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A Journey to Hope & Healing is growing to meet your needs!
Meet our team.....
DANA CUX, LCSW
Practice Owner, Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Dana is the founder and owner of A Journey to Hope & Healing, which she established in 2020 with the goal of creating a supportive, compassionate environment where clients feel genuinely heard, understood, and empowered to make meaningful changes in their lives.
A Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a Master’s degree from Monmouth University, Dana brings more than 20 years of experience in the mental health field. Prior to opening her private practice, she spent 16 years working closely alongside a psychiatrist in an outpatient mental health setting. This extensive clinical experience strengthened her skills in assessment, diagnosis, treatment planning, and working with a wide range of mental health concerns. Her background also includes behavioral health inpatient and emergency room crisis work with individuals experiencing mood and psychotic disorders, addiction, acute crises, and other complex mental health needs.
Dana primarily works with adults and takes a solution-focused, eclectic approach to therapy, recognizing that treatment should be individualized rather than one-size-fits-all. She integrates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), mindfulness, and other evidence-based techniques based on each client’s needs, personality, and goals.
Her specialties include anxiety, depression, codependency, relationship concerns, personality disorders, self-esteem, and navigating unexpected life changes. Dana’s approach is compassionate, practical, and goal-oriented, helping clients gain greater insight while also developing tangible skills they can use outside of the therapy room. She strives to empower clients to recognize their strengths, regain clarity and confidence, establish healthier patterns, and create positive goals that move them toward the life they want. Dana also provides psychological evaluations and clearances for bariatric surgery procedures.
As the founder of A Journey to Hope & Healing, Dana is passionate not only about her individual work with clients but also about creating a practice where quality, individualized mental health care remains at the forefront. She values genuine human connection and considers it a privilege to support people through some of the most challenging periods of their lives.
Outside of the office, Dana is an active person who enjoys staying busy, spending time outdoors, tackling home projects, traveling and being productive. Her roles as a mom, daughter, sister, aunt, and friend are equally important to her.
Dana has always felt that being a therapist is more than a career—it is work that genuinely fulfills her. She values connecting with people, being part of their journeys, and empowering them with the insight and tools to ultimately help themselves.
ALEXANDRA FLANDERS, LCSW
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Alexandra works with children, adolescents, adults, and families to better understand the patterns that shape how we relate to ourselves and others. Her work is rooted in attachment theory, early relational health, and trauma-informed family systems, drawing from relational, psychodynamic, and developmental approaches. She supports clients navigating anxiety, low self-esteem, relationship challenges, identity and life transitions, emotional regulation, and past trauma.
Alexandra previously served as the lead clinician in the Family Stabilization Program at Center for Family Services, where she supported children and families navigating trauma, reunification, and complex family systems. She earned her Master’s in Clinical Social Work from Rutgers University and has completed extensive postgraduate training in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (ages 0–5), Child-Parent Psychotherapy, and family systems theory.
Alexandra’s therapeutic style is warm, direct, and collaborative. She values honesty, humor, and genuine connection while helping clients better understand their experiences, strengthen relationships, and develop healthier ways of navigating life’s challenges.
Outside of her work, Alexandra enjoys being near the ocean, attending live music, and spending time with her family and her dog, Georgia.
MEGAN CONNOLLY, LPC
Licensed Professional Counselor
Megan brings a unique combination of educational and clinical experience to her work as a Licensed Professional Counselor. For the past 25 years, she has worked as an elementary school teacher, providing her with a strong understanding of the academic, social, emotional, and developmental needs of children and adolescents. She earned her undergraduate degree in Elementary and Special Education from Salve Regina University and her second master’s degree in Professional Counseling from Seton Hall University.
Megan has been part of A Journey to Hope & Healing for several years, beginning with the practice as a graduate counseling intern. Her extensive background in education, combined with her clinical training and experience, allows her to connect with clients while providing individualized and practical therapeutic support.
Megan primarily utilizes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help clients manage anxiety and depression, strengthen self-esteem, challenge negative thought patterns, and develop effective coping skills. She also has experience working with eating disorders, relationship and peer concerns, family conflict, school refusal, motivation, and goal setting.
As a Licensed Professional Counselor, Megan strives to create a supportive environment where clients feel understood and empowered to build resilience, develop healthier coping strategies, and make meaningful changes that improve their overall well-being.
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VICTORIA "TORI" HADLEY, LSW
Licensed Social Worker
Victoria is a Licensed Social Worker and Registered Nurse who brings a unique combination of mental health and medical experience to her therapeutic work. She earned her Master of Social Work from Rutgers University and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Chamberlain University. Her background in both fields provides her with a well-rounded perspective when supporting clients navigating emotional challenges alongside physical health concerns.
Over the past decade, Victoria has worked with children, adolescents, and adults experiencing chronic illness, grief and loss, major life transitions, infertility, postpartum concerns, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety, and depression. She also has experience working as an inpatient social worker across psychiatric hospital units, further strengthening her clinical skills and understanding of complex mental health needs.
Victoria incorporates a variety of therapeutic approaches based on each client’s individual needs, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), exposure-based interventions, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), attachment-based approaches, and grief processing. She is also pursuing advanced training in the Gottman Method to expand her work with couples and help strengthen communication, connection, and overall relationship satisfaction.
Victoria is passionate about helping clients develop the skills and insight needed to navigate life’s challenges and find a greater sense of balance, peace, and confidence.
Outside of her professional work, Tori values her personal relationships and enjoys spending time with family and friends.
ERIKA CHINICH
Mind-Body Transformation Coach
Master Hypnotherapist
As a Mind-Body Transformation Coach and Master Hypnotherapist, Erika blends guided visualization, breathwork, somatic practices, nervous system regulation, and belief and identity work to help clients create meaningful and lasting change. Her approach supports clients in managing anxiety, strengthening self-esteem, reducing stress and overwhelm, and breaking free from patterns that may be holding them back.
Erika has spent more than two decades in the healing and wellness field. She began her career as a yoga instructor at The Center for Health and Healing in Toms River, NJ, where she developed a deep understanding of the connection between the mind and body. Her training later expanded to include massage therapy through The Center for Massage and Natural Health in North Carolina and Reiki Master training at Kripalu Center in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
Through her work, Erika discovered that lasting change often requires addressing the thoughts, beliefs, and subconscious patterns underlying our behaviors. This led her to train as a life coach and earn her Master Hypnotist certification through HMI College of Hypnotherapy in Tarzana, California.
Today, Erika integrates her diverse training to help clients overcome anxiety, strengthen self-worth, improve relationships, release old habits, and develop a greater sense of balance and confidence.
Visit the Courses tab to explore Erika’s self-paced programs designed to support continued personal growth and transformation.
KATIE BONELLI, LSW
Licensed Social Worker
Katie has worked in the social work and mental health field for more than 17 years, bringing experience from a wide range of clinical and educational settings to her work as a therapist. She earned her Master of Social Work from Rutgers University and her Student Assistance Coordinator (SAC) certification from Monmouth University.
Throughout her career, Katie has worked with children, adolescents, and adults in settings including inpatient psychiatric care, nursing homes, the Hackensack Meridian Health A-Team, private practice, and elementary and high schools. She currently works as a Student Assistance Coordinator with elementary-aged children while continuing her work as a therapist in private practice. This diverse background has strengthened her ability to connect with clients at different stages of life and meet them where they are.
Katie utilizes a variety of therapeutic approaches tailored to each client’s individual needs. She has experience helping clients navigate anxiety, depression, stress, low self-esteem, substance use concerns, relationship and family conflict, and challenging life transitions.
Katie is passionate about creating a supportive therapeutic environment where clients can develop healthier coping strategies, recognize their strengths, and work toward greater emotional well-being and overall life satisfaction.
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