Meet our Team
Jason Rosa, LCSW
Owner
Specialty: Trauma, Juvenile sex offenders, anxiety, couples
With over 12 years of professional experience in the mental health field, Jason is the owner of River and Rose. He earned his degree from Rutgers University in 2010, and has been working with adults, children, adolescents, and couples. Jason also has extensive experience dedicated to working with disenfranchised youth and families throughout both Georgia and New Jersey. He was previously the Assistant Director at Trinitas Hospital in Elizabeth, NJ, and the Director of the Juvenile Sex Offender Program for Union County, NJ. Jason believes that every person has a right to feel good about themselves, and no one person is better than the next. Love and positive energy helps the healing process.
Elizabeth Gwin, LPC, Supervisor
Specialty: Children, Psychotic Disorders, Anxiety
Elizabeth is an LPC and has been in mental health field for over 10 years. Her clinical experience includes anxiety disorders, adolescent issues, gender roles and identity, trauma and interpersonal relationships. She has additional training in rape crisis intervention. Elizabeth is a member of the International Honors Society of Psychology, The American Psychological Association and the American Counseling Association. She loves working with clients and feels privileged to be a part of their journey.
NICOLE SIHA, LPC
Specialty: Juveniles boys, Trauma, Juvenile Sex Offenders
Nicole specializes in working with children and adolescents with behavioral issues as well as sexual/boundary concerns. She speaks both English and Arabic and has over 7 years of counseling experience. Nicole believes that most people have had some type of trauma in their lives and can work with you to help resolve any issues relating to this trauma. Nicole graduated from Kean University and conducted part of her internship at Trintas Hospital in the Outpatient unit and Juvenile Sec Offender Program.
Kevin Findlay, LSW
Specialty: Teenagers, Male issues, Behavorial issues
Kevin comes with over 10 years of experience working with at risk youth and adolescents. He managed day to day program operations out of the Bonnie Brae group home located in Bound Brook New jersey. There, Kevin developed outreach programs for youth while also creating partnerships and collaborative efforts with community service organizations throughout the state of New Jersey. With extensive knowledge of how trauma can impact and shape an individual's life, Kevin's passion is to help everyone reach their potential through education and therapy. Kevin is currently working as a middle school social worker where his work of empowering youth continues.
Angelica Calero-Perez, LSW
Specialty: Couples, Veterans, Family Therapy, Anxiety and Depression
Bilingual: Spanish
Angelica has many real-life experiences as a Marine Corps veteran who has worked together with veterans & their families in substance use, transition into the civilian sector, trauma and guidance. Angelica also speaks Spanish and enjoys working with couples. Angelica believes that therapy should be an easy process for everyone and unfortunately that's not always the case. She aims to bring the most comfortable experience for you.
Darlene Posey LSW, LCADC
Specialty: Substance Abuse
Darlene earned her Masters of Social Work (MSW) from Fordham University. Darlene's therapeutic approach is grounded in evidence based theoretical perspectives such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and person-centered care. Building upon individual's strengths along with clinical skills, treatment plans are developed to enhance client functioning to improve the quality of their life.
During her undergraduate and graduate studies, Darlene has worked with people with addiction and mental health issues. She has experience working with various populations including, couples, families, women, men and the LGTBQ community. Darlene places a great deal of emphasis on the importance of a close and trusting therapeutic relationship with her clients. She believes the therapeutic alliance encompasses basic human bonding in a genuine and empathetic environment.
Hannah Blank, LSW
Specialty: Women's Issues, Trauma, Anxiety and Depression
As a Licensed Social Worker, Hannah has experience working with those who suffer from depression, anxiety, and addiction, and have a passion for women's health. Hannah can work with you to feel empowered once more and provide a safe space for you to express yourself without judgement. Her goal is to help guide you build upon your strength and learn more about yourself in a person-centered and individualized approach.
Hannah has over 8 years' experience working in mental health and addictions and have taught Psychology at the college level as well. She earned her bachelor's degree in Psychology at Kean University in 2012 and my master's degree in Human Behavior & Organizational Psychology from Kean University in 2014. Hannah also completed a master's in social work Degree from Fordham University in 2019.
Providencia LeBron, LCSW
Specialty: Teenager's, Anxiety and Depression, Adults
Bilingual: Spanish
Providencia is a graduate of New York University’s Silver School of Social Work who has been providing trauma informed care and various therapeutic approaches to clients of different cultural backgrounds and ages in English and Spanish for over 8 years of practice. She has experience working with clients experiencing anxiety, depression, symptoms of trauma and other disorders. She strongly believes in meeting clients where they are and focuses on building multi-dynamic relationships with her clients as the vehicle for empowerment, growth and emotional healing experiences.
Maria Afordakos, LPC
Specialty: Depression, Anxiety, Teenagers, and Addictions
Maria is a Licensed Professional Counselor in New Jersey, Delaware, and Virginia and a NJ Certified School Counselor and NJ Certified Student Assistance Counselor. Maria has a Masters of Education in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling from Virginia Tech. For the last twelve years, Maria has been an addiction and mental health therapist providing a continuum of outpatient mental health and addiction services for adolescents and adults in Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHP) and Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP) in the NJ, NYC, and in the DC area. Maria provided individual, family, and group therapy, which also included weekly multi-family groups. In addition, Maria completed intake assessments, provided case management, collaborated within a treatment team, and coordinated case services with referring agencies, outpatient providers, and school personnel.
In 2017, Maria was featured in the New York Daily News, CBS News, and was published in the Behavioral Health News (Fall of 2017) regarding the treatment she provided for adolescents dealing with addiction and mental health disorders in Manhattan.
Maria utilizes Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Reality Therapy, and Solution-focused treatment methods to support and empower her clients and families.
At her core, Maria believes that as human beings we are resilient and have the ability to change ourselves and our lives for the better, not matter what the circumstances, we all just need to take the first step and take a chance on asking for support.
Christopher Nettles- Intern
Christopher is currently studying to earn his MSW at Rutgers University-Newark. Christopher earned his first master’s degree in Public Administration from Rutgers University-Newark in 2019. Chris’s approach is based on principles of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Strengths- based Assessments, and Person-Centered care. Chris strives to achieve a sense of independence, motivation, and transformational learning with all of his clients. Chris’s goal is to utilize each individual’s strength’s and build upon them throughout treatment while discovering new ones.
Chris has over 10 years’ experience working with adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and has worked in vocational coordination for some time. Chris loves working with people and envisions a world where people live happier, healthier, and richer lives.
“If you want to be happy, be.”- Leo Tolstoy