The Talkspace Council of Experts is dedicated to providing tips, tools, and resources in support of mental wellness — and providing insight and guidance for the unique mental health challenges within special populations. Each member of the Council brings depth of experience, years of mental health advocacy, and a passion for advancing the mental health of everyone.
Culturally Responsive Mental Health
Reshawna Chapple, PhD, LCSW
Florida
Reshawna Chapple, PhD, LCSW, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and an associate professor of social work. She has over a decade of experience specializing in working with BIPOC communities and Deaf individuals, specifically in the areas of crisis intervention, depression, trauma, and intimate partner violence. Dr. Chapple is interested in eradicating mental health disparities based on race, disability, and other identity factors.
Reshawna blogs regularly on topics such as race, disability, work life balance, and self-care for BIPOC women and on parenting Deaf and LGBTQA+ children. Dr. Chapple has been an expert contributor for publications such as Bustle, Essence Magazine, and the New York Times. When Reshawna isn’t working, she enjoys spending time at home with her husband of 25+ years, her two adult children, and her two fur babies, or having an adventure on a cruise ship, at the beach, or at an amusement park.
Adjustment Disorder, Substance Use Disorder, & Anxiety Disorder
Elizabeth Keohan, MSW, LCSW-C, LICSW, LCSW
Maryland, Washington D.C., and Virginia
Elizabeth Keohan is a Licensed Certified Social Worker-Clinical, (LCSW-C) in Maryland, Washington DC and Virginia. She completed both her Bachelor of Science Degree, Psychology (BS) and Masters in Social Work (MSW) at Fordham University in New York City. Elizabeth has enjoyed working with clients in communities from Washington DC through rural Maine over the course of her career. While she has worked extensively with those experiencing anxiety and depression, she embodies a unique comfort working with the bereaved. Elizabeth combines a compassionate, holistic approach with Cognitive Behavioral Theory (CBT), to help clients counter their somatic response to stress, anxiety, mood, grief and loss. She works to encourage both movement and exercise as a supplement to therapy and as a vehicle for mindfulness. Elizabeth has experience working with children and adults in a number of nonprofit agencies and schools but grounded her clinical skills in Psychiatric Social Work settings with adolescents and adults for over 20 years. Recently, Elizabeth returned to working in a public school setting during COVID and has been working for a national Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) since 2015 as a Psychiatric Social Worker. As a Clinician of Color (COC) and a first generation Filipino American, she cherishes the privilege of serving professionally and clinically in this capacity.
Personal Growth and Empowerment
Meaghan Rice PsyD., LPC
Colorado, Iowa, Arizona, Mississippi, Georgia, Oregon
Meaghan Rice, PsyD, LPC, is a mental health consultant specializing in professionals who are looking to close the gap between where they are and where they envision themselves being. With a decade of experience in the mental health field, working in a variety of different capacities, Dr. Rice has found her niche amidst the therapist, consultant, and trainer roles. She’s interested in pulling from people’s strengths, adding more of what brings health and wellness into people’s lives, and positive reinforcement that drives momentum. Similarly, she seeks to identify incongruencies between people’s current behaviors and their values, which can lead to an exploration of different paths and better outcomes. She has a private blog and has contributed to Bustle, Well+Good, and PureWow, and has offered Georgia Ku tips, tools, and resources to pay it forward and empower others. When she’s not contributing, she’s spending time with her family, taking her Irish twins on adventures, and going where the military sends her.
Depression and Trauma
Ashley Ertel, LCSW, BCD, C-DBT
Colorado, Kentucky, Florida
Ashley Ertel, LCSW, is a Nationally Board Certified Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She has over a decade of experience specializing in trauma and depression. As a Certified DBT Professional, she has dedicated her work towards understanding complex trauma as well as suicide risk and intervention. She also holds additional trauma certifications in both Cognitive Processing Therapy and Prolonged Exposure. She works primarily with first responders, military personnel and veterans, and sexual assault survivors. Ashley has been featured in several publications such as the Huffington Post, Glamour, Essence, and Teen Vogue. She was also on the Feminist Leaders for Reproductive Justice team a few years ago and published curriculum on Feminist Organizing. Outside of work, Ashley enjoys spending time with her husband and children, shopping, and relaxing on mountain getaways!
Life Transitions & Stress Management
Cynthia Catchings LCSW-S, CIMHP, EMDR
Virginia, Maryland, Texas, and Washington
Cynthia Catchings, LCSWC, CMHIMP, CFT, EMDR is a trilingual licensed clinical social worker-supervisor, mental health consultant, professor, and trainer for federal law enforcement agencies. Cynthia has over 15 years of experience in the mental health profession. Cynthia is the NASW-DC Metro Chapter President and the Women’s Emotional Wellness Centers founder in TX, VA, MD, and DC. She is passionate about women’s mental health, life transitions, and stress management. Her clinical work, advocacy, and volunteer service have focused on working with domestic violence survivors and conducting mental health research in over 30 countries. Cynthia is an expert contributor to national media outlets including USA Today, The Chicago Tribune, Bustle, Well + Good, Univision, Telemundo, Huffington Post, Corporate Wellness Magazine, CBSNews, Yahoo, Femme Actuelle, and other international periodicals.
Anxiety Management & BIPOC Mental Health
Bisma Anwar, LMHC
New York
Bisma Anwar, LMHC, is the Team Lead for the Talkspace Council of Mental Health Experts. A major focus in her work has been anxiety management and helping her clients develop healthy coping skills, reduce stress and prevent burnout. Bisma addresses various mental health issues on her podcast Therappuccino and on her Instagram page, providing psychoeducation and coping strategies. She serves on the board of a non-profit organization based in NYC called The Heal Collective which promotes advocacy and awareness of mental health issues in BIPOC communities. Bisma is also co-founder of Moxie Living, a forum that organizes wellness retreats for women. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Buzzfeed, Well + Good, Bustle and Self magazine.
Body Image, Diet Culture & Eating Disorders
Jill Daino, LCSW-R
New York
Jill E. Daino, LCSW, BC-TMH, is a clinical social worker with over 25 years of experience as a therapist, clinical supervisor, and program director. She works to support quality clinical care at Talkspace. Her work as a clinician and trainer focuses on the mental health impact of body image concerns and eating disorders across the lifespan. Since 2006 she has served as the co-director for The Center for the Study of Anorexia and Bulimia at the Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy in NYC. Jill remains passionate about providing access to high-quality mental healthcare and telehealth. She uses her expertise to educate and advocate for mental health by offering her expert commentary to national publications such as Bustle, Teen Vogue, USA Today, and Southern Living. She serves on panels and roundtables dedicated to uplifting conversation surrounding mental health. Her most recent panel contribution was to the Born this Way foundation where she spoke about the power of self-care and self-expression. When she’s not working, she enjoys taking care of her mental health by enjoying all that NYC has to offer with her son.
Psychiatry
Muhammad Munir, MD, DFAPA
Indiana
Muhammad Munir, MD, DFAPA has over 20 years of clinical experience specializing in Mood Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Bipolar Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Panic Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Dr. Munir believes in “back to basics” the therapeutic alliance between the physician and patients. The hallmark of this alliance is the emphatic process whereby the patient is not only enabled, but educated and encouraged, to take an active role in their psychiatric care and wellbeing.
Dr. Munir is uniquely Board Certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in Adult as well as Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. He is an Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Indiana University School of Medicine, Clinical Affiliate Faculty Physician Assistant for programs at Butler University and Indiana State University, an active member and Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and serves on several committees. He is also involved at local level in Indiana Child and Adolescent Psychiatry chapter and Indiana Psychiatric Association, where he served as President for YR20-21. He has presented at local Regional National and international conferences. At Talkspace he is a part of the Peer Consultation Team and a member of the Clinical Media team.
Trauma & Spirituality
Dr. Karmen Smith, LCSW, DD
Nevada
Dr. Karmen Smith, LCSW, DD is a board-certified Clinical Social Worker in the state of Nevada. She has worked over 20 years for Clark County Family Services with abused and neglected children in the shelter, adolescents in juvenile detention, and adults who have suffered severe trauma. Dr. Smith is a shamanic teacher and minister of metaphysics and her doctorate is in Pastoral Counseling. Dr. Smith has studied world religions, mystical, and ancient truths and incorporated them into her healers’ tool kit. Dr. Smith introduced The ” I AM” Solution model, from her book of the same name, to understand fear and love which increases our compassion.
Multicultural Issues & The Asian American Population
Minkyung Chung, MS, LMHC
Florida
Minkyung Chung is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with over 10 years of experience. She specializes in multicultural issues, specifically issues unique to the Asian American population. She enjoys working within the Asian American community to help reduce the stigma associated with seeking mental health services and normalize the process of it. Her passion for this topic has led her to focus her research efforts in examining how to help the Asian American community. She is one of two mental health professionals that offer services in Korean in Florida and works to accommodate the clients who need services in the language. She has also hosted workshops for university students and parents. During her free time, she enjoys reading, crocheting, baking, and spending time with her family.
Domestic Violence & Divorce
Olga Molina, DSW, LCSW
Florida
Olga Molina, D.S.W., LCSW is an Associate Professor at the University of Central Florida (UCF) School of Social Work. She has an MSW from New York University and a DSW from the City University of New York Hunter College. She is a licensed clinical social worker with approximately 40 years’ practice experience with diverse populations offering individual, family, and group counseling. Her research and publications focus primarily on divorce, intimate partner violence (women and children), African American and Latinx families, group work, and social work education. Dr. Molina has been in academia for approximately 20 years teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels on clinical practice with families and groups, and culturally competent practice. Dr. Molina is the recipient of the National Association of Social Workers Educator of the Year award. She serves on the International Association for Social Work with Groups (IASWG) Board of Directors Commission on Group Work Education.
Past Contributors
Dr. Amy Cirbus LMHC, LPC
New York
Dr. Amy Cirbus is a counseling psychologist and mental health consultant. With over two decades of experience, she is passionate about modernizing mental healthcare and elevating the national conversation to ensure that each day everyone is able to prioritize their mental health. She served on the Talkspace Council of Mental Health Experts as director from January 2020 through February 2022. Her clinical work and advocacy prioritizes the fundamental value of relationships, as “it is our relationship with both ourselves and with others that serves as the foundation from which our mental and emotional well being is built upon.” Dr. Cirbus is an expert contributor to national publications and podcasts, most notably The New York Times, Forbes, Business Insider, Glamour, and Ellevate. When she’s not working, she enjoys taking care of her own mental health by hiking the Appalachian trail with her husband and two children in the beautiful Hudson Valley.
Elizabeth Derickson, MSW, LCSW
Missouri
Elizabeth (Beth) Derickson is a licensed clinical social worker and a registered play therapist-supervisor. She has a Masters of Social Work from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. Before entering into the mental health field as a second career, Beth worked in supervisory roles within Missouri Children’s Division and in sales management. Her clinical approach is based on the social work value of improving functionality within an environmental system. Her clinical expertise includes working to improve mental health within the workplace, child development, and family functioning. Beth volunteers as a mental health mentor for clinicians in Haiti and spends her free time with her family and friends. She enjoys traveling, cooking and gardening.
Dr. Rachel O’Neill LPCC-S
Ohio
Dr. Rachel O’Neill is a licensed professional clinical counselor and mental health consultant. Rachel has over 17 years of experience in the mental health profession and she has served in numerous professional capacities (therapist, educator, researcher). Dr. O’Neill is passionate about advocacy for mental health and decreasing the stigma that is often associated with mental health conditions. Her clinical work, research, and advocacy has focused on working with individuals in the LGBTQIA+ community through the use of affirmative counseling approaches. Dr. O’Neill is an expert contributor to national publications and podcasts, most notably The New York Times, Cosmopolitan, British Vogue, Teen Vogue, Glamour, and HBO. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, golf, cycling, reading, and spending time with her husband and son.
Catherine Richardson, LPC
Texas
Catherine Richardson is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Texas. Over the last ten years, Catherine has focused her practice on bringing health and wholeness to families and children by supporting children who have endured trauma and equipping parents to be therapeutic agents with their kids. Her philosophy is that no child is beyond repair and every parent can be a great one. Ms. Richardson has training in several evidenced-based practices such as child parent relationship therapy, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, and child-centered play therapy. She has served as an expert contributor to national publications such as Shape.com, Oprah Magazine, and Well + Good. When she isn’t investing in the mental health of others she enjoys traveling and eating good food with her husband and two children.
Kate Rosenblatt, MA, LPC, LMHC
New York and Connecticut
Kate Rosenblatt, MA, LPC, LMHC was the Senior Clinical Manager at Talkspace until 2022, and is a Talkspace therapist. A member of the American Psychological Association (APA), Kate completed her Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA. She has over 10 years of experience working with adults on a variety of issues, specializing in eating disorders and working with people going through life stressors and adjustments, finding your purpose, and navigating career changes. Her work has been featured in press outlets such as the Huffington Post, Refinery29, Bustle, and FOX61 News.