About
Sarah Gugluizza,
LCSW-R, PMH-C
Founder, Supervisor & Therapist
Sarah has spent her career servicing children, teens and their families in emotional, behavioral, academic & psychiatric capacities. Sarah has supported kids and teens through mental illness, trauma, developmental delays, learning issues, mood & behavior and substance abuse. Sarah engages adult clients through addressing life issues and transitions, changes and stressors; depression, anxiety, substance use, social & romantic relationships. Sarah's expertise further continues in the treatment of women facing maternal mental health concerns ranging from pregnancy & childbirth, postpartum experience, infant loss, new motherhood,
and the motherhood journey.
As an adjunct professor for several universities and presenter for continuing education programs, Sarah is an educator as well as clinician. Helping young social workers develop their craft and enter into the field is something she feels a great calling towards. She further provides guidance and supervision to her team, students, and fellow clinicians.
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Being a parent of three further gives Sarah perspective to work with her child clients and their grownups, as well as women coping with challenges in maternal mental health and mothering from a perspective that is truly unique, authentic, humorous and warm. Sarah believes that her experiences with patients over time have gifted her the ability to offer comprehensive care. She prides herself in giving a safe, nurturing space that allows clients to grow, learn, change, and overcome their challenges.
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Sarah is certified in Child and Family Therapy, Perinatal Mental Health Disorders, and Supervision in Field Instruction (SIFI)
Therapists of Rising Lotus Counseling
Alina Staicu-Alexander, LCAT
There is something so valuable about every person having a space that is their own, where they feel safe enough to say and feel whatever comes up for them. Alina is a Creative Arts Therapist that prides herself in the facilitation of that space. She works from the core beliefs that curiosity leads to understanding, creativity + play can heal, and comfort is something many of us could use more of these days.
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Alina serves children, teens and adults presenting with problems such as depression, anxiety, trauma, grief/loss, chronic health concerns, relationship issues and life transitions. She works from a client-centered and insight-oriented approach, offering traditional talk therapy and creative arts therapy, as she is fully aware that it can be easier to communicate without words.
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It is important to Alina to intentionally build a trusting, affirming relationship where her patients feel completely accepted and seen. She has been known to use humor to bring levity to situations that can feel overwhelming and heavy. She believes that connecting with people in ways that are satisfying are essential to one's emotional health.
Izabel Burd-Tamdogan, LMSW
Izabel approaches therapy with the belief that you are the expert of your own life, and that her role is to provide a space where your authentic self is not just welcomed, but celebrated! She works with people experiencing addiction, anxiety, depression, life transitions, relationship challenges and racial and cultural issues.
Utilizing a blend of therapeutic models and perspectives, she tailors her approach to meet your unique needs. Izabel's work is guided from a strengths-based approach.
She gathers interventions from trauma-informed practice, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), culturally sensitive therapy, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and tele play therapy.
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Izabel's passion for helping others, and her lived experience reinforces the work and partnership that she has with her patients. Her goal is to partner with you on your journey focused towards a healthier life.
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Kelsey Getz, Intake Coordinator & Administrative Support
Kelsey will usually be the first person you will speak with, as RLC's Intake Coordinator, when you contact us by phone and email when getting started. She can answer any questions you might have, talk with you about your presenting concerns, understand how we can best help you, and match you with one of our therapists that will fit you best.
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Kelsey also provides the practice with administrative support and runs her own business specializing in supporting practices that provide mental health treatment. Kelsey has a background in nonprofit administration and has a passion for doing work that really makes a difference in the world.
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Renee Stewart, LMSW
Renee is a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) with a clinical social work degree from Columbia University. She supports individuals beginning in their early tweens through adulthood in navigating life’s challenges and learning how to pour compassion back into themselves. Whether you’re entering a new chapter, outgrowing relationships, or simply noticing areas of your life that need care, Renee helps create a therapeutic space that feels safe, authentic, and transformative.
Renee brings several years of professional experience engaging in crisis intervention, with a focus on supporting individuals impacted by a range of all kinds of trauma. This work has deeply shaped her grounded approach in meeting people where they are and offering a soft place to land when life feels heavy.
Renee believes that treatment should be a personalized journey. She draws from a range of approaches including cognitive behavioral therapy, psychodynamic therapy, grief work, and mindfulness. Her goal is to support you in creating a path that aligns with your unique needs and therapeutic goals.
Alexandra Sechler, CAT-LP
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Alexandra is a Creative Arts Therapist with her Master’s Degree in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology and Art Therapy from Naropa University. Alexandra trusts wholeheartedly in her patients' inherent goodness and innate capacity for healing, and strives to create a safe, nurturing environment in which to explore emotional challenges. Individuals choose to work with Alexandra for a variety of reasons, including symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stuckness; to gain better understanding and healing from painful childhood experiences, receive support in navigating life changes or transitions, make sense of relationship patterns, and to foster more intimate and joyful life relationships.
Alexandra draws from a variety of therapy modalities and may incorporate mindfulness, movement, CBT, guided visualization, parts work, and dreamwork. Her style is warm, active, and relational. As an art therapist, Alexandra believes the creative process can help us access insights that are hiding outside of our conscious awareness and uses that process to support an individual's healing and growth. In working with Alexandra, you may choose to engage in art-making as a way to support your personal therapy journey.
Prior to working at Rising Lotus Counseling, Alexandra has worked with teens at a wilderness therapy program, women living in a domestic violence shelter, and adults at a university counseling center. She is also a mother of three and a ceramic artist who lives and works in New York’s Hudson Valley.