Meet Our Clinicians

Hi, I am the owner of Tompkins Community Counseling and also a clinician here at TCC. I was inspired to open up a mental health clinic in Ithaca, NY based on knowing that it could be done better. My goal is to remove all the barriers associated with getting mental health services.

I am licensed in the state of NY to provide clinical counseling and have worked in a variety of settings and with different populations for over 20 years, providing individual, group and family counseling.  I've worked with children, adolescents, and adults, helping them make the necessary changes in their lives to reach their goals.  I've worked in Group Homes, Residential Placements, and Wilderness Therapeutic Programs in the following diverse roles: Case Manager, Caseworker, Individual and Group Therapist, and Clinical Program Director. I worked at Cayuga Medical Center as a Psychiatric Evaluator, providing crisis intervention and making clinical assessments for patients with a wide range of issues and demographics.  I worked with Elmira Psychiatric Center providing in home counseling in Tompkins and Schuyler County, working with diagnosis of Schizophrenia, Bipolar, and mood disorders to support my clients staying out of the hospital and living fulfilled lives.  I am bringing my many years of experience providing individual and family counseling to a variety of clients dealing with multiple stressors. I use a variety of treatment modalities in session, but mainly draw from EMDR, CBT, CDT, and IFS. I follow the lead of my clients during session, asking for feedback and tailoring my therapeutic approach based on the needs and goal of my clients. I especially enjoy providing Psychodynamic therapy to address trauma.  

In my personal time, I enjoy being in nature - canoeing, camping, hiking; I also love to travel and make things in my woodworking shop. In college I traveled a lot, volunteered on an Indian Reservation in South Dakota, climbed a lot of mountains and spent some time in Yellowstone National Park. After college I followed my dream out to live out West; I moved to Utah where I worked with youth by taking them on backpacking treks in the desert. Soon after, I met my wife, moved with her to beautiful Montana to receive my Masters in Social Work.  Wanting to find the perfect community to start our family, we moved to beautiful Ithaca.  My experiences had taught me that nature provides us with the space to release and relax, and nature's natural consequences can teach us so much.  My life has been enriched by helping others; I especially enjoy working with clients one-on-one.

My name is Kristiana Bowman and I am a Marriage and Family Therapist in the State of New York. I earned my M.A. at Syracuse University and completed my graduate clinical training at the Couple and Family Therapy Center and a private practice setting where I supported individual children, teens, adults, couples, and families experiencing a range of mental and relational health concerns. Today, I work together with my clients to cultivate more nourishing relationships and address challenges related to anxiety, depression, life transitions, marital and family conflict, and infidelity. I believe in the power of each individual to create positive change in their lives and to experience greater mental, emotional, physical, and relational fulfillment.

I embrace a warm, collaborative, and human-centered therapeutic approach with my clients, drawing from Family Systems, Emotionally-Focused (EFT), Experiential, Narrative, and Creative Arts Therapies. I incorporate evidence-based interventions from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and mindfulness practices to equip my clients with tools that support their growth. I utilize Level 1 & Level 2 Training in the Gottman Couples Therapy Method to empower partners to better manage conflict, develop stronger communication skills, expand their capacity for emotional attunement, and experience more authentic connection.

In non-directive play therapy, I create a safe space for children to heal from difficult experiences, navigate family transitions, build emotional regulation, and grow their self-esteem. I believe that parents play an important role in their child’s therapeutic journey. Therefore, I meet with parents for regular consult sessions to share treatment progress and coordinate their highest-quality care.

In my free time, I love hiking, kayaking, camping, and arranging flowers with the seasons. I am dedicated to my journaling practice which takes the shape of writing and visual journaling and allows space for my creativity. I most enjoy being in nature, traveling to new places, spending time with family, and sipping on a good cup of coffee. I am so grateful to serve and be a part of the Ithaca community.

Hi. I'm Justin Miller, a Licensed Master Social Worker in New York State. After I returned home from my last combat zone deployment as a Marine infantryman, I experienced challenges adjusting. I received help from a trusted MSW therapist, which inspired me to eventually pursue a mid-life career change and complete an MSW degree with a concentration in advanced clinical practice.

I am a strong advocate for individuals seeking mental health support. I believe in a client-centered, collaborative, holistic approach to my practice. I have worked with children, adolescents, adults, families, couples, Veterans, and members of the LGBTQA+ community. I ardently believe in supporting people to navigate their mental health challenges, including their traumas, so they can move forward in their lives and reach their maximum potential. My experience includes working in an elementary school-based mental health program, an at-risk adolescent center, a homeless shelter agency, and a community mental health organization. Most recently, I worked at Family Services of Chemung County as a Mental Health Therapist, providing intake, assessment, psychotherapy, and crisis management. I also worked in different roles within the US Department of Veterans Affairs. I am passionate about helping my fellow Veterans who struggle with adjustment issues and PTSD. Before becoming an MSW therapist, I worked for several years in the New York City area business world. For a few years before that, I worked as a middle-school teacher in PreK–8 summer and after-school programs.  

I counsel individuals, couples, families, children and adolescents, and Veterans seeking help with anxiety, depression, trauma, post-traumatic stress, interpersonal problems, psychological distress, and social anxiety. The treatment modalities I utilize are Psychodynamic Therapy (PDT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Supportive-Expressive Therapy, and Non-Directive Play Therapy. My goal is to assist my clients in acknowledging, understanding, and ultimately managing their issues. 

I enjoy hiking, biking, kayaking, and just about anything outdoors in my free time. I greatly appreciate and advocate for the therapeutic value of being out in nature. My wife and I grew up in New Jersey, but the beauty of the Finger Lakes lured us away, and we moved here full-time in 2018, where our three adult sons visit as often as their schedules allow. She and I are also history nerds and love seeking out local history wherever we travel. 

Hello, I am Andrea Roth, and I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of New York. My recent work was at a community based mental health clinic in Cortland, working with people of all ages, and with many different goals for counseling. Altogether, I have 18 years of experience in human service and nonprofit organizations. I previously worked at a community organization in Syracuse that provides support to people with sensory loss, where I had several roles supporting people with vision loss to maintain or establish independence. Additionally, I worked as a therapist with a Mobile Crisis team in the Syracuse Area.

I received a Masters Degree in Social Work from Syracuse University in 2006, after completing my BA in Psychology, also from Syracuse University. I also completed training in Conflict Resolution.

My therapeutic approach is client-centered and strengths-based, emphasizing collaboration and empowerment. I believe in creating a safe and supportive environment where clients can explore their concerns, gain insight, and develop skills to cope effectively with life challenges. My clinical approach is to utilize the treatment model that is the best fit for the unique needs of each individual. I strive to be sensitive to the impact of various factors that might impact a person’s identity, such as culture, ethnicity, disability, neurodivergence or being a part of the LGBTQ+ community.

My work is informed by several different modalities, including CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy), IFS (Internal Family Systems) and Mindfulness-based interventions. I work with individuals 17 years of age and older.  I have experience treating many mental health conditions such as Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, Anger, Grief, PTSD, Dissociative Identity Disorder, and Schizophrenia.

I find immense fulfillment in supporting individuals on their healing journey, particularly in the aftermath of traumatic experiences, and in fostering a sense of safety and resilience. I am also particularly interested in transitions, and helping people to adjust to changing circumstances in various stages of their lives, from college age and throughout the lifespan. This could include adjusting to college or joining the workforce. Adjusting to various stages of parenting can be challenging, such as becoming a parent, adjusting to children becoming more independent, and transitioning to an “empty nest.” Other examples might be learning to cope with separations and the end of relationships, or co-parenting after divorce.

Work-related changes are also an important area of focus for me. This includes identifying career paths, preparing for career changes, coping with job loss, and also preparing for retirement.

Outside of my professional life, I enjoy spending time in nature, exploring the many trails in this area and taking photos, or spending time with family and friends. As a mother of 3 adult children, I enjoy traveling to visit them, or exploring this area with them when they visit. I appreciate cooking in my free time, making soups and other traditional dishes. At home, I also find contentment in the playful antics of my two feline companions, Moonbeam and Blossom, whom I’ve welcomed into my life recently.

My name is Gabriel Hoff, LPMHC, and I will focus on collaboratively discovering what works best for you. We will work on both short term and long term goals, and we will work with your symptoms and their root causes.

I’m passionate about healing from trauma and complex PTSD, loss and ambiguous loss, and other major challenges. These issues can show up as anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, anger, grief, substance addictions, process addictions (like gaming or social media), mysterious health issues, and in other ways. I’m also passionate about healing identity issues - “who am I in the face of this?” - such as those coming from life transitions, sexual orientation, severe addiction, spirituality or religion, being in a relationship with an addicted or narcissistic person, or from having a long-term diagnosis like ADHD or Borderline Personality Disorder.

I work with teens, young adults, middle aged and the elderly. I’m passionate about practical communication skills and I work with families/couples on this as well as individuals. I use evidence-based modalities including Internal Family Systems (IFS), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). I teach skills like problem-solving, empathy, self-compassion, and mindfulness, and back them up with theory. My approach to counseling is about: accurate empathy, genuineness, a non-judgmental stance, finding meaning, encouraging hope, earning trust, and working with power dynamics and the structures of society. I emphasize choice, strengths, and values as ways of increasing motivation for change. I have advanced training in IFS, DBT, and somatic/body-based approaches to trauma.

I earned my Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Adams State University and completed my internship at Mindwell. I’ve worked with clients in a state-funded mental health agency, a college campus, a jail, and a group practice. These clients experienced many of the mental health challenges listed above, plus childhood trauma, sexual abuse, eating disorders, and time spent in jail, probation, and rehab.

Besides counseling, I’ve been a Massage Therapist since 2012 and have advanced training in Biodynamic Craniosacral work. In my personal time I love spending time with my wife, hiking, yoga, meditation, working out, cooking, and watching sci-fi. I’ve lived in the Ithaca area for over 10 years and love the nature that we have here.

Hi!  My name is Jill McCabe.  I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with over 25 years of experience in the field of Human Services and Counseling. Over the years I’ve had the honor and privilege of working with people of all ages and from all walks of life.  My career aspirations began as a student at Cornell where I received a BS degree in Human Development and Family Studies and followed a few years later with a MS degree from Syracuse University in Counselor Education.   

My scope of practice provides individual, couples/family therapy and parent/child consults using evidenced based practices such as CBT, ACT, DBT and CBT Trauma to address most of the prevalent mental health challenges of the day including Anxiety/Panic, OCD, Trauma/PTSD, Depression, Substance Abuse/Addiction; and First Episode Psychosis. In addition, I combine Compassionate Inquiry with a holistic, developmental approach for addressing transitions and common life span challenges such as Young Adulthood, Divorce/blended families; Parenting Support; Relationship Challenges, Career/Workplace Concerns; Executive/Organization Management and finally the Golden Years/Retirement Issues.  A sampling of some of the settings I’ve worked in includes Neighborhood Outreach and Child Advocacy Centers; Residential Tx for Adolescent Girls; Outpatient Addiction Services including Medication Assisted Tx for Opioid Use; In patient Psychiatric Services and Coordinated Specialty Care for FEP.

I am always inspired by our human capacity for resilience and change in the face of the painful challenges and hardships life can present.  I’ve witnessed repeatedly that even under the direst of circumstances people can overcome obstacles and there is always hope! I strive to provide a comfortable, nonjudgmental space to explore current challenges and patterns of thinking, feeling and behavior that may no longer serve you. Once identified we can look together for new insights and strategies for solutions that work for you and preferred outcomes so you can feel freer to enjoy your life!

Two additional clinical areas of interest:

1. Providing support to family members of loved ones experiencing serious mental health or addiction Disorders. I’ve co-facilitated multi family support groups and know the immense difficulties of trying to navigate the mental health system to advocate for loved ones and the emotional toll it can take.

2. Exploring the interplay between one’s personal psychology and creative processes and energies. I’ve worked with artists, authors and people in film/music/media industry on the value and benefits of personal exploration in support of enhancing and deepening the creative process and productivity.

In my personal life I have a passion for the beauty, and simple elegance of the natural world and enjoy grounding myself outdoors barefoot, in the sun, as often as I can. My husband and I have two amazing grown sons, so the whirlwind of parenting has quieted now!  We spend a lot of time rehabbing our little fixer upper Sears Kit House which I think, like us all, may always be an evolving work in progress!

Hello, my name is Christine Kapral. I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the state of New York. I have worked in a variety of community based-clinical settings for over 30 years, providing child, youth, adult individual therapy as well as group and family counseling. I received my master’s degree in Psychology from Seattle University. I was first granted a Mental Health Counselor license in the state of Washington where I also earned certifications as a Child Mental Health Specialist and as a specialized Therapist providing trauma-informed care. I’ve worked in school and college counseling settings, medical-hospital based settings and on various urban and rural mental health crisis teams where I provided crisis intervention and clinical assessments for individuals of all ages presenting with an array of challenges, trauma and mental health diagnostic concerns. I’ve also worked as a Clinical Program Manager for both child and adult outpatient mental health clinics as well as providing in-home counseling through intensive evidence-based therapy models and with marginalized populations living on Indian Reservations-Country in the state of Washington.

Private practice allows me to utilize my skills and clinical experience to help individuals and families push through the hard stuff to find hope, recover, and succeed. I work with a variety of experiential challenges and diagnoses. I am experienced in providing clinical counseling in the areas of adoptee issues, anxiety, child development, chronic mental illness, co-occurring disorders, culture identity conflicts, depression, relationship struggles/divorce, domestic violence trauma, grief and loss, post-trauma issues, maladaptive behaviors and trauma associated with sexual assault. My clinical area of focus also centers on working with college-aged students, LGBTQ youth and gender-affirming care. I provide a collaborative, relational approach in therapy to assist individuals and families meet their goals. I utilize evidence-based treatment modalities, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Solution-Focused Therapy and Trauma-Focused CBT. I work with children ages five and older, youth, adults of all ages and couples. I honor culture and I honor difference.

I was born and raised in central NYS. I spent my early, foundational years of life in Ithaca and the beautiful, surrounding Finger Lakes Region. In my personal time I actively enjoy traveling, hiking, swimming, and spending time in nature with my family, friends, and beloved animals. I am passionate about the gifts animals and nature provide. Helping others brings great joy, purpose and meaning to my life.

Meet Our Administrative Team

Hello! My name is Elizabeth (Liz) and I am the Administrative Assistant for Tompkins Community Counseling. My role here at TCC is to take you through the Intake process from start to finish and get you connected with the clinician to begin counseling. I am here to answer any of your questions along the way to make the process easy and successful. I will usually be the first person you speak to once we receive a request from you for services. I am available by phone and/or email.  Along with taking you through the intake process I also will assist you with any questions you may have regarding our portal, billing and any other concerns you may have.

I pride myself on my people skills. I enjoy working with people and helping to make them feel comfortable in any situation. I have over 30 years of customer service experience along with an AAS in Paralegal Studies from Nassau Community College on Long Island where I grew up. 

On a personal note, my partner Mike and I moved up to the Finger Lakes in 2016 and as much as I miss the hustle and bustle of downstate life (and the beach), the Finger Lakes have been good to us ! I have 2 grown sons and a beautiful granddaughter in Florida, however, moving up to Burdett has allowed us to live our dream. Horses!  My 1st pony ride at 3 years old was the start of something wonderful. I was hooked. My parents weren’t completely sold on the idea of me riding, but they supported me throughout the years by sending me to pony day camps, sleep away equestrian camps and allowed me to take riding lessons for many years. Although Mike and I had 2 horses on Long Island at a boarding facility, having them at home is a dream come true! We have built ourselves a beautiful farm on our property where we now house our 5 lovely equines. Babies included as we have bred 2 ponies and another baby is on the way! I enjoy riding and working with them at home as well as riding the gorgeous trails, taking them camping and attending equestrian clinics. Our pooch Napoleon and cat Polly are also part of our fur family. 

I look forward to being a part of your healing journey and making your experience with Tompkins Community Counseling a pleasant one.  

Hi! I'm Kim Scholl, the billing specialist here at TCC. Besides being a co-owner of the business with my husband Adam, I also teach writing at Cornell and am busy raising 2 beautiful boys (and our dog, Willie). Before Cornell, I taught writing and literature at Ithaca High School for 16 years.  I love helping Adam with his clinic because I get to see just how much positive impact he and the other clinicians are having on so many people in our community!

In my free time I love nothing more than traveling and have traveled to over 15 countries (and all continental US states) and even lived long-term in a few. My favorite places on Earth are the Southwest US (Arizona and Utah), Southern France and the US Virgin Islands. When not traveling, while home here in Ithaca, I love cooking, reading, camping, working out and doing yoga, and kayaking with friends.

My role at TCC is to submit your claims to insurance and help you navigate anything related to billing. If you ever have any billing or insurance questions, feel free to reach out to me. Happy to be a part of it all and welcome to TCC!

Hi, I’m Alex and I’m the Tech Support Specialist with TCC. I work behind-the-scenes providing support and assistance to our wonderful team. I firmly believe in the importance of mental health and I feel fortunate to be able to contribute to such an significant and positive mission.