counseling group in illinois
OFFICE STAFF
Our carefully selected administrative STAFF
We Are Here To Help.
“Acceptance rests on letting go of the illusion of control and a willingness to notice and accept things as they are right now, without judging.” ~Marsha Linehan, Founder of DBT
Kyle Ahten
BUILDING MANAGEMENT
Kyle is responsible for the building management of all locations. He is in charge of maintaining a safe environment, conducting ongoing building maintenance, landscaping, and janitorial services. He also ensures that each building is supplied with proper utilities and manages any building needs in Champaign, Urbana, and Mattoon.
Interesting Fact #1: Kyle has work experience in outdoor settings, including landscaping and construction.
Interesting Fact #2: Though Kyle thinks office chairs are really comfortable, he’d rather be fishing.
Melanie Hoogstraat
CLIENT CARE SPECIALIST AND
CREDENTIALING ASSOCIATE
Melanie plays a dual role of Client Care specialist and our Credentialing Associate. She works with clients to ensure their needs are met before their first appointment. She also spends parts of her day credentialing therapists with insurance!
Interesting Fact #1: Melanie is a pet rescue mom of 5 and they are her world!
Interesting Fact #2: She is obsessed with reading books. In 2019 she averaged 22 books per month.
Preferred Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
MaGGIE WHITE
CLIENT CARE SPECIALIST
Maggie feels like she is her best self when she is serving others and finds it incredibly rewarding. This passion makes her a natural when it comes to client care. She finds so much joy in this role because it gives her to opportunity to help others with their life obstacles. She helps with client intake and ensuring clients are taken care of every step of the way.
Interesting Fact #1: If Maggie could pick anywhere to live in the world (even after living in Paris and on the East Coast), she would choose Champaign, IL every time.
Interesting Fact #2: She experiences first-hand how water can impact your emotional, mental and physical state. For that reason, she chooses to drink a gallon of water a day.
Preferred Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Brea Wickert
CLIENT CARE SPECIALIST
Brea works with clients to ensure their needs are met before their first appointment. She enjoys helping clients get matched with a therapist that fits their needs. Being a natural people-person she is passionate about helping clients along their mental health journey.
Interesting Fact #1: Brea is an advocate of mental health– so much that she has two jobs in the field.
Interesting Fact #2:She and her brother have a 20 year age difference, creating a special bond between the two.
Preferred Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
STEPHANIE TAYLOR
CLIENT CARE
Stephanie is on the client care team helping support the intake process and getting clients set up with the right therapist for their needs. She has a passion for mental health and enjoys talking to and welcoming clients.
Interesting Fact #1: Loves to make people laugh and being a source of encouragement.
Interesting Fact #2: She loves personal growth and her favorite book is The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy by Jon Gordon.
Preferred Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Tareva Schwanke
EXECUTIVE SUPPORT SPECIALIST
Tareva assists our Management and Clinical Leadership teams with projects regarding company and clinical direction, scheduling and documenting meetings, executive assistant work, and other various tasks as assigned.
Interesting Fact #1: Tareva is a mom to a three-year-old, who keeps her very happy and busy!
Interesting Fact #2:She has enough tumbler mugs to support a new one for every day of the week. You can check out some of her creations here.
Preferred Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Mandy Paysse
SR. MARKETING ASSOCIATE
Mandy is a creative and multi-passionate marketer. She is responsible for supporting, developing and executing strategic marketing campaigns. She works on all marketing pieces for the company from the life of the website, email marketing, social media and outreach to support brand awareness around all things Elliott Counseling Group offers.
Interesting Fact #1: Mandy has lived in various places in Texas, lived in California, did extended stays in South America, and now is back in Texas with her daughter.
Interesting Fact #2:She has her Masters in Mass Communication and is a forever student with a love for learning and growing her skills.
Preferred Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Raven Rome
LEAD RECEPTIONIST
Interesting Fact #1: They have a major thing for bitter and spicy. 72-85% dark chocolate, undiluted espresso, 100% cranberry or grapefruit juice, aged stouts, and more hot sauce and peppers than any human should ingest.
Interesting Fact #2:Before Elliott Counseling Group, they worked in logistics and professional print services for UPS.
Preferred Pronouns: They/Them/Theirs
Lori Smith
URBANA RECEPTIONIST
Lori is a receptionist at our Urbana location. She greets and checks-in clients, answers phone calls, organizes paperwork, and various other clerical duties. She is a welcoming face at the front desk who is happy to help with any assignment!
Interesting Fact #1: Lori is a die-hard, life-long Cubs baseball fan!
Interesting Fact #2: In her spare time, Lori loves to travel- especially on a cruise.
Preferred Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
LaShaunna Howard
URBANA RECEPTIONIST
LaShaunna is stationed at our Urbana location, and is eager to help with anything a client, therapist, or Management might bring. She is attentive and kind to clients, with their best interest in mind. She attends to various clerical duties.
Interesting Fact #1: Loves doing manicures and pedicures – hopes to become a nail technician
Interesting Fact #2: One of her favorite activities is to spend time with both of her daughters and fiance
Preferred Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
ABBY TAYLOR
TUSCOLA RECEPTIONIST
Abby is at our receptionist at our Tuscola location where she warmly welcomes clients and answers any questions they have. She also answers the phones, emails, and assists in helping our Tuscola therapists with administrative duties.
Preferred Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Anna McCormick
she/her/hers
ACCOUNTING SPECIALIST
Anna is highly experienced in the accounting field. She works with various aspects of recording and reporting financial transactions, such as accounts payable and payroll. She also assists with special projects designated by Management Team!
Interesting Fact #1: Anna lived in St. Louis, Missouri for 4 years… and naturally is a die-hard Cardinal fan.
Interesting Fact #2: She has a Shih Tzu, Sadie, who Anna got when Sadie was 3 months old. Sadie is now 12.
Preferred Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Christine Bailey
BILLING SPECIALIST
Christine is an all-star member of our Billing Team. She genuinely enjoys advocating for clients with insurance companies in an effort to gain approval for denied claims. She thrives on solving the puzzle of Billing issues!
Interesting Fact #1: Christine challenged traditional good luck and was married on a Friday the 13th.
Interesting Fact #2: Christine is an avid crafter! She enjoys any project that requires creativity
Farron Velles
BILLING SPECIALIST
Farron manages daily transactions and client accounts as a part of our Billing Team, and is a veteran on the Elliott Counseling Group team.
SCHEDULE YOUR APPOINTMENT
WE’RE BETTER TOGETHER
Our Client Care team is available to work with you and find out your unique goals and needs so we can find the right therapist for you.
It’s okay to not be okay. We are here to help you, no matter your needs.
“After all, we are all Better . . . Together.
Even on the hardest days that you face, you have support to lean on. Sometimes, it takes confidin in someone else to see the light inside ourselves… and that is perfectly okay.
We have over 35 trained therapists who are here to work with you so that you can recognize and process your feelings and thoughts and provide tools to turn those into action. We want to help you realize the empowerment that you already have, within yourself, so that you are able to make the changes you desire most in life.”