Lead Clinician
Air Force Reservist and Military Spouse

Tatiana is the lead clinician at the Cohen Clinic. As the Lead Licensed Clinician, she is the liaison to the Cohen Veterans Network (CVN) Central Office Clinical Programs team. She supports the clinic director through the provision of supervision, case consultation, and mentoring. Prior to joining the Cohen Clinic, she worked at the Desmond Doss Health Clinic at Schofield Barracks from 2016 to 2019. As a technician, she gained the knowledge and experience of working with soldiers in Embedded Behavior Health, as well as the Intensive Outpatient Program.

In 2004, Tatiana joined the Air Force Reserve as an Aerospace Medical Technician. Throughout her medical career she has deployed to Kuwait (2007) and provided contingent medical support in Germany (2009). During her deployment to Kuwait, she gained a deep understanding of the impact combat has on our service members’ mental health. In Germany, with an influx of service members from all locations of the area of responsibility (AOR), it further solidified her experience with the impact of combat on our service members.

Both tours helped launch her career that originally started out in the medical field. She pursued the mental health field with the goal of being able to make a greater impact in the lives of the people she helped. In 2013, Tatiana enrolled at Chaminade University in the Master of Science in Counseling Psychology program with an emphasis in mental health.

Tatiana received her master’s degree in counseling psychology in 2016 and is a licensed Mental Health Counselor in the State of Hawaiʻi. She is also certified by the National Board of Certified Counselors as a National Certified Counselor (NCC) and Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor (CCMHC).

Clinician
Navy Veteran

Maurice Andrea is a military veteran who understands the complex stressors that military service can cause. Maurice completed his master’s degree in marriage and family therapy from Chaminade University. He is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with five years of counseling experience across a variety of treatment settings that include: inpatient acute mental health, community based mental health services, couples’ enrichment groups, and various psychoeducational services. Maurice serves adolescents, adults, couples, families, and groups.

Maurice’s approach is well-rounded, and he uses aspects of Motivational Interviewing, Psychoeducation, Gestalt Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral, and Systems Theories to help clients of all ages. A holistic approach is used to bring greater awareness of the connections and interactions that people share, while exploring how these interactions shape and define people’s mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing. His theory is that through greater understanding of how we touch others and how others touch our lives, we can learn to improve our connections and create positive change.

Outreach Coordinator
Hawaii Army National Guard Veteran

Made in the Philippines. Grown in Hawaii. Melody Bell is a local girl, daughter of a U.S Navy veteran who also served for her community and country.

After graduating from Leilehua High School in 2003, her first role in the community was as a CNA for Waipahu care homes before she went on to Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA to complete her bachelor’s degree in biology and minor in chemistry with hopes to become a naturopathic doctor. Life circumstances swept her on another path bringing Melody back home to Hawaii.

She then began her career in non-profit service with Learning Disabilities Association of Hawai’i School Readiness project, providing hearing and vision screenings with connection to resources for preschool aged children in the Wai’anae Community.

Soon after, her service extended even further by serving 8 years in the Hawai’i Army National Guard as a Non-Commissioned Officer, Medic, Physical Therapy Sergeant, Master Resilience Trainer (MRT). During this time, her new role in the community was as Home Visiting Specialist with Ka Pa’alana, a Partners of Development Foundation program.

By day, Melody was serving the homeless community of Wai’anae by connecting families with preschool aged children to pop-up preschool in the Boat Harbor or shelter, resources, hygiene items, and other positive life opportunities. During that time, she was awarded by Gov. David Ige for the Governor’s Award for Volunteerism.

After growing from that position, Melody accepted the opportunity to be the Suicide Prevention Program Manager of the Hawai’i Army National Guard. Further extending her service for 5 years. In that time Melody trained over 2,500+ soldiers annually in suicide prevention skills, leadership with crisis management, engaging in healthy behavior, and resiliency. During the pandemic, Melody was awarded the opportunity to launch the HING Ready and Resilient Warrior Workshop by the National Guard Bureau’s Innovative Incubator program.

The pilot was able to serve 5 iterations of Total Military Fitness training with a holistic in person conference to promote healthy habits, create new hope for the future, promote retainment and to connect client to resources directly. Self-Care, Healthy Family, Best Choices being the themes. The program was able serve 180+ soldiers and airmen plus family members, and resources through meaningful connections over 120 hours of contact.

For Melody, serving 11 years for the Guard has been an honor to help heal some of the wear that duty calls for. Now this blessed opportunity allows her efforts to root further into the community. Directly connecting all service members and families to services that could change and save lives. Be GRATEFUL!!! Be Resilient! Choose Life!

Fun Facts: Melody was once 26th in the state for the long jump track and field.

Outreach Manager
Military Spouse

Annisa is the Outreach Manager for the Cohen Clinic at CFS. She fosters relationships with community partners across Hawaiʻi to reach the military & veteran population statewide. She is a military spouse to a Hawaii Army National Guardsman, who was a former Army active duty soldier. Familiar with the hardships transitions bring to military families, she dedicates her outreach efforts to ensure military families in Hawaiʻi are aware of the access they have to receive care from the Cohen Clinic. Annisa began her work at the clinic in the front desk role, helping families navigate the intake process to enroll in a therapy program.

Annisa has nearly 8 years of experience in the public relations, media, and communication field, which includes her work as a TV reporter and producer in Missouri at NBC-affiliate KOMU 8 News. Prior to moving to Hawaiʻi, she worked as the Indonesian Representative for the Missouri School of Journalism, building partnerships between the school and media related organizations and journalism schools in Indonesia. During her final year in graduate school, she worked at public relations office, CLS Strategies, in Washington D.C. as a digital marketing intern.

Her educational background is in journalism, with a Master of Arts in TV broadcast from the University of Missouri, Columbia – School of Journalism and a Bachelor of Arts in communication from University of Maryland, College Park.

Reception Team
Military Spouse

Brittany Casey is a member of our reception team. She is a military spouse to an Active-Duty Army Blackhawk pilot and a transplant from Wiesbaden, Germany. While in Germany, she was the contract team lead for the local Army Community Services (ACS) and then for the Garrison’s Customer Service Satisfaction office. She has almost 20 years of experience with customer service and program logistics.
The military and healthcare services have played a key role throughout her life as the daughter of an Army Apache pilot (ret.) and a Registered Nurse. Brittany’s upbringing instilled in her a strong desire to help others which led her to graduating with a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Texas A&M University- Corpus Christi in 2013. During that time, she served as the Public Relations manager for the Texas A&M-CC Colleges Against Cancer program and regularly volunteered with the “Pink Ladies” breast cancer awareness outreach team.

Brittany is incredibly excited to be a part of the Cohen Clinic team and continue to be of service to the military family community she has been a part of for so long.

Clinic Director
Military Spouse/Family Member

Janet Covington is the director of the Cohen Clinic. As former Lead Licensed Clinician, she has been at the clinic since June 2020 and was part of the team that opened the clinic in September 2020.

Janet possesses 15-years of clinical experience providing evidence-based treatment to individuals, couples, and families and over 25-years of supervisory, administrative, and managerial expertise working within non-profit and for-profit organizations.  She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), and a National Certified Counselor (NCC). 

Janet’s clinical background includes serving as the Psychological Health Coordinator with the Hawaii Army National Guard, working as a Military and Family Life Counselor (MFLC) with the Joint Forces Support Assistance Program (JFSAP), and as a MFLC assigned to active duty installations, as well as elementary and middle schools identified as having a large military student population.  She also was a behavioral health specialist with the Department of Education at Leilehua High School in Wahiawa.

Janet’s administrative experience includes working as the development director of Hawaiʻi’s largest animal welfare organization and as the executive director of what was then the state’s largest multi-cultural festival. She served in leadership positions within the travel and marketing/public relations industries.

Janet has a master’s degree in counseling psychology from Chaminade University and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa.  She is a member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, the Hawaiian Islands Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, and the Hawaiʻi Psychological Association. 

She brings a deep understanding of military culture to the role, as the daughter of a retired Army soldier, spouse of a former Airman, and has even more family members in other branches of service.

Front Desk/Receptionist
Military Spouse

Kristle works at the clinic in the front desk role, helping individuals and their families schedule/reschedule appointments, review referrals received, make phone calls, and create profiles for new members. Kristle previously worked as an accounting specialist at a case management agency where she worked for over 6 years. She has 6 years’ experience with billing to various insurances, knowledge of accounts receivable, and accounts payable. She graduated in 2015 from Leeward Community College with an associate degree in accounting. As a spouse of a Hawai’i National Guardsman, military runs in her family. She has a brother in the Hawai’i National Guard and a younger sister in the US Army, who is currently stationed in Colorado. Her cousins are in the service as well. Kristle is passionate to help military service members and their families to receive good customer service and connect them to the services they need to thrive.

Clinician
Marine Corps Veteran/Hawaii Army National Guard Veteran

Joe is a clinician at the Cohen Clinic, joining the team in February 2021. Joe worked with active duty soldiers and their families as an embedded Military and Family Life Counselor (MFLC) with a battalion that consisted of over 800 service members. Joe is a Marine Corps veteran who served for five years after graduating from high school. After serving in the Marine Corps, he then enlisted in the Hawaii Army National Guard where he served for 3 years while attending college.

Joe developed his passion for helping others while working with children with autism spectrum disorders during the early years of the Felix Consent Decree. He worked with this population for over 7 years in various environments, including school, home, and community settings.  He collaborated with school administrators, teachers, speech therapists, support services, psychologists, psychiatrists, and parents to collaborate on the children’s needs and goals.

Joe transitioned to working with adults with serious and persistent mental illness (SPMI) as a community-based case manager with North Shore Mental Health for over 12 years prior to earning a master’s degree in counseling psychology at Chaminade University.

He became Licensed Mental Health Counselor in December of 2018 and holds both the National Certified Counselor (NCC) and Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor (CCMHC) certifications through the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC). Joe utilizes the Gottman Method, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), CBTC and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) to help veterans, active duty service members, and their families improve their quality of life. 

Joe lives in the Waipahu area with his partner. His hobby is photography; specifically, nature scenery while going on hikes.

Reid Kahalekulu
Military Family Member
Front Desk/Receptionist

Reid’s role at the clinic connects individuals and their families with their therapists through appointment scheduling, referring them to mental health promotive and suicide prevention resources that we have the contacts for up at the front desk, and connecting them with our Case Management unit for further external resources. Reid and the front desk team reviews incoming referrals for services with new/prospective clients. They also track phone messages, client profiles and their appointments, rescheduling/cancelling as needed.

Reid’s grandfather from his mom’s side was a serviceman and Purple Heart recipient in the 100th Infantry Battalion, Company B during WWII, stationed in Europe. His dad was a Sergeant and Radio Relay Repairman in the Air Force.

Prior to joining the team, Reid was a Paratransit Operator with OTS TheHandiVan for five years and served all areas of O’ahu including military bases. He was a Support Specialist at Goodwill Industries of Hawai’i for about 15 years working with adults with special needs, adults with Down’s Syndrome and those on the Autism spectrum.

Reid wanted to come back to working closely with people in the community. Mililani has that homey; family feel to its town. Plus, there’s plenty of food options for lunch.

Military Family Member
The Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Child & Family Service

As a licensed marriage and family therapist at the clinic, Kumai provides counseling to veterans, servicemembers of all branches, and anyone they consider a family member. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from University of Denver, Colorado and her Master of Arts degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Argosy University, Salt Lake City, Utah. Previous work experience includes, providing in-home therapy to children, adolescents, adults, and their families, that are dealing with issues related to autism spectrum disorder. Kumai has worked in preschool programs providing ABA services and skills training. She has experience working at a residential treatment center for adolescents dealing with substance abuse-individuals, providing group and family therapy. She’s worked in a school environment with students who are dealing with emotional, behavioral, and social challenges. Kumai collaborates and educates teachers and parents to effectively work with students. She has several family members serving in the Army and Air Force. She enjoys providing hope and a safe place for others and the opportunity to help facilitate change. Kumai is excited to work with military individuals and families, especially couples. She was raised on the North Shore of O’ahu in Kahuku and is grateful to be back in home in Hawai’i.

Intake Coordinator
Army Veteran

Earl Lau is the intake coordinator for the Cohen Clinic. He conducts the intake interviews for all prospective incoming clients, assessing their needs and connecting them with the appropriate clinician. He is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist who has worked as a case manager and supervisor serving clients with serious and persistent mental illnesses (SPMI) and doing substance abuse counseling for individuals and groups. He has worked with the military as a Military Family Life Counselor (MFLC).

Prior to joining the Cohen Clinic team, Earl managed a private practice, where he worked primarily with individuals and couples. Earl is an Army veteran. He was an active duty soldier, a former paratrooper with the 82^nd Airborne Division. Earl has a Bachelor of Arts in human services from Hawaiʻi Pacific University and a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Argosy University.

Clinician
Army Reservist
The Steven A. CohenMilitary Family Clinic at Child & Family Service

Jonathan is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist providing evidence-based treatment for active-duty members, their family-members, and veterans. He has a Bachelor of Psychology from the University of Maryland and a Certificate of Substance and Addictions Studies from University of Hawai’i, West O’ahu. He received his Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy from Northcentral University with credits from Argosy University. While on Active-Duty service, he has been on two deployments, served overseas in Korea and Germany, and instructed numerous Strong Bond Events, relapse prevention classes, and suicide intervention/prevention briefings. Once off Active-Duty, he worked as GPD case manager at US VETS-Barbers Point assisting homeless veterans transition off the streets into permanent housing. He has also worked at Honolulu Community Action Program (HCAP) at the Kumuhonua Transitional Living Center as an Assistant Program Manager assisting homeless individuals in obtaining employment and permanent housing. He also provided counseling for those going through crisis and/or needed an ear to talk to. Jonathan is from a small military family. His mother is a retired Army-officer and served as a registered nurse. His brother served in the Air Force as an enlisted in the communications field. Johnathan is currently in the Army Reserves as a Religious Affairs NCO and served several years on Active-Duty for the Army in the same position. He has worked in the mental health field for the past 25 years in the Army and in the Civilian sector. His specialty within the mental health field is addiction recovery, primarily with individuals with substance abuse issues. He has also worked with individuals with behavioral addiction issues and family members of addicted individuals to assist them in their recovery.

Clinician
Military Family Member

Amanda Maehara is a clinician at the Cohen Clinic. She provides counseling services to veterans, active-duty service members, and their families in the individual, couple, and family therapy settings. Amanda utilizes a trauma-informed care approach and evidence-based practices such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and Motivational Interviewing (MI) to assist clients with improving their quality of life.

Born and raised in Hawaiʻi, Amanda earned her undergraduate degree from Scripps College before becoming a teacher on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. As a teacher, Amanda witnessed the effects of intergenerational trauma on the physical, emotional, and behavioral health of children and their families. Inspired by her experience on the reservation, Amanda earned her Master of Arts in counseling psychology from Boston College with the goal of utilizing her clinical skills to promote resiliency within underserved communities and empower clients to achieve their goals.

Amanda has worked in the mental health counseling profession for the past 10 years with various populations, including middle and high school students, parents and infants, and families involved with Child Welfare Services (CWS). Prior to joining the Cohen Clinic team, she provided group and individual counseling services to homeless veterans to address issues related to PTSD, depression, anxiety, marital conflict, grief, and substance abuse. She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and certified by the National Board of Certified Counselors as a National Certified Counselor and Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor.

Amanda is dedicated to the Cohen Clinic mission to ensure every veteran, active duty service member, and family member is able to obtain high-quality care that enables them to lead fulfilling and productive lives. As a family member of Army and Marine Corps veterans, she has a personal connection to the military population.

Associate Director of Clinic Operations
Military Spouse
The Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Child & Family Service

Alicia Petitt is the Associate Director of Clinic Operations for the Cohen Clinic. She oversees the front desk, billing, and other business and administrative functions within the clinic. Her number one goal is to create an environment that allows the clinical team to do the clinical work our clients need and ensure the administrative team is providing top notch customer service to all clients, visitors, community partners, and co-workers. Alicia has over 20 years of customer service experience, including over 15 years in the healthcare industry. Most recently, Alicia was in the same position for the Cohen Clinic in Washington State. Alicia’s passion for serving the veteran and military community comes through her personal experience of being an Active-Duty Navy spouse. She has supported her spouse and family through 5 deployments and long separations, and countless other “short” trainings. She also served as a Command Ombudsman for 4 and a half years. Alicia helped to facilitate the connections between the military command, command families, and external organizations with programs and resources to assist with many of the challenges brought on by military life. Alicia has a Master of Business Administration degree with a concentration in Healthcare Management and is a Certified Professional Coder.

Military Family Member
The Steven A. Cohen MilitaryFamily Clinic at Child & Family Service

Quentin Rita is a Data Analyst at the Cohen Clinic. As the Data Analyst, he is responsible for the design, implementation, and maintenance of electronic data management systems within the scope of the VASSG Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program. He works closely with the Clinic Director and makes recommendations when analyzing data trends. He collects, complies, tabulates, and prepares a variety of reports related to the program, ensuring the grant requirements for reporting are met with accuracy and within scheduled reporting deadlines. He was previously working as the Case Manager to provide services intended to develop community resources and support to assist in areas of employment, housing, education, and healthcare for the veteran and military families we serve. Born and raised in Hawai’i, Quentin was raised in an extended family who served in various branches of the military. Service members including grandparents, uncles, aunties, and cousins. Supporting his hānai siblings through their multiple deployments during their military duty has helped in developing an understanding of the unit stressors experienced by our service members. Working in the social service field for 6 years, Quentin provided community-based case management services aimed at promoting housing access and housing stability for veterans, families, and non-veterans who experienced homelessness. In this role, Quentin gained experience in working with participants experiencing issues with depression, anxiety, PTSD, substance abuse, chronic health issues, and physical disabilities. A graduate of Chaminade University of Honolulu, Quentin earned his master’s in counseling psychology while working in the school settings providing individual support services for children with autism and other developmental or behavioral challenges. In this field, Quentin understands the importance that a support network plays in the overall wellness of individuals and the family as a unit.

Clinician
Military Spouse/Family Member

Jennifer Roberts is a clinician at the Cohen Clinic. Jennifer provides evidence-based treatment to veterans, military members, and their families.  As a daughter of a Vietnam veteran and a military spouse herself, Jennifer understands the unique challenges that military members and their families face during and after military service. She has dedicated her career to serving this population.

Before joining the Cohen Clinic team, while her husband was on military orders in Boston, MA, Jennifer served as an intensive in-home family therapist, providing intensive in-home services to individuals, couples, and families while also providing supervision and training to new hire staff.

Prior to Boston, while her husband was on military orders in Puerto Rico, Jennifer volunteered at a U.S. Army high school providing individual and group therapy to military dependents. She also assisted the students in developing strategies to deal with academic, personal, and social challenges that may interfere with the educational process.

After moving to Honolulu, Jennifer served as a school-based behavioral health specialist and school counselor at a local high school providing educational support services to students, individual counseling, parent/family intervention, educational planning, and group therapy. She taught struggling students a variety of skills to help them succeed, such as basic living, social, coping, communication, organization, time management, behavioral, studying, safety in drug and sex education, in both individual therapy/group counseling/therapy settings. She also educated teachers and staff on how to effectively work with their students. Additionally, she facilitated non-violent crisis prevention intervention training to teachers and other staff supports working with students.

Prior to meeting her husband, Jennifer worked in a veteran residential home providing individual and group counseling/therapy to residents struggling with severe mental illness, having co-occurring disabilities along with drug/alcohol dependency that led them into homelessness. She provided residential individual and group counseling/therapy consisting of skill-building activities for independent living, psychoeducation on diagnoses, trauma work, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), art, music, and dance movement therapy, anger management, coping skills, problem-solving, recovery, healthy communication, self-help, self-development, stress management, time management, and more.

Jennifer earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting finance from the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa, a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy from Argosy University, Honolulu, and is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT).

Case Manager
Military Family Member

Joanne Robinson is the Case Manager at the Cohen Clinic, joining the team in June 2021. In her role, she provides Ongoing support for employment, housing, finances, and education for the veteran and military families we serve. Joanne worked in human services for a non-profit organization as a case manager for nearly 5 years. She helped clients with employment barriers to reach their full potential and become self-sufficient.

She has a medical background with her degree in Medical Assisting and Office Administration. Joanne is currently working on her Bachelor’s in Social Work at Grand Canyon University.

As the daughter of a Marine Corps veteran and many family members in other branches of service, Joanne is very passionate and committed to working with the military and their family members

Casey L. Tau’a, LMFT, ASDCS, ADHD-CCSP
Licensed Clinician
Military Family Member

Casey is a daughter of a U.S. Navy veteran, and a family member to a retired U.S. Army veteran.

Before joining the Cohen team, she has served the adolescent population as a Behavioral Health Specialist (BHS) providing educational support services to students, individual counseling, parent/family intervention, educational planning, and group therapy with a specialty in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Casey addresses issues related to PTSD, mood disorders, adjustment disorders, anxiety, depression and has over 20 years of experience in behavioral health.

Being born and raised on the island she brings a culturally accepting approach to behavioral health therapy for military members and their families.

Casey earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy from Argosy University, Honolulu. She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinical Specialist (ASDCS) and an Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Certified Clinical Service Provider (ADHD-CCSP) in Hawaii and serves adolescents, adults, couples, and families.

Clinician
Military Spouse

Melissa Tellez is a clinician at the Cohen Clinic. Her passion for serving military families comes from her experience as a military spouse to an active duty Army soldier. She is also the proud older sister of a Marine. As a trained Licensed Social Worker, she provides counseling services for veterans, active duty service members, and their families. Melissa addresses issues related to PTSD, mood disorders, adjustment disorders, and bereavement counseling. She develops a unique treatment plan that reflects a course of therapeutic intervention that will address the needs identified in the assessment for each client.

Melissa also has experience working closely with the veteran population in Texas as a readjustment counselor. Melissa is a native of Texas, and speaking Spanish has afforded her opportunities to serve the community by providing therapy to non-English speaking clients.

She has provided individual & couples counseling, in addition to leading groups for Combat Vietnam Veterans and a Spouses Support Group. As a military spouse, she has taken her career across the state and has experience working in the human services field in Hawaiʻi, Texas, and Florida.

Melissa has worked with clients in hospice, juveniles in day treatment centers, including families seeking to be re-united. Melissa also has experience in facilitating support groups for those diagnosed with Huntington or Parkinson’s disease. This experience has given her a deep appreciation for supporting others. Melissa earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work from Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida.

Leona Vik, LMHC
Licensed Clinician
Military Family Member

Leona is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor providing evidence-based services for active-duty members, their families, and veterans. She received her Bachelor of Science in both Psychology and Sociology from the University of Hawai`i – West O`ahu campus, and her master’s in counseling psychology from Chaminade University.

Leona has worked in various mental and behavioral health capacities throughout the community since 2003, most recently serving as part of the MFLC program in both the high school and elementary levels. She also has extensive experience working with individuals experiencing trauma, addiction, and homelessness. Her father is an Army veteran who worked in a civilian capacity at the Naval base before retiring permanently in the early 2000’s. She is looking forward to continuing to serve while providing a safe space for all.