Meet Our Team
Family Connections & Learning Center is a comprehensive practice that offers psychotherapy services for individuals, couples, and families in all stages of their development and academic tutoring for typical and neurodiverse youth. We are dedicated to enhancing the lives of our clients through compassionate care, education, connection, and empowerment. Our practice is comprised of experienced clinical supervisors, independent-level and associate-level clinicians, and student-intern-level clinicians.
Casey Heinsch
(featuring Phoenix)
Co-Founder & Clinical Supervisor
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist
Casey’s enthusiastic and intuitive energy shines brightly in our practice every day. Her primary practice focuses on teaching other clinicians how to make sense of neurodivergent misunderstandings, facilitating family healing, and providing education for parents and professionals on how to work with neurodivergent families and individuals. Casey’s clinical practice focuses on families of adoption and healing relational traumas. Her foundation is rooted in developmental didactic psychotherapy (DDP) where she utilizes experiential modalities and traditional interventions.
Fun fact: Casey is a competitive ballroom dancer.
- On any given day, you can hear Casey’s laughter throughout the office.
- Casey is very playful and interactive.
- If you need someone to tell it to you straight, Casey’s your person.
- She’s a fellow ADHD-er and dyslexic learner.
- Adults end up finding their missing inner child in her sessions.
- Casey often makes conventional therapy unconventional.
- She has worked with all walks of life.
- Casey sees ages 4+.
Meet Phoenix: FCLC’s support pup
Phoenix is a furry bundle of playful curiosity, ready to wag her tail and sniff out some fun! But when it’s session time, she’s all ears (and paws) for her clients’ needs. Phoenix believes all people and animals need daily touch, play, and love.
Fun fact: When she is off duty, you can find Phoenix living her best life camping and hiking.
Robyn Berry
Co-Founder & Learning Center Director
Curious and inviting, Robyn is a strong member of our team who ensures the business is running smoothly and manages our accounting and marketing. She developed the Learning Center based on her 10 years of experience with neuropsychologically-based learning disorders, learning disabilities, and asynchronous development, and introduced Logic of English, a reading remedial program, to the Learning Center. Although she no longer sees clients, she supports our staff by providing education about executive function and how to incorporate movement into our educational and therapeutic services.
Fun fact: Robyn holds the record for the most chin-ups (18 but going for 20!) at her gym.
- You’ll catch Robyn wrangling in Casey daily.
- Occasionally, she’ll pop out of her office and chat with kids and parents in the lobby.
- She values client care, connection, and community.
- She enjoys talking about Zelda with kids (this is how our Video Game Club started), but pugs and soccer are hot topics as well.
- Numbers are her favorite language (pop into her office if you have a math question).
- Robyn is a pragmatic and logical thinker- the “see” to Casey’s “saw”.
John Peters
Licensed Associate Marriage & Family Therapist
John is an even-energy kind of therapist who provides a neutral place for families to learn how to become a team when facing stressful challenges—everyone has a position to play! He has experience in developmental and intellectual disabilities in various settings such as state agencies, schools, and private practice. John provides psychoeducation and relational cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and supports families in sessions by utilizing movement and games that teach connection, regulation, and communication.
Fun fact: John enjoys coaching youth in baseball.
- John works well with socially quirky individuals.
- He can talk on all sides of the spectrum, from sports to Pokémon.
- If you have any anger to get out, take a walk with John or use his punching bag.
- If your thoughts seem to stick to you, he can help you shift your mindset.
- Parents- John can help you develop better communication with your loved ones.
- If you’re a young adult and have a hard time making it in the world, John’s got you.
- People who work best with him are autistic youth, ADHD-ers, twice-exceptional (2E) students, and children. with medical complications, and families of adoption.
- John sees ages 9+.
McKenna Arviso
Licensed Associate Marriage & Family Therapist
McKenna’s bubbly personality and direct communication style make her a highly sought-after LAMFT who provides a nurturing space to help clients explore and experience feelings. She believes all feelings are good feelings that just need the right container. McKenna has worked in community mental health, elementary schools, and private practice, and has a foundation in emotion-focused therapy (EFT) and Gottman when working with couples. In individual and family therapy, she incorporates craft, art play, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and experiential modalities.
Fun fact: McKenna can make something from nothing by pulling out her craft kit.
- McKenna is very playful and down to go wherever the child may take her (even if that is outside in the middle of an Arizona summer).
- If you’re a parent having a hard time figuring out how to get on your child’s level, McKenna is here to help.
- If your conflict is intense and you’re not sure how to bring it down, McKenna will teach you how.
- POV: You just graduated high school and the world feels scary- McKenna’s your person.
- Like to break things? McKenna does too! She’ll teach you how to do it without getting in trouble (healthy anger).
- People who work best with her are typical and neurodivergent couples, ADHD-ers, dyslexic thinkers, twice-exceptional (2E) students, young adults, and individuals struggling with anxiety.
- McKenna sees ages 5+.
Merrilee Miller
Licensed Associate Marriage & Family Therapist
Merrilee’s energy is uniquely playful and calming, which is part of the reason why she excels in healing trauma, repairing family connections, and empowering your voice. She is certified in Prepare & Enrich and has a foundation in emotion-focused therapy (EFT) to help her couples. Merrilee supports families through art play, sand play, and other experiential modalities. Previously, she worked as a grief supporter for complicated loss, and she spent time working with treatment-resistant depression and anxiety using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).
Fun fact: Merrilee has a foundation in Kung Fu, which helped emphasize her practice in mindfulness, finding balance, and breathwork.
- Merrilee thrives in helping family members bond.
- If you want to be expressive and creative, and not just sit and talk, Merrilee is your go-to girl.
- If you’re a teen or adult looking for a space that’s just for you, then welcome to her office.
- Do you feel lost and don’t know who you want to be when you grow up? She’ll help you find YOU.
- Her office is set up with colorful LEDs and calming music. (Don’t worry, adults. She has normal lights, too!)
- If anxiety is taking over you, Merrilee can help you find safety.
- People who work best with her are typical and neurodivergent couples, dyslexic learners, ADHD-ers, twice-exceptional (2E) students, LGBTQ+ individuals, diverse cultures, and families of adoption.
- Merrilee sees ages 6+.
Tara Costa
Licensed Associate Marriage & Family Therapist
Tara is calm and witty and provides a client-centered, safe, and non-judgmental environment for her clients. Her practice guides people in being open and honest with themselves and in their communication with others. She has worked in community mental health and wraparound services for clients with a primary focus on couples and family connections and is trained in levels 1 and 2 Gottman. When working with individuals and families, she incorporates strategies for interpersonal and intrapersonal healing from trauma, relational injuries, and complications due to neurodiversity.
Fun fact: In her free time, you can catch Tara on a mountain or DIY-ing something cool at home.
- If you want a good laugh during your session, pick Tara.
- Tara can be serious, too… She’ll help you brainstorm solutions to the challenges you’re facing.
- When you get to the feelings, she can hold space for you, you and your partner, or any of your family members… even when it’s difficult.
- Tara provides practical tools and structure to help you navigate difficult situations.
- If anxiety, depression, or social challenges are taking over your life, she’ll help you overcome them.
- People who work best with Tara are typical and neurodivergent couples, angsty teens, families struggling with ADHD and twice-exceptionalism (2E), and parent-teen bonding.
- Tara sees ages 12+.
Meet Our Interns!
At our Learning Center, we have a revolving door of fantastic interns who grace us with their talents for a year. Our wonderful interns come from all walks of life, but they all share one thing in common: working with kids and shaping their futures. While we’d love to keep them forever, they eventually move on to spread their wings elsewhere. Curious to meet this year’s amazing team? Click the button below to see our current Learning Center providers and check out their bios in our always-up-to-date PDF!
