Our Team

Melissa received her master’s degree at Lesley University and is a licensed mental health counselor and registered art therapist. She is also a certified thanatologist; a specialist in death, dying, and bereavement. She joined Jeff’s Place a year after its inception and oversees all programming activities, as well as supervises the clinical team. She has spent her professional career in school settings and non-profits working with children, teens, and adults who have experienced trauma. Creativity is a pillar in her work, and she uses the expressive arts as a healing tool for others to explore, express, and empower.

With 25 years of dedicated service in the nonprofit sector, Allie has a passion for fostering meaningful connections with donors, families, and communities. Her roles have been centered around nurturing these relationships to support the missions of various organizations. She is excited to leverage her expertise to contribute to the advancement of Jeff’s place bringing dedication, insight, and a commitment to making a positive impact – and working towards a future in which “no one grieves alone”.

If you like to learn more about ways to give and support our mission, contact Allie at [email protected]. She would love to hear from you!

Robby received their MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a specialization in Expressive Arts Therapy from Lesley University. They have worked with older adults at the Council on Aging and with children and adolescents in various environments. In their own creative practice Robby is a poet, dancer, and musician, and believes deeply in the potential for meaning-making and healing within all art forms, and within our imaginations.

Jessica received her MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a specialization in Expressive Arts Therapy from Lesley University. She has worked with people of all ages, both individually and in group settings, grounding her connections in the arts and play. Jessica relies on physical movement and artistic expression in her personal life as forms of meaning-making and self-care. Jessica also relies upon her prior experience in marketing to manage Jeff’s Place’s online presence and communications.

Jenny was awarded the second annual Excellence in Service Award at the 2018 Symposium for the National Alliance for Children’s Grief for her contributions to the field in both practice and research. She is the Founding Director of Jeff’s Place, FRIENDS WAY in Rhode Island, and Founding Clinical Director of Experience Camps. Jenny has worked extensively with bereaved children, teens, and families in various settings over the past 25 years providing counseling, professional training and education, and crisis response.  

Jenny’s publications include You Are Not Alone: Young Adults Coping with Death, book chapters, and peer-reviewed journal articles. She is a graduate of Simmons College School of Social Work, where she has taught as an adjunct faculty member. Jenny developed the Inventory of Youth Adaptation to Loss (IYAL), a strength-based outcome instrument, through her partnerships with dozens of children’s bereavement programs around the country and Canada. Jeff’s Place is proud to be the lead organization for a two-year national research study to inform program development and implementation, policy development, and standards of prevention and care for youth experiencing traumatic loss. 

Michele has a BA from FSU and studied Thanatology at The National Center for Death Education, Mount Ida College. She received her Grief Support Specialist Certificate from the University of Wisconsin and is a Certified Grief Educator. Prior to Jeff’s Place, Michele worked for 20 years supporting special education students in the Natick and Framingham Public Schools. In addition to her classroom role, Michele held Professional Development workshops for teachers which focused on children’s grief. She volunteered as a grief group facilitator for 17 years. Michele was honored by the Myra Kraft Charitable Foundation and awarded the Community Volunteer MVP Award in 2015 for her volunteer work at Jeff’s Place.

Maggie is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a specialization in Drama Therapy at Lesley University. She has previously worked with young adults with learning disabilities at the Threshold Program at Lesley University. Maggie believes in the power of play, embodiment, roles, theater and connection to heal and transform lives, and  incorporates these techniques into her work. In her free time, Maggie enjoys the performing arts by singing, acting in musicals, and going to see musicals at the Boston Opera House and Providence Performing Arts Center.