About Us
Daina Thompson MSW LCSW ~ founder Illuminate Wellness LLC ; co-creator of Illuminate Groups & Athlete Mind Body Program
Daina is an experienced psychotherapist that has worked in private practice for almost 20 years treating teens and young adults with a variety of mental health concerns. She is passionate about supporting youth through mental health education, accessible care, and breaking down stigmas to tackle the rising youth mental health & suicide rates. She focuses on Mind -Body Wellness to empower youth with greater self-awareness, healthy coping skills, improved self-confidence and resiliency to weather the stressors of everyday life.
Daina is co-creator/facilitator of Illuminate teen therapy and yoga groups and owner of Illuminate Wellness LLC. Illuminate groups were created as integrative model of traditional CBT techniques ( cognitive behavioral therapy) combined with Body based methods of breathing, mindfulness , meditaiton & yoga to achieve optimal benefit by changing toxic thougths, releasing body tension , while regulating emotions and the nervous system; based in principles of SMART program/ Mind Body Medicine from Benson -Henry Institute, Harvard Medical School.
Daina has experience assisting high school and collegiate athletes with mental skills training to effectively manage pressure/stress, “silence the inner critic”, improve performance in their sports as well as promoting teamwork. She is the co-creator of the Athlete Mind-Body Program that incorporates research-based mental skills including positive mindset, mindfulness, breathing & mediation, visualization and focus on desired outcomes to promote athletes using their mental strength as an asset to their physical training & power.
Daina’s core philosophy is that mental health is ‘brain health’, therefore needs to be treated as routine part of preventative care and youth activities in order to achieve optimal health and wellbeing. Mental Wellness is important at every stage of life and early intervention can help reduce long term health risks as result of internalized chronic stress. Daina hopes to inspire a model of “Total Wellness” through prioritizing self-care, healthy habits, and a positive & peaceful mindset to live your best life!
Professional experience : School Liaison/ Mental Health Counselor with Student Assistance Programs (SAP); Counselor in Adolescent Inpatient/Residential Treatment Program, Therapist in community mental health center; Educator/ Consultant to local churches, nonprofits & schools on youth development & mental health topics: Trauma informed care, ACEs Study, Suicide Prevention, Child Abuse/ Mandatory reporting; collaborative development and grant writing for youth mental health programs; group facilitator on Healthy Coping skills, Dialectical Behavior Therapy ( DBT) and Mind Body Wellness . Credentials: BA in Psychology from Shippensburg University; Master’s Degree in Social Work from University of Maryland, Baltimore: 30 Hr certification course in Mind Body Medicine at Benson-Henry Institute, Harvard Medical School. Daina is a licensed Clinical Social Worker in Pennsylvania. She is certified as a Group Facilitator and in Student Assistance Programs.
Ann Fields E-RYT-200, RCYT
Ann Fields is cofounder Illuminate Wellness LLC ; founder of Peaceful Poses Kids Yoga LLC ; co-creator of Illuminate Groups & Power Mind Body Program. She has a BFA in Ballet and is adjunct at HACC where she teaches Yoga and Pilates. Ann specializes in teaching children yoga, mindfulness, meditation, pilates, ballet and tapping (EFT). She teaches toddlers through teens, trauma informed yoga, children with exceptional abilities, yoga for dancers, and yoga for athletes, and adult pilates (mat and reformer) and yoga.
Recently, she has completed 22 hours of CEU’s in Mental Health Yoga. Also, she just wrapped up a 4 week SEL grant in an elementary school. Ann also works with IU 13’s Headstart program where she zooms 14 preschools each week.
Through Peaceful Poses Kids Yoga, Ann has worked with children at 15 local child care centers, IU 13 Lancaster Lebanon Headstart, Camp Hill School District, Pre-K Counts Mechanicsburg, Ready to Learn Mechanicsburg, The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, Commonwealth Charter Academy, PA Virtual Charter School, Fredricksen, New Cumberland and Bosler Libraries, Silver Spring, Enola and Mechanicsburg Recreation, Outschool, and several summer camps throughout south Central Pennsylvania.
Ann has presented on children’s yoga topics at Capital Area Chapter of PennAEYC (March 2019), The Early Childhood Summit at the Penn Stater (Nov. 2019, virtual 2020 and 2021), the Pennsylvania Head Start Annual Conference (April 2020) and the Lancaster Lebanon IU13 Education Conference (June 2020). She also develops and presents Professional Development for teachers.
Ann comes to the mat with a bundle of energy, a vibrant personality and a ton of patience. She is dedicated and passionate about helping children and adults discover their full potential.
In addition to running Peaceful Poses Kids Yoga, Ann Fields also works with Illuminate Wellness.
Along with her colleague, Daina Thompson, MSW LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker/Psychotherapist), they combine Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) skills, group discussion, yoga, mindfulness and mediation into classes for teens. We are excited to announce we are starting a women’s group soon. We help empower teens and women with skills and tools to help their inner lights shine brighter…to Illuminate.
Beth Herbster MSW LSW. ~ co-facilitator of Illuminate groups for teens, parents, athletes & coaches; provider of mental health services /assessments.
Beth is a licensed social worker/therapist with 27 years of experience in the mental health field. The majority of her professional work has involved helping teens and their families navigate and embrace what can sometimes be trying and difficult years. She believes that teens need to be heard in order to feel valued and that families are an essential component to helping teens move forward and grow. In addition, she believes that early intervention can help teens be more receptive to making changes to improve their mental health and carry those skills into adulthood.
Beth has extensive experience and expertise in the drug and alcohol field, both assessing teen substance use and educating on the impact substances have to the developing teen brain. She works with teens to help them understand the underlying reasons for their use and develop more productive, healthy coping skills. Her focus with athletes has been to understand how drugs and alcohol can affect their minds and bodies, impair their performance (short and long term) while working collaboratively with them to discover better ways to cope with common feelings of stress, anxiety and fear.
Beth was a 3 sport athlete in high school and has four children that have grown up in the sports world. Her oldest son is currently a collegiate athlete on the track team at Shippensburg University; a younger son that is a senior this year and committed to play lacrosse at Seton Hill University next year; and her daughter (a junior) has verbally committed to play field hockey at University of Massachusetts Amherst. Beth’s depth of involvement with sports has led to a greater understanding of the collegiate recruitment process for athletes and helped her navigate the process more smoothly and efficiently. She has gained a thorough understanding of the financial side of recruitment and the important questions to be asked to ensure the best fit for your athlete. Beth looks forward to working with families on the recruitment process as well as working with the athlete to identify their goals and ambitions for college level sports involvement.
Professional Experience: School Liaison/ Mental Health Counselor with Student Assistance Programs (SAP); Counselor at the Intermediate Unit for emotional support students; Home study/ post placement social worker for international and domestic adoptions; Educational presentations to students/ schools/communities on mental health topics. Credentials: Bachelor degree in Social Work from Juniata College; Master’s Degree in Social Work from University of Pittsburgh. Beth is a licensed Social Worker in Pennsylvania. She is certified as a Group Facilitator and in Student Assistance Programs.