Mental Health and Education Team

Inspired by her love for kids and hoping to play a supportive role in their lives, Vanessa started her career in the human services field as a Career Counselor for a nonprofit in Long Island, New York. She later went on to take on roles like Case Manager and Family Mediator working with homeless adolescents. She also worked as an educational advocate for kids in foster care. Working with youth along the years helped to solidify her decision in becoming a School Psychologist. Vanessa became a School Psychologist in 2014. She worked both in the Yonkers Public School district in New York and the Collier County school district in Florida.

As she worked with students of various cultures, backgrounds, experiences, and beliefs, she began to see a need for mindfulness education. In 2017, she wrote Mindful Me, a children’s book about the benefits of mindful living.

Through her work with youth, Vanessa seeks to promote social/emotional learning, mindfulness, executive function skills, and self-care. Her goal is to encourage self-awareness and self-worth to help youth discover their highest potential. Vanessa is currently serving the Fort Myers, Florida area as a licensed school psychologist in her private practice, Present Mind LLC.

My name is Maribel Mesina-Geib, and I am a Bilingual, Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern in the state of Florida.  I have been working as a mental health practitioner for the last 8 years in Washington State, California, and Florida, specifically serving families, adults, children, adolescents, and couples.  I completed my bachelor’s degree from the University of California Irvine, double majoring in Sociology and Chicano Latino Studies.  I completed my master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Northwest University in Kirkland, Washington.  I have worked with a variety of individuals who experience severe/persistent mental illness, mood disorders, personality disorders, anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, self-esteem issues and substance abuse issues.  I utilize a blend of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Solution Focused Therapy (SFT), and Client Centered Therapy to support my clients.  In the last 2 years I have obtained certification in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), which helps support individuals processing traumatic events.  In addition to being a therapist I have had the opportunity in the last 2 years to be a Clinical Manager for a private practice in Cape Coral, Florida.  This has allowed me the ability to develop leadership skills, support clinician’s growth, and the opportunity to learn about business.  I enjoy being a therapist because I feel that I am entrusted every day with the client's most valuable thoughts and feelings. It is an honor to work towards supporting clients in reaching their mental health and recovery goals.

My name is Anjali M. Ghafoerkhan, I am 16 years old and the eldest of five children. I am a student in the International Baccalaureate Program (IB) where I am pursuing the full IB Diploma at my High School.

I am currently ranked in the top 1% of my graduating class. I am very politically active. I have helped create Anti-Racism training for the Girl Scouts leaders and Girl Scouts in my district, helped develop social media campaigns promoting awareness for mental health issues, and aided in organizing other events along those lines. When I am not focused on school, I enjoy debating with friends, reading, and learning about other cultures.

I have been a Cadet in the Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps Program (MCJROTC) for the past three years. Currently, I am the Cadet Battalion Operations Officer, which involves planning and managing events for my MCJROTC unit.