Meet our Team
Bryan Independence Center Staff
Stephanie Bianco
PLADC
Steph is a Provisionally Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor who works mainly with the adult population facilitating psychoeducation, group therapy, and individual therapy. Steph also provides substance use evaluations to individuals seeking substance use services. Steph’s approach is person-centered recovery and utilizes Cognitive Behavioral Therapies, Motivational Interviewing, 12-Step Recovery and Schema Therapy to help individuals attain their recovery goals. Steph also uses other modalities to help individualize treatment for the individual. Steph is passionate about helping those achieve what they believe recovery looks like for themselves so they may have a life worth living.
Nicole Larsen
LIMHP, LADC
Nicole provides therapy to adult clients, specializing in dual diagnosis. She has worked in substance use and mental health for 17 years and enjoys working with adult population who struggle with dual diagnosis. Nicole has a passion for helping clients who have chronic mental health issues and has additional training in DBT.
Annette Marvin
LIMHP, LADC
Annette provides therapy mainly to the adult population. She is a licensed mental health provider and a licensed drug and alcohol counselor. Annette has worked in the addictions and mental health field in various potions for over 25 years. She meets the clients where they are to help them work toward their goals. She is also a certified therapeutic recreational specialist.
Stephanie McLeese-Griffin
LIMHP, LADC, LPC
Stephanie oversees all clinical and operational functions of the intake process for clients accessing substance use services at the Independence Center. She has experience in providing therapy services to adolescents and adults specializing in co-occurring disorders and severe and persistent mental illness. She also has additional training in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and enjoys taking a person centered approach to care.
Islam Mohamed
PLMHP
Islam is a licensed mental health practitioner who works with adults. She provides psychoeducation and several types of therapy. These include group, individual, and family sessions. Her approach focuses on the individual's needs. Islam specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy and motivational interviewing. She also teaches skills based on dialectical behavior therapy to aid recovery. Islam's goal is to connect with people where they are in life. She dedicates herself to helping others and respects each person's unique story.
Michelle Nelson
LIMHP, LADC, PC
Michelle joined the team in the role of Admissions Counselor in August of 2023 with 30 plus years of experience. Michelle is licensed as Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner (LIMHP) and Licensed Alcohol & Drug Counselor LADC. Areas of specialty include Co-occurring disorders working, with severe and persistent mental illness and addiction, domestic violence, sexual abuse, adolescent issues, crisis intervention and trauma-informed care. She is passionate about the person centered approach to care, destigmatizing addiction and mental health issues and she participates in the development of quality services for all experiencing health challenges.
Lisa Popple
PLMHP, PLADC
Lisa provides therapy to adults and teens. She does this through both one-on-one and group sessions. They have substance use and co-occurring disorders. She has worked with severe mental health issues. She has also worked with persistent substance use disorders. Lisa does substance use evaluations for people who want substance use services. Lisa’s approach is that every person can change how they view life difficulties and how they react to them. Lisa meets clients where they are at in life. Lisa's therapies include Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Person-Centered Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Solution Focused Therapy.
Ryan Rabstejnek
PLADC
Ryan is currently a provisionally licensed drug and alcohol counselor. He provides psychoeducational groups, group therapy as well as providing individual sessions, to mainly the adult population. Ryan has a passion for being of service to others and assisting them in navigating their recovery journey, meeting them where they are at and focusing on the individual.
Michelle Sarafian
LMHP, LADC
Michelle provides individual and group therapy to adult clients. She has been a mental health practitioner for 20 years. Her special interest and training is in providing treatment for people experiencing chronic mental illness, developmental disabilities, grief and loss, and substance use disorders.
Maddie Schwerin
PLADC
Maddie is a Provisionally Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor who provides psychoeducation, group therapy, and individual therapy to mainly the adult population. She has previous experience in Mental Health Crisis Response work and incorporates trauma informed and person-centered care in her counseling philosophy. Maddie is passionate about working with individuals who experience alcohol and substance issues. She believes everyone’s recovery journey is unique and enjoys helping individuals work towards their path to recovery.
