Meet the Team

Our team strives to be on the forefront of trauma informed 2SLGBTQIA+ care

Dr. Megan O'Meara

LMFT, Master CASAC, PhD
Executive Director
they/she

Amira Haruna

Office Coordinator

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Dr. Megan O'Meara is a sex-positive, trauma informed, queer clinician who specializes in working with gender, sexuality, trauma, anxiety, body image/diet trauma, internalized capitalism, fat positive & pleasure positive sex therapy, mood disorders, family and romantic partnerships, substance use, and has worked extensively with adolescents. She has spent their career advocating for the rights and needs of those being harmed by oppressive forces. Their commitment to Prism is to guide clinicians and staff as they embody the practices and values at the core of the agency, including developing pro-queer, pro-black, BIPOC allied, trauma-informed, neurodivergence-affirming, fat liberation focused and anti-body oppression/terrorism, sex & kink-affirming, anti-ableist, decolonizing, anti-imperialist, and anti-capitalist clinicians.

Dr. O'Meara works to ensure all staff at Prism provide services that are client-centered, empowering, and focus on safety and the deconstruction and decolonization of the parts of therapy that have been historically harmful to clients of marginalized identities. They educate clinicians on trauma-focused modalities, queer and feminist theories, and focuses on exploration of social structures of oppression and inequality. Her goal for the agency is to help clinicians advocate for their clients and help them access the resources they need to find peace and liberation in their lives.

Megan has received additional training in trauma, gender & sexuality, harm reduction, liberatory practices, and equine therapy. They have a PhD in Human Sexuality, are a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, Master CASAC, and a certified equine therapist.

Amira is Prism’s Office Coordinator, and is committed to ensuring that all bureaucratic aspects of the therapy journey are efficiently managed with no stress to the client.

She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Creative Writing from SUNY Oneonta in May of 2022, and is currently a graduate student, acquiring her M.S.Ed. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at St. Bonaventure University. Amira finds the most professional pleasure in serving the *2SLGBTQIA+ BIPOC community/ties, and has had the honor of doing so for the past several years through both administrative and volunteer positions.

In her spare time, Amira enjoys spending time with family and friends, writing poetry, reading, listening to and making music, and singing.

Rich Cali

Mental Health Counselor-LP
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Jeremy Bodie-Bromberg

LMSW

he/they

As a therapist, my guiding principle is that you are the expert of your life, not me. In many cases, we have received messages from the systems that we are tangled up in that have influenced our ability to trust ourselves. I seek to help clients disentangle themselves from these structures and systems that influence and oppress them. Through this, I help clients learn to trust themselves and understand that they can make the decisions that are right for them.

My goal is to create a safe, warm, non-judgmental space for each of my clients to do this work. Through self-reflection and feeling one’s emotions, my clients will start to work on healing their wounds and living their full, authentic life. To aid this process, I utilize an Internal Family Systems (IFS) approach to help clients understand their own internal system and the parts of them that influence their day-to-day lives.

I have been a part of Prism since I was an intern and I am passionate about the work we do in serving the LGBTQ+ community. I am honored to have the opportunity to provide care and support for a community that I care deeply about and that I identify with as a bisexual person. In my free time, I love competing at Magic: the Gathering tournaments, spending time with my loved ones, and finding opportunities for fun and laughter.

Jeremy is a queer, POC, feminist social worker who specializes in working with LGBTQAI+ youth and young adults. Whether it’s navigating life as a queer individual, discovering new parts of your identity, or working through trauma, Jeremy takes a holistic, client-centered and intersectional approach to helping all those in need. They believe in using a multidisciplinary approach to therapy that allows clients to feel safe, seen, and heard.

Jeremy graduated from The College of Saint Rose in 2023 with a Master of Social Work degree. They have a background working with many local non-profits and after-school programs over the last decade to provide better access to services and a safe environment for LGBTQAI+ youth.

In their free time you can find Jeremy playing with their dog, catching up on their backlog of comic books, or painting miniatures for tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons.

Jeremy has immediate openings on their caseload.

Mo Haskin

LMHC, Clinical Supervisor

he/him

Mo wants to help those who want to make steps towards their goals but don't know how and join them in their journey even if they don't know where the end goal may be. Mo has worked in various fields from substance abuse to LGBTQIA+, from mental health to nutrition and fitness.

As a supervisor, Mo believes in helping his supervisees learn by doing and letting them choose their path. He doesn't advise solely from his perspective but rather lets the supervisee create their own identity within their therapeutic experience.

Supervision isn't only about reviewing difficult clients but also discussing what's going on in your own life and how that may come into the session.

Avvri Rathsack

LMSW

they/them

Avvri is a Trans, Genderfluid, Bisexual (please read the 1990 Bisexual manifesto) therapist that enjoys working with their community at any level. They have been an advocate, volunteer, a community member, an educator on various community panels, and have led workshops in various settings including one on gender models at Creating Change 2015. Since their graduation in 2013 from MSU Denver with their Master of Social Work degree, they have worked in community mental health, private practice, harm reduction, HIV care, substance use disorder treatment, and acute psychiatric care. Their bread and butter is working with clients from the Queer community, providing space where one doesn't have to explain themselves and can explore who they are and how to flourish with life's ever changing sense of stability. In their spare time, Avvri enjoys studying astrology, raising their twins, and cheering on their wife working on her doctorate.

Kiara Maher

Mental Health Counselor-LP

she/her

Kiara believes that therapy is a way to help people on their journey to living a more fulfilling and authentic life. She aims to create a safe and non-judgmental space for every person she works with by listening to people’s lived experiences and validating their stories. Her work in therapy is rooted in understanding the different systems that impact people’s lives and looking at ways to empower her clients.

As an asexual/aromantic therapist she has a passion for working with LGBTQQIP2SA+ folx in individual and group settings and providing care that is culturally responsive as well as trauma-informed.

Kiara uses different theoretical modalities but her main approach is validating clients and building a positive therapeutic alliance that allows for collaboration and open communication. Kiara believes in meeting clients where they are at and working with clients to help them with the challenges life throws at them.

Kiara received her Mental Health Counseling Masters from Russell Sage College and her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with a minor in Women & Gender Studies from SUNY Geneseo. During her free time, Kiara enjoys reading, traveling, spending time with friends and family, and listening to music.

Anders Iaconelli

LMSW

they/them

Therapy should be a welcoming and safe space for all and I hope to maintain that. As an agender trans-guy, I have had the unfortunate experience of having a therapist dismiss my identity and had another argue about my pronouns, so I know first-hand how harmful to the client that behavior is. LGBTQIA+ identity should be celebrated, and I hope to help you find queer joy and gender euphoria no matter the current political landscape.

I received my master’s in Social work from the University at Albany’s School of Social Welfare program. I found myself drawn to social work in particular because it includes the impact of our social environment and it’s hierarchical structure of which we reside into our mental health. Our society places a great burden on the shoulders of marginalized peoples that need to be taken into account in the therapeutic process to have a chance to assist.

I am particularly interested in working with narrative therapy through a feminist lens. My space is safe for people with alternative identities as well as those in consensual non-monogamous relationships. I believe deeply in the healing abilities of nature that can be found in our interactions with the world around us as well as what can be discovered about ourselves through self-expression in art. Nature can help root us to the very present, improve our self-awareness and our ability to focus after a long day, as well as a greater appreciation of the flowers that manage to bloom from sidewalk cracks.

Anders has openings on their caseload.

Julian Ramis

LP-Marriage & Family Therapist

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Robin Dowell-Baum

Mental Health Counselor-LP

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Trying to overcome grief and the oppression of our current systems is exhausting. Being in relationship with others in a shifting world can be scary. If you're wanting to find relief from bearing the weight of it all, I hope to help carry it. I work from a trauma-informed, sex-positive, anti-oppressive stance and hope to create an environment of warmth, connection, and curiosity. I aim to honor the ways in which larger social structures shape our experience of day-to-day life and offer a space where you can be heard, understood, and uplifted. I will work to hold space for the complexities of your life and the grief we all experience

I specialize in working with relationship issues, trauma, anxiety, depression, identity, and loss. I am particularly interested in the ways that shame, fear, and grief impact our lives and relationships. I have experience working with EMN partnerships and honor the many shapes our family may take, and the unique needs you may have.

I know the world can feel uncertain, and I believe in your right to find joy and safety as you navigate this world. I am passionate about expanding access to high quality mental health care to the LGBTQIA+ community and am dedicated to the safety and liberation for all of my clients. It is my goal to offer you a space for rest, reflection, and comfort.

Julian has openings on his caseload and specializes in family and partner therapy.

Robin is a queer, transgender, dual language (English & Spanish) counselor and psychotherapist. Her areas of specialization include gender-affirming therapy, queer sexualities, polyamory & consensual non-monogamy, sexual health, spirituality & recovery from spiritual abuse, and substance use & addiction. Robin is an existentialist and third-wave behaviorist, balancing big-picture values work (What do I believe and value? Who am I and how do I want to show up in the world?) with practical skills acquisition (How do I act in alignment with my values and goals even in the midst of depression/anxiety/trauma/homophobia/transphobia/white supremacy/capitalism?). Her approach is client-centered, trauma-informed, sex positive, kink friendly, and firmly grounded in the principles of harm reduction. She collaborates with clients using interventions from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), experiential therapies like psychodrama & Gestalt, and mindfulness-based practices to tailor each individual's experience of therapy to their unique needs and goals.

Robin graduated with her Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from The College of Saint Rose in 2024. She also holds a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) from Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. Robin is the proud mom (or "Moddy" as they call her) to two radiant young humans. In her free time, she can be found hiking, dancing, supporting the arts, wandering through bookstores, engaging in contemplative practices, deep in conversation with beloveds, and enjoying her gorgeous bio and chosen family.

Robin has immediate openings on her caseload.

YaYa Wright

LMSW

he/she/they/YaYa

Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, YaYa is a QTPOC (Queer and Trans Persons of Color), Non-Binary social worker who is a passionate advocate for social justice and equality for all. They are deeply committed to uplifting and enlightening marginalized communities, particularly focusing on the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) and TGNC (Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming) communities. As a researcher, YaYa’s commitment to creating research articles aims to foster a healthier ecosystem for BIPOC and TGNC communities by addressing systemic inequalities, advocating for inclusivity, and culturally competent mental health services. By highlighting the unique challenges these communities face, YaYa strives to inform and influence policies that promote equity and access to high-quality care. This work is crucial in ensuring that mental health services and other related human services are responsive to the diverse needs of all individuals, ultimately supporting their overall well-being and resilience.

With a background in psychology, sociology, social work, and community activism, YaYa has dedicated many years to advocating for the rights, visibility, and beauty of BIPOC individuals and TGNC individuals. Through various platforms and initiatives, they strive to address systemic injustices, challenge discrimination, tackle anti-trans legislation, and foster inclusivity and acceptance within their ecosystems.

YaYa recognizes the overlapping oppressions faced by BIPOC and TGNC individuals and works tirelessly to dismantle these overlapping systems of oppression. They believe in the power of collective action and collaborative care to create a more just and inclusive society for all. With a strong commitment to advocacy, activism, empathy, and resilience, YaYa continues to be a beacon of hope and love for BIPOC and TGNC communities, inspiring others to join the fight for justice, equality, and liberation.

In YaYa’s free time, they like to play video games such as Apex Legends and listen to house music.

Sally O'Meara

LCSW

she/her

As a therapist who goes to therapy, I know, firsthand, the importance of finding the right fit. The right therapist is different for each of us and often has little to do with programs completed or certifications earned. Instead, it’s about presence—about feeling safe to show up exactly as we are and empowered to do what is right and true for us. The therapist I was 7 years ago is very different from the therapist I am today. Both personal and professional experience has taught me that there are no “right” answers to most of life’s questions, there will never be enough silver linings or bright sides to fully take away the pain of love and loss, and that all of us, at some time or another, need to talk about the beauty and the brutality of life with someone who won’t shy away or try to fix.

My clinical practice is rooted in Unconditional Positive Regard and Systems Theory. In other words, I believe that all of us want to be and do our best AND that there are things in our lives that push us away from being and achieving what we dream of. My job then, is to help you recognize the ways in which the world has pushed you away from your true self and the options you have for returning home.

I have specific training in the treatment of trauma, addiction, and grief and often find that each is connected to attachment, identity, and/or spiritual/existential issues.

Cavanaugh Quick

LCSW, Clinical Supervisor

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With 20 years of experience alongside queer and trans folk, Cavanaugh's work focuses on cultivating intention and autonomy. Cavanaugh is a licensed clinical social worker, with specialties in the areas of trauma, sexual assault and intimate partner violence, gender, sex, sexuality, and sex therapy. Cavanaugh is an integrative practitioner who draws heavy influence from psychodynamic, feminist, queer, and systems theories. They believe in co-creation and a client-centered collaborative approach, and utilize several therapeutic styles to care for clients. They are a pleasure-wellness practitioner, and believe in supporting clients through active joy-seeking in addition to minimizing bad experiences. Their clinical and community work is trauma-informed, kink-affirming, and poly-positive. They believe in honesty, self-education, and radical kindness.

Cavanaugh loves to cook and bake and takes deep joy in nourishing their family and community with food. They love RPGs, video and board games, and crime procedural TV shows and take weekly adventures with their children. Cavanaugh takes great pleasure in being the mom friend, going to the movies, and laughing as often as possible.

Cy Valdez

LP-Marriage & Family Therapist

she/her

As a Queer Afro-indigenous individual who practices therapy from a radically authentic lens, Cy utilizes over ten years of experience working with communities of color into her therapeutic approach. Her strong understanding of gender, socioeconomics, sexuality, and trauma has prepared Cy to analyze your unique challenges with a systems lens; taking into consideration both your environmental circumstances and personal history that influence your identity today. Her goal is to listen to your needs and highlight your options based on your values and proximity to resources. She knows that this process is not linear and as a result designs a safe space for you to collaboratively work through the journey.

She understands that having intersecting identities and working through life issues can lead to compounding experiences that come with various emotions. As a result, she is interested in understanding your 'personal language', emotions and perspective to address your concerns. Her therapeutic style represents affirming a positive self-identity that compliments a strength-based approach, encouraging her clients to enforce their personal agency and trust their inner voice.

Cy is prepared to work with clients around sex/work, alternative relationships, body image and boundary setting. After office hours, Cy enjoys expressing herself through the art of burlesque and large-scale painting.

Meet Our Interns

Supervised by Dr. O'Meara, our interns are committed to serving the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

Gil Messer

MSW Intern

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Gil is an aspiring social worker currently working towards earning their Masters in Social Work from Smith College. As a queer and gender-nonconforming person born and raised in the Capital Region and starting a career aiming to uplift queer clients and populations, they are excited to be at PRISM serving their local community. Gil is interested in utilizing relational, narrative, and strength-based therapeutic modalities to help their clients understand themselves with compassion and wisdom. They aim to create a nurturing therapeutic space for their clients in which they can focus not only on facing hardship but also on strengthening the joy in their lives. Gil believes in the transformative powers of love, kindness, and fostering positive habits to cultivate a fulfilling life.

Gil's background studying sociology for their BA at Bard college helped them to understand peoples' issues not just as a result of their individual psychological patterns, but as a result of familial, cultural, structural, and societal processes that shape their understandings, opportunities, and experiences of oppression. They are committed to helping clients understand their problems and circumstances from a holistic and culturally informed approach, as well as to tailor the methods they use to the particular needs of their clients based on their identities and unique experiences. Gil has several years of experience as a peer-to-peer counselor and crisis hotline counselor, as well as in community organizing roles for religious communities.

Outside of work, Gil enjoys cooking, reading books, playing guitar, and spending time with their loved ones.

Gil has immediate openings on their caseload.

Shannel Farmer

Marriage & Family Therapy Intern

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Caveat: Curiosity & vulnerability are encouraged, although not required ☺

Pursuing therapy can be accompanied with a variety of emotions; excitement, fear, confusion, overwhelmingness, and sometimes, even those of uselessness when considering the concept of therapy in it's entirety.

As an enthusiastic systems clinician who embraces person centered perspectives in exploring the systems that influence our being, I believe that you deserve a safe space to be authentically you. This includes the therapeutic environment.

The steps of our journeys are intertwined in ways that are meant to help us gain more fruitful understandings of who we are, how we have transformed to get to this point, and who we desire
to grow into, as our lives progress.

As a clinician, providing support to individuals as they navigate through whatever it is that they decide to bring into the therapeutic space, is my intention. My work includes endorsing clients in my care to feel comfortable cultivating a space in which they feel safe to delve into exploration of other areas of their life.

I am not an expert on the lives of others, including yourself, rather, I am a human being who takes pride in learning & continually building upon therapeutic practices. Encouraging folks in my care to strengthen levels of confidence surrounding the abilities to navigate their life paths, challenges, and victories alike, is in my wheelhouse.

Hello all! My name is Shannel, and I am so excited to meet you. Thank you for considering me to be a part of your journey.

Samantha Mantello

Mental Health Counselor Intern

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Samantha believes therapy is a safe space for individuals to express who they truly are and a place to feel listened to and validated. She understands that it can be difficult and scary to open up to someone new. Samantha aims to create a space for individuals to express themselves however they choose and to be listened to without judgment. As a person in the LGBTQIA+ community, Samantha strives to be an advocate for those in the community and help them find their voice.

Samantha draws from various theoretical modalities, but her main approach is to talk through situations, concerns, scenarios, etc. with the client and think of solutions together. Samantha also enjoys doing experimental activities such as art and would like to use art therapy during her sessions. She has worked with adolescents in the past and hopes to continue that work along with working with adults.

Samantha is currently a graduate student in the Mental Health Counseling and Community Program at Russell Sage College. Before graduate school, Samantha received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with a minor in Sociology from the University at Albany. Samantha spends her free time with loved ones, playing Dreamlight Valley, and keeping up with the latest trends.

Sam has immediate openings on her caseload.

Angela T. Jen

Marriage & Family Therapy Intern

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Angela is a bilingual (Mandarin / English) Marriage and Family Therapist in training attending Syracuse University looking forward to working with individuals, couples, and families of all combinations. She is an ally of the LGBTQIA+, BiPOC, people living with disabilities, ENM/CNM, and kink community.

Her approach to therapy is collaborative and client centric. You will find her down to earth, warm and supportive as you work together towards the goals you set for you, your family, or relationship(s), focusing on you feeling supported throughout your life’s journey, wherever that might be. Angela’s eclectic approach looks to empower you through an anti-oppression framework in a safe space. She is anti-capitalist, anti-racist, anti-sexist, covid-19 affirming, pro decolonization, pro-sex work, and is mindful of various religious practices, spectrum of sexuality, gender identities, and body image issues.

Angela has been trained in Brainspotting Phase I. Outside of the therapy room, she is a cat mom, crafter of many trades, kitchen alchemist, and traveler of the world.

Angela has immediate openings for partners, couples, and families.

Lev Seigel

Social Work Intern

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Lev is currently a graduate student working towards their Masters in Social work from Smith College.

Lev is being trained in a psychodynamic approach to therapy and is excited to draw on that experience, and combine it with a relational, narrative style.

Lev grew up about ~30 minutes south of Albany, and is looking forward to returning to the Capital District. Lev is white, trans, queer, Jewish and is committed to anti-oppression work inside and outside of the therapeutic relationship.

Lev received their bachelor’s degree from Brandeis University and is coming to Social Work after many years community organizing, labor organizing and farming.

Outside of work, you can find Lev swimming in lakes, cooking with fresh vegetables or hunting for the best soft-serve.

Lev has immediate openings on their caseload.

Alicia Robison

Mental Health Counselor Intern

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Alicia, is a third year graduate student at Russell Sage College. Currently enrolled in their Counseling and Community Psychology Masters Program.

She has a concentrated interest in mental health, addictions and trauma informed care. However, she is receptive to expanding her scope of practice and open to working with those who present with additional needs and circumstances.

Alicia affirms a clinical approach that embraces cultural humility, inclusivity and advocation. With use of integrative techniques encompassing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and Trauma Informed Therapy

Alicia has immediate openings on her caseload.

Mary Aiello

Mental Health Counselor Intern

she/he/they

Mary believes that the key to effective therapy is meeting the client where they’re at. Therapy is a highly individualized process that requires a lot of learning and hard work! As such, she advocates strongly for the creation of non-judgmental safe spaces both in and out of sessions. It’s everyone’s first time being alive, and that can be so scary! Mary believes in person-centered and strengths-based approaches as a means of encouraging connection and client empowerment. With a background that focuses on the often harmful impacts of the legal system on individuals, Mary is passionate about issues regarding restorative justice and the push for rehabilitation over punishment. She is also very passionate about issues that
concern the queer community and strives to promote authenticity, self-love, and self-acceptance for its members.

Mary is currently a graduate student at Russell Sage College getting her masters in Counseling and Community Psychology with a certificate in Forensic Mental Health. She received her BA in Psychology with a minor in criminal justice from Siena College. In her free time, Mary enjoys writing, listening to podcasts, and spending time outdoors.

Mary has immediate openings on their caseload.

Caroline

Marriage and Family Therapy Intern

she/her

Sam has immediate openings on her caseload.

Meet Our Volunteers

Join Our Volunteers!

Edie (Ee-Dee) Goldman

she/her

I’m a cisgender, heterosexual, 72 year old woman. My pronouns are she/her. I’m the mother of a transgender woman in her early 30’s, who began transitioning to female over a decade ago. I have always considered myself an ally to the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as to other marginalized and unfairly treated populations. However, it never occurred to me that I’d become the parent of a member of a marginalized and unfairly treated population.

This is a whole, new parental journey, and the education of self, others, and society continues. I’ve been retired for several years, after working at a variety of jobs, including: Production coordinator in the communications department of a large, liberal, interdenominational church in NYC; program assistant for the adult dual diagnosis unit at a private psychiatric hospital; marketing assistant with a large, for-profit company in the retirement community business; and finally, filling numerous administrative positions over two decades at a not-for-profit chemical dependency treatment agency, from office manager, to HR, to administrative staff supervisor with oversight of administrative employees in four of the agency’s locations. In each position, I gained personal and professional experience in many areas: Print, audio, and video production; event planning; fundraising; marketing; mental health treatment; substance abuse disorder treatment, and most importantly, interpersonal relations.

For the last couple of years, I’ve considered finding a volunteer commitment that would stimulate my creativity as well as allow me to make some small difference, directly or indirectly, to the LGBTQIA+ population, particularly to transgender folks, who are badly in need of allies in their community. I’m honored to feel so warmly welcomed into this caring and affirming organization, and I am very enthused to work on projects to improve access the community deserves.

I welcome other allies and members of the LGBTQIA+ community to volunteer with me!

Theo Rabii

they/them

I am a certified 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Trainer, a fitness instructor, actor, dancer, and choreographer with experience in hip-hop, contemporary, vogueing/ballroom, and African dance. I recently reconnected to theater, yoga, and dance after spending the last 7 years working in the healthcare and human services field as a volunteer, peer, counselor, program director and wearing other various hats. I currently hold my CASAC-T and NYS Mental Health Peer Certifications and have allowed my own personal recovery from substance use disorder and mental health to guide my path towards walking alongside others in their own life journeys. Dance, movement, and art have all been key factors in sustaining my recovery and contributing to my continued healing and growth throughout my life. Because of this I hope and strive to provide spaces for others where we can utilize dance and other forms of movement and art as mediums to assist us in creating moments in our lives where we can be engaging in joy and fun, experiencing freedom and creative expression, learning tools to assist in our continued healing and recovery journeys, being a part of a community, and reciprocating love and respect to self and others. One of the most beautiful things about mindfulness and movement is that they're things that are meant to and can be made accessible for everyone, although everyone might not enjoy or take interest in them. In this way, people don't have to feel left out and or that they can't participate in these activities, especially if they're things that they really want to try and explore. And it allows the above mentioned hopes and intentions to be flexible and look different for everyone because often they will.