Meet the Team
Megan Moran LMHC,
Executive Director
(she/her)
Megan has worked in the mental health field for over 18 years, primarily with adolescents and young adults. Her professional career started as a high school English teacher, and through this work she became interested in personal and societal factors that influence identity development. She is a principal investigator and co-investigator on four Institutional Review Board-approved studies looking at the efficacy of mental health supports on emotional growth and future outcomes. As the Executive Director of Cultivate Care Farms since 2019, Megan and her team have grown from seeing an average of 35 clients per week to an average of 180 clients per week. In continuing to develop Farm-Based Therapy as an evidence-based form of mental health treatment, Megan’s goals are to continue to de-stigmatize mental health support for individuals and their families, to increase access to mental health supports, and to build community around wellness opportunities.
Chelsey Brown LICSW,
Assistant Director
(she/her)
Chelsey is a LICSW (Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker) and earned her Masters in Social Work from Boston University. She has been working in the mental health field for over ten years in a variety of settings and positions, including residential treatment, community outreach, and vocational training. As a social work student, Chelsey completed an internship in an outpatient therapy role with both individuals and groups and stayed in this role for four years afterwards, as she discovered how much she enjoyed counseling. Her passion for helping others and love of animals drew her to join Cultivate Care Farms in October 2021, where she focuses on creating a space of acceptance, non-judgment, and empathy for her clients.
Annie Melden,
MA
Farm Manager,
Clinician (she/her)
Annie completed her Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Lesley University in 2023, joining the Cultivate team in June of the same year. In her clinical work thus far, Annie has focused on working with clients to cope with and heal from anxiety, systemic oppression, and trauma through mindfulness and the building of a safe and nurturing therapeutic alliance. She is currently working towards licensure in Massachusetts.
Annie has been around horses and on farms since a very early age. One of her passions is caring for medically complex and retired horses, honoring their individual needs and gifts. Annie believes that animals and the natural world contain a multitude of grounding, healing effects. She has found that the farm helps the therapeutic process to take on a collaborative, creative, and magical quality. Her approach to farm and herd management involves awareness and ongoing education around climate change, animal health and wellness, and the therapeutic alliance between animals and people.
Annie’s therapeutic approach is client-centered, strengths-based, feminist, and relational. She meets her clients with empathy, warmth, humility, and awe. In her free time, Annie enjoys spending time with her animals and her family, and learning about sustainable farming practices from farmers in her community.
Lauren Herlihy
LMHC,Clinician
(she/her)
Lauren is a licensed mental health counselor and earned her master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling at William James College. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Saint Michael’s College. Lauren has provided individual and group therapy in adult day programs, k-12 schools, college campuses, a community mental health center, and with women who have been sexually exploited. She first visited the farm in 2018 to attend a continuing education course and saw how beneficial farm-based therapy is for people from all backgrounds. After obtaining her LMHC licensure, Lauren returned in March of 2021 as a clinician. She approaches her work with empathy and the belief that individuals thrive when they feel empowered. Lauren enjoys the outdoors, animals, running, and spending time with family.
Sam Sundermeyer
LMHC, ATR, Clinician
(she/her)
Sam is a LMHC (Licensed Mental Health Counselor) and ATR (Registered Art Therapist) who began working at CCF in 2017. Prior to the farm, she provided in-home therapy through The Guidance Center, as well as conducted safety assessments, and facilitated group and outpatient therapy in the Somerville and Cambridge public schools. Sam believes that therapy is most effective when children feel secure, validated and safe, and it is undeniable that farm-based therapy is uniquely suited to meet these needs. Clients are often immediately at ease around the animals, and the therapeutic alliance is able to grow much more quickly than in traditional settings. Sam notes that her clients have experienced great joy by being able to express their emotions in the freedom of the outdoors and by building relationships with the farm’s animals.
Marc Labb
LMHC, Clinician
(he/him)
Marc has worked with children, teens and families for over ten years. After graduating from Assumption College with a major in Human Services and Rehabilitation, Marc obtained a master's degree from Framingham State University and eventually earned his LMHC licensure. Marc’s previous work experiences have included: direct care staff member and clinician at a group home for latency and adolescent children; a therapeutic mentor; an in-home family therapist; and a crisis support worker and outpatient therapist. Through farm-based therapy, Marc allows his clients to explore the animals, the farm, and the land while using compassion and curiosity to effectively engage individuals and families. Marc incorporates his high energy and active nature into his therapeutic work. He believes in an authentic strength-based approach in order to help support his clients.
Jennifer Habeeb
LMHC, Clinician
(she/her)
Jennifer is a graduate of Emmanuel College with a BA in Art Therapy as well as Lesley University with a Master’s in Art Therapy and Mental Health Counseling. Jennifer has experience working with children, adolescents, and young adults in the criminal justice system, residential, school, and partial hospitalization settings. Jennifer believes that art, movement, nature, and mental health are uniquely linked in all of our identities, and the need for self expression is universal. Jennifer utilizes a trauma informed approach with clients and believes that the farm and the animals create a unique opportunity for individuals to learn about themselves, relationships, and their emotions.
Cypress Provvedini
PsyD, Clinician
(they/them)
Cy identifies as trans/nonbinary and neurodivergent. They obtained their Bachelor's in Psychology from Boston College in 2012 and Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from William James College in 2018. They have been licensed as a Clinical Psychologist in Massachusetts since 2022. Cy provides individual and family therapy to children, adolescents and young adults using a relaxed and warm approach with a client-centered, trauma-informed, neurodiversity- and LGBTQIA+-affirming theoretical orientation. They specialize in the treatment of post-traumatic stress and complex trauma, as well as mood and anxiety disorders and LGBTQIA+ health. Treatment goals are unique to each client and family, but may involve developing personal strengths and self-awareness, improving coping and symptom management strategies, and exploring ways to live a meaningful life. Modalities used are adapted to client needs and may include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; Attachment, Regulation, and Competency (ARC) Framework; Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT); Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT); play, art, and mindfulness-based interventions; and a good sense of humor.
At Cultivate Care Farms, Cy has found a community of dedicated providers and passionate participants who also find value in community care and nurturing a deep connection to the natural world. They believe individuals and families who feel the world is not built for them can find belonging and have a lasting impact on their community at the farm. They have witnessed youth develop insight and self-awareness through observations of animal behavior, discover personal strengths and talents through dedication to animal care and farm upkeep, and form new relationships with peers and adults in the context of a safe and supportive space.
Al O’Connor
LMHC, Clinician
(they/she)
Al completed their graduate counseling internship with Cultivate Care Farms in 2019 before graduating with their Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from William James College. After working at a community mental health center as a therapist, she returned to work as a therapist at the farm. In addition to outpatient counseling, Al’s experience includes case management at a day center for adults with developmental disabilities, direct care staff at an after school program for youth and teens with developmental disabilities, direct care counselor in an adult mental health group home setting, and working as a mobile clinician for a community mental health agency. Al works with children, teens, and young adults and is passionate about working with LGBTQIA+ clients. They utilize a person centered, relational, and strengths based approach to support clients with accessing their personal power and stepping into their identities. They believe that the farm and the animals create embodied opportunities for clients to overcome obstacles, improve self esteem, and heal.
Alyson Suduiko
LMHC, Clinician
(she/her)
Alyson is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who holds a master's degree in Counseling Psychology from Boston College. She has been working to support children and their caregivers for over 20 years, and has been licensed in Massachusetts since 2007. Prior to joining the Cultivate team in 2018, she worked in school-based settings and completed her clinical internship in a child and adolescent inpatient program.
Alyson believes that the basis for any successful therapeutic relationship is the relationship itself. Therefore, her approach is person-centered and strengths-based, with a focus on what is going right, not just on what needs to change. She works to create a therapeutic space where her clients feel safe, validated, and valued.
Alyson believes that the farm-based model at CCF provides an environment where clients and clinicians are able to make strong therapeutic connections quickly, as they build relationships with the farm and the animals, and work together to care for them. Alyson is also a lover of the outdoors who believes that taking therapy outside provides opportunities for therapeutic growth and exploration that would not be possible in another setting.
Rosie Cohen
Clinical Intern
(she/her)
Rosie is a clinical intern through Salve Regina University where she is completing her Masters in Holistic Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Rosie’s early interest in outdoor exploration fostered her passion for environmental stewardship, leading her to complete her bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies at the University of Vermont. While captivated by the science curriculum, it was the emphasis on holistic ecology that particularly resonated with her and ultimately inspired her to learn holistic practices as a means of resourcing both humans and the Earth in synchronicity. Rosie’s professional experiences include teaching outdoor environmental science, facilitating leadership training programs, coordinating care for patients at Dana-Farber, and her current work as a Mental Health Specialist on the McLean Franciscan Adolescent Inpatient Psychiatric Unit. These experiences have shaped Rosie into a clinically-skilled, holistically-oriented practitioner, and she continues to bring this knowledge and enthusiasm into her work at Cultivate Care Farms.
Sarah Douglas Clinical Intern
(she/her)
Sarah Douglas is a clinical mental health counseling intern from Merrimack College. Her background in therapeutic horticulture has shown her how powerful nature-based activities can be in supporting mental health. The farm-based therapeutic model at Cultivate Care Farms expands that scope for her, as activities with plants and animals set the stage for clients to experience personal growth, change, healing, and acceptance. Sarah believes the farm provides clients with unique and personalized experiences during which meaningful therapeutic work can take place. She enjoys working with kids and is excited to be a part of the Cultivate team!