Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners

Susan Borden

Susan Borden, APRN, CNP, PMHNP

Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, Clinic Founder

Center for Conscious Alchemy’s founder and owner, Susan Borden, offers integrative, holistic mental health care through nonjudgmental, compassionate, individualized, accessible, and evidence-based interactions with clients and families. She fosters trust and therapeutic alliance as a foundation for a transpersonal and co-created approach to healing and wholeness. Susan has engaged in the compassionate use of expanded states of consciousness through extensive training and ongoing consultation in ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) at Polaris Insight Center. She also completed the MAPS MDMA-assisted Psychotherapy training. Her dedication to community building and affiliating with experts in the field, her personal journey with psychedelic assisted psychotherapy, a deep spiritual practice and connection to divine feminine, and her own yoga and meditation practice, allows her to be present in the moment for co-healing.

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Heidi Titze, APRN, CNP, PMHNP

Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, Medical Director

Heidi Titze is a board certified family practice and psychiatric nurse practitioner. She has spent the majority of her career working in community care. She has a passion for helping those that need it most and ensuring that good comprehensive health care is accessible to all. Heidi strives to focus on holistic integrated care attending the physical, psychological and social well being of each of her patients. Her approach to your care is thorough and has a primary focus of treating you as the individual you are and not a symptom or a diagnosis. Heidi uses a trauma informed care model that recognizes each individual’s life journey and works to ensure safety, choice, collaboration, trustworthiness, and empowerment.

In her free time Heidi enjoys spending time with her two young sons, friends and family. She enjoys reading, playing games, music, movies, and playing outside whenever possible – sunshine is the best medicine!


Kelly Grossman, APRN, CNP, PMHNP

Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner

Kelly is thrilled to join the team at Center for Conscious Alchemy where she can truly provide holistic psychiatric care. Kelly is passionate about offering an empathetic, non-judgmental environment with unconditional positive regard for every person. She focuses on building strong therapeutic relationships with patients, collaborating with them to create personalized
treatment plans that may include medication management, supportive therapy, and lifestyle modifications.
As a board-certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, Kelly sees patients of all backgrounds and past diagnoses across the lifespan. Before entering the world of psychiatry, Kelly spent almost a decade as a registered nurse working in critical care. It was during her work in a trauma Intensive Care Unit where she discovered her drive to help patients and families
navigate their emotional responses to acute and life changing trauma. Kelly understands that the treatment of mental health conditions extends beyond medication alone and she looks forward to supporting the physical, nutritional, sleep, social, and emotional needs to increase the overall wellness of her patients. Kelly is married with two young children and a spoiled golden retriever. In her free time, she enjoys running, going to the movies, drinking coffee, and spending time with her friends and family!

Psychotherapists

Kate Goodman, MSW, LICSW, LADC

Psychotherapist

The relationship between participant and clinician is a unique experience and not one Kate takes for granted. Kate believes your story is your story and healing comes through the intention brought into the therapy space by both you and her. As a therapist, Kate is committed to being a source of unconditional positive regard, asking hard and important questions, offering observations to identify connections in experiences, exploring and challenging negative self-beliefs, offering tools and skills in the capacity desired, and celebrating the ups and the downs of the process. Kate believes human growth, change, and healing is most easily found when we allow ourselves the chance to be uncomfortable. Kate is a Certified Accelerated Resolution Therapy Practitioner and has found it to be an incredible tool for increasing healing with life’s big and small difficulties.

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Alex Stanger, MA, LPCC

Psychotherapist, Clinical Director

Alex believes that a true and authentic relationship is at the core of a positive and supportive experience in therapy. Alex enjoys working with young adults, adults, and college and graduate students.

Alex strives to create a non-judgmental, safe, warm, relaxed, and inviting environment. She works from a sex-positive, anti-racist, and LGBTQIA+ affirming lens. She has experience working with clients who present with anxiety, trauma, depression, ADHD/ASD, relationship concerns, self-esteem, identity, life transitions, body image concerns, and other challenges.

Alex believes that all people have a vast potential and capacity for self-understanding, self-directed growth, and self-healing. Each client has a unique experience that she strives to understand and foster positive, constructive, and conscious choices. She helps clients understand how past experiences have shaped and impacted their body, brain, and nervous system reactions and assists clients in developing awareness of learned behaviors that are no longer working for them.

Alex considers herself and eclectic and integrative clinician and incorporates a variety of approaches in her work, including relational approaches, mindfulness, nervous system regulation, mind-body/somatic, REBT, CBT, Polyvagal theory, psychodynamic approaches, and others. Alex strives to make therapy relaxed, comfortable, and includes celebrating the wins of life, humor, and a real human connection. Alex is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor. Alex graduated from Montana State University – Bozeman with a Bachelors degree in Psychology and Sociology. She went on to graduate from St. Thomas University with a Masters degree in Counseling Psychology.
Outside of the office Alex enjoys spending time with her family, friends, her dog Red, her cat Blue, reading, crocheting, quilting, cooking, eating, and playing video games.

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Swan (Kate) McDonnell, MA, LMFT, GSP

Psychotherapist, Global Somatic Practitioner

Sometimes we need extraordinary experiences to shift our perspective and make changes. Swan (they/them) is a licensed Marriage and Family therapist and Global Somatics Practitioner. They studied somatics before psychology, whereby exploring the wisdom of the body led to natural non-ordinary states of consciousness without the use of medicine. So, coming from a primarily embodied perspective, Swan encourages somatic approaches in both preparation and integration of KAP to help ease the process and make it more effective. Like a typical somatically-based therapist, they work with the nervous system, but also work underneath it at cellular, developmental, and energetic levels. Swan also uses a transpersonal and strength-based approach based on a quarter century of their own mindfulness practices, encouraging the process of contacting your essential self. This is the process of remembering who you are and accessing your inner healing intelligence.

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Olivia Elick

Psychotherapist, MSW, LGSW

“Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.” –  Arundhati Roy.  

Being where you are can be an overwhelming, intricate, daunting and yet beautiful experience…. The therapeutic space has the transformative power for us to be together in each thought, feeling, sensation, and continuous stories we carry. These experiences may often include not just our own narrative, but also the presence of familial, cultural, and collective influences. Olivia welcomes those who are in the beginning stages of exploring this space and curious about the relational aspects of healing and change.  In a therapeutic space with Olivia, there can be elements of mindfulness, humor, exploring different “parts” of oneself, acceptance and commitment strategies, motivational interviewing, delving into connections of our past, present, and future selves. But most importantly leading with love throughout the co-creation of the space and authentic relationship.

Olivia’s professional experience in relational healing includes working with youth and adults across various community resources, education settings, individual crisis therapy, and advocacy work within healthcare and governmental spaces. In our interactions with each other, there are new worlds being created that proves the existence of collective liberation and healing.


Alley Maki

Psychotherapist, pre-Licensed Mental Health Practitioner

I seek to create a therapeutic space that centers liberation, supporting the belief that individual wellness
is bound to collective well-being. I aim to help clients build upon their strengths and values, encouraging unlearning harmful patterns and limiting beliefs. I use a systemic and relational lens, working towards identifying ways to find a sense of peace within the social realities affecting each
individual.

I believe therapy can take many forms and seek to co-create the experience with each client. I believe when you invest in your own mental health, it can create an outgrowth of healing and endless possibilities. It is an honor to join others in their journey and to be trusted with their stories. My previous professional settings working with the houseless community and within the wellness field as a massage therapist inform my holistic approach to understanding clients’ experiences.

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Carrie Stark

Psychotherapist, MSW, LICSW

“We are all in the process of becoming.” -Audre Lorde

This process of becoming is hard.  Exploring what, how, and why we are becoming is what Carrie believes therapy is for.  

Carrie takes a very relaxed, come as you are, approach to therapy.  Her most important task as a therapist is to bring a certain presence to sessions to explore these questions together, an increasingly rare experience in a world where isolation is on the rise and materialism in all forms is valued over genuine connection and community.

Carrie loves working with first time therapy clients, clients who have hated therapy in the past, those who like exploring big ideas and challenging questions, and anyone who might be struggling to feel truly alive.  Carrie values curiosity, creativity, and creating meaning out of suffering with humor and humility.


Greg Marsh

Psychotherapist, MA, LPCC

“Have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart…live in the question.”
-Rainer Maria RilkeLetters to a Young Poet

Greg (he/him) grounds his work in relationship and holds space for clients as they find insight and healing through an exploration of their inner world.  He welcomes the messiness that may come with this exploration, serving as a container or guide. Greg enjoys working with clients who have intersecting identities, and he strives to be anti-racist, LGBTQ+ affirming, and non-ableist. He is trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and specializes in treating trauma. He has worked hard to understand evidence-based treatments as these painful experiences deserve the utmost care. Many clients who have worked with Greg experienced relief in symptoms related to single-episode events as well as complex developmental trauma.

Greg specializes in treating religious trauma/spiritual abuse and works well with folks engaging with deconstruction, existential questions, and spiritual issues. Greg also frequently works with people facing chronic pain/illness, relationship challenges, family of origin issues, phobias, identity exploration and self-esteem, depression, and anxiety.

Greg uses a variety of therapy methods: Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) and psychedelic integration, humanistic, psychodynamic, existential, and EMDR. He graduated from Metropolitan State University with a B.A. in Psychology and obtained a M.A. from St. Mary’s University in Counseling Psychology.

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Amy Wheelecor

Amy Wheelecor, PsyD, LP, E-RYT
Training Director, Psychologist

Amy is a licensed psychologist specializing in integrative treatment along the trauma spectrum;

  • Acute and post traumatic stress
  • Betrayal trauma, moral injury, and traumatic loss
  • Intergenerational, secondary, and vicarious trauma
  • Post traumatic growth

She employs a variety of trauma-focused and informed interventions that include identifying your specific needs for safely and effectively processing trauma experiences;

  • Acceptance and Mindfulness-Based Interventions
  • Compassion-Focused Therapy
  • Adaptive Disclosure-Enhanced for Moral Injury and Traumatic Loss
  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy 
  • Present-Centered and Prolonged Exposure Therapy for Trauma
  • Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness and Trauma-Informed Yoga

Trauma processing is supported through verbal, emotional, somatic, and experiential modalities. Amy incorporates interventions informed by her training in meditation, mindfulness, Buddhist and Vedic philosophy, and Yoga. She has completed trainings in trauma-informed Yoga, Yoga therapy, Vinyasa and hot Yoga. She is a practicing Vipassana meditator and teaches mind-body practices and their associated philosophies as vehicles for enhancing self-awareness, self-compassion, and self-acceptance. It is her hope that you will connect with greater awareness, compassion, and meaning in your life as a result of working with her. She has a special fondness for working with Creatives, Healthcare Professionals, Working Therapists, and Therapists-in-Training. 

Amy is a relational trauma therapist who believes healing happens within the context of supportive relationship. She embraces the inherent dignity of all people and works to create an environment that honors your agency and pace for processing traumatic experiences. Amy views health holistically and through a trauma lens. She believes all people experience adversity and that everyone has the capacity to heal. These beliefs are at the heart of her value system and inform how she works as a therapist. 

In addition to clinical work, Amy is a devoted dog mom, reads voraciously, loves the theater, both on stage and as a patron, and spends time without walls and surrounded by trees whenever she has the chance.

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Ben Swanson

Psychotherapy Intern

Ben’s therapeutic style is characterized by deep empathy, respect for individuality, and a strong belief in each client’s innate strengths. He maintains a non-judgmental space where clients can freely explore their thoughts, emotions, and life experiences. Ben values the importance of understanding the whole person, considering social, cultural, and spiritual influences. This comprehensive approach allows Ben to collaborate with clients to create therapeutic goals and plans that resonate with each client’s unique needs and aspirations.

With a deep commitment to helping his clients achieve holistic well-being, he integrates principles from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), humanistic psychology, existential therapy, and mindfulness practices. Ben specializes in helping clients through life transitions, clients facing symptoms of anxiety and depression, and clients recovering from trauma – especially religious trauma. He believes in the client’s ability to develop the psychological flexibility and strength necessary to get through difficult seasons of life.

Ben earned his undergraduate degrees in psychology and history from the University of Minnesota. He expects to have earned an MA in counseling and psychological services from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota in the Spring of 2025 and is currently working toward licensure. When he is not working he enjoys spending time with his family and friends, playing tennis, making pottery, reading and cooking.

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Jane Oas

Psychotherapy Intern

Jane engages in a collaborative approach to therapy that centers the relationship between client and therapist. She brings a warm and compassionate presence to the therapy room, with a deep curiosity
and respect for her clients and their experiences. Jane believes in the importance of trust, empathy, openness, and a bit of good humor to help work through the more difficult times in our lives.

Her process is informed by acceptance-based, relational, and existentialist theories. Jane also integrates mindfulness and somatic techniques into her practice, aiming to help clients reconnect with the body and nervous system in the ways that serve them best. She uses a trauma-focused approach to support her clients in their healing, and specifically enjoys working with those who are struggling with anxiety & panic, relational difficulties, traumatic experiences, and ADHD. Jane hopes to accompany her clients on a journey of examining both the past and present; remembering their strengths, finding a sense of agency in their life, and connecting with themselves and their
surroundings in a meaningful way.

Jane completed her undergraduate degree in Neuroscience at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and is nearing completion of her M.A. at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. She lives in South Minneapolis. Lately, outside of the office, she has been finding joy in reading novels, sitting on
patios with friends, and trying new things.

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Ben Flattum

Psychotherapy Intern

“Even more powerful than fate is the courage that bears it steadfastly.”

-Viktor Frankl

Ben is a therapist in Minneapolis who values looking at the big, daunting questions that truly make life valuable, but can also make it equally overwhelming at times. What starts as an online search for “therapy near me” leads to seeking meaning among the pieces of life which may not appear to fit together. Ben works from an existential orientation, with additional use of psychodynamic theory, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and mindfulness-based skill building.

Specialization of work includes anxiety and grief, as well as those seeking to understand more about their values, where those values come from, and how to use them in maximizing their life’s work. Common situations Ben works with are end of life care with individuals facing terminal diagnoses, ambiguous loss, moral injury, existential midlife problems and anxiety in the face of major transitions.

Ben believes therapy is about helping you understand what’s in front of you now so you can move forward with a stronger sense of clarity and purpose. He works collaboratively and not prescriptively, taking into account a truly holistic approach of mental, physical, and spiritual needs for each patient.

Having earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota, Ben is completing his MA in Counseling Psychology at Saint Mary’s University with an anticipated graduation in May 2025 and is currently working towards LPCC licensure. His passions include research into psychedelic assisted therapies, reading Alan Watts, and spending time in movement with his family and dogs.

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Operations Staff

Addie Smith

Office Manager, Billing Specialist

After moving to Minneapolis from the west coast in 2017, Addie (they/them) found their way into mental health administration and it turns out, there are very few things they love more than collaborating with therapists and their clients. Addie deeply values cultivating a space where clients can feel safe, supported, and empowered here. Outside of office administration, they also work as a dancer, choreographer, and artist mentor for youth dancers in the Twin Cities. In their free time you’ll find them biking around the city, finding a new cafe to go to, watching a silly show, or simply lying down (on some grass/in a lake/on their apartment floor/etc). Addie warmly welcomes any and all questions, concerns, musings, jokes, funny pictures – you name it!


Erin Buell

Administrative Coordinator

With a passion for animals and nature, Erin (she/her) helps to provide a calm, peaceful, and healing environment at The Center for Conscious Alchemy. She comes to us with a background in Electricity and Customer Service and looks forward to working with our clients and helping them with all their administrative needs. In her free time you can find her playing board games, reading, painting, crocheting or most likely outdoors when the weather is nice. She is also the creator of the tabletop card game, Golf Match and would be happy to play a hand with you! 


Cheri Keepers

Operations Director

Cheri Keepers holds an MBA and is a certified yoga teacher, RYT 200, through Yoga Alliance. Cheri is trained as a Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) Retreat Facilitator, with training completed at Polaris Insight Center and Rainfall Medicine. With 25 years in non profit leadership, Cheri has been in the role of director, executive director, operations director, external relations director as well as development/fundraising and sales roles. She holds a core belief that wellness, healing arts, and the outdoors must be accessible for all – supporting all healing modalities and the wisdom that we already hold to begin a healing journey. 
In her spare time, Cheri spends time with her husband and three sons, and their dog, in South Minneapolis. Cheri loves the humanity in all people, and strives to connect with others (and connect others!) through authentic relationships. 

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