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Meet the Team at the Military Family Clinic

The Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at The Up Center

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Meet the Team

Tanetta Hassell, LCSW

Tanetta Hassell serves as Clinic Director at the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at The Up Center. She is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University where she began her direct service and research in behavioral health by working with college aged students that were at increased risk for contracting HIV and other STIs. Tanetta became a published co-author under the tutelage of Dr. Faye Belgrave where she was exposed to a variety of public health factors negatively affecting underserved communities.

Her drive to help others coupled with an interest in research and learning created the foundation for her coming years as a social worker in several capacities to include helping youth in foster care, refugee families, and survivors of family violence. The direct exposure to helping those in need enabled Tanetta to see the impact that adverse childhood experiences have on generations of families from both military and civilian backgrounds.

Tanetta has spent the last 8 years of her career focused on securing licensure in the state of Virginia, completing training in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and TF-CBT (Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy). Simultaneously she continued to grow into various leadership roles allowing her to better support the direct care service staff that spend tireless hours working to reduce the impact of trauma and adverse childhood experiences for individuals, couples, and families.

Amy Antonelli, LPC, CSAC and Certification in Domestic Violence

Amy Antonelli is a clinician at the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at The Up Center. She has an Undergraduate BA in Communications/English from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. M.A. in Professional counseling from Argosy University in Washington DC.

Amy began working in DC and Maryland within the mental health and substance abuse fields in addition to working with various populations previously. She finds it rewarding to work with adults or young adults navigating various traumas such as substance abuse and domestic violence.

Amy uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), as well as Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy (IBCT). It is important to Amy that people feel good about who they are and are empowered.

She was born and raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia and her father served in the Navy prior to Amy’s birth. He would tell her stories of his time which allowed him to use the GI Bill, complete college, and law school.

Julie Bologna, MEd

Julie Bologna serves as a Resident in Counseling and CVN Fellow at the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at The Up Center. She started as an intern at the Cohen Clinic and has since taken on the dual position. She holds a Master of Education, Mental Health Counseling degree with a concentration in Military and Veterans through The College of William and Mary.

Julie’s father and two brothers served in the U.S. Navy. She is a Navy Search and Rescue Corpsman veteran herself and is also a 2021 Pat Tillman Scholar. Additionally, she is married to a Navy SEAL who served 23 years active duty. Supporting the military community is a way to continue to serve those who have had such a big impact on her life while honoring her own commitment to service.

Her favorite quote is by Naomi Judd, “A dead end street is a good place to turn around.”

Tiffany Jeppe, MS

Tiffany Jeppe serves as a Resident in Counseling and Case Manager at the Steven A. Cohen Clinic at The Up Center. As a case manager, Tiffany offers valuable community resources to military families. As a resident in counseling, she assists individuals, children, and families by identifying goals and potential solutions for various life challenges.

Tiffany joined the Virginia Beach community in late 2018 on accompanied military orders with her spouse and children. She is originally from Boise, Idaho.

Tiffany holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Boise State University and Master of Science degree in Marriage and Family counseling with specialties in Military Families and Culture as well as Crisis and Trauma from Walden University. She gained her experience as an intern working at The Up Center and Family Insight in outpatient services. Additionally, she assisted the military community at Fleet and Family Support Center, JEB Little Creek in Information and Referral, as an Individual Deployment Support Specialist, Emergency Case Manager, and EFMP Case Liaison. She also volunteered for 2 terms as an Ombudsman serving military families as their voice and advocate to command leadership.

Tiffany is the wife of a Seabee in the Navy and the mother of a daughter presently serving in the Air Force. She is a mother of four beautiful humans and has one grand human, three dogs, and one cat. During her off-time she loves paddleboarding, backpacking, traveling back home, and spending time with her family.

Tondra Pearson

Tondra Pearson is an Administrative Coordinator at the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at The Up Center. She is responsible for the coordination of clients, schedules, as well as various front desk tasks, including documentation, billing and insurance coordination.

Tondra is originally from Newark, NJ. Her father was a Marine, and the family moved to Virginia Beach when Tondra was 8 years old. She has worked in a variety of medical related specialties to include Mental Healthcare, Alzheimer’s Long-Term Care, Podiatry Clinic, Urgent Care and Home Health Agency.

As a child Tondra wanted to become a nurse following in the steps of her grandmother, who was a Registered Nurse. She genuinely enjoys helping people by improving their quality of life. Tondra loves what The Cohen Clinic at The Up Center offers and is passionate about the services provided to military families throughout the community.

Tondra has an associate degree in Healthcare Administration from ECPI, and is currently pursuing her Bachelors Degree in the Healthcare Administration.

When she is not at work or school, she enjoys reading, listening to music, and watching Disney movies. Tondra is also a wine connoisseur and enjoys fine dining with family and friends.

Her favorite motto is: “Be part of the solution, not part of the problem.”

Michelle Righenzi

Michelle Righenzi is the Practice Manager at the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at The Up Center. She provides oversight of administrative, and fiscal operations, and provides for the administrative needs of the office. Prior to joining the Cohen Clinic she managed veterinary hospitals for 20 years and chose to make a career transition to broaden her leadership abilities while still serving others in the community.

Born in Mississippi, Michelle became a Virginia resident after completing her final enlistment in the US Navy. She served in the Navy for eight years as an electrician onboard two submarine support ships and rotation on shore duty in Charleston SC.

As a former veteran and someone whose family is directly impacted by mental health illness, Michelle is grateful for the opportunity to facilitate healing for others.

Michelle enjoys hiking, biking, and spending time at the beach. She is also an active member of her church and enjoys volunteering in the community. She has one adult son, 3 beautiful grandchildren and a fun cat named Tony.

Her favorite quote is “be the change you wish to see in this world” Gandhi.

Anne Marie Seda, PMHNP-BC

Anne Marie Seda is the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner at the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at The Up Center, providing psychiatric mental health evaluations and medication management when indicated. She earned her degree from Stony Brook University in 2002, which included a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner as well as a Clinical Nurse Specialist (child and adolescent focus).

She is trained in evidence-based trauma treatment modalities including Prolonged Exposure, Cognitive Processing Therapy, and EMDR level II. She is also trained in CBT-I.

As a nurse practitioner, Anne Marie has worked in remote areas of Alaska and other states. Before joining the Cohen Clinic at The Up Center, she worked with the Virginia Beach Community Service Board (CSB), treating people challenged by substance use and the severely mentally ill, utilizing medication management. She also worked with Naval Medical Center Portsmouth for more than a decade, where she worked within a trauma clinic as well as an outpatient military treatment facility.

A military spouse, Anne Marie’s husband served in the U.S. Coast Guard for 20 years as a flight engineer, which provided them with additional adventures all over the U.S. She also has several other family members who are veterans, including her father who served in the USMC for 37 years, ending his career as the Director of Intelligence.

Anne Marie currently resides with her husband in Virginia Beach, VA. They enjoy hiking (especially in a mountain range), spending time with friends and family, and photography.

As a prescriber, Anne Marie enjoys working at the Cohen Clinic at The Up Center because she knows of the quality of care all of her patients will receive if they continue in therapy with our highly-trained staff who are passionate about their work and motivated to go above and beyond for our patients.

Donna Shannon

Donna Shannon is the Data Manager at the Stephen A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at The Up Center. She oversees data collection, data compliance, Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) and provides reports and analysis for Key Performance Indicators (KPI) and Process Improvement (PI).

She holds a Bachelors Degree in Zoology from Rutgers University and a Graduate Certificate in Geographic Information Systems from Penn State University.

Prior to joining the Cohen Clinic, she was a data analyst in the Trauma Department at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, a Level 1 Trauma facility. With an extensive background in medical research and all things data, Donna’s points of focus are data quality and data integrity.

As the wife of a retired Marine Corps Infantry Officer, she was an active member of the Marine Corps Key Volunteer Network which handles emergencies and provides support and communication between families and deployed units. Understanding the sacrifices our military service members and their families endure, working at the Military Family Clinic is another opportunity for her to continue to give back to those who served and continue to serve.

Donna is the mother of a Naval Officer son and a daughter.

In her spare time, she enjoys trekking, kayaking, paddle boarding, white water rafting and yoga.

Robin Marohl

Robin Marohl is a clinician at the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at the Up Center. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and a Certified Substance Abuse Counselor (CSAC). She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Community Counseling from Regent University. Prior to coming to the Cohen Clinic, Robin worked as a clinician at the Virginia Beach Community Services Board for many years.

She was born and raised in Virginia Beach which has a large population of military service members. Robin is the daughter and wife of Navy veterans and the proud mother of an Army veteran. Seeing how military service has impacted some of her family members’ mental health inspired her to work with this population.

Outside of work she is an active member of her church and enjoys spending time with her family, three dogs and two cats. She likes trying new restaurants, knitting, going to the beach, and baking.

Jasmine Johnson, M.Ed., Resident in Counseling

Jasmine serves a dual position as both an Intake Coordinator and a Resident in Counseling at the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at the Up Center. As an intake coordinator, Jasmine will help identify the needs of the clients and filter out the resources available at the Cohen clinic to best serve our community. In addition to being a resident in counseling, Jasmine aims to assist clients in navigating challenges and transitions to strive towards goals throughout a therapeutic journey.

Jasmine holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University and has earned a Master of Education degree, Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a specialization in Military and Veterans through the College of William and Mary. Jasmine has background of providing intensive in-home counseling services to individuals and families and outpatient therapy services during her internship.

As a proud native of the Hampton Roads area and a daughter of a Navy Corpsman, Jasmine is eager to selflessly give back by assisting in the healing of service members and their families who have sacrificed so much for this country.

In Jasmine’s spare time, she enjoys spending time with loved ones, exploring new restaurants, and watching Disney movies. Her favorite motto: “Growth is uncomfortable.”

Dayesha Lomax, MSW

Dayesha Lomax, MSW, works as a case manager and supervisee in social work at the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic. As a case manager, Dayesha connects military families to community resources. As a supervisee in social work, she provides evidenced-based treatment to active-duty military member, veterans, and their families.

Dayesha holds a Bachelor of Science in Social Work and a Master of Social Work from Youngstown State University. Before joining our team, she spent time working with children and adolescents for mental health care, foster care, and in the criminal justice field working with adolescents and adults.

In her free time, Dayesha enjoys spending time with her daughter, reading, listening to music, traveling, karaoke, and attending concerts.

Ali Ramirez, M. Ed.

Ali is a Resident in Counseling at the Steven A Cohen Military Family Clinic at The Up Center. She earned a Bachelor of Psychology in Neuroscience from Cottey College in Missouri and obtained her Masters in Mental Health Counseling (M. Ed.) from the University of Puget Sound. Ali has been working within the Cohen Veterans Network for the last three years at both the Washington State and Virginia location where she provided counseling services to the military community. Prior to her work in the network she worked in Missouri for Probation and Parole providing guidance for mandated individuals.

As a therapist, Ali believes in the collaborative effort when working with people in order to reach their fullest potential and lead a balanced life. She is extremely passionate about helping others build their innate skills to integrate into their lives, and she takes pride in providing services to those who have served our country. Ali grew up a child of two parents in the military, and now as an Army spouse she feels she is able to uniquely connect with members of the military population.

In Ali’s free time she likes to spend quality time with her wife, daughters, and all her pets. She enjoys traveling to new places, working out, playing videogames, and listening to music.

Ayana Cook

Ayana Cook is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist practicing in the states of Georgia and Virginia. Specializing in providing mental health support to diverse demographics including children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families, Ayana’s focus extends to actively supporting the needs of active-duty service members, veterans, and their families. Being a military spouse herself, Ayana is driven by a profound motivation to contribute to enhancing the quality of life within this community.

Passionate about promoting accessibility to resources and serving communities, Ayana finds immense meaning in guiding individuals towards overcoming challenges, recognizing their strengths, and nurturing their potential for personal growth. She advocates for a holistic approach to healthcare, encouraging individuals to take ownership of their journey towards well-being.

Operating from a family systems perspective, Ayana employs evidence-based methodologies tailored to meet the unique needs of each client. Beyond her professional commitments, Ayana cherishes spending quality time with her family, exploring new destinations, experimenting with culinary creations alongside her husband, bonding with their dog, and immersing herself in the beauty of nature.

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Contact Us

The Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at The Up Center

828 Healthy Way, Suite 105, Virginia Beach, VA 23462

Phone: 757-965-8686

Email: cohenclinic@theupcenter.org

The Military Family Clinic is conveniently located in Virginia Beach, near S Independence Blvd and S Plaza Trail.

Free Parking is available onsite. Transportation and childcare are available upon request.

Hours of Operation

Monday: 8:30am to 6:00pm

Tuesday: 8:30am to 6:00pm

Wednesday: 8:30am to 7:00pm

Thursday: 8:30am to 7:00pm

Friday: 8:30am to 1:00pm

Saturday: Closed

Sunday: Closed

Directions

From I-264

Take exit 17A to S Independence Blvd.
Continue on S Independence Blvd and turn right onto S Plaza Trail.
Turn right onto Healthy Way.
Turn right into the parking lot. We are located just inside the main entrance (facing Healthy Way) on the left.

From I-64

Take exit 286B to Indian River Rd.
Continue on Indian River Rd to Ferrell Pkwy.
Keep right at the fork, follow signs for Princess Anne Rd N/Salem Rd.
Turn left onto Salem Rd (signs for Princess Anne Rd).
Turn right onto S Plaza Trail.
Turn left onto Healthy Way.
Turn right into the parking lot. We are located just inside the main entrance (facing Healthy Way) on the left.

Our Mission

We are committed to partnering with children, families, and communities to improve lives and outcomes through prevention, intervention, and support services.