Sara Ranssi, LICSW, RPT-S, SEP (ASL)

Sara Ranssi is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker with almost 20 years of experience working in the deaf community. Sara is also a Registered Play Therapist and Supervisor (RPT-S) and a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP). She specializes in providing culturally and language specific mental health services for deaf, deaf/blind and hard of hearing individuals of all ages. Sara received her undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. She then earned a MA in Deafness Rehabilitation Counseling from Northern Illinois University, working in adult mental health, before going on to get her MSW from the University of Minnesota and finding great enjoyment working with children and adolescents. In addition to her therapy work, Sara provides clinical social work and play therapy supervision. She is a co-owner of Hope and Healing Family Counseling, LLC and founding member of Safe Haven (https://safehavenmn.com/). Sara presents nationally on understanding and treating trauma in children and adolescents with hearing loss.

More information about Sara’s work can be found at https://safehavenmn.com/sara-ranssi/

Sara played basketball in college and still enjoys playing today. Sara’s other interests include yoga, running, restoring old furniture, and hiking in the mountains.

Patricia Sandkamp, MA, LMFT

Patricia Sandkamp (also known as Patty or Ms. Patty) has a passion for working with children and their caregivers in service of the well-being and development during the early childhood and elementary aged years.  Patricia has a Masters of Arts in Family Life Education (MA) from Concordia University in Minnesota, and completed a post-graduate Licensure Only Track for Marriage and Family Therapy through Adler Graduate School, in Minnesota.  Patricia is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) who is in process of attaining the Registered Play Therapist (RPT) designation.  Patricia has experience in working with family systems and children facing challenges related to anxiety, trauma, foster care or pre-adoption, self-esteem, ADHD, Autism, grief /loss, family life changes including a child’s adjustment to those planned and unplanned life changes.

Patricia applies play techniques from a child directive and/or therapist lead perspective, dependent on the approach needed for each child/family. Patricia believes a child’s success in therapeutic work is best supported through a perspective of partnering with the child’s primary caregivers in service of the child’s therapeutic growth.  Being a caregiver/parent is the hardest and most important job in the world!  From a system’s perspective, when one aspect of a system is challenged or stuck, the whole system feels it, so shifting just one part of a family system (i.e. a child), will affect the whole of the family; but is not the only solution as leaders within a family group will also have the opportunity for growth and renewal through the progress of the child client. 

Alexis Greeves, LPCC, RPT-S (ASL)

Alexis is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC), a Registered Play Therapist and Supervisor (RPT-S), and a Theraplay® practitioner and trainer. Alexis has been providing psychotherapy services to children, adolescents, adults and families for over 20 years. Alexis is trained in EMDR, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Co-Active Coaching, and a great variety of play therapy modalities. Teaching and training is a great joy for Alexis as she enjoys raising up the next generation of therapists to carry on this healing work. Alexis has taught Intro to Play Therapy courses at the graduate level in Washington, DC and in the Twin Cities. She is a co-owner of Hope and Healing Family Counseling, LLC and founding member of Safe Haven (https://safehavenmn.com/). Alexis presents nationally on understanding and treating trauma in deaf and hard of hearing children and adolescents. Alexis completed her undergraduate work at Wesleyan University in Connecticut and her MA in Counseling at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC.  

She specializes in providing culturally and language-specific mental health services for deaf and hard of hearing individuals of all ages and is fluent in American Sign Language (ASL). 

Alexis enjoys playing running charades, singing karaoke at top volume (sometimes well, sometimes not), traveling the world to visit friends and family and then plopping down on the couch to watch TV with her family.  

More information on Alexis can be found at: https://safehavenmn.com/alexis-greeves/

Mikaela Dunn, MSW, LICSW

Mikaela Dunn (she/her) is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) with over 9 years of experience working as a therapist.  She has provided therapy to kids, teens, adults, and families in multiple different settings, including crisis stabilization, intensive in home, school based, and outpatient therapy. Prior to becoming a therapist, Mikaela worked with teens as a youth care worker at a residential treatment center in Chicago.  Mikaela received her undergraduate degree from The College of St. Benedict, and her MSW from St. Catherine University/The University of St. Thomas.  She is also a Board Approved clinical supervisor.

Mikaela specializes in working with adults in the areas of anxiety, perfectionism, trauma (including pre-verbal trauma, developmental trauma, and single incident trauma), self doubt, life transitions, and neurodivergence.  Mikaela is a certified EMDR therapist.  Her approach is integrative in nature, incorporating trauma and attachment focused therapies, cognitive strategies, polyvagal theory, and expressive therapies (such as sand tray) into her work with clients.  

Mikaela enjoys trying out new restaurants, spending time outdoors by one of Minnesota’s beautiful lakes, and taking in new podcasts, books, and shows. 

Dana Nagel, MA, LMFT, RPT-S

Dana is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a Board Approved Supervisor. Dana earned her bachelor’s degree in Child Psychology from the University of Minnesota and a Master degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Adler Graduate School. Dana is a Board Approved Supervisor for the Board of Marriage and Family Therapy and Board of Behavioral Health as well as a Registered Play Therapist Supervisor.

Dana specializes in young children and their families providing evidence based therapeutic interventions. As a registered play therapist, she is rostered in Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP), trained in Circle of Security (COS) and Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT). Dana has over 20 years of experience working with young children and their families, working collaboratively with the family system. Dana has experience working with behavioral/relational issues, grief and loss, divorce/co-parenting, trauma, neurodiversity and anxiety. Dana utilizes directive and non-directive play therapy techniques with clients.  

Dana enjoys spending time with her family and two dogs going on walks and spending time exploring nature, doing puzzles, going to the movies, camping and traveling.