Natures Playhouse

Jessica is a trained Fit4Mom instructor. She graduated with her Masters in Social Work with a focus on Children and Youth from the University of Michigan in 2015. She worked as a school social worker in Wayne-Westland Schools until she had her son, at which point she elected to shift her career focus to motherhood. Jessica always had a passion for fitness and after having her son she wanted to continue pursuing her physical health, but with her son by her side. This led her to becoming an instructor of stroller based workouts that are interactive for the children and focus on functional fitness for the moms/caregivers. Her classes are perfect for anyone with babies in strollers or carriers, and even our expectant moms. The class and exercises can be modified to meet every participant at their fitness level, so if you wonder if you belong the answer is yes. Fitness and building confidence in what your body can do is extremely important to Jessica, and she feels the earlier we introduce this notion to children the better. When you get to the heart of it, demonstrating self-care to your little ones while having fun is what her classes are all about, and Jessica is so excited to have you join her!  

Hi! My name is Katie! I am thrilled to be a hypnobirthing instructor with The Calm Birth School!

After experiencing my own positive birth with my son, I uncovered a new passion of mine. I LOVE talking about birth and pregnancy! I also realized the need for more education and opportunities for birthing people to recognize their own inner potential to achieve the birth they deserve.

Whether this means medicated, unmedicated, home-birth, induction, planned or emergency c-section; you are capable of having an empowered birth where you can feel confident and calm in the choices you make!

I am available locally in the Metro-Detroit area as well as via Zoom. I’d love to chat with you!

Brandi is a Licensed Masters Clinical Social Worker (LMSW), with over 10 years of experience providing professional support to individuals and families within human services. During Brandi's time at DHHS,  she worked as a foster care specialist assisting families with reunifying, in addition she was the coordinator of a program that guided young people as they transitioned out of the foster care system in developing life skills and independence. As a licensed social worker, she has had the opportunity to help both youth and adults, individually and in groups. Brandi is a Certified Grief Recovery Method Specialist, and has provided extensive support to grievers and their families during very difficult times. Trained in the use of several therapeutic methods, she utilizes the method(s) that best meet clients' individual needs. 

I sincerely believe that every person is valuable and has the potential to experience their emotional wellness when provided meaningful support. Creating opportunities for my clients to discover and tap into their core strengths is at the heart of my daily focus. I am dedicated to helping people in the community thrive and be the best version of themselves. 

Desiree Cameron, is originally from the east coast, and spent majority of her life in Connecticut and New York. Desiree obtained a Masters in Counseling and Business and has over 10 years experience in higher education. After having two children prematurely and experiencing the lack of adequate support and disparity in the medical system, encouraged Desiree to be an advocate for women, especially women of color, to offer some light and devise an action plan, offering support to meet women at their point of need pre/post partum. Desiree is owner of Birthing Abundantly Maternal Services, LLC serving as a certified lactation consultant and full spectrum doula, capable of supporting high risk births and postpartum recovery. She also fully supports the BIPOC and LGBTQ community. 

I have been a registered nurse for two decades, having worked in both home and hospital settings.  I was initially certified as an IBCLC in 2007.  I hold a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Michigan State University and a Master of Science in Nursing from Oakland University. 

Does my insurance cover visits with you? 

I am now working with The Lactation Network. If you have BCBS, Cigna, or United- they might be able to get you pre-approved for up to six covered (no copay) visits with us. Follow this link to see if we can get you pre-approved: https://go.lactationnetwork.com/ProfessionalBreastfeedingSupport

What about other insurance plans????

The Affordable Care Act dictates that breastfeeding supplies and support should be provided to patients without cost-sharing. We recommend that you contact your insurance company to determine coverage before your appointment. 

All appointment fees are collected at the time of your visit. We will provide you with a Superbill to submit to your insurance company after the visit. You can submit this to your insurance company, and they will reimburse you directly. Depending on your insurance company (and your individual plan), the amount of the reimbursement can vary greatly. It is best to contact them before your appointment so that there are no surprises.

If you have a pre-tax health care expense account, all of our services qualify for reimbursement. We also accept credit cards from these accounts.

Gianna is a Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM) and Women's Health Nurse Practitioner (WHNP-BC) living and working in the Metro Detroit area. Gianna has been a birth worker since 2011 and has worked in a variety of settings to include out of hospital birth centers, large hospital teaching facilities, smaller community hospitals and private practice. Now, Gianna works as a midwife laborist in a metro Detroit hospital and enjoys supporting families as they arrive o the hospital for the birth of their baby. Throughout her career and the 1000+ births she has had the honor of being a part of, she has often seen pregnant families struggle with navigating the complex maternity care system to feel confident to make the best decisions for their care. For that reason, Gianna became an Evidence Based Birth (EBB) instructor and is excited to be offering the EBB Childbirth Course to families looking for a comprehensive childbirth education course.

When Gianna is not working, she is enjoying spending time with her two young sons and husband, exploring toddler-friendly activities in the metro Detroit area. 

Mashell is a 500-hr registered yoga teacher (RYT) and yoga therapy student with a background in social work and training development. Her yoga journey started as a holistic way to heal her body from the inside out and cope with her stress and anxiety. On her journey, she fell in love with the emotional and physical transformation she experienced and knew that she had to offer these opportunities to others. Practicing in a larger body with mobility challenges taught her the importance of representation in yoga. As a result, she strives to meet every student and client where they are on their journey, integrating variations to meet their physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual needs.

Marganit is a Doctor of Physical Therapy specializing in orthopedic and pelvic floor physical therapy. Marganit believes in a holistic treatment approach in order to get the best results for her clients. Marganit is a mother of 3 children, and found her passion for pelvic floor PT after the birth of her first child when she realized how difficult it was to get quality postpartum care. Marganit is certified in pelvic floor rehabilitation through Herman and Wallace, having completed levels 1, 2A, and 2B. Marganit is also a certified postpartum corrective exercise specialist. Marganit’s goal is to provide inclusive pelvic floor PT, with a focus on the perinatal period, bowel bladder dysfunction, sexual dysfunction, or pelvic pain.

Nicole is a doctor of physical therapy specializing in orthopedic and pelvic floor physical therapy. She found her passion for healing the body with movement while working as a pilates instructor. Nicole is certified in pelvic floor rehabilitation through Herman and Wallace, having completed levels 1, 2A, and 2B. Nicole is also a certified postpartum corrective exercise specialist. Nicole has a passion for providing inclusive PT services for all genders experiencing pelvic pain, sexual dysfunction, and bowel and bladder dysfunction, and has experience providing trauma informed care. 

When Bomani Gray was given the name “Bomani” by his community of elders he knew that he was charged with an awesome responsibility. The Malawi (South Africa) name means “Warrior”. And as a community warrior, Mr. Gray has dedicated his life to public service as a community and educational advocate.

As a product of the Detroit Public School systems himself, Bomani understands the importance of starting early to develop advocacy programs that keep students and parents plugged into the educational process. As a parent, he and his wife continue to support their four children and other young people in the community, in all of their educational and life endeavors. Bomani's undergraduate work at Central Michigan University in the Non-Profit Management Program with certificate in Community Development, deepened his passion for developing programming around men, particularly fathers.

As a former program coordinator for Fathers Forward with the Detroit Health Department, he worked to educate parents in programs that can help enhance their child’s learning outside of the traditional classroom environment. He works closely with the Safe Sleep Initiative. He currently sits on the board of Birth Equity Leadership Academy (BELA). In his spare time, he volunteers with the Children’s Hospital of Michigan to install car seats for families.

Bomani and his wife, Kija have been married for over 20 years and are especially proud of being parents to four children: Demetrious, Zuri, Kafele and Zwena. 

Cortney is trained in Infant Massage though Infant Massage USA. She is also working towards certification in an evidenced based intervention, Parent Child Interaction Therapy, or PCIT, for short. Full time, Cortney is the Quality Supervisor for Starfish Family Services in Wayne County. Cortney graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Social Work in 2004 and a Masters of Social Work in 2005 from Eastern Michigan University. When not working, Cortney enjoys spending time with her lovely, strong spirited daughters.

Emily is a limited license social worker who has worked with a wide range of clients from adults to teenagers to children. She has worked extensively with people of diverse cultural backgrounds. Emily has experience working with clients who have experienced trauma, abuse, grief and loss, mood disorders, behavioral disorders, family conflict, physical illness, parenting struggles, and general stress and life transitions.

Emily uses an integrative approach, rooted in attachment and psychodynamic principles, and she often incorporates a family systems perspective into therapy. She also has a strong foundation in cognitive behavioral techniques, play therapy, and mindfulness-based techniques.

Emily is a relational therapist who operates from a strengths-based perspective. She is a firm believer in establishing a trusting and collaborative partnership with clients. It is important to her that clients feel safe, heard, accepted, and respected so they can overcome adversity and grow and thrive.

Emily is comfortable working with parents of children of all ages. As a mother of three young children, she understands how hard it can be to transition into the role as a parent. She appreciates the absolute joys of having children but also the depth of frustration, fear, and despair that parenting can bring.

Angela is a trained Fit4mom instructor. She previously taught Pre-K through 8th grade math special Education, but always had a passion for fitness and nutrition. Her classes are perfect for moms with babies in strollers, babies in carriers or pregnant mamas. She decided to teach fitness classes when she went on maternity leave with her second son and wanted to continue working out, but not have to leave him in a gym daycare. The classes are interactive for the children and incorporate the stroller as well. The exercises can be modified for every mama depending on where they are in their stage of fitness. She has masters degrees in Biology as well as in Education and currently works as an independent consultant with Arbonne and a fitness instructor. Fitness and nutrition are extremely important to Angela and she feels as though the earlier children see the importance the better. Children learn from what they see and are exposed to consistently. Exercise has been shown to help in many aspects and being able to share the time with your little ones while fulfilling your needs is perfect.

Tiffany is a fully licensed master level clinical social worker specially trained in perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. After adapting to her own transition through pregnancy and early motherhood with her daughter and working through her own post-partum anxiety and depression journey, Tiffany found the experience of coping with her transition to be a challenge that sparked the motivation to work with others experiencing the same. 

 Tiffany also has experience in working with those who are struggling to cope with grief and loss and the unique dynamic that a loss can present whether it’s a loss of a sense of self  through major transitions in life such as marriage, pregnancy, parenthood, career development or the loss of a relationship or loved one. Tiffany has experience in applying theories such as psychodynamic and cognitive behavioral as well as adapting a strengths-based model and emotion focused approach to her work with clients. 

Tiffany supports a team approach with clients to strengthen the interpersonal connection and communication challenges that they may experience as further challenges during these life changes. 

Tiffany also has experience in working as a clinical hospice social worker and within a part time teaching role at Wayne State University School of Social Work.

Melanie Pieknik has been an RN since 2004, specializing in Emergency- Trauma, more recently working in home care and public health. She graduated with a Bachelor’s in Nursing in 2004, Master’s in the Science of Nursing in 2011, and completed her Yoga Therapy certification with YogaMedics in 2012. She is the proud Mama of Lily and Oliver, who never cease to amaze her!
Melanie has long had an interest and fascination with the mind-body connection and continues to be inspired by the clients with whom she works.

Juliana is a trained Anusara-Inspired Yoga teacher whose playful and creative classes weave together metaphor, philosophy and principles of alignment. Her classes are infused with her effervescent personality and encouraging nature. As a visual artist and belly dancer, Juliana was drawn to yoga as a means of harnessing her creative energy, to alleviate stress and to deepen her awareness of the anatomy and movement of the body.  She specializes in prenatal and postnatal yoga and movement. She completed her prenatal yoga training through Mindful Mamas and she most recently completed her MUTU Pro Training, as she wants the mamas and mamas-to-be in her classes to be supported fully.
She has been belly dancing for 19 years and belly danced throughout her entire first and second pregnancies as well as through first stage labor.  She has masters degrees in Fine Arts as well as in Art Education and currently works in public education.  Yoga, belly dance and art are a way of life for Juliana. As a mother, she is committed to living her life with compassion and awareness, in order to create a strong foundation for her family and the global community to flourish.

Johana is a Business Administrator that came to United States from South America (Colombia) looking to learn English as a Second Language (ESL) as a goal to become more competitive in this globalized world. Since then, she has had a wonderful cultural exchange. During her first four years, she met families that allowed her to share time with their children teaching Spanish. Johana is a mom of a lovely girl who has provided her the most beautiful experience of her life and continues to teach her day to day how fortunate and blessed she is performing this role.  

Kristin was selected to train with the world renowned sleep expert, Dana Obelman and her incredible Sleep Sense team. Sleep Sense is accredited by the International Association of Professional Sleep Consultants. Kristin's training has prepared her to fully understand best practices, create custom sleep plans, monitor and modify those plans with supportive coaching and be a resource for all things sleep.  As a Teacher, Mother of 3, and Certified Pediatric Sleep Consultant, Kristin supports that children thrive on routine.  Sleep patterning and training is complex and there are a wide variety of opinions on what is best. Kristin looks forward to using her skills to assist in taking the stress out of creating the ideal sleep schedule for your child. A well rested parent, is a happier parent!

Liz McConnell is a former kindergarten and first grade classroom teacher, as well as a mom to her two young children. She is passionate about motherhood and early childhood educational experiences, and hopes to support children and families with her wide range of social/emotional and academic expertise. Liz obtained an undergraduate degree in elementary education with a specialty in Language Arts and Math from Oakland University, as well as a Master's degree in Educational Technology from Central Michigan University. As a classroom teacher, she worked with a wide range of student needs and abilities, and developed an emphatic and loving view on whole-child parenting and educating.

Mikki is a licensed master’s social worker has a Level III Infant Mental Health Endorsement through the Michigan Association of Infant Mental Health.  She has specific training and experience with Perinatal Anxiety and Mood Disorders and attachment relationships between parents and young children.  She has worked in Community Mental Health settings for community at Head Start’s, GSRP’s and preschools for over 10 years.

Although Mikki’s work in Infant Mental Health and attachment relationships began before she had children, having children only deepened her passion in working with families to strengthen bonding and attachment. Other professional certifications include child proofing assessments, through the International Association of Child Safety; and infant massage instructor, through Infant Massage USA.

A licensed Master Social Worker in both clinical and macro specialty, Sarah has worked as a facilitator, counselor and advocate for families in a variety of settings, including schools, residential facilities, in-home and clinics, locally and abroad. Sarah strives to develop community organization through her work with non-profits.  She has served as the Trainings and Technical Assistance Chair for the Michigan Network For Youth and Families’ board and served on the Community Advisory Board for the University of Michigan Maternal and Child Health Training Program.

She currently serves on the Board of Directors for South Oakland Shelter as well as on her local AAUP union as a member of the Academic Staff Steering Committee.  After being an active member of the Wayne State University School of Social Work Alumni Board, Sarah joined the School of Social Work as an Advisor for the Master’s program.  She is currently completing a certificate in Maternal Mental Health through Postpartum Support International.  As a new mom, she hopes to instill a sense of support and provide resources for moms within her community.

Ruth is a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW). Her post-secondary education began at Central Michigan University where she earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology & Family Studies, later followed by a Master’s of Social Work with a concentration in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy from Wayne State University.

Ruth has prior experience in Child Welfare as well as Community Mental Health. Currently, Ruth works as a clinician in a school based environment where she provides emotional and mental health services and support to students, parents, and school personnel.

Ruth’s compassion for working with children and families has deepened tremendously as she embarked on her newest position as a mother to a handsome and energetic son. Ruth has shown herself capable of providing not only compassion, but empathy and care to parents and children. This connection allows for Ruth to continue to grow and gain knowledge in relation to attachment and Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders.

Ruth meets clients where they are at and has experience needed to provide a variety of treatment modalities to ensure the best practices to each and every child and family, based on needs. She has worked with a variety of treatment modalities including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Trauma-Informed, Strength-Based Therapy, Solution-Focus Brief Therapy, and Person-Centered Therapy.

Tessa Benziger is a registered yoga teacher and a master’s level social worker and therapist. She is passionate about helping children and adults alike connect with their own source of peace and strength through yoga, breath, meditation, and empowerment-based counseling.  She is a Certified Trauma Specialist through the National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children, and has completed her prenatal certification through Mindful Mamas. She is the mother of three wild and beautiful children, and practices mindfulness daily to help manage her sleep-deprived, stain-covered, love-filled life. 

Lawrence Robinson LLMSW, joins Nature's Playhouse with a focus on fathers and birthing partners.  He advocates for inclusivity of the father's role in the birthing process, breastfeeding support and mental health.  Lawrence feels committed to building support for fathers to share, bond, grow and evolve into the family space of Fatherhood.

Amanda started Save 1 CPR in 2012 which includes two training rooms, 7 instructors and provides mobile training all over the state including anywhere from daycares, fire departments and surgical centers, to security companies and even the army.  She is a licensed Paramedic previously working private EMS and has been working in a level 2 trauma center (now on the side) for almost 7 years. Amanda, is a certified CPR instructor for the American Red Cross, American Heart Association and the American Safety and Health Institute. Outside of work she is an avid dog lover and animal advocate, volunteering with two animal welfare groups, fundraising, fitness and travel, along with being a wife, mother to her beautiful daughter and our two dogs.    

Linsey is a licensed master clinical social worker with specific training in perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. She is the mother of two daughters and deeply understands the challenges that pregnancy and parenting bring. She has worked in a wide range of social work settings, in the US and abroad, but as she transitioned into motherhood herself, a passion was born for supporting other pregnant and parenting people. Linsey utilizes a cognitive-behavioral therapy treatment modality which is highly practical and solutions-focused. She has an inclusive view of family, sexuality, and gender, and wants to support families in reaching their own goals. 
*not accepting new clients 

Liz is a Licensed Professional Counselor with a Master’s in Community Counseling from Eastern Michigan University. As mother to two children, with her second pregnancy during the pandemic, she can recognize all the challenges women face making the transition to motherhood. Being a parent can be an incredibly joyful experience, yet it can feel overwhelming. Liz recognizes it often takes a village and will work with clients to build up a multifaceted path to healing.

Liz has over ten years of experience working with trauma including domestic violence and sexual assault. Liz is trauma certified. She works with both adults and children. Liz has experience helping parents support children who have experienced trauma. She has also worked with children in overcoming their own experiences with trauma.

Liz is compassionate in her approach to counseling. Liz works with a variety of treatment models including cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, and play-therapy. Liz recognizes gender disparities which can make parenting especially challenging for women. Liz uses an empowerment approach in counseling in which clients receive encouragement to recognize their own strengths on their path to healing.