Meet the Staff
Karen Cheyney
Executive Director of Adoption Services
Karen B. Cheyney, JD, LSWA, is a co-founder and the Director of Bright Futures and the mother of two children through open adoption. For more than 25 years, Karen has provided legal and counseling services for parents and children.
MollyRose Arp-Sandel
Clinical Adoption Supervisor
MollyRose Arp-Sandel, LICSW has ten years' experience working with children and families. She practices from a social justice perspective and her work is informed by her strong belief in the importance of investment in the caregiver-child relationship and in the early childhood years. Her areas of interest include social-emotional development, infant mental health, anti-racism, and mindfulness. Outside of work, she loves to be in nature, to cook and to eat delicious food, and to spend time with her friends and family.
Desiree Ayala
Adoption Social Worker
Desiree Ayala, MSW, LCSW worked at DCF for 6 years, first as an intern, then as an Adolescent Social Worker and lastly as a Kinship/Family Resource Social Worker.
She currently works full time with family child care providers across the Commonwealth. Her areas of interest and passion include adolescents, kinship care/lifelong connections for foster children, and trauma.
At Bright Futures she conducts child and family assessments and works with expectant/birth parents who are considering an adoption plan for their child.
Lily Baker
Adoption Social Worker
Lily Baker, LCSW, obtained her MSW in 2021 and since has been supporting children, adolescents and families in community and residential settings with a focus on trauma informed care. Lily works part time for Bright Futures completing child assessments and pre- adoptive license studies.
Kim Bernstein
Clinical Adoption Supervisor
Kim Bernstein, LICSW, has twenty-five years of experience working in adoption with a focus on finding families for older children and children with special needs. Her interest area is helping parents to understand their child's fear-based behaviors and support them in their role in their child's healing through connection. Kim grew up in a blended family.
Courtney Callaway
Adoption Social Worker
Courtney Callaway, LICSW, is a per diem clinician completing child assessments and pre-adoptive license studies. In addition to this work, she works full time as a clinical coordinator for 2 DCF funded programs (emergency residence and community treatment residence) within the RFKCA agency. Courtney is a graduate from BC with her master’s in social work with a certification in trauma studies and currently pursuing her PsyD in clinical psychology at William James College. She is a soon to be mother of three with a passion for working with children and families.
Kristin Cohen
Program Manager, DCF Adoption & Permanency Program
Kristin Cohen, LICSW, has worked with children and families for over twenty years, both within the Department of Children and Families and the Department of Mental Health. She enjoys a full time role at Bright Futures Adoption Center as the program manager of the DCF Assessment Program, working with children and families as well as training and supervising new clinicians. When she is not working, she enjoys spending time with her three children, all of whom are teenagers, along with walking and reading to escape those three teenagers.
Kimberly Counihan
Adoption Social Worker
Kim Counihan, LICSW, has worked with children, adolescents and their families for over ten years in clinical, school and court settings. She spent several years raising her children before joining Bright Futures Adoption Center as an adoption social worker. Kim enjoys increasing her knowledge in the field of adoption in her work with families and colleagues.
Abby Fuhrman
Adoption Social Worker
Abby Fuhrman, LCSW, is a per diem clinician completing child assessments and pre-adoptive license studies. Abby received her BSW from Skidmore College and MSW from Simmons University. Abby has been working with children and families for over 10 years, working in residential, school, in-home, and community-based settings. Abby has found her niche in connecting with adolescents and their caregivers. Abby enjoys spending time with her family, making jewelry, and hiking.
Krysten Feeney
Adoption Social Worker
Krysten Feeney, LCSW, is a part-time Adoption Social Worker at Bright Futures. She received her MSW from Wheelock College in 2017 and has 10 years of social work experience working in therapeutic foster care and nonprofit out-of-school time programming; she currently manages a DMH-funded mental health program in addition to her work at Bright Futures. She is an advocate for mental health awareness and suicide prevention. In addition to being a social worker, Krysten enjoys spending time outside and traveling.
Courtney Glazier
Adoption Social Worker
Courtney Glazier has been a LICSW for over 16 years. She has worked as a medical social worker at a local hospital and as a mental health counselor for a community health center. She is a mom of 3 young boys and huge dog lover. She has always had a great interest in getting involved in the field of adoption and is so excited to join the team.
Naomi Goldman
Adoption Social Worker
Naomi Goldman, LCSW has worked in the child welfare field for over fifteen years. She has worked with Bright Futures Adoption Center for the last few years conducting child assessments, adoption and foster care studies.
Kristen Lampros
Adoption Social Worker
Kristen Lampros, LCSW is a per diem clinician completing child assessments and pre-adoptive license studies. Kristen received her MSW from Salem State University and has worked with children, adolescents, and families both in the home and community setting. Kristen has a practice interest in attachment and trauma.
Rachel Levy
Adoption Social Worker
Rachel Levy, LCSW, is a per diem clinician completing child assessments and pre-adoptive license studies. She has nearly fifteen years of experience working with youth and families in inpatient, intensive outpatient, outpatient, and community-based settings. Rachel is excited to shift her clinical focus within the field to adoption services. She has two young children at home, has started painting as a new hobby, and loves being outside with family and friends.
Lisa Lovett
Clinical Director
Lisa Lovett, LICSW, works with foster and adoptive families and has over twenty-five years of experience working in adoption. She has a practice interest and expertise in older child adoption, attachment and trauma. Lisa grew up in a transracial blended family and she is a licensed foster parent.
Anne Madden
Adoption Social Worker
Annie Madden, LICSW, is a per diem clinician completing child assessments and pre-adoptive license studies. Annie has worked in child welfare, recovery services, and community mental health for over fifteen years, in both direct practice and research/administrative roles.
Sarah McLaughlin
Adoption Social Worker
Sarah McLaughlin, LICSW, M. Ed., has been working with children and families for over 10 years in both non profit agencies and the Department of Children and Families. She works as a per diem clinician completing child assessments and pre-adoptive license studies.
Carolina Menendez
Office Manager
Carolina Menendez, BSW, is the Office Manager for Bright Futures Adoption Center and is fluent in Spanish.
Annie Nguyen
Adoption Social Worker
Annie Nguyen, LICSW is a per diem Adoption Social Worker at Bright Futures. She has more than ten years of experience providing clinical support to children and families in both foster care and school settings. After spending several years at home raising her two children, Annie recently joined the team at Bright Futures to conduct child assessments and pre-adoptive license studies. She enjoys spending her free time with her family, being outdoors, and reading.
Eliza O’Brien
Adoption Social Worker
Eliza O'Brien, LICSW, has been working with children and families involved with DCF for almost 10 years, and has been working in adoption since 2017. Eliza joined the Bright Futures team in 2022 completing child assessments and pre-adoptive license studies. When not working, Eliza likes to experiment in the kitchen with delicious meals for herself and her family and travel to warm places to escape the New England winters (and falls, and springs)!
Lauren O’Brien
Adoption Social Worker
Lauren O'Brien, LCSW is a per diem Adoption Social Worker at Bright Futures. She obtained her MSW from Boston College in 2017 and has enjoyed engaging with children and adolescents through community based and residential treatment programs since graduating. At Bright Futures she collaborates with systems and families to complete child assessments and pre-adoptive license studies.
Tara Poirier
Adoption Social Worker
Tara Poirier, LSWA has been working with children and families for over 23 years. She has worked for over 20 years at the Department of Children and Families and spent several years in the adoption unit there. She also works with children in their early childhood development.
Christine Trendell
Adoption Social Worker
Christine Trendell, LICSW has over 25 years experience working with children and their families in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The focus of her clinical work has been on working with pregnant and parenting women around trauma and attachment, children 0-6, and with families brought together by adoption. She conducts child assessments and pre-adoptive license studies.
Wendy Vandenhoeck
Clinical Adoption Supervisor
Wendy Vandenhoeck, LICSW, is the Clinical Supervisor for Bright Futures and has extensive experience working with all members of the adoption triad. She has worked in the adoption field for over 20 years.
Ali Weihofen
Adoption Social Worker
Ali Weihofen, LCSW, MPH, is a public health social worker working with adoptive families and children. She has 10 years experience working in social services and the nonprofit sector and conducts child assessments and pre-adoptive license studies. In her free time she enjoys hanging with her two young children, practicing yoga and reading.
Marissa Zwelling
Adoption Social Worker
Marissa Zwelling, LCSW works with the adoption triad seeking information from the Florence Crittenton League files managed by Bright Futures Adoption Center. Marissa is an adoptee of the closed adoption era and an adoptive parent.