Meet The RCF Team

Owner/Clinical Psychologist
Wayne Mason Jr, PhD
Dr. Mason is the founder of Resilient Children and Families. As an emerging philanthropist and entrepreneur, he is committed to providing psychological and social services to children and their families (particularly the disadvantaged). He previously held a dual faculty appointment as a neurodevelopmental psychologist and clinical assistant professor at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and the Ohio State University’s School of Medicine. He completed his postdoctoral residency training at Emory’s School of Medicine. Dr. Mason earned his Doctorate of Philosophy in Clinical Psychological from Seattle Pacific University in 2018. Before pursuing his academic and professional goals, Dr. Mason served as an enlisted service-member in the United States Army and completed two combat deployments in service of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Licensed Social Worker
Beatrice Miller, LSW
As a licensed social worker, I have a lot of experience working in various mental health and social service settings. I have a passion for working with youth, especially adolescents between the ages 12 and 17. As a Columbus native, my goal is to always serve the communities in which I come from. I graduated from Kent State University with a bachelor of science in public health with an emphasis on health promotion and education and then received a master degree in social work from Ohio State University. Since graduating I have acquired skills and knowledge through trainings and experience on working with at risk populations and how to implement solution focused practices when working with children and families.

Licensed Social Worker
Danielle Northcutt, MSW, LSW
Danielle Northcutt is a Licensed Social Worker at Resilient Children and Families (RCF). Danielle has over 5 years of experience supporting young children, teens, adults, and family units in various settings. She has worked with individuals in hospitals, schools, non-profit, and foster care facilities. Danielle is passionate about helping people heal, develop new skills, and navigate through their mental health journey with self-empowerment. Danielle utilizes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Motivational Interviewing, Strength-Based Therapy and Person-Centered Therapy. Danielle attended Miami University, there she earned applied-science degrees in both Education and Integrated Studies. Danielle furthered her education earning a Master of Social Work from The Ohio State University.
Danielle was influenced by her own experiences years ago to start her journey as a therapist and has worked to dispel the stigma, and negative perceptions held within culturally diverse communities. She provides a non-judgmental, safe space where you are encouraged to reflect and discover you.

Licensed Psychologist
Darreon Greer Sr., PhD
Dr. Greer is a Licensed Independent Clinical Psychologist and partner at Resilient Children and Families. With over a decade of experience as a Health Service Provider working with children, adults, and families, he is passionate about empowering others to be active in developing positive mental health and well-being. He utilizes a holistic approach to provide an atmosphere of unconditional positive regard, empathic understanding and genuineness-authenticity for each person that he is fortunate to work with. Dr. Greer strongly believes exercising cultural humility is important in keeping the needs of the person as well as the respect of their psychosocial background at the forefront – to assist them through the process of therapeutic change. Dr. Greer earned his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Tennessee State University (TSU), Nashville, TN. Interesting to note, TSU is one of two public Historically Black College and Universities to house an American Psychological Association (APA) program in Counseling Psychology.

Respite Care Director
John Brazell
John Brazell is the Respite Care Director at RCF. Mr. Brazell is an emerging entrepreneur and business owner. Mr. Brazell’s heart is grounded in providing human and social services to individuals affected by adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). His maternal grandmother provided foster care for 4 children in her home and Mr. Brazell established sibling-like relationships with each one. In addition, Mr. Brazell served 8 years in the United States Army Reserves. He completed some college coursework in 2015 at Franklin University. Mr. Brazell earned his highschool diploma from Northland High in 2000, which is located in Columbus, Ohio. Currently, Mr. Brazell holds a position in accounting working for the Department of Defense.

Psychometrician
La’Ria Ruiz, BS
La’Ria Ruiz is the Senior Psychometrician at Resilient Children and Families. They have over 5 years of clinical experience administering psychological testing at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and over 14 years of experience working with individuals with development disabilities in a variety of different roles. They graduated with a psychology degree in 2016 from the University of Akron and are currently working towards their master’s degree specializing as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner at The Ohio State University. La’Ria has spent 8+ years as a social justice organizer and worked with families impacted by police violence and they started Project Care in 2021, which is a community centered group that works with local organizations to combat homelessness. They have a passion with working with disabled individuals and marginalized groups want to focus their practice on serving these populations.

Postdoctoral Clinical Psychologist
LaShonda Waters, Psy.D.
Dr. Waters is a pre-licensed clinical psychologist. She earned her doctorate in clinical psychology from Wright State University’s School of Professional Psychology in Dayton, OH. Dr. Waters has experience conducting comprehensive psychological evaluations and providing various forms of therapy (i.e., individual, group, couples, family) for individuals of all ages. She is most passionate about providing psychological services for children, adolescents, and families and working with neurodiverse populations (e.g., individuals living with ADHD and/or autism). Her other areas of focus include parenting concerns, behavioral issues, academic challenges, relationship difficulties, trauma processing, anxiety and other mood-related concerns, health psychology, spirituality, and diversity/multicultural psychology. Dr. Waters loves being able to support and connect with others, and she counts it a great privilege to serve you!

Advanced Practice Nurse Practitioner
Talea Foster, MSN, APRN, FNP-C
Talea Foster is a Board-Certified Nurse Practitioner, with a master’s degree in nursing. With over 9 years of experience working in mental health, Talea’s role working as a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner has been multifaceted, including working as a mental health advocate, counselor, and educator. Talea’s passion has always been to help those who do not have the ability to help themselves. She has much experience working with at risk populations including those suffering with homeless and addictions, ages 18 and older. Her care, compassion, and enhanced clinical skills have helped her build rapport with patients and families throughout all their many stages in life. She follows evidence-based guidelines blended with clinical experience, personal observation, and intuition to help guide patients to mental wellness. Talea brings a unique holistic approach blending faith and evidence-based modalities within her practice.

Licensed Psychologist
Tiffany G. Porter, Psy.D
Tiffany earned her doctoral degree from Union Institute & University in August 2012. She describes herself as an Army “brat” due to being raised in a military family. Over the course of her academic and professional career, she has trained and worked in diverse settings with diverse populations. She has experience in community-based settings, university counseling centers, and private practice. In her clinical work, she prides herself on working with individuals of diverse backgrounds, from children and families, college students, and veterans to ethnically, culturally diverse and LGBTQIAA persons. Because of her own intersections of identity, Dr. Porter describes her approaches to therapy as integrative, generalist, and postmodern. This allows her to honor the impact of societal and cultural issues on mental health, while treating a variety of presenting concerns. Furthermore, she is a biofeedback practitioner wherein she utilizes technology in conjunction with relaxation techniques to relieve symptoms of distress.

Licensed Independent Social Worker Supervisor
Vivian Hodges, LISW-S
Vivian Hodges graduated from the Ohio State University with a bachelor’s in psychology in 2016, and then pursued her Master of Science in Social Administration with Case Western Reserve University in 2018 . Her approach to therapy is guided by a person-centered, trauma-informed cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and solution-focused method. She believes in the power of creativity and resourcefulness in therapy. For instance, she will use worry monsters to help elementary students manage anxiety and challenge negative thoughts. For adolescents and adults, her focus is on their strengths to reduce trauma symptoms through activities like painting and other holistic methods. Throughout her career, she had the privilege to guide children, adolescents, and adults as a Crisis Response Specialist, Foster Care Family Counselor, School-Based Therapist, and School Social Worker. Each role has allowed her to support individuals in healing and finding their own unique path of resiliency. Witnessing and guiding individuals on their journey to emotional growth and community connection is why She became a licensed independent social worker. If you're ready to embark on your path to be resilient, She is here to support you every step of the way.

Lead Office Assistant
​Stephanie Schwartz, BA
Stephanie is the executive office assistant at Resilient Children and Families (RCF). Stephanie earned her Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Women's Gender and Sexuality studies from the Ohio State University. From this sense, she tries her very best to understand the nuanced struggles of individuals and families as well as groups of people. She emphasizes practicing empathy, active listening, and identifying problem-solving solutions. To Stephanie, the world is a better place when we take care of ourselves and each other. In addition to her employment at RCF, Stephanie manages an office that serves our nation’s veterans. She is the mother of her three-year-old son, Elwood, who she describes as fearless and adventurous. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and writing. She tries to participate in yoga classes whenever she isn’t occupied. A fun and interesting fact about Stephanie is that she was a vegan for 10 years until the COVID-19 pandemic.
JOIN OUR TEAM
Resilient Children and Families is a veteran and minority-owned private practice seeking to hire an enthusiastic, reliable, and passionate team. Join us in making a positive impact on the lives of children and families in our community. Explore rewarding opportunities to contribute to mental health and well-being, where your dedication can flourish in a supportive and inclusive environment.
Currently, we do not have any administrative openings at this time. Please check back regularly
for updates.
We are actively seeking an enthusiastic, reliable, and passionate clinician to join our expanding team.
Located in the inner-city of Columbus, Ohio, we prioritize clinician support by aligning patient/client needs with specific skill sets, allowing flexible scheduling, handling administrative tasks, and offering in-house credentialing.
Committed to improving access to mental health care for disadvantaged populations, we seek clinicians who share this mission and possess a genuine passion for serving these communities.
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Please note: Candidates must be licensed as Ph.D., Psy.D., IMFT, and Licensed SLPs by the state of Ohio.
We also, will consider postdoctoral fellows or candidates who are actively seeking licensure.