Meet Our Therapists

Learn about our team of highly experienced therapists. Each of us brings a unique perspective to the table, offering counseling services and specialties to meet a wide range of therapy needs.

Teri Karjala, LPC, LMFT, EFTCert1, RPT, CACII

Founder and Executive Director

Teri Karjala is the Owner and Executive Director of Creative Counseling Center, a licensed professional counselor, credentialed trauma therapist, author of the Amazon Top Seller Be the Magic of You: Tools to Transform Your Life, teacher, trainer, national keynote speaker,  and has been featured on Denver’s WB2 News-Everyday, CNTV and local Denver-area radio shows.

Teri has been working in the field since 1999, providing individual and group therapy for children, adolescents, adults and today, her clients are primarily women and female entrepreneurs living generally unfulfilled lives, feeling weighed down by limiting beliefs, self-sabotage, fear, anxiety and depression, possibly due to past trauma. Through her truly integrative approach, Teri empowers her clients to create massive change and expand far beyond their wildest personal and professional dreams.

Teri meets her clients where they are and works at a pace they dictate. Her focus is on being supportive, warm, and collaborative, using various counseling theories and techniques to treat the “whole” person. Depending on a client’s goals, Teri draws from modalities such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), experiential, humanistic, mindfulness, and systemic approaches.

Teri believes a solid relationship is crucial to the therapeutic process and encourages her team of therapists to build a foundation of trust with clients, enabling progress, growth and transformation.

Teri, wholly devotes herself to being a resource for her clients, equipping them with practical, unique tools to tackle their challenges, uncover their greatest levels of fulfillment, and live a life of hope, harmony and happiness.

Danielle Polifroni, MPS, ATR-BC, LCAT, LCPAT

Danielle is a Registered Psychotherapist and a Board Certified Clinical Art Therapist with several years dedicated to developing meaningful connections and providing care for children as young as age three, adolescents, adults and families.

Danielle works to validate, support and accept her clients right where they are, while also challenging them to take the lead in their own progress and personal growth. Her approach is generally non-directive, assisting clients in finding solutions on their own, solutions that suit them best. Each session client session is unique and tailored according to the client’s needs using a variety of techniques and modalities including traditional talk therapy, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), mindfulness practices, psychodynamic therapy, cognitive behavioral exercises. Danielle also utilizes art therapy, play therapy and expressive arts therapy as a way for clients to express emotions that are typically difficult to verbalize due to their young age or past trauma.

Danielle has extensive experience helping individuals coping with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), physical and emotional abuse, ADHD, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), sensory challenges, attachment disorder, special needs, anxiety, depression, mood disorders, grief and loss, and low self-esteem. She assists families with parenting education, reintegration of a parent, as well as pre- and post-adoption and foster placement transitions. Danielle’s passion of helping her clients find their own voice empowers them to make choices that lead to healing, growth, and change.

Sammy Fiegel, MAT, ATR, LPC

Sammy, a Licensed Professional Counselor and Registered Art Therapist, is a clinical counselor and a social advocate for survivors of trauma and life struggles. She integrates a holistic approach, as well as Art Therapy and Play Therapy where appropriate, for children as young as age two, preteens, adolescents, adults, families and enjoys working with veterans.

Sammy is a directive therapist and is solution-focused. She incorporates a variety of approaches including expressive arts, existentialism, and empowerment therapy which integrate a combination of mindfulness and mindlessness, narrative therapy, and trauma-informed therapy. Sammy believes strongly in the relationship between a client and therapist, the use of art and creation, and promoting empowerment to foster healing and to build resiliency.

Sammy has experience working in counseling centers, schools, and residential facilities, as well as internationally, with diverse world populations and backgrounds and victims of community violence. Sammy works with victims of sexual and physical abuse, those struggling with emotional disorders, low self-esteem, grief and loss, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, self-harming, domestic violence, environmental, community, and violent trauma, PTSD, and stress from life transitions. She works to help her clients find purpose in their struggle through acceptance, action, and empowerment.

Sammy also Clinical Supervision for those pursuing their LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor) or looking to be a Registered Art Therapist.

Brittany Green, MA, RP

Brittany Green, a Registered Psychotherapist, works with children from age seven, adolescents, teenage girls, adults, seniors, couples and families. She incorporates a variety of techniques tailored to each client including cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), trauma-focused cognitive behavior therapy (TF-CBT), Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), art therapy, expressive arts therapy, guided meditation, relaxation techniques, and mindfulness practices, and assigns homework for clients to continue work between counseling sessions.

As a directive therapist, Brittany offers an outside perspective, gets to the heart of issues and believes strongly in treating the entire “system” that may be contributing to a client’s challenges. She has extensive experience supporting those struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), unresolved childhood sexual, physical and emotional abuse, sexual addiction, substance abuse, eating disorders, depression, anxiety, mood disorders, grief and loss, parenting, domestic violence and offers marriage, divorce, adoption or transition, and same-sex counseling. She also specializes in supporting survivors of narcissism, and narcissistic parents and relationships.

Brittany feels strongly that the therapeutic process is most effective when a trusting relationship is established therefore she focuses her efforts on developing and maintaining trust throughout her time spent with clients.

Lesley Loftis, MA, LPCC, CHHC

Lesley Loftis is a Licensed Professional Counselor Candidate, having obtained her Masters in Counseling from Regis University. She’s also a Certified Holistic Health Coach and incorporates a holistic, mind-body approach and a variety of therapeutic techniques that best serve the unique needs of her adolescent and adult clients.

Lesley is generally non-directive in her approach and, since no single modality is right for every client, she’s able to incorporate cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), trauma-focused cognitive behavior therapy (TF-CBT), psychodynamic therapy, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), expressive arts therapy including sand tray, dialectic behavior therapy (DBT), narrative therapy, meditation and mindfulness therapy or gestalt method to support her clients in their growth.

Lesley has experience working with individuals, couples and families in counseling as well as in a crisis center environment, supporting those struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), unresolved childhood sexual, physical and emotional abuse, type-A personality, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), substance abuse, anger management, depression, anxiety, emotional eating and eating disorders, low self-esteem, mood disorders, relationships and communication, same-sex relationships, parenting, grief and loss, chronic pain and illness, setting boundaries, self-care, body image, personal empowerment, stress from life transitions, and women’s issues including hormones, intuition, pregnancy and pre-and post-natal.

Lesley’s goal in therapy is to provide a safe, non-judgmental space to help her clients create new pathways for growth, meaning, self-compassion and a better understanding of their experiences. She believes we all possess the strength to overcome life’s challenges. We may simply need guidance, support and new “tools” to get to a more fulfilling place.

Melanie McClung, LPC, RPT

Melanie McClung, a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Registered Play Therapist (RPT), having obtained her Masters in Counseling from Regis University, works with children of all ages, as young as 18 months, pre-teens, teens, young adults, and adults. She believes counseling is a unique experience for each individual, therefore her approach is tailored and can be directive and / or non-directive, dependent primarily upon a client’s personality, goals and needs to best support accomplishing their therapeutic goals.

Melanie comes  from community mental health and has extensive background working with individuals who have experienced significant trauma. She incorporates a variety of modalities in her counseling including eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), parent child interaction therapy (PCIT), play therapy, art therapy, expressive arts, sand-tray, mindfulness, cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), and trauma-focused cognitive behavior therapy (TF-CBT).

Melanie has experience working with individuals struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), unresolved childhood sexual, physical and emotional abuse, substance abuse and addiction, anxiety, depression, mood disorders, personality disorders, suicidal thoughts, grief and loss, low self-esteem, sensory challenges, bullying, eating disorders, self-harm, same-sex relationships and sexual identification, domestic violence, and navigating general life transitions.

Melanie also assists families with parenting skills and boundaries, building resilience in children, reintegration of a parent, child development matters, defiance in children, has extensive experience working with teachers and parents to help children succeed who are at risk for being expelled, and works with infants and children who have experienced trauma and struggle with attachment, perhaps due to separation from a parent, adoption, fostering and general attachment disorder.

Melanie believes strongly that success in counseling results when empathy, trust, collaboration, and hope unite toward the common goal of progress and growth.

Sarah Senst, LPC

Sarah Senst is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), having obtained her Masters of Science in Counseling with an emphasis on Marriage, Child and Family Therapy. Sarah enjoys working with seniors, adults, teens, and parents, and has a particular passion for working with women over the age of 45. She calls this their “encore phase” of life (in other words, in transition). These women may be divorcing, recently divorced or widowed, empty-nesters, approaching or in retirement, reinventing their careers or lives, or struggling to navigate what we call the “sandwich generation”- a period of time simultaneously caring for children and aging parents.

Sarah has experience supporting those struggling with depression, anxiety, mood disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), unresolved childhood sexual abuse challenges, physical and emotional abuse, low self-esteem, substance abuse, grief and loss, anger management, self-harm, and past domestic violence. Sarah is also a trained Life Coach supporting individuals to get where they want to be from where they are today.

Sarah has additional experience and skill working to support parents tackling challenges within the family and with their children, multi-family intensive group therapy and juvenile offenders. Her experience includes facilitating classes on parenting, substance abuse, petty theft, and victim empathy as well as organizing and facilitating support groups.

Sarah maintains positive energy and will become your biggest cheerleader. Her approach is directive and solution-focused in nature which allows her to personalize counseling and offer a unique treatment plan. This gives the client a “best-fit” scenario based on their individual needs. Sarah incorporates a variety of modalities in her counseling including Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), mindfulness, Dialectic Behavior Therapy (DBT), Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), existentialism and psycho-spiritual approach. Sarah will complete ACT (Acceptance Commitment Therapy) training in Fall 2018. ACT is an action-oriented approach to therapy that stems from traditional behavior therapy and CBT.

By forming a trusting relationship in individual therapy, Sarah helps her clients heal their past and live an inspired future. She looks forward to supporting you and your therapy goals to lead a more joyful and fulfilled life.