and has been living on the Shoreline for over 35 years. She enjoys going to the beach, boating, and spending time with family and friends.

In addition to her office manager role at The Center, Jan has been working with the Westbrook school district for over 30 years as a Food Service Manager and enjoys being a care taker to her two grandsons.

Jessica Besset​te, LCSW, Therapist, Clinical Director – Madison

Jessica is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who is able to work with a range of diagnostic profiles. She started her career in an in-home setting with children who were in the foster care system. Jessica worked closely with the Department of Children and Families, foster parents, and biological parents to ensure safety and emotional well-being of the children she worked with. During this time, the focus of her work was largely on trauma and reactive attachment. Jessica then transitioned to inpatient work, focussing on acute issues, solutions and safety. Jessica enjoyed the fast pace of the hospital setting and the time sensitive work that it required.

Her commitment to strength-based and humanistic approach highlights her belief in the potential of each individual she works with. She tailors her interventions to suit the unique needs of her clients, recognizing that therapy is a personalized journey and it is not a one size fits all. 

Jess is a versatile clinician who can move seamlessly through traditional approaches to treatment such as CBT, DBT and whatever to a relational approach that’s built on trust and respect. Jessica prides herself on viewing therapy through a teamwork lens. She believes that success stems from the therapist and client working together to identify the issues and come up with solutions. Jessica finds it of utmost importance that the first few sessions are utilized to build rapport, get to know one another, and identify what areas to focus on in therapy. She believes in the goodness of fit and in order for the therapeutic work to grow, there must be a level of trust along with a general fondness of the therapist. She finds fulfillment in helping others achieve their peak potential and brings high energy and creativity to her work.

Outside of her professional life, Jessica is dedicated to her well-being through activities like working out and spending time with her family. She works to have a balanced approach to life and brings this to her practice.

Sarah Garcia, LMFT, Therapist, Lead Clinician

Sarah began her career working directly with women and their families struggling with addiction. This work motivated Sarah to pursue her degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. Sarah’s work considers the whole familial system understanding the power and effect of each interaction between each member. Sarah uses this line of thinking even when working with an individual. In complex scenarios, this perspective motivates Sarah’s collaboration with psychiatrists, therapists, residential case managers, or whoever else plays a role in her client’s life.

Sarah works with intention, and her purpose is to align her clients with their full potential. She is confident she can help her clients discover what brings them true joy and drive while helping them process significant events in their lives. Sarah does this by working with people in supporting them in regaining their power through the creation of self-esteem or self-efficacy. Sarah knows therapy is a place for people to share and explore their own lives and in that exploration, healing begins. Sarah’s therapeutic room becomes a space where people can learn and discover themselves through stories.

Finally, Sarah works with the mind-body connection and shows clients how to understand the signals in their own bodies. Her clients’ stronger connection to their own signals helps them better understand their own emotions, motivations, and reactions. She uses solution, narrative, and emotionally focused collaborative approaches to therapy. All these therapeutic approaches rely heavily on the therapeutic relationship. Sarah connects with her clients through her sense of humor and acceptance. Clients can feel safe enough to open up and have their stories heard.

When Sarah is not working, she enjoys riding and working on her bicycle, rock climbing, snowboarding, horseback riding, and yoga. Sarah has found success with her own anxieties and depression through physical activity and the communities created surrounding each activity.

James Stone, LMSW, ​Therapist

James began his career as a personal trainer helping people overcome physical challenges. This work demonstrated the importance of physical and mental health in supporting a good quality of life. Through building relationships with his training clients, James realized how important tailoring good quality care to fit each client’s individual needs were to accomplishing goals and objectives. James graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a graduate degree in social work so that he could have more of an impact working with clients in instituting change and improving the overall quality of life.

In valuing his role as a therapist, James tries to be a guide and advocate, recognizing that clients are experts in their own lives and act as the main drivers of change. He views building on the strengths that the client already brings to the table as an integral part of the process to institute lasting change. James also believes that the strength and quality of the therapist-client relationship is a critical piece of the therapeutic process.

James was born in New York City and grew up in Darien, CT. When he is not working, he enjoys weightlifting, playing league baseball, traveling, and spending time with his dog, Unagi and two cats, Stuart and Emma.

Kate O’Connor, MS Connections Coach Coordinator 

Kate joins the team of Connections Coaches after working in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis for children and young adults with developmental disabilities. Kate has worked among various community-based, in-home, and clinical settings. She has experience with individuals across the lifespan, focusing on vocational skills, life skills, and academics.

She graduated from Springfield College with a Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitation and Disability Studies concentrating in children’s developmental services. Kate values a holistic manner to care and applies a strength—based approach centered around the individual.

Kate cares deeply about self-advocacy and community inclusion. She finds joy in making meaningful connections and watching clients grow in development. Kate is goal oriented and enjoys celebrating the “small” victories, however “small” they may be! In her free time, you can find her on Block Island, hiking with her dog, crafting, and enjoying meals with friends and family.