Sustainable Wellness

08/29/2025

New openings alert! 🔔 We have immediate availability for kids and teens seeking individual therapy. Sessions can take place in person or virtually out of our Rochester, NY offices.

Sustainable Wellness is a trauma-based therapy & wellness practice offering specialized mental health services for PTSD, trauma and complex trauma. We’re passionate about helping our clients heal in a safe, inclusive, and compassionate environment.

Contact us for more information!
585-206-2631
www.sustainablewellnessny.com/new-clients

Billing/Insurance: BCBS, AETNA, MVP, United Healthcare (OON), Sliding scale
* We do not accepted Medicaid or Medicare, including Child Health Plus

*
*
*

Welcome! Whether you're looking for a specific type of service, or are unsure where to start, we're here to help. We recommend reviewing our different types of therapy services and the specialized approaches that our providers take to the healing process.

08/26/2025

🐾💛 Happy International Dog Day! 💛🐾

At Sustainable Wellness, our team’s dogs remind us about the importance of connection, play, and unconditional love. Research shows that spending time with dogs can lower stress, boost mood, and support trauma healing by helping regulate our nervous systems.

Today we’re celebrating the special pups in our lives. Meet the beloved four-legged friends of our team! From left to right:

1. Shadow 🌈
2. Mila
3. Atlas
4. Marconi & Callie
5. Herman
6. Otu
7. Mouse, Maverick & Lupine
8. Eli 🌈
9. Martzi
10. Gozer 🌈

*
*
*

08/22/2025

Please join us in welcoming Maddy Whitney, LMSW to our Sustainable Wellness team! 🎉🎉

Maddy provides individual therapy to children, adolescents, and young adults through a compassionate, client-centered approach grounded in evidence-based practices. She currently accepts BCBS and AETNA insurances and is in the process of credentialing with MVP.

Maddy specializes in working with individuals navigating complex trauma, grief, attachment-related concerns, self-esteem challenges, and emotional or behavioral difficulties. She incorporates a range of trauma-informed modalities, including Progressive Counting, Play Therapy, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), and select forms of somatic work.

Maddy brings clinical experience from both private practice and foster care settings, where she has worked closely with youth and families navigating complex trauma, system involvement, and relational challenges. These diverse experiences inform her holistic, trauma-informed approach to therapy.

Visit our website at www.sustainablewellnessny.com to learn more about Maddy and to request an appointment!

*
*
*

08/13/2025

Did you know you can use your HSA or FSA for self-pay therapy? Mental health services are healthcare expenses, which means you can often use pre-taxed dollars to cover therapy sessions, even if your insurance doesn’t.

You may benefit from using an HSA/FSA if:
• Your therapist doesn’t take your insurance
• You have a high deductible plan and want help covering costs before you hit your deductible — or if your deductible is higher than you are likely to reach in a year.
• You have limited or no mental health coverage and want to fill in the gaps for therapy services that insurance won’t cover.

Read more on our blog: www.sustainablewellnessny.com/post/a-guide-to-payment-options-for-therapy

Fill out the Contact Form on our website to inquire about using your HSA/FSA for therapy at Sustainable Wellness: www.sustainablewellnessny.com

*Always confirm your insurance benefits with your insurance provider.

*
*
*

08/01/2025

"The nervous system is at the heart of our lived experience." – Deb Dana, LCSW

We often think our brain is in charge—but it all starts in the body. Polyvagal Theory, developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, helps us understand how our autonomic nervous system (especially the vagus nerve) shapes our feelings of safety, connection, and well-being. When we learn to work with our nervous system, we support healing, regulation, and stronger relationships.

*
*
*

07/30/2025

As we prepare for the start of our new clinical intern cohort, we want to extend a huge thank you and congrats to our incredible 2024/25 interns. Meredith Forbes, Virginia Lengyel and Kyle Skovira, you have made such an impact on the individuals you’ve supported this past year. We’re grateful for the passion you have for this work and energy you’ve brought to the practice. We’re so proud to have been part of your social work journeys!💫

*
*
*

07/23/2025

We're so excited to welcome Alexis Fox to the 2025-2026 clinical intern cohort at Sustainable Wellness! 🎉

Alexis Fox is a Master's level clinical intern working under the supervision of Stephanie Berry, LCSW. Alexis is currently earning a Master's of Social Work from SUNY Brockport. She offers services for kids, teens, adults, couples, and families at a reduced rate!

In addition to her social work education, Alexis holds a deep commitment to social justice, and over 20 years of experience in movement and body-based expression. Her work is rooted in the belief that healing must be both trauma-informed and justice-oriented—recognizing how systems of oppression impact mental health, body autonomy, and access to care.

Alexis strives to integrate evidence-based practices, mindfulness, and somatic approaches with a client-centered lens. Her approach is grounded in neuroscience and the mind-body connection, particularly for individuals processing complex trauma, identity-based harm, or nervous system dysregulation.

With a background as a professional dancer, choreographer, and an aspiring yoga instructor, she brings a somatic awareness into the therapy space. Alexis supports clients in cultivating safety, resilience, and agency—both in their bodies and in their lives. She believes healing doesn’t always start with words. Sometimes, it begins with breath, stillness, or gentle movement.

Alexis’s goal is to co-create a space where all parts of you are welcomed—where healing is shaped by your lived experience, and where we work collaboratively to support your mental, emotional, and embodied wellbeing.

Interested in working with Alexis? Visit our website to request an appointment or connect with us below:

w: www.sustainablewellnessny.com
e: hello@sustainablewellnessny.com
p: 585-206-2631

07/22/2025

Seeking trauma therapy is a courageous step! At Sustainable Wellness, we’re committed to providing a safe, compassionate space for healing, supported by skilled and trustworthy providers. While some clients benefit from working with seasoned clinicians, others find that working with a clinical intern offers a unique opportunity for healing—including increased accessibility, affordability and team-based support.

Our practice is built on a collaborative model that brings together seasoned trauma therapists, wellness practitioners, and carefully selected clinical interns. Within this team-based approach, interns are not working in isolation—they are supported by experienced trauma-focused supervisors and regularly consult with various members of our clinical team in group consultation and supervision meetings. This structure allows interns to offer thoughtful, high-quality care while drawing on the collective expertise of a trauma-focused community.

Here are a few benefits to working with our clinical interns:

1⃣ Reduced rates
2⃣ Frequent guidance from a trauma-specialized supervisor
3⃣ More flexibility with scheduling
4⃣ Beginning therapy sooner

You can read more on our blog!

www.sustainablewellnessny.com/blog

Interested in joining our community newsletters for additional tidbits and information on the latest happenings? You can sign up below!

www.sustainablewellnessny.com/newsletter

07/21/2025

We're so excited to welcome Rebecca Phelps to the 2025-2026 clinical intern cohort at Sustainable Wellness! 🎉

Rebecca Phelps is a Master's level clinical intern working under the supervision of Stephanie Berry, LCSW. Rebecca is currently earning her Master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Geneva College, and has an undergraduate degree in psychology from SUNY Brockport. She offers individual services for children, teens, and adults at a reduced rate! She has previous experience working with survivors of interpersonal violence - facilitating mindful movement in a peer support setting.

Rebecca operates from an integrative, holistic, trauma informed, and person-centered approach. She is passionate about supporting those impacted by trauma, and draws from her interests in somatics, yoga, dance, and mindfulness. Rebecca is a certified yoga teacher, dance teacher and loves to incorporate the therapeutic properties of movement into her own life and in sessions. Her personal experiences have inspired her to help others through a variety of modalities and helped to develop her therapeutic approach.

Rebecca meets clients with compassion, and believes sessions should be collaborative. She is deeply committed to working with those who have lived through traumatic experiences, and passionate about creating a safe, non-judgmental therapeutic environment for clients. She is sensitive to systemic injustices and their contribution to trauma, and she is dedicated to continuous learning and personal growth.

Rebecca enjoys dancing, practicing yoga, hiking, kayaking, or walking in nature.

Interested in working with Rebecca? Visit our website to request an appointment or connect with us below!

w: www.sustainablewellnessny.com
e: hello@sustainablewellnessny.com
p: 585-206-2631

07/11/2025

What is a Gender-Affirming Letter? And why might you need one?

You may need a letter of support if you’re starting gender-affirming care. This includes both surgical and non-surgical interventions, or any other type of affirming care that involves health insurance or medical provider requirements. But it shouldn’t feel like an interrogation! We ground ourselves in a trauma-informed approach. The process of obtaining a letter with us is transparent, collaborative, affirming,
and empowering!

As part of our Aligned Care Services, we offer a free consultation, a full assessment, and a letter written and delivered promptly. Coaching and short-term therapy is available for additional support but is not required. We accept insurance and are also able to offer virtual or in-person sessions!

Ready to get started? Connect with us below to learn more about our Aligned Care Services!

e: hello@sustainablewellnessny.com
w: www.sustainablewellnessny.com
p: (585) 206-2631

+

06/30/2025

As we wrap up pride month, we’re thrilled to introduce Aligned Care Services at Sustainable Wellness! This new offering is designed for clients seeking support and letters for gender-affirming care. With this service offering, clients are able to obtain gender-affirming care letters to support gender-affirming healthcare, including surgical and non-surgical interventions. While not required, short-term therapy and coaching options are also available. Services are made accessible either in-person or virtually. We're excited to announce that Aligned Care Services can also be covered by insurance! We also offer self-pay options. If you'd like to learn more or if you're ready to schedule your free initial consultation, connect with us below!

w: www.sustainablewellnessny.com/aligned-care-services
e: hello@sustainablewellnessny.com
p: 585-205-7380

Want to stay in the loop on our latest service offerings and groups? Sign up for our monthly newsletter for insights, practice happenings, and community resources:

📩 www.sustainablewellnessny.com/newsletter

We can't wait to bring Aligned care Services to you and our community!