Meet the Team

Counselor & Executive Director

Deborah Rojas is a graduate of Divine Mercy University and utilizes a variety of approaches within a Catholic-Christian framework, depending on the needs of the client: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Internal Family Systems, Emotion Focused Therapy, Forgiveness Therapy, Person-centered Therapy, Gestalt techniques, and Narrative Therapy. She is also a doctoral candidate pursuing a PhD at DMU in counseling education and supervision.

She specializes in women’s issues, relationship trauma, spiritual trauma, physical and sexual trauma, porn addiction recovery, anxiety and depression, and grief and loss. She also works with priests/pastors and seminarians, drawing from her background of over 20 years of working in both Protestant and Catholic churches. Above all, Deborah considers it a great honor to encounter each client and accompany them on their journey.

She helps clients find healing in their relationship with themselves, others, and God, by entering the narrative of the client's life and creating a space for healing. Through her empathic interactions, she offers compassion and hope for freedom from the pain and suffering of trauma.

Deborah also aids clients in creating a vision and a plan for a flourishing life: mind, spirit, and body. Clients will learn to recognize thoughts, behaviors, and actions that don’t contribute to overall well-being. Clients will grow in self-awareness, especially in how the body stores and manifests emotions.

Psychoanalyst

Susanne studied at Cornell University (BA in Clinical Psychology, 1988); Andover-Newton Theological School (M.Div. with a specialty in Pastoral Care 2002); Blanton-Peale Graduate School (which is the first Institute in America that intentionally integrated Psychology and Religion as a discipline) where she obtained her Certificate in Psychoanalysis (2008) and her license to practice Psychoanalysis in New York. She has ten years of Post Graduate Study in Modern Psychoanalysis at the Academy of Clinical and Applied Psychoanalysis in NJ where she learned how to work with severe psychological disorders such as Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia, and other forms of deep mental suffering. She started a private practice in NJ until family concerns in 2011 had her take a hiatus from conducting therapy. She was originally American Baptist clergy ordained as a Chaplain to serve Nursing Homes in the state of Rhode Island and also Staten Island, NY.

She served as Pastor of The First Baptist Church of Morristown, NJ between 2003-2007. Her original goal was to become a pastoral counselor, ministering to the needs of the congregation and, eventually, to become a minister specifically to clergy, religious, and missionaries due to the unique psychological and spiritual needs of those in full-time ministry. In 2014, she converted to Catholicism and now conducts her therapeutic practice according to the teachings of The Church in full communion and adherence to the teachings of the Magisterium. She uses an eclectic approach to therapy, to assist her clients in growing in their relationship with God, with themselves, and with each other.

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Wendy Stewart, MSW, LCSW graduated from NYU with a Master’s in Clinical Social
Work and has over 30 years of experience in the mental health field. Using a
compassionate and warm treatment approach that is client-centered, goal oriented and
mutually respectful, she strives to be available to clients and accompany them on their
journey to self-discovery, adaptive coping and when indicated, starting where each
client is at in their spiritual development. Her therapy career began with training in family
systems and this laid the ground work for her versatile approach to any issue which
presents in the therapy room. She obtained her child and adolescent certification from
Rutgers University enabling her to work with an array of childhood/adolescent issues,
including ADHD, self-harm, anxiety, OCD, depression, trauma, grief, and school/social
concerns. In her very early career as a Kindergarten teacher, she quickly recognized the
importance of emotional well-being to the success of the learning process and working
in education enhanced her ability to support patients of all ages in academic/work
issues.

Wendy also has extensive experience working with adults, addressing similar issues
including adult ADHD, anxiety, depression, mood disorders, trauma/PTSD, grief, OCD,
relational issues/couples work, personality disorders and self-harm. She celebrates the
uniqueness of each client and adapts the treatment as needed to achieve success. She
includes the use of CBT, trauma focused and DBT informed approaches with clients
along with family systems, play/art therapies and psychodynamic approaches. Her work
emphasizes the importance of helping clients to feel capable of handling whatever life
may bring. She has worked with clients facing eating disorders for years and published
work while pursuing her doctorate at NYU related to the role of loneliness in these
issues. She has worked in a variety of settings in mental health including hospital-based
outpatient services, acute care settings, child/adolescent services, private practice,
wrap around services and forensic type work. She also received a clinical supervision
certificate through Rutgers University. Finally, she is available to provide support in
several capacities to individuals going through or contemplating divorce or separation,
applying Christian values when applicable to the client perspective.

Wendy Stewart, MSW, LCSW has joined our team with the vision of integrating clinically
sound practice with Catholic values and principles. Her own strong faith led her to
Imago Dei. She is available for in person or virtual therapy if preferred, with flexible
availability to meet scheduling needs. Reach out today to begin on your path toward
optimal growth and inspiration.

Licensed Associate Counselor

Mallory Wheeler, LAC, is a trauma-informed therapist at Imago Dei Counseling. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Theology from Ave Maria University and earned her master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Montreat College. Mallory is trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), a highly effective, evidence-based therapy that supports the brain’s natural healing process for trauma, anxiety, and distressing life events. She also integrates cognitive behavioral therapy, parts work, solution-focused brief therapy, and faith-integrated care into her sessions. Mallory works with teens (15+), young adults, and adults facing trauma, anxiety, grief, or life transitions, providing a safe and compassionate space where clients feel seen, supported, and empowered to move toward deeper healing and wholeness.

Parenting Life Coach

PCCI Trained Catholic Life Coach