Thrive Counseling Services, LLC, welcomes you! Your journey to better mental health starts here!
“Our philosophy is to assist clients as their guide through therapy.
This is your personal journey and we’re along to help you seek out your own choices.”
Meet the Staff
Thrive Counseling Services, LLC, located in Cheyenne, WY is dedicated to helping people live to their full potential and live healthy productive lives! Learn more about our psychotherapists below!

Laura Kietell, MSW, LCSW
Psychotherapist & Owner of Thrive Counseling Services
“I utilize a cognitive-behavioral, solution-focused approach with experiential influences. My clinical beliefs stem from the social work model of Person-In-Environment utilizing unconditional positive regard. My interventions match each client where they are at emotionally, physically, and spiritually allowing them to pace the treatment to their comfort level.
I have several years of experience with children and adolescents working as a counselor after obtaining my bachelor’s degree up to becoming a primary therapist upon earning my Master’s degree. Issues addressed; grief and loss, attachment and abandonment, trauma, anger management, eating disorders, dissociative disorders, social skills, self-esteem, bullying, stress management, relationships, and parenting.”
Credentials
- ART Certified (Accelerated Resolution Therapy), April 2018
- Licensed Clinical Social Worker, WY-575
- University of Denver, MSW 2003
- Colorado State University, BA Social Work, 1996
- University of Phoenix, Human Resource Mgt Certificate, 2000
Professional training includes self-harm, substance abuse, eating disorders, suicidality, homicidality, sexual abuse, families facing multiple problems, PTSD, and personality disorders, trauma. I work with preteens through elderly. ART is similar to EMDR, please learn more from the ART website.
Laura has very limited availability at this time, call the office to inquire.
Psychologist

Steven Newman, Psy.D., ABPP
Psychological Testing Services
I am a board-certified psychologist with over 30 years of experience in evaluating and treating anxiety, depression, attention, memory and behavior problems.
In conducting evaluations, I have a special interest in looking at cognitive problems from the point of view of normal development and aging. I focus on adults who have experienced challenges in achieving their goals related to neurodevelopmental issues (such as autism spectrum disorders and attention deficit), and older adults who have memory problems.
In therapy, adults and adolescents who have an interest in understanding themselves and who are struggling with difficult emotions and behaviors are a good fit for my approach, which is based on effective behavioral and insight-oriented techniques.
Credentials
PsyD stands for Doctor of Psychology, a degree that is similar to the PhD, but usually involves more training in clinical practice, and less in research. This required five years of clinical psychology graduate school (after the four-year undergraduate degree) and a one-year clinical internship, which was supervised by other psychologists. ABPP stands for American Board of Professional Psychology, the oldest and most widely-recognized credentialing board for specialties in psychology (board certification). This required evaluation of written and videotaped work samples by examining psychologists, an extensive oral examination by three senior, board-certified psychologists on theory, technique, and ethics, and verification of my credentials, training, and experience.
Therapists

Kirsten Ward, PCSW
Psychotherapist
Kirsten’s clinical beliefs are based in social work ethics, using a wraparound perspective; physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually, to allow clients to guide treatment at their own pace. She uses strength perspective, task-centered, solution focused therapy in her interactions with clients to assist them in reaching their goals.
Kirsten has several years of experience with adolescents, adults, families, and veterans since graduating with her bachelor’s degree at many different levels, case management, therapy, and program management and development. She has continued to use her skills to assist clients since graduating with a master’s in social work.
Credentials

Erin Green, PCSW
Psychotherapist
Erin is happy to be working at Thrive Counseling Service where she uses a cognitive-behavioral approach with her patients along with Narrative Therapy and Motivational Interviewing. Her clinical beliefs stem from the social work model of Person-In-Environment. She believes that understanding where someone comes from and their experiences is what helps her to set the most productive treatment goals. Everyone has a story to tell and Erin is ready to listen and understand so that you can move forward.
Credentials
- Nominated for “Who’s Who in America”
- Aurora University, Master’s in Social Work (May 2021 to May 2022)
- University of Northern Colorado, Bachelor’s in Psychology (August 2003 to May 2004)

Larry Player, PMFT
Psychotherapist
Larry Player’s approach to psychotherapy starts with developing therapeutic rapport with clients
thus creating opportunities for them to self-reflect and examine ways to create, sustain, and
repair relationships. He also emphasizes the importance of clients achieving their goals through
solution focused thinking opposed to problem focused thinking.
Larry’s professional interest includes special needs children that require high levels of care. He
has several years’ experience in working with children and adolescents with a variety of special
needs ranging from autism, cerebral palsy, down syndrome, dysgraphia, and ADHD.
Larry’s personal interest include working with gifted adolescents involved in various forms of art
(film, music, and literature). He believes mental health can be observed and treated with healthy
forms of expression through the arts.
Credentials
- Master’s in Psychology and Sociology
- North Carolina Central University – Durham, NC (August 2016 to May 2018)
- BACHELOR OF ARTS in PSYCHOLOGY
North Carolina Central University – Durham, NC (2014)

Heather Coughenour, PCSW-1077
Master’s Candidate Intern/ Part-Time Psychotherapist
Heather is a Master of Social Work Student from Arizona State University, she will graduate December 2022 and begin her provisional licensing hours at Thrive. Before joining the Thrive team Heather completed over 480 hours of internship dedicated to supporting local community members. Heather also works for many years as a case manager for a local non-profits within our great Cheyenne community.
Heather has a sincere passion for helping individuals to find ways to work through and understand their problems utilizing Psychotherapy, Cognitive-behavioral therapy, Interpersonal therapy, Psychodynamic therapy, and Mindfulness-based therapy. Heather thrives in the solution focused model of treatment assisting clients with problem solving.
Heather is accepting new clients at this time.
Credentials
- Arizona State University, Master of Social Work – Graduated December 2022 and joined the thrive team as a part time Psychotherapist
- University of Wyoming, BS Psychology, 2018

Alyssa McCann
Master’s Candidate Intern/ Psychotherapist
Alyssa is currently attending Capella University’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling program. She is excited to be able to join the Thrive Counseling team as she completes her practicum and internship requirements. During her education, she has gained insight into the various therapeutic interventions used and how each can benefit clients differently.
Alyssa utilizes Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Mindfulness-based Therapy, and psychoeducation to help clients understand how their problems have arisen and how to address them in a manner that can work through them.
Alyssa is excited to take on new clients and allow them to tell her their stories so they can work through them together with support.
Credentials
- Capella University, MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (anticipated graduation date, June 2023)
- The University of Wyoming, BS Psychology, 2016

Bailey Mlinar
Master’s Candidate Intern/ Psychotherapist
Bailey is currently attending Adams State University as a Clinical Mental Health Counseling graduate student. She is excited to join the Thrive team as she continues to develop her own counseling skills while completing her practicum and internship requirements for licensure.
Bailey is a proponent of holistic therapeutic approaches that view the individual client as a unique and complex interaction of the various life factors and experiences that influence one’s journey through life. She believes we each have the ability to create the lives we want for ourselves, and therapy is a tool to help us get closer to that life we desire. Bailey utilizes mindfulness-based therapies and elements of cognitive-behavioral, existential-humanistic, and psychoeducation approaches to focus on the overall development, health, and wellness of each of her clients.
Credentials
Coming soon!
Administration

Dixie
Office Manager
**Bio coming soon!

Ann Boulter
Office Assistant/ Billing Clerk
Ann works for us part time assisting in the accuracy of maintaining client files, end-of-month billing cycles and other related office duties.
*More information coming soon!
Billing Agent (1099)

Tracy Rodriguez
Billing Agent
Tracy conducts our daily billing and maintaining accounts so they remain up-to-date with accurate information. Tracy also does our insurance verifications. Tracy has several years of medical and billing experience. This ranges from working in mental health, hospitals, and private medical offices.
In her free time, Tracy enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, getting outside to hike, boating and swimming.
Additional Office Support

Willow Kietell
Office/ Therapy Dog
Willow is a “Bug,” which is a mix between a Boston Terrier and a Pug. She has been coming to Thrive as an office/therapy dog since the age of 10 weeks. Willow was born in September 2019 and she loves to visit with people all day long! She may even get excited and ask for you to play with her! Willow has earned her Canine Good Citizen certificate and she loves her job! She will greet you when you enter the office and often will walk with you to the door on your way out! She loves back scratches and belly rubs and will often try to give you a thousand kisses!