Phyllis digioia

Phyllis DiGioia is the Founder and CEO of Honor Wellness Center, an outpatient mental health, addictions and trauma treatment center for public safety first responders, military and their families.

Phyllis has been a Social Worker for 30+ years and earned her licensure to practice Clinical Social Work in the state of Connecticut in 2005. She has specialized in public safety first responder and military clinical mental health, addictions and trauma treatment and case management for 20 years.

Phyllis is a certified POST instructor and earned her CISM certification in 2003. Phyllis is also a Certified Employee Assistance Professional and is clinically trained in providing Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) parts 1 and 2, as well as many other clinical treatment modalities.

Phyllis thoroughly enjoys serving as a Clinical Supervisor for Bachelor's and Master's level student clinicians. She is also passionately dedicated to facilitating numerous peer support, critical incident stress management, mental health, trauma and addictions trainings throughout the country. Phyllis remains diligently focused in promoting the growth of a rich and extensive resource network to serve public safety first responders, military personnel and their families throughout the country.

Phyllis loves spending time with her family and friends, being outdoors, listening to music and comedy and playing with the family German shepherd and two cats!

Samantha Gower

Samantha Bennett has worked with the Honor Wellness Center since September 2022. She has a Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Capella University and a Bachelors in Criminal Justice from Westfield State University. Sam comes to us from a first responder background, having been raised within a law enforcement family and marrying into a family of firefighters. Needless to say, her passion for this community runs deep. In addition, Sam brings a nature-based approach, emphasizing her love for the outdoors and how it can be incorporated into the counseling world. 

John Lefevre

John Lefevre is a Master's level Mental Health Counseling clinician having completed his Master's Degree program in May 2023. He is now completing his clinical requirements toward licensure. He graduated from Springfield College with his BA in Psychology with a concentration in Criminal Justice in 2008. He started his master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Bay Path University in 2020 with a concentration in advanced trauma. 

John worked for 3 years as a full-time college police officer before transitioning to the Palmer Police Department in 2012. John has worked for the Palmer Police Department since 2012 as a full-time E911 dispatcher as well as being sworn in as a part-time officer since 2014. John has gone to specialized trainings including hostage negotiation training for dispatch. John serves as a field trainer for the department.

John hopes that his professional and personal experiences can help bridge the gap between first responders, veterans, and the stigma that comes with the culture. John's aim is to provide a safe and comfortable environment to help establish a rapport and trust with first responders. John's hope is to eventually become post certified as an instructor and continue officer wellness training outside of the therapeutic setting. 

Samantha jones

Samantha earned her Master's Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of New Haven.

Samantha thoroughly enjoys working directly with our first responders, veterans and their families; and, she appreciates the opportunity to be able to give back to them, recognizing them for the service they provide to our community. Sam creates a safe, stigma free, environment where she can support all clients through their mental health journey.

Sam loves to spend her free time with her dogs and playing hockey! 

Julie Varga

Julie holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling from Adler University and is a licensed massage therapist and graduate of The Massage School in Boston, MA. She specializes in the John F. Barnes method of Myofascial Release at the expert level. She is currently working towards licensure after receiving her BAS in Military Intelligence Operations from Wayland Baptist University. Julie’s goal is to combine physical and mental therapy to create an integrative approach to healing. She believes we are the sum of our parts and everything is interconnected - that chronic pain is both mental and physical.

Julie was born in The Netherlands and lived in England, Spain, Portugal, Brazil and Paraguay. She came to live in the United States in 1998. She speaks Spanish and Portuguese fluently. Julie’s first exposure to massage therapy was when she was 11 years old. A group of nuns that she knew in Paraguay helped people by massaging them for a variety of ailments, and for some, it was the only pain relief they ever received. Since then, she has had many massages and benefited greatly from them. This motivates her to share massage therapy with others, specifically Myofascial Release.

Julie enlisted as a soldier on active duty in the US Army in 2001. Now, after 14 years of active service, she in the US Army Reserves. She has 20 total years of service!  She has been on multiple deployments, is a paratrooper, and has worked in special operations units, infantry units, and with special forces.  She knows what body aches are more than most! She has had her share of injuries and outlived a struggle with PTSD. Myofascial release helped her to cope and live an active lifestyle combined with counseling.

She is committed to helping those of you in high stress jobs because her family and she are one of you. Julie’s sister was a police officer on a SWAT team, one of her brothers worked for many years as a government contractor in dangerous locations around the world, and her youngest brother was a 911 dispatcher. She has a firefighter/EMS brother-in-law and a nurse sister-in-law.

Julie has been working with our public safety first responders and military active and veteran personnel as well as their families for one year now. She has successfully developed, facilitated and maintained an in-person Veterans' counseling group and continues to work beautifully with our adolescent and adult clients on a daily basis.

Jaci Adams

Jaci is currently pursuing a Master's Degree in Art Therapy & Counseling at Albertus Magnus College. She received her Bachelor's degree in Psychology with a focus in Art Therapy in May of 2023, after years of life experience and challenges that led her to her passion in helping others navigate their own challenges through means of therapy and art combined. 

Jaci previously took on an internship during undergrad at an Addiction Recovery Center where she thrived in group leadership. She has three years in her own recovery, which makes empathizing with others come naturally. With her own experience in therapy for PTSD as well, she strongly believes that this adds to her ability to create a safe space for others to express themselves freely, recognizing that no one's recovery process is the same. She is passionate about the ability art has to unlock the unconscious, allowing individuals to work through unprocessed trauma, grief, anxiety, depression, and more. Each person, with their own unique life experience, has the ability to work through their fears and hopes through therapy and community, as well as art! 

Jared Buchanan

Jared Buchanan is a relentless motivational speaker and passionate advocate for suicide prevention, dedicating his efforts in honor of his father, Officer Paul S. Buchanan. A Marine infantry veteran, Jared discovered a transformative path to healing by conquering grueling ultramarathons spanning 100 and even 200+ miles, all in memory of his beloved father.

Currently pursuing his graduate studies at Sacred Heart University, Jared is on a journey to become an unconscious-based psychotherapist. His professional ethos centers on the profound synergy between Frankl's existentialism, which posits that meaning can be found in suffering, and Jungian psychology, which guides individuals in confronting and embracing their own shadows and darkness. Jared is a faithful advocate for the concept of post-traumatic growth, embracing discomfort, and continuously striving to spread positivity to all around him.

Beyond his work, Jared is an expert of pizza eating, a passionate international traveler, and has two hybrid Bengal Leopard Cats, Kuja and Maya. 

Ashley Catatao

Ashley Catatao is currently enrolled at Cambridge College working on her Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling/Trauma Studies. She has been a police officer for 12 years with the Somerville (MA) Police Department and is a certified Sexual Assault Investigator with the State of Massachusetts. Ashley is assigned to the Family Services Unit as a Detective. She is a mother to a young son and has two dogs. 

Ashley hopes to become a licensed mental health counselor so that she can work with first responders experiencing occupational stressors, trauma, and PTSD. She is also interested in working with victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and sex trafficking. 

lURENA cLARKE

Lurena Clarke is currently a community outreach social worker in a municipal police department. Lurena has over 20 years of similar experience in other human service organizations.

Lurena is currently attending the University of Saint Joseph to earn her Master's Degree in Social Work and is looking forward to working with first responders, military personnel and their families in this healing and helping role.

Anamaria Erazo Medina

Anamaría is currently pursuing a Masters degree in Art Therapy and Counseling at the Albertus Magnus College. With a Bachelors degree in Psychology from the University of Connecticut, she had learned to combine her passion for art with psychology. Anamaría believes that art can be a powerful therapeutic tool as it allows for new ways to express one’s thoughts and feelings. Although her medium is acrylic painting, she enjoys learning about new techniques and materials that can be used in art-making. Additionally, she is a local artist, avid reader and enjoys nature.

Stanquinto Sudduth

Stanquinto Sudduth is deeply committed to the mental health field. He is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Springfield College. He is a retired Correction Officer and Military combat veteran with over 40 years of combined experience. He is also a dedicated Mental Worker at Mount Sinai Hospital.

Stanquinto has experience responding to critical incidents and providing peer support and is certified in First Aid Mental Health. He also has a deep understanding of the challenges in the field. His experience in Military policing and Military Correction has given him a unique insight into the stigma that comes with Mental Health regarding First Responders, the Military, and Correction. He truly knows what it means to have your 6.

Jeff Ward

Jeff Ward is currently in his 22nd year in law enforcement.  He began his police career with the Ansonia Police Department in 2002, where he received his certification as a Field Training Officer (FTO).  Jeff transferred to Southington Police Department in 2007 and he currently works as a Patrol Supervisor.  Jeff’s other assignments include FTO/PTO Program Coordinator and Instructor, Accident Investigation Team (AIT) Supervisor, Human Relations and De-escalation Instructor, STARS Peer Support/Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Coordinator, Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Coordinator and Honor Guard member. With the assistance of the Connecticut State Police STOPS program, Connecticut Alliance to Benefit Law Enforcement (CABLE), Honor Wellness Center, Believe 208, and the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF), Jeff designed and implemented Southington’s Peer Support/CISM Team in 2017.   In addition to teaching and training, the Southington Police peer team has assisted over twenty police and fire agencies in setting up their peer support programs, providing CISM work and offering peer support and resources. Jeff has the senior sergeant at Southington Police Department for 8 years and is the court liaison and evidence manager.

In 2018, Jeff was the recipient of the Officer Paul Buchanan Memorial Peer Support Officer of the Year Award.  The following year Jeff received of the Connecticut Police Chief’s Association “Serve Well, Be Well” Award.

Through Jeff’s time volunteering for Honor Wellness, he had become very passionate about helping other first responders cope with the continued and cumulative stressors they face day to day, on and off the job. This type of work has motivated Jeff to return to school and pursue a Master’s Degree in social work at the University of Saint Joseph to continue supporting first responders and veterans.

Steven Wilcox

Steve Wilcox, EMP-P, worked in corrections for 5 years and transitioned into EMS where he has spent 23 years serving the greater Waterbury area. He was working on EMS mental health on a grass roots level before going back to school to become a psychotherapist for first responders and veterans.