Meet Our Plymouth Meeting Team
The child-therapists at the Child and Family Art Therapy Center in Haverford are master’s level art therapists. We have uncommon training in visual and nonverbal communication, play-therapy, supportive structure, and child development, providing deep understanding about the unique ways our young clients think, feel, and behave. We can’t wait to help! Our award-winning child counseling approach consists of art therapy, play therapy, and verbal therapy with parent support for children, teens, and college students. It is our passion to help them overcome challenges and succeed at home, school, and in relationships.
Our Plymouth Meeting office is convenient to Conshohocken, Lafayette Hill, Norristown, North Wales, Ambler, Fort Washington, Dresher, Glenside, Jenkintown, Elkins Park, Willow Grove, Horsham, and Montgomeryville, and beyond.
You can reach our therapists at our main number, (610) 649-1080, and by dialing the phone extension found by their name.
Michael Fogel, MA, ATR-BC, LPC, PAATA HLM ext. 4
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Board Certified Art Psychotherapist, Licensed Professional Counselor
Founder/Director
Mike Fogel, MA, ATR-BC, LPC, PAATA HLM, is an author, visionary art therapy entrepreneur, and child whisperer. Passionate about childhood, parenting, and playfulness in therapy, he was inspired to found award-winning child therapy programs and businesses: the Art of Friendship Social-Coping Program® (2000), Child and Family Art Therapy Center (2007), Camp Pegasus (2013), and the BetterWorld Affordable Art Therapy Program (2019). Mike’s work is supercharged by heartfelt faith that every person has the innate capacity to heal, grow, and progress towards their vast personal potential. Mike published his first book in 2020, “The Social-Emotional Guidebook: Motivate Your Child to Master Social & Emotional Coping Skills”. The Pennsylvania Art Therapy Association twice honored Mike with awards for Innovative Application of Art Therapy in 2006 and Honorary Life Member in 2021.
Mike treats a wide range of childhood emotional-behavioral challenges at his private group practice. Since 1995, Mike cultivated a specialty in social skills group therapy with neuro-diverse children with autism, ADHD, and learning differences. The unique needs of this population stimulated Mike to create a comprehensive social skills training program (The Art of Friendship) and visually communicated S.E.L. curriculum. The program teaches young people social and emotional coping-skills and the Guidebook empowers parents and professionals to support and reinforce skill development. Mike preaches: social skills are for everyone, and social-coping skills hold the key to a kinder, more effective & compassionate society, and nothing short of world peace!
Mike is constantly involved in lay and clinical education. He was an adjunct professor and clinical supervisor at Drexel University’s graduate art therapy program for years. You’ll find Mike presenting at conferences and workshops around the country. His community service included volunteer positions on the board of directors of the Asperger & Autism Alliance of Greater Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania Art Therapy Association.
Mike lives outside of Philadelphia, PA with his wife, two children, and Penny the Shih-Tsu. He loves comic books, progressive rock music, all things comedic, college basketball, and rooting for his Philadelphia Phillies and Eagles.
Candice L. Lespoir, B.S., MSW x714
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Director of Operations
Candice is a social worker and is passionate about the development of others. She attended Chestnut Hill College and Temple University where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Business Communication and Master’s in Social Work, respectively. Candice worked at the
American Board of Internal Medicine (“ABIM”) where she served as an administrator to the Senior Vice President and was responsible for the development and distribution of all marketing publications for the organization. Candice continued her education and transitioned
to social services. During her time at United Communities of Southeast Philadelphia, she was a Program Coordinator for a girls’ mentoring program, Girls Today, Leaders Tomorrow (“GTLT”). Candice supervised nine case managers in a truancy prevention program that supported over 150 families on a monthly basis to break down barriers preventing their school-aged children from attending school daily by meeting families’ basic needs. A true self-starter, Candice also started two businesses!
Candice is passionate about watching and helping others grow, win, and become the best version of who they are. She is an excellent project manager and possesses skills which allow her to empower others to utilize their gifts and talent through advice and mentoring. One of her goals is to become a certified counselor and Life Coach to continue to empower and impact lives. She considers herself a life-long student and is driven to become who she was created to be- someone who empowers and impacts lives.
Candice enjoys spending time with her close-knit family and circle of friends. She likes to travel, eat, take 5-mile walks, and crash open houses.
Luisa Gray, MA, ATR-BC, LPC, ext. 700
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Board Certified Art Psychotherapist, Licensed Professional Counselor
Luisa Gray is a registered, board certified art therapist and a licensed professional counselor in Pennsylvania. Luisa earned her Master of Arts in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology with a concentration in Art Therapy from Naropa University. Her child-friendly art therapy approach to treatment helps both expressive and non-expressive children resolve a wide variety of emotional, behavioral and social problems. Her work with families employs a child-centered art therapy approach, play therapy, family systems, and a Mindfulness inspired outlook.
Trained in the rigors of outpatient mental health clinics, Luisa worked with both individuals and families on issues like grief and loss, depression, truancy, parenting issues and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders. She also gained valuable experience in facilitating art therapy groups for children with emotional and peer relationship problems.
Promoting social awareness and helping children learn how to connect to others in meaningful and respectful ways are some of Luisa's main therapeutic goals. She is currently taking a post graduate training course in play therapy at the Family Play Therapy Center in Mt. Airy. When Luisa is not working, she is enjoying the whirlwind of raising her two young children with her husband.
Eve Atkins, MA, LSW x712
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Licensed Social Worker
Eve Atkins is a licensed social worker who graduated with a master’s degree summa cum laude from New York University's Silver School of Social Work. Impressively, she simultaneously obtained a master's degree in infant and child development from Sarah Lawrence College.
Eve was an intern and then a staff social worker at The Parent Center at Henry Street Settlement in Manhattan offering parent and child/infant dyadic therapy, individual parenting support and therapy, and psycho-educational groups for parents of children with developmental delays and behavioral challenges. Eve offered intervention to a variety of complex presentations, including multiple traumas such as forced parent/child separations, abuse, substance use, and poverty. Her grounding in trauma-informed attachment-based work shaped her supportive approaches to clients. Eve gained additional clinical experience in an outpatient clinic in the Bronx treating children and adolescents with anxiety and depression, behavioral and attentional challenges, and relationship difficulties. There, Eve collaborated with caregivers, teachers, and other professionals to maximize young clients’ gains in the therapy office.
Throughout her life, Eve has always been passionate about working with young children. She participated in a hospital-based training for child-life specialists and worked at a daycare center. For two summers, she was a counselor for the youngest campers at Camp Pegasus and returned triumphantly in summer of 2022 as a clinical supervisor. Eve employs a flexible and integrated approach to therapy, geared toward fostering self-expression, coping skills, and healthy relationships. She applies a child-focused and attachment-based framework, incorporating play and evidence-based practices such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
In her free time, Eve enjoys art using watercolor, clay, and resin, reading, and spending time with friends and family.
Celeste Wade, MA, ATR-BC, LPC, x701
Board Certified Art Psychotherapist, Licensed Professional Counselor
Celeste Wade is a registered, board certified art therapist and licensed professional counselor. She attained her Master’s Degree in Creative Arts Therapies from Drexel University, with a thesis exploring the linkage of family of origin dynamics to the group dynamics sought out later in life.
Celeste began her therapeutic experience as a mental health therapist at a Philadelphia adoption agency. She specialized in stabilizing interventions for at-risk youth and families who experienced multiple and prolonged traumatic stressors. While there, Celeste received specialized training in the ARC model (Attachment, Regulation and Competency) which emphasize caregiver emotion management, psychoeducation, routines, expression, and self-development.
Next, Celeste collaborated with a mental health agency and a non-profit arts intervention organization to pilot art therapy groups for refugee populations in Philadelphia. She facilitated these unique therapeutic groups for several years, often co-treating with music and dance/movement therapists, and continues to volunteer for the agency. Celeste creatively utilizes a variety of the arts in her current practice, including music, movement/dance, creative writing, and drama.
Celeste also gained experience as a school and home-based behavior therapist, specializing in research-based and validated applied behavior analysis interventions for verbal and non-verbal children with ASD, Down’s syndrome, ADHD, Tourette’s Syndrome, OCD, oppositional defiant disorder, and emotional disabilities. Along the same lines, she facilitated social skills groups at The Center for Autism.
Celeste currently facilitates grief-focused art therapy groups multiple times a year for Camp Koala, a children’s bereavement camp in the Harrisburg area.
By integrating the aforementioned wide-ranging experiences and professional influences, Celeste is able to flexibly utilize an eclectic approach to meet the needs of any child in her care. With a strong background in behavioral therapy, she utilizes the power of reinforcement in her sessions in order to motivate learning and increase positive behaviors. Celeste also incorporates cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques to foster awareness and coping skills. Out of a humanistic/child-centered philosophy, she communicates to each and every client her deep belief that they have the ability to overcome challenges and reach their vast personal potential. Celeste passionately believes in the power of creative arts and play as powerful tools to help children and adolescents understand and navigate their confusing internal and social worlds. Above all, Celeste thrives off of working with children and appreciates their genuine spirit, curiosity, zest, spontaneity, resiliency, humor and sense of FUN.
In her free time, Celeste likes to run, read, make art, cook, volunteer, play with her five nieces and nephews, and coach Girls on the Run.
Donald "Donn" Lonnquist, MA, ATR-BC, LPC, x703
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Board Certified Art Psychoherapist, Licensed Professional Counselor
Donald “Donn” Lonnquist is a Registered, Board Certified Art Therapist and a Licensed Professional Counselor in Pennsylvania. He completed Drexel University’s graduate program in Creative Arts in Therapy with his Master’s thesis entitled ‘Treatment of the Bullying Phenomenon: A Survey of the Art Therapy Community’.
Donn is passionate about treating children and adolescents, in fact, it’s his specialty! He has 17 years of experience working with children, adolescents, and families. Donn spent most of his career as a school-based therapist and advocate for children’s needs and rights with the School District of Philadelphia, as well as private facilities and alternative emotional/behavioral placements for children.
Donn’s passion has been recognized through honors, awards, and promotion to supervisory/management levels for his outstanding therapy work with and coordinating services for children at multiple schools in the Philadelphia School District. He also was a part of the Child and Adolescent Crisis Response Team, where Donn compassionately and ably supported children with the most severe of emotional needs.
Dedication to professional learning and development is also important to Donn. He attended seminars/trainings on Treatment of DSM 5 disorders, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Mindfulness and the Body, Autism Awareness, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. He has also organized trainings on multiple topics, including multiculturalism, childhood health disorders, and safety precautions.
Donn has experience working with children and adolescents diagnosed with Mood Disorders, Anxiety, ADHD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorders, PTSD, Thought Disorders, Adjustment Disorders, and Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder. His unique person-centered, strength based, holistic approach helps children and families reach their fullest potential. Donald believes deeply and passionately that each individual has the ability and strength to learn and grow. “All we need to do is to create a space with the right balance of ingredients: safety, consistency, and trust - and children work through and overcome their issues naturally.”
Dana DiPretoro, MA, ATR-BC, LPC, LCAT, x708
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Board Certified Art Psychotherapist, Licensed Professional Counselor
Dana DiPretoro is a Registered, Board-Certified Art Therapist and Licensed Professional Counselor in Pennsylvania. She attained her Master of Arts in Art Therapy and Counseling from Drexel University, with a Master’s thesis exploring incorporating art therapy directives into the Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy treatment model.
Dana accumulated experience in an outpatient community mental health agency where she has treated children and adults experiencing a wide range of significant challenges: anxiety, depression, trauma, PTSD, Autism, ADHD, mood disorders, and personality disorders. On one hand, Dana is a generalist who offers powerful therapy for a wide range of childhood challenges. Building on that base, Dana pursued additional extensive training and experience working with children and adults who experienced trauma. She is trained in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), which promotes healing for children and their caregivers who have experienced trauma. Dana is also certified in Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE), which aims to reduce PTSD symptoms in adolescents and adults.
Dana approaches therapy using a loving child-centered approach while incorporating evidence-based practices into treatment, such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT). She considers the therapeutic relationship an essential agent for change. Dana is patient! She meets her clients where they are and highlights their unique strengths to become their best selves. Dana believes in a “systems approach” to treatment, which not only aims to improve presenting concerns/symptoms but also focuses on decreasing parental stress and increasing overall family functioning.
Dana has been a part of the Camp Pegasus “Team for Fun” for several years, starting when she was just an undergraduate student and working through the post-master’s level. She held multiple positions at camp throughout the years, up through Clinical Supervisor. Dana attributes her experiences at CP as the place where she fell in love with art therapy and developed her child-centered approach. In her free time, Dana enjoys reading, making art, cooking, traveling, and spending time with her loved ones.
Julia (“Julie”) Gotthold, MA, ATR-BC, LPC x702
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Board Certified Art Therapist, Licensed Professional Counselor
Julie is a registered, board-certified art therapist and a licensed professional counselor in Pennsylvania. She completed her Masters of Arts in Creative Arts Therapies from Drexel University, with a thesis entitled, Communication Impressions: A Printmaking Method with Children in an Elementary School Setting.
Julie has clinical experience working across various settings including inpatient, residential, long-term care, public school, and Camp Pegasus. She worked extensively with children, adolescents and young adults with varied neurodevelopmental diagnoses including Autism, ADHD and Intellectual Disabilities and neurotypical adolescents that presented due to crisis stabilization and persistent behavioral obstacles. Additionally, she provided creative and caring treatment to youth seeking support with emotional and behavioral issues such as depression, anxiety, trauma from abuse, PTSD, grief and loss, suicidality, homicidal ideation, psychosis, OCD, ODD and general life/family transitions. Julie’s work with highly acute patients spurred her professional growth in trauma-informed and sensory-sensitive care practices for the neurodiverse community, as well as stabilization after trauma, and verbal de-escalation.
Julie is grounded in authenticity, curiosity and compassion to promote healing, self-regulation and social-emotional understanding. She imbues her therapy sessions with strength-based and mindfulness approaches to best bring about empowerment and self-awareness with her clients and their support systems. She utilizes wide-ranging methods to explore and identify healthy coping strategies including art, storytelling, play, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) techniques. In Julie, you will find a dedicated advocate of accessibility to resources, equity, inclusion, diversity, and basic rights for those who are part of the neurodiverse, LGBTQ+, and/or racial minority communities in her professional and personal life. Julie’s personal philosophy is about celebrating the little moments of open communication, connection, and kindness.
In her free time, Julie enjoys painting, hiking, swimming, kayaking, trying new recipes and spending quality time with her spouse, young daughter, and two pets, Rubi the pitbull and Mango the orange tabby.