Staff

Our counselors draw upon their professional training, formal education and experiences to address the unique mental, emotional, spiritual and relational needs of each person. In addition to the specialities highlighted in their profiles, our counselors are well-equipped to serve people with an array of presenting issues.

While we are committed to a Christian perspective in approaching mental health issues, we are also sensitive to perspectives of other belief systems. In fact, we regularly counsel people of other faiths, and those who do not belong to any faith tradition at all. 

Staff Contact Information

Click on the staff member's to view their profile.

Our main office number is: 212-370-0475

Counselor Profiles

Scott Abbott, LMHC - Counselor
Scott Abbott is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the State of New York. He holds a Master of Arts in Professional Counseling from Liberty University.

Scott has ministered as a missionary, musician, youth pastor and homeless shelter counselor. He loves empowering individuals, couples and families in the areas of addiction and substance abuse recovery, healthy boundaries, anger management, forgiveness, identity, communication and relational maturity.

A big proponent of God-centered marriage, Scott appreciates his own very much. Together, he and Jennifer enjoy their Brooklyn garden, good food, live shows, traveling and writing music.


Lauren Ballard, MAMFT, MA - Counselor
Lauren holds a Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy from Richmont Graduate University and a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Her counseling is shaped by her experiences working in church ministry, community counseling, and the psychiatric setting.

Lauren works with individuals, couples, families, children and adolescents. She enjoys helping clients grow in areas including, but not limited to: depression, anxiety, substance abuse, relational cohesion, self-image, and spiritual formation.

Together with her husband Andy, she enjoys visiting her family in the south and exploring New York.


Ashley Buechele, MA - Counselor
Ashley completed her undergraduate degree at Vanderbilt University and she holds a Masters in Biblical Counseling from Westminster Theological Seminary. She received additional training in counseling through an internship at the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation in suburban Philadelphia.

Prior to becoming a counselor, Ashley worked on Wall Street, specifically in private equity and real estate finance.

Ashley works with individuals, couples, children and adolescents. She counsels in areas including abuse, depression, boundaries, self-image, relationships and addictions. Ashley has led support groups focused on addictions and boundaries and has taught the class "How People Change."

Ashley is married to Greg and they are both active members of Redeemer. She enjoys photo-documentary work and she has a small photography business. She also enjoys good food, travel and exploring new neighborhoods of New York City.


Judy Cha, LMFT - Director
Judy holds a Master of Arts & Religion in Counseling from Westminster Theological Seminary and has received additional training in marriage and family therapy at the Philadelphia Child and Family Therapy Training Center. She is an adjunct professor at the Alliance Graduate School of Counseling for their Marriage and Family Program. She is also a bilingual counselor (Korean) who is licensed in marriage and family therapy by NY State.

Judy specializes in the areas of relationships, self-image and multi-cultural issues. She has led seminars and workshops related to marriage, parenting, and self-image.

Judy has been at Redeemer since 1998 and is married to Peter Cha. She enjoys playing cello and piano, and spending time with her two daughters.
 

Peter Cha, LMFT - Clinical Director / Counselor 
Peter holds a Master of Divinity from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and has received additional training in marriage and family therapy at the Philadelphia Child and Family Therapy Training Center. He is licensed in marriage and family therapy in the State of New York. Peter is also an adjunct professor at Alliance Graduate School of Counseling in Nyack, NY.

Peter’s areas of specialty include marital and pre-marital counseling, sexual addictions, multi-cultural issues, anger issues, identity issues, anxiety, depression and spiritual formation. He is also a certified administrator of the Myers-Briggs Type indicator and the seminar director and trainer for the Prepare/Enrich inventory.

Peter is a member of Redeemer and has attended since 1998. He has been married to Judy for over 20 years and they have two daughters. He enjoys fishing, kayaking, woodworking, cycling and spending time with family and friends.

Nick Darrell, MAR - Counselor
Nick received a Master of Arts (Religion) from Westminster Theological Seminary where he studied counseling and biblical studies.

Nick counsels people through difficult relationships, suffering, or destructive patterns. He is particularly drawn to counseling people who struggle with sexual addictions, relationship struggles, depression, anxiety, and difficult family history. 

While attending Redeemer, he met his wife, Sandi.  He enjoys live music, playing guitar,  amateur carpentery, and discussing books and films.
 

Sobeyda Valle Ellis, LCSW - Counselor
Sobeyda holds a Master’s degree in Social Work from Columbia University. She completed a 3-year program at the Multicultural Family Institute of NJ and holds a certificate in Marriage and Family Therapy. Sobeyda specializes in EFT marriage counseling, relationship issues, anxiety disorders, EMDR for trauma and performance anxiety, sexual abuse recovery, divorce recovery and identity issues. She has taught seminars on marriage and relationship issues. She is also a Clinical Supervisor.

Her professional affiliations include NASW and AAMFT. Sobeyda is fluent in Spanish and multicultural issues.

She has been married to David for over 20 years, they have four children. They attend Astoria Community Church. On the weekends she enjoys cycling, cooking and exploring NYC with her family.


Natalie Foote, LMSW - Counselor
Natalie received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Baylor University in Texas, and then a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Kansas. She is licensed in the State of New York.

Natalie has experience working with individuals, children, and families with a broad range of issues including anxiety, depression, relationship issues, self-image, and eating disorders. She also has experience with issues specific to children, adolescents and families such as anger issues, family transitions and trauma, communication, and parenting issues.

Natalie has been married for eight years and has two children. She enjoys writing, music, spending time with good friends, and exploring New York with her family. Natalie attends Trinity Grace Church.


Kim Han, MA - Counselor
Kim completed her undergraduate degree at Barnard College-Columbia University and holds a Masters of Arts in Biblical Counseling from Westminster Theological Seminary. Prior to moving to NY, she was a counselor at the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation in PA for 6 years and the Director of their Distance Education counseling training program.

She has worked with individuals, couples, and families on issues including relationships, depression, anxiety, multicultural issues, parenting, marital and pre-marital counseling,

Kim is married to Martin and they have a daughter and a son. She attends North Shore Community Church (a Redeemer affiliate church) in Oyster Bay, Long Island where her husband is the assistant pastor. Kim enjoys traveling, cooking, exploring new things with her two young children, and gathering people to eat good food and have good conversation.
 

Lois Kehlenbrink, LMFT - Counselor
Lois holds a Masters of Science in family counseling from Iona College and has had additional training in Biblical Counseling from Westminster Theological Seminary.  She is a trilingual (German and Spanish) and licensed by NY State as a marriage and family therapist. She has also been trained as a Christian conciliator with the Institute for Christian Conciliation.

Lois specializes in spiritual formation, identity, self-image, mediation, depression, anxiety as well as pre-marital and marital counseling.

She has led seminars and taught classes at Redeemer including the “How People Change" and "Helping Others Change", and "Responding to Conflict Biblically." Lois has been a guest speaker at women's conferences in Mexico and Germany and has worked with the Westchester Correctional Institute.

Lois is a long-time member of Redeemer and enjoys cooking, entertaining and being involved in her community as well as spending time with her two daughters.
 

Kayle Koepke, MACP - Counselor 
Kayle holds a Master's degree in Counseling Psychology from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. She has also received additional training in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy.

Kayle works with adults on issues including depression, anxiety, relationships, and self-image. Prior to becoming a counselor, Kayle worked for Campus Crusade for Christ for 12 years.

Kayle is a member of Redeemer. She has been married for 13 years and has two children.
 

Ellen Lee, Ed.M, LPC - Counselor
Ellen holds a Master's in Counseling Psychology from Columbia University. She also has an advanced certificate in Biblical counseling from the Christian Counseling Educational Foundation.

She is bilingual (Korean) and bicultural. She works with individuals, couples and families with a broad range of issues including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, trauma, self-image, as well as pre-marital and marital counseling. She has many years of experience teaching "How People Change" and "Helping Others Change."

Ellen attends Redeemer with her husband, Will. She enjoys traveling, reading, classical music, good food, and spending time with friends and family.


Sharon McLean, Ed.S. - Counselor
Sharon holds an Ed.S degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Seton Hall University. She is licensed as a New Jersey Marriage and Family Therapist. Work experience includes private practice, community mental health agencies, and education. As a public school educator, she worked as a high school counselor specializing in special education. She is also a certified Imago relationship counselor and holds teaching and school counseling certifications in New Jersey and New York.

Sharon specializes in depression, anxiety, adolescent, couples and family therapy. She has served as president of the Association for the Advancement of Family Therapy in New Jersey and as a member of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy.

Sharon is married to her husband, Max, and they have two married daughters and one grandchild. She enjoys biking, theater, reading, entertaining, watching “The Good Wife” and meals with family and friends.  She lives in Manhattan and has attended Redeemer since 1999, where she serves as a deaconess and a home fellowship group leader.


Jeffrey Monk, M.Div. - Counselor
Jeffrey completed his undergraduate work at Calvary Chapel Bible College and holds an Master of Divinity with a counseling emphasis from Westminster Theological Seminary. Jeffrey is currently a PhD. student at Westminster.

Jeffrey is experienced in working with single and young professionals. 

Jeffrey is a member of Grace Community Church in Souderton, PA. He enjoys music, art, cooking and reading.
 

Andrea Mungo, LMSW - Counselor
Andrea holds a Master's in Social Work from Columbia University. She also has additional training in Biblical counseling from the Christian Counseling Educational Foundation.

Andrea specializes in sexual abuse recovery, alcohol and drug addiction recovery, sexual addiction recovery, depression, anxiety, relationship struggles, and multi-cultural issues.

Andrea is married to Buddy and they have a daughter and son. They are members of Astoria Community Church, one of Redeemer's church plants in Queens. She enjoys camping, hiking and sailing, walks in her neighborhood and making delicious meals for her family and friends.

Arlene Navarro, MA - Counselor
Arlene received her Master of Arts in Counseling from Westminster Theological Seminary in Glenside, Pennsylvania. Arlene is experienced in counseling creative arts professionals and people facing issues of singleness and dating, sexual abuse, self-image and eating disorders, depression, incorporating faith in the workplace and premarital counseling.

Prior to becoming a counselor Arlene worked for 18 years in the advertising industry in New York and San Francisco. She now lives in Philadelphia and counsels at our satellite office located in center city Philadelphia, as well as at our main office. 

Arlene enjoys cooking for her mom and friends, wine-tasting, and loves music, theater, dancing, traveling, and the great outdoors.
 

Julie Reinhold, Psy.D. - Counselor
Julie holds a Doctor of Psychology in Clinical/School Psychology from Pace University and is a NY state licensed Psychologist.

Julie specializes in psychological assessment of learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder, and personality. Julie sees clients with a wide range of issues including depression, anxiety, relationship struggles, impulsivity and personality disorders. She has expertise in Dialectial Behavior Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral approaches to treating panic disorder and other anxiety disorders.

Julie is married to Rico and they have one daughter. She goes to Resurrection Presbyterian Church, one of Redeemer's church plants in Brooklyn.


Lorraine Schaefers, MA - Counselor
Lorraine holds her undergraduate degree from Lesley College and a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy from Nyack Alliance Graduate School of Counseling. She also has her certificate in Massage Therapy from the College of Massage and Hydrotherapy.

At Redeemer Counseling Services, Lorraine counsels with individuals, couples, and adolescents on a large variety of areas including anxiety, depression, self-image, relationship struggles, and more.  Prior to coming to RCS, Lorraine worked at a women’s resource center and at Wayne Counseling & Family Services. She worked with families, couples, and individuals. She has also led group therapy for individuals with alcohol addictions.

She has been married 28 years and has two grown sons. Lorraine loves to spend much of her time in the outdoors with her husband, either snow skiing, golfing, playing tennis, or cooking with food from her garden.
 

Missy Terrell - Career and Financial Counselor
Missy completed her undergraduate work in Business Administration at the University of Texas in Austin.  Missy is a certified administrator of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Strong Interest Inventory.  She offers individual career coaching as well as career assessment workshops.  Missy is also a certifed financial counselor and provides both one-on-one sessions and budgeting workshops.

She is a transplanted southerner, having lived in Texas and Georgia before New York. Missy is married to Bruce and they have two children. She enjoys biking, reading and traveling.
 

Donna Toombs, MHC - Counselor
Donna completed her undergraduate degree at the Mid-American Christian University in Oklahoma City and holds a Master of Arts from Southern Nazarene University.  She is a NY state licensed Mental Health Counselor and is a member of The Association for Clinical Pastoral Education as well as the National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children.

Donna specializes in adults and children experiencing grief and loss due to divorce and death and children with emotional, relational, and behavioral problems.

Donna attends Calvary Baptist Church and enjoys traveling, entertaining and being with family. She and her husband Mike, a pastor, have raised two daughters. Their ministries are shaped by their experiences, including the loss of their eldest daughter through a car accident.
 

Olimpio Wen, M.Div., M.A., D.Min. (cand.) - Counselor
Olimpio completed his undergraduate degree at the University of California, Los Angeles and holds an M.Div. from The Master's Seminary, a Th.M. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, an M.A. from Fordham University, and is currently working on a Doctor of Ministry at Gordon Conwell in marriage and family therapy.

Olimpio focuses on various issues associated with urban professional life and relationships. He helps direct RCS Renewal Groups and works with many areas of recovery, including sexual addiction and abuse recovery. He is also a career counselor and a certified administrator of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Strong Interest Inventory.

Olimpio is a member of Redeemer and currently lives on the Upper West Side.


Independent Consultant - Philadelphia, PA Satellite Office

Rachel Vendsel, MAR - Counselor
Rachel holds a Master of Arts in Religion, Counseling Emphasis from Westminster Theological Seminary and also completed the certificate in advanced professional counseling from Biblical Theological Seminary. She is bilingual (Spanish) and has experience working with underserved urban populations. She specializes in marital counseling, grief and loss, trauma, sexual abuse, depression, anxiety, and spiritual formation.

Rachel, a native of Tennessee and Texas, is married to Mike and they have a young son. She is a member of Calvary Presbyterian Church in Willow Grove, PA, where she enjoys teaching adult Sunday school classes and singing in choir. She also enjoys yoga, needlework, and cooking.