Personalized care starts with the right therapist.
Our team
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Executive Director, Psychologist, Co-Author of Gentle Mending
Dwight (he/him/his) earned his Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee in August of 2008. During the educational and training process, he worked in a variety of settings and with a variety of populations. Specifically, he has worked in community mental health centers, university counseling centers, and with a crisis organization for children and adolescents. Dwight completed his pre-doctoral internship at The Ohio State University’s Counseling and Consultation Service. Since his post-doctoral work, Dwight was an associate, owner, and/or Executive Director at Affirmations Psychological Services. Over the past few years, Dwight’s professional roles included being a Market Leader for Optum Behavioral Care, which entailed oversight of Affirmations and three other mental health brands in the State of Ohio.
Mending, Growth, and Empowerment:
Dwight’s orientation toward clients, mental health, and psychotherapy is Humanistic. In essence, this symbolizes a desire to build, create, and foster relationships with clients that matter for the clients. To achieve this type of relationship, Dwight attempts to understand and connect to the whole human being, suggesting that acceptance is as important as change.
Dwight views the therapeutic journey as a process of mending, and empowerment, which can be accomplished by attending to the processes of daily living such as making routine decisions AND processes of existential living such as how human beings seek purpose and meaning in Life. Dwight has a deep respect for clients, hoping they feel his care and concern as well as his belief in their ability to change. In this light, he views his role as one where he helps clients feel empowered to interact with others, the world, or themselves differently and to develop the confidence, resilience, and belief to live a sustainable Life.
Dwight has been trained as a generalist and embraces his ability to work effectively across the life-span and with most mental health concerns. If you review the home page and what we’re building and creating at REAL, inclusion, differences, diversity and affirming clients are the heart and soul of Dwight’s work. Dwight is accepting new clients at our E. Broad St. Location. Dwight has been a licensed psychologist in the state of Ohio since 2009.
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Emily graduated from The Ohio State University with both her undergraduate and graduate degree in Social work and has experience in crisis work with adolescent youth and in community mental health. Emily is a dedicated and licensed outpatient therapist committed to facilitating positive change and growth in individuals' lives. Emily has a deep passion for mental health and well-being, and believes in providing compassionate and non-judgemental treatment with evidence-based therapeutic interventions.
Emily has experience in working with anxiety, depression, trauma, self esteem, interpersonal and family relationships, gender/sexual orientation, and has a passion for working with individuals in the LGBTQ+ community. Utilizing a client-centered and strengths-based approach, she strives to empower individuals to navigate life's challenges and discover their inherent resilience. Emily draws upon a range of therapeutic modalities, to create a personalized treatment plan that aligns with each client's goals. These therapies include; Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Motivational interviewing, Internal Family Systems and she is trained in Eye Movement Densensitization and Reprocessing Therapy.
In her free time Emily enjoys spending quality time with her partner, friends, family (pets) and enjoying activities outdoors.
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Mary Congrove (she/her/hers) is an experienced outpatient therapist dedicated to helping individuals and families navigate mental health challenges. She earned her undergraduate degree from Ohio University and a Master of Social Work (MSW) from The Ohio State University, where she concentrated on mental health and substance use treatment.
Mary has worked extensively with high-risk populations, providing support in crisis stabilization settings, community-based care, and outpatient clinics. Her therapeutic approach is rooted in meeting clients where they are and honoring each person’s unique story, needs, and strengths. She uses evidence-based, client-centered, and holistic practices that view the individual as a whole.
Mary specializes in working with individuals experiencing psychosis, anxiety, depression, trauma, and couples managing relational stress. She crafts personalized treatment plans and draws on a wide range of modalities, including:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Motivational Interviewing
Somatic Interventions
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
In addition, she is trained in two trauma-specific therapies:
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
For couples, Mary incorporates the Gottman Method to support communication, connection, and conflict resolution.
Outside of her clinical work, Mary enjoys reading psychological thrillers, running with her dog, and tending to her vegetable garden.
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Kierre earned her certification in Health Information Management Technology from Columbus State Community College. Kierre also holds a certification in Mental Health First Aid. Kierre has over 15 years of experience in the health care setting, working in primary care, chiropractic and eye care facilities. This experience coupled with her educational background gives her a unique perspective on the billing and insurance challenges that many clients face.Kierre loves figuring out challenging insurance issues and resolving billing mysteries.
Kierre aspires to follow the tenets of patient-centered care in all of her interactions with clients and their families. Kierre understands how stigma, cultural beliefs and socioeconomic status may limit a person's accessibility to mental health service and tries to assist with the accessibility, affordability and acceptability of care. In both her work and private life, she works to help reduce mental health stigma and support policies that broaden access to care for people from all walks of life.
Kierre is excited to work for REAL because she knows that each clinician working here genuinely cares for and respects the entirety of their client’s experience. Kierre values working for a company that centers inclusion and social change as a part of everyday values.
In her free time Kierre likes to spend time with her children and rescue pets (currently has a cat and a dog), listen to live music and dance. Kierre also volunteers with several political advocacy groups centering around reproductive justice and criminal justice reform.