Staff Bios

Gary M. Echt, LPCC, LICDC, SAP, NCGC II, has been working in the field of mental health for almost 20 years. In the past he has worked for several community-based mental health agencies in Geauga County as well as Cuyahoga County.  He is currently in a very successful private practice in Wickliffe where he attends to the needs of individuals, couples , family, and adolescents providing General Mental Health , Substance Abuse services and for the State of Ohio Parole Authority, providing treatment for sexual and violent offenders coming out of the prison system.  Aside from his private practice he has worked with defense attorneys and provided expert testimony in legal court cases in Federal, State, and local Municipal courts.

Jennifer M. Giesel, B.S., M. S., Psychology Fellow (Clinical Psychology), CM
Jennifer graduated in 2003 from Notre Dame College with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, and in 2005 with a Master of Science in Psychology.  She is currently finishing her last year of graduate work toward a PhD in Clinical Psychology.  Jennifer is now completing her dissertation research in the area of anxiety disorders with a research team at the University of Connecticut.  Jennifer’s specialty is in that of anxiety disorders and depression.  She has performed extensive research in both areas and has developed her own program designed to treat both disorders in a group setting.  Jennifer has also facilitated support and therapy groups for individuals suffering from a range of anxiety disorders including; social phobia, panic disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder.  Jennifer’s theoretical orientation and treatment is based on a cognitive behavioral and client-centered approach.  In addition, Ms. Giesel is certified in mediation and conflict resolution. Mediation is a form of aided negotiation involving a third party not currently a participant of the dispute.  Mediation can formally be defined as the intervention by a third party between two or more sides in a dispute in an attempt to help them reach an agreement.  Ms. Giesel’s training in mediation includes; business, employment, labor-management relations, family, education, public policy, civil court cases, and other interpersonal conflicts.  Training in the above areas has given Jennifer the ability to meet the needs of her clients in a compassionate and safe approach to treatment. 

Tanya J. Middleton MA, PC
Tanya graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and from John Carroll University with a Master of Arts in Clinical and Mental Health Counseling.  Tanya has worked within the social services field for over 10 years and has held various positions with several community- based mental health agencies.  She is currently working towards completion of her Chemical Dependency licensure.  She currently facilitates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy group sessions, conducts individual mental health, substance abuse, employee assistance, couples and addictions counseling.

Beth Ann Woyshville
Beth Ann Woyshville is a Licensed Professional Counselor-Clinical Resident. She holds a Master’s degree in Community Agency Counseling from Cleveland State University, where she also completed her undergraduate work in Psychology, Art History and Comparative Religions. During her Master’s work at CSU, Beth assisted in designing, implementing, and tracking data for the innovating SERV program (Supportive Education for the Returning Veteran) created by Dr. John Schupp, and continues to participate in assisting transitioning veterans in all areas of life. She has special interest in PTSD, TBI, Limb Loss, and new modalities of body reintegration.  Beth was one of the first to complete the new Ohio Certification in Chemical Dependency, and intends to earn the LCDCIII as well as the ATSA (Sex Offender Treatment) and NCGCIII (Gambling Disorder) certifications in the next few months.  She strives to continue to build her “toolbox” of credentials in order to be as responsive and effective a therapist as possible.

Beth encounters a diverse client base in her role at APS, providing individual and couples’ counseling as well as group work.  Her clients are from all walks of life and are suffering various degrees of challenges. She honors and values the sacred therapeutic relationship, and deeply respects that they allow her to be a part of their healing.  Beth is also privileged to be of assistance to those in various circumstances within the legal system, mainly Federal Probation and Pretrial clients.  Under Gary’s guidance, Beth is pursuing additional specialization in Sex Offender treatment, and counsels many who are offenders or suffer sexual addiction, and often partners or members of their family. 

Never losing focus on the possibility of healing by finding meaning in life, Beth strives to provide hope, encouragement, occasional humor, and steadfast support as clients move toward manifesting their best and recovering from life’s challenges. Her theoretical orientation is Client-Focused, grounded in a combination of Psychodynamic, Cognitive-Behavioral (CBT), Gestalt, and Mindfulness approaches (especially ACT: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy).  She also uncovers latent creativity therapeutic interaction through the use of the MARI (Mandala Assessment Research Instrument), and is a certified MARI Practitioner.  Beth’s interest in symbolic systems, Jungian thought, philosophy, spiritual expression and deep processes of transformation have led her to continue her own education in the arts, music, dance, yoga and alternative healing modalities.  She attends Psychoanalytic meetings and belongs to various professional organizations reflective of her Positive Psychology, Mindfulness, Psychodynamic, and Humanistic foci. She is currently enrolled as a doctoral student in the APA Accredited Counseling Psychology Program at CSU, and hopes to bring depth and creativity to the next leg of her journey, provided she lives through it!