Agape is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Therapists and Staff

Therapists

Blake Clemmons, MA, LCMHC, NCC

Therapist

Locations: Telehealth Only (Monday – Friday)

Insurance: BCBS, MedCost, and Tricare*

Blake completed his undergraduate degree in Psychology at Elon University and his master’s degree in Professional Counseling at Liberty University. He is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (formerly LPC) in the state of North Carolina. Blake has received training in EMDR, an evidence-based therapy for the treatment of trauma and painful memories. He is also a certified Prepare-Enrich facilitator and enjoys working with both premarital and marital couples. Blake has also been certified as a National Certified Counselor by the NBCC.

Along with offering a caring, safe, and nonjudgmental approach, Blake helps his clients learn how to challenge their negative core misbeliefs about themselves, set and achieve attainable and realistic goals, and process the negative and painful memories that hold them back. Blake also counsels from a Christian worldview and integrates Biblical truths and prayer, as desired. 

Blake is married and is active in his church. He enjoys long trail walks with his wife and friends, grilling outdoors, playing tennis and leading Sunday school on the weekends. 

Blake’s specialties include grief, trauma, depression, anxiety, ADHD, substance abuse, sexual addiction, PTSD, mood disorders, self-injury, and men’s issues. He works primarily with adults.

Charlie Marquardt, MEd, MA, LCMHC

Therapist

Locations: Telehealth Only (Monday – Thursday)

Insurance: BCBS, MedCost, and Tricare*

Charlie is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, currently serving clients via Telehealth only.  Charlie obtained both a Master of Arts in Clinical Health Counseling and a Master of Education from the University of North Carolina, Charlotte.  She has worked as a teacher and within the field of adoption. 

She believes that counseling is a practice of wellness. Whether life has been kind to you or has thrown you more curve balls than Nolan Ryan, counseling is a place where you can discover your inner strength to meet the challenges of life. Counseling is one of many ways the Lord works to bring emotional healing to our lives. She has seen firsthand how beneficial counseling is for every person who has the courage to ask for help through the therapeutic process. 

When she is not working, she enjoys spending time with her husband, her children, and her cats. If she’s not on a long run, she’s probably backstage helping her daughter with costume changes at her ballet recitals, calling out encouraging words to her twins at a swim meet, or cheering on her son at a cross country or track meet. 

She has experience with ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), Narrative Therapy, Emotionally Focused Therapy, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.  

Charlie’s specialties include healing from abusive relationships, adoption, grief and loss, life transitions, anxiety, depression, PTSD, mood disorders, self-esteem/body issues, and sports-related anxiety and struggles.  She enjoys working with individual adults.  

Zoi Saliga, MEd, LMFT

Therapist

Locations: Main Office (Tuesday – Thursday) and Telehealth 

Insurance: BCBS and MedCost*

Zoi is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a master’s degree in Education from McGill University. She received her post-master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from the Argyle Institute of Human Relations in Montreal. Zoi has worked in private practice in Montreal and then in Boston at Mount Auburn Hospital, a Harvard University teaching hospital and counseling center in the Boston area. 

Zoi works with all ages ranging from small children to elderly clients. She has been with Agape since 2007 and has over 27 years of experience as a therapist. She speaks three languages, English, French, and Greek.  

Zoi meets with individuals, couples, and families who present with spiritual, emotional, psychological, behavioral, and relationship issues. She facilitates the “Whole Person” and their relationships to restore their foundations. Her specialties include pre-marital and marriage therapy, grief, trauma, depression, anxiety, substance abuse, sexual addiction, PTSD, mood disorders, self-injury, self-esteem/body issues, men’s and women’s issues, and adoption. She enjoys working with children, teens, adults, couples, and families.

Casey Eich, MA, LCMHCA

Therapist

Locations: Main Office (Monday and Friday), Myers Park Office (Wednesday), and Telehealth 

Insurance: BCBS and MedCost*

Casey is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Associate.  She has a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Appalachian State University and a Master of Arts in Christian Counseling from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary.  Casey is a former middle/elementary school teacher. There she developed a passion to see children and families experience freedom regarding mental health.

Casey sees counseling as a calling and feels Isaiah 60:1 helps describe her mission to see clients freed from bondage.  She describes the counseling process like tending to a garden. There are multiple factors that promote a healthy garden. In addition to basic daily needs, there are times to lightly tend to the garden and other times when it is necessary to uproot large parts and do more heavy-duty work. No matter where you might find yourself, Casey would love to come along side of you and help establish and maintain a healthy and successful harvest!  Casey is a native to the Charlotte area and currently resides in Union County with her husband and four children. 

Casey’s specialties include anxiety, depression, self-esteem, self-injury, stress management, relationships, and women’s issues. She works with individual children, teens, and adults utilizing a combination of research-based models of therapy including Person-Centered, CBT, ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention), Brief Psychodynamic Therapy and Play Therapy. 

Gina Wall, LCMHC

Therapist

Locations: Main Office (Wednesday and Thursday), Union County Office (Monday and Tuesday), and Telehealth 

Insurance: BCBS, MedCost, and Tricare*

Mijin “Gina” Wall is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Associate. Gina has a Master of Arts in Christian Counseling from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary in Charlotte. Prior to becoming a mental health professional, she had years of experiences working with parents, youth, and seniors in immigrant Korean churches and communities. Gina is an English Korean bilingual with rich lived experiences in both Western and Eastern cultures.

Gina has worked with adults and children from diverse backgrounds. She enjoys working with individuals on challenges such as depression, anxiety, trauma, relationship issues, grief, and loss among, various other mental health and life concerns.

Gina strives to create a space where clients can be seen and heard, and where clients begin to heal and grow toward wholeness and wellness. She knows her counseling work is a part of a bigger Story. As every client comes with a uniquely different and rich story, Gina engages in counseling with an evidenced-based, client-centered, trauma-informed integrative approach.

Gina is happy to incorporate biblical principles into her sessions, at the discretion of each client.  She believes her work as a counselor allows her to engage in the work of preparing the soil (Matthew 13:18-23).  Gina trusts the ultimate restoration is the work of the Holy Spirit and she is honored to participate in the process of Him making all things new. “Behold, I am making all things new” (Revelation 21:5). 

Gina has been happily married to her husband, Sam, for 28 years and has one grown son, Josh. She enjoys taking walks, reading, and dreams of one day becoming a gardener with a green thumb!  

Gina’s specialties include depression, anxiety, trauma, relationship issues, grief, and loss. She works with individuals of all ages, but her focus is on teens and adults.

Jessica Henning, LCMHCA

Therapist

Locations: Main Office (Monday, Tuesday, Friday), Union County Office (Wednesday and Thursday), and Telehealth

Insurance: BCBS and MedCost*

Jessica Henning is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Associate. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from the University of North Carolina, Charlotte and a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Liberty University. Jessica is a former elementary school teacher with experience in both the Mecklenburg and Union County public school systems. She is also a United States Army Veteran with multiple deployments to Afghanistan.

Jessica grew up in Illinois, but now resides in Union County with her husband of 15 years and three children. She enjoys spending time with her family and watching her children at their sporting events.

Jessica works with children, teens, and adults using a variety of techniques, models, and theories based on individual needs. Jessica strives to create a safe, warm, nonjudgmental environment that provides clients with the opportunity to work towards living a happier and healthier life. She helps clients to overcome challenges they may be facing by assisting with goal creation, solution finding, and developing healthy habits. For Jessica, serving her community and working with others has always been her passion. Her aim is to glorify God in all she does.

Christian Calo, LCMHCA

Therapist

Locations: Myers Park (Tuesday and Wednesday), Main Office (Monday and Thursday), and Telehealth

Insurance: BCBS and MedCost*

Christian Calo is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Associate, LCMHCA. She completed her Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with Liberty University in 2023 and holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology: Counseling and Human Development. Prior to becoming a mental health professional, she had years of experience working with adults, children, and teens through church ministry, being a full-time nanny, and working as an Assistant Director of Admissions with Liberty University.

Christian enjoys working with both adults and teens and has experience in coaching many individuals to grow in their strengths while also identifying unhealthy ways of thinking to create steps toward healthy growth. She also enjoys celebrating accomplishment no matter how big or small. Christian understands that each client is unique and is prepared to use a variety of techniques and theories to help each individual person achieve their goals. Along with her goals of creating a safe and inviting environment, she strives to create a space for clients to feel heard to build a trusting therapeutic relationship that allows each client to move toward freedom. She is a military spouse who values her community, her family, fitness, and most importantly her relationship with the Lord.

Monica Speirs, LMFTA

Therapist

Locations:  Main Office (Tuesday, Thursday, Friday), Union County (Wednesday), and Telehealth

Insurance: BCBS and MedCost*

Monica is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and received her master’s degree from Edgewood College in Madison, Wisconsin. Her counseling experience includes individuals, couples, and group therapy for a wide range of mental health and adjustment disorders. Monica’s therapeutic style is relational, educational, and experiential in nature; she strives to encourage and empower you to navigate your way through life.  Monica is Prepare/Enrich Certified for marital and premarital counseling.  She is Level 1 Gottman Certified and integrates Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) into her couple’s work.  She is a member of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (AAMFT), as well as the American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC).

Monica is passionate about bringing hope and healing while walking alongside you during your most painful and difficult situations.  She works with adults, couples and families. The empirically validated treatment approaches she utilizes include cognitive behavioral therapy, emotionally focused therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, mindfulness-based approaches, motivational interviewing and Gottman method couple’s therapy.

Her areas of focus are marital conflict, betrayal and betrayal trauma, parenting, anxiety and depression disorders, self-esteem and self-image, spiritual growth as well as life stage, communication issues, stress management, health and wellness issues, suicidality and self-harm, grief, and loss.

She considers it an honor and privilege to hold the space for you to explore your personal growth and healing centered on faith and hope in Christ.

*Not all policies under insurance companies are accepted.

Support Staff

Amber Meyers

Office Manager

Locations: Main Office

Amber graduated from Purdue University with her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and has a master’s in human services counseling from Liberty University. Amber lives in Union County with her husband, two kids, and five dogs.  In her free time, she enjoys going to concerts, especially Taylor Swift, and spending time with her family.

 

Lija Kornivska

Accounting Manager

Locations: Main Office

Lija graduated from the University of Latvia with a master’s degree in accounting and audit. She has over 20 years of hands-on experience in the field. Lija believes the financial aspect of Agape is not just about balance sheets and ledgers; it is an integral part of a broader mission to support and uplift those seeking counseling and spiritual guidance.

The financial stability of the organization directly translates into its ability to provide essential services, support programs, and outreach initiatives that have a profound impact on the community, adds meaningfulness to the work, and becomes more than just numbers. 

To stay at the forefront of industry standards and up to date on the most comprehensive financial management practices, Lija continues her professional growth while on her way to earning the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designation. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and knitting.

Valerie Morrow

Administrative Assistant

Locations: Main Office

Valerie graduated from Jackson State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration and has over fifteen years’ experience serving churches, faith-based organizations, and nonprofits. She has a passion for serving people through outreach, intercessory prayer, studying Biblical Hebrew, and going hiking with her family.