Our Treatment Center for Women–By Women

As owner and executive director of Willow Place, Dixie’s vision has been to reach clients struggling with mental health disorders from a holistic approach and to provide women’s specific treatment addressing core issues that relate to substance use, eating disorders, and other co-occurring disorders. Dixie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Business Management, a Master of Science degree in Counseling Psychology, and a PhD in Mind-Body Medicine specializing in Integrative Mental Health.  Dixie has also completed certification in Integrative and Functional Nutrition, Biofeedback, and Wellness Coaching as a part of the PhD curriculum.  Dixie is certified in EMDR therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, a form of psychotherapy used to resolve the development of trauma-related disorders and uses Biofeedback as an complementary and alternative medicine practice for the treatment of mental health disorders. In addition, she is completing Certification in Biochemical and Nutritional Approaches to Mental Health and Addiction Recovery as well as the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals Certification for Eating Disorder Specialists.  Dixie is passionate about reaching clients who do not respond to conventional modalities of therapy, primarily through the use of psychodrama, expressive therapy, and biofeedback, she has been able to access these clients to facilitate lasting change.  In addition to her work at Willow Place, Dixie is also the founder and Board President for a non-profit organization, The Seraph Fund.  In her spare time she loves spending time with her family and two kitties, hiking, being outdoors, and is a Zumba, Strong by Zumba, TRX, and PiYo instructor.

Dr. Buie provides medication management for adults with all psychiatric conditions and has a particular interest in bipolar disorder, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, depression, and anxiety disorders. He is trained in transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), a treatment for depression. Dr. Buie attended the University of North Carolina — Chapel Hill as an undergraduate on a Morehead Scholarship. He obtained his medical education at the University of the North Carolina — Chapel Hill School of Medicine. He completed a residency in internal medicine at Columbia University training hospital in New York and a psychiatry residency at Cornell Medical College, also in New York. Dr. Buie is an adjunct assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. He is also the psychiatry course director at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Asheville campus as well as program director of the new Psychiatry Residency program at Mountain Areas Health Education Center (MAHEC). He is a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association in recognition of his contributions in several areas of psychiatry. He is the past president of the North Carolina Psychiatric Association. Dr. Buie is a founder and shareholder of The Pisgah Institute.

Mrs. Mitchener is a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner who began working at Willow Place in 2016. Mrs. Mitchener attended The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for undergraduate and graduate education and prior to moving to Asheville worked at Duke University Medical Center in the Neurological Intensive Care Unit and as a Neurology Research Coordinator. Currently, Mrs. Mitchener enjoys working in multiple settings including The Neil Dobbins Center, Willow Place for Women and seeing patients at The Pisgah Institute and treats a variety of psychiatric issues including, but not limited to, depression, anxiety, ADD/ADHD, trauma, Bipolar Disorder, Substance Use Disorders, psychotic disorders and personality disorders. Mrs. Mitchener became a shareholder at The Pisgah Institute in 2018, serving in a leadership and practice management role. While not working, Mrs. Mitchener enjoys many of the great Asheville restaurants, yoga, hip hop and spending time with friends and family.

Sandy Sawyer is an LCSW who received an MSW from Ohio State University and a BA in Psychology from UNC-Asheville. Sandy started her clinical career as a graduate research assistant treating women with substance use disorders with the school of Human Development and Family Science at OSU. From there, Sandy moved to Chicago where she worked on a community support treatment team and later provided group and individual therapy to patients at a psychiatric hospital. Throughout her career, Sandy has developed a passion for using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy to treat anxiety, depression, and self injurious behaviors. She wants all her clients to understand that they are doing the best they can and with therapeutic tools, they will do better. Sandy is very excited to be at Willow Place for Women and working in gender-specific treatment, once again.

Sandy is not native to Asheville, but has intentionally returned after surviving almost a decade of Midwest winters. She moved to Chicago for a big city life experience, but ultimately missed (real) biscuits and hiking trails. Sandy’s dog, Sprout, loves to paddleboard so in the summer, you can find them at the lake. While Sandy enjoys being a clinician, she daydreams about moonlighting as a standup comedian and enjoys using humor to put others at ease.

Nicole works as the behind the scenes Executive Assistant from her home in Georgia. While her degree is a Bachelors of Science concentrating in Marine Biology, her journey in college began her work in the Recovery field in West Palm Beach Florida. Taking a part time job to pay her way through college, Nicole started her first job as a night tech at a local detox. There she was able to hone her skills as a Quality Assurance Manager, being taught every aspect of the administrative parts in Behavioral Health. As she was able to see the direct impact of a well maintained office to the future of the clients being served, her soul began to sing joy from the lives she was able to touch. This love for helping others is what continued her journey in Recovery instead of pursuing a job in her field.

From there she was able to assist opening another IOP in West Palm Beach leading her to her future job at Willow Place. In April of 2016, Nicole took the position as the office administrator in Willow Place’s West Palm Beach location. After working for Willow for 2 years, her journey involved her moving to her current home of Rome, Georgia. She was gladly able to take on the remote position of Executive Assistant, which she holds today.

Nicole’s expertise in Quality Assurance, Billing, and Office Administration has allowed Willow Place to thrive in new ways as she assists its leaders to be the best they can be. Playing the support role brings life to Nicole and Willow Place creating a symphony of amazing accomplishments. Her desire to serve and help other is what fuels her soul to work hard to make Willow Place the best facility it can be.

In Nicole’s spare time she is the mother of two children, animal mommy to 6 animals (dogs, cats, tortoises, and guinea pigs), serves at her church, and loves to paint.

My passion in life is supporting women on their path to finding their true authentic selves.  I have worked with women in substance abuse and co-occurring disorder for 3 years.  Growing up as an only child, I have always been fascinated in hearing others stories. I received my  B.S. in Psychology from Kean University in Union, New Jersey. In 2017, I earned my Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Western Carolina University in Asheville, North Carolina.

When you step into my office, you notice that it is a warm and inviting space.  I want my clients to feel as comfortable and safe as possible as they dive into how drugs and alcohol made their lives unmanageable. Clients will learn to have their basic needs met like eating and sleeping.  I encourage clients to check their options in every situation they find themselves in.  Clients are invited to discover who they are without addiction; what are their values, morals and interests?  I focus on integrating Dialectal Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Motivational Interviewing into my sessions.  I feel honored to work with these women every day and be a part of their journeys.

Erica Perez is an LCSW and LCAS-A with a heart for supporting women through their toughest and most meaningful times in their lives. A native from Charlotte, NC Erica has spent nine of the last eleven years living in Western NC and considers these mountains home. Erica’s career started in 2012 as a case manager/advocate at a small domestic violence/sexual assault dual agency in Boone, NC. Here is where Erica’s passion for working with women was solidified. This passion propelled her forward to complete her Masters in Social Work from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 2013.

After graduating in 2015 as an MSW Erica began working in Asheville at an adolescent girls residential treatment center that specialized in Mental Health, Substance Abuse, and Eating Disorders. From here Erica spent 3 years providing Intensive In-home therapy to high risk youth and their families which led her to pursuing her addiction specialist licensure. When Erica isn’t working she enjoys reading about healing trauma, treating addiction, self-care and spiritual growth. Erica has one child, her son who is the light of her life and keeps her grounded and excited to make a positive difference in the world. In addition to her heart for her son and therapy, you can always spark up a good conversation with her about the benefits of yoga and movement. Erica completed a 250-hour yoga teacher training program in 2019 and hopes to share her knowledge with anyone willing to listen. Erica values holistic treatment approaches incorporating the mind, body, spirit, and community through a variety of treatment approaches that are individualized with the upmost care and respect.

Juliette Khoshrozeh is a Licensed and Registered Dietitian who strives to empower others make peace with food and learn to connect and trust their bodies.

Using a weight-inclusive, evidence based approach, she works alongside clients, both individually and in group settings, empowering them to care, nourish, and love their bodies. Juliette strives to help others develop a fulfilling relationship with food and become in touch with their natural and intuitive state of being to make sustainable and life long changes.

Originally from Southern California, Juliette completed her bachelor of science degree in Nutrition at San Diego State University, and completed her dietetic internship at Montana State University. In her free time, she enjoys eating charcuterie boards and spending time in nature with her dog.

Robin is a Certified Eating Disorders Specialist at our Asheville facility, and also an Approved Supervisor for clinicians seeking certification through the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals™. She has over two decades of clinical experience working with women and their families in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Many of her clients have co-occurring anxiety and mood disorders, substance abuse, and disordered eating and body image issues. In the past, Robin served as Lead Program Therapist in the first eating disorders inpatient psychiatric treatment program in the state of NC. She has facilitated multi-family therapy groups and workshops and provided individual, couple’s, family and group therapy. Intuitive Eating, Interpersonal Therapy, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy–especially the mindfulness skills–form the foundation for her work. Robin models how humor and laughter are essential in the healing process and teaches clients to use non-judgmental, compassionate curiosity as their pathway to self-awareness and positive change. Licensed to practice in NC as a Licensed Professional Counselor, Robin is also a National Certified Counselor.

Robin holds an MA in Psychology from West Georgia College and a BA in Journalism from UNC-Chapel Hill. Before entering the helping profession, Robin was an advertising copywriter in Atlanta, GA. There she became alarmed about society’s obsession with female appearance and narrow definition of beauty and fitness, which is still harming the self-esteem and health of women and girls. She is a passionate activist for a medical and cultural shift to the Health At Every Size® paradigm. More holistic and inclusive, the HAES® approach recognizes that true health and well-being are multi-dimensional and include biological, psychological, social and spiritual aspects. Robin empowers people of all sizes to make peace now with their bodies and with food, and get on with living a mindful, meaningful and skillful life.

Kathy has a BA from UNC-Asheville and an MA from UT-Knoxville. She teaches writing as a tool of recovery and transformation, and facilitates a spirituality group that explores and applies unifying principles to recovery. Godfrey knows her primary value to women in transition is to remind them of their innate value and ability to feel joy.

Tai is a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Board-Certified Registered Art Therapist. A graduate of Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY, she has spent over 16 years working with adolescent girls and women with a strong focus on trauma and identity development. Tai spent two summers in Africa doing art therapy with ex-child soldiers, as well as Sri Lanka doing crisis intervention work immediately after the Tsunami.  She is passionate about creating spaces that encourages others to brave their truth and be the alchemist of their own story.

Krystal is a trained conscious healer utilizing the art of acupuncture and herbal medicine to facilitate wellness and vitality. Her mission is to offer women and children a compassionate and loving healing space by supporting them through all their life cycles.

Krystal provides an intuitive and grounded approach to Classical Chinese Medicine.  With each person she creates an individualized treatment plan while offering a safe sanctuary allowing the innate wisdom of the body to emerge.  Krystal strives to empower women in restoring their own natural state of radiance and resilience.

Krystal devoted four years to a rigorous academic graduate program at Daoist Traditions College of Chinese Medical Arts that has provided her with a solid set of medical skills along with a Masters Degree in Oriental Medicine.  Krystal has a private practice in Asheville, NC as well as a community clinic for women. She also offers group acupuncture and sound healing for women in recovering at Willow Place.

In addition to being a licensed acupuncturist, Krystal is a trained midwife’s assistant, Reiki Master and certified teacher of Kundalini and prenatal yoga. She studied with world renowned midwife Ina May Gaskin at The Farm in Summertown, Tennessee; and with Tej Kaur Khalsa and Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa in Southern California. These experiences have given Krystal a diverse and unique array of healing modalities to assist each person on their own authentic journey towards optimal health.

Marykate joined the Willow Place team in the fall of 2019 as our Admissions and Outreach Coordinator.  Originally from Philadelphia, she graduated from the University of Delaware with a degree in Mass Communication/ Advertising and a minor in Organizational Leadership. She has worked for companies such as QVC, Verizon, The Walt Disney Company, Office Depot Corporate HQ, and consulted within pharma and technology industries.

Now at Willow Place, Marykate is thriving bringing her past work experience and pairing it with her true calling to help women struggling with mental health, substance abuse, or eating disorders.  Her goal is to help Willow Place grow to be able to serve twice as many women.

When not at work, Marykate can be found hanging out with her three-and-half legged pitbull named Gus.

Since 2016, as Administrative Assistant, Annette Krukowski has compassionately welcomed clients and loved ones to Willow Place. Annette has proven to be indispensable in managing the office, maintaining records, and facilitating communication for therapists, clients, and families.  Her compassionate presence and diverse experience serves Willow Place well.

Annette brings decades of related experience to Willow Place. Annette’s passion for helping others began with her service in a medical unit in Europe. As time went on,  she grew her organization and communication skills in management roles at Fortune 500 retail companies in Detroit.  Annette’s career path led her to customer service in the medical field for many years, gaining valuable experience with the complexities of record keeping and insurance. Annette’s family roots in Asheville go back many generations, and in 2007 she returned to the mountains of her childhood vacations to be with family.

Marcie works from home in Florida as a Billing Specialist while watching her baby girl. Although starting as just the Billing Specialist, she quickly and gladly took on more responsibility as the creator of our monthly newsletters and coordinator of all alumni events. While this job is unrelated to her B.A. in Technical & Design Theatre from Palm Beach Atlantic University, it fulfills her desire to create beauty and help people on a daily basis. Her detail orientated nature allows her to take extra care with all of the client’s billing records which allows for better understanding in an often confusing area.

Completely unfamiliar with the world of rehab, she has strived to learn all that she can so that she can best assist the clients and understand where they are coming from. To her, Willow Place for Women is a special place she feels privileged to work for. The company’s desire to help women in a holistic and complete way is compelling and encouraging. She is also learning a lot about what it looks like when the owners and upper management truly care about their employees; their overall welfare and sense of community amongst all co-workers.

Marcie is also a mother of two young children, an adoring wife, a faithful servant at her church and owner of her very own small creative business crafting home goods that make a house feel like home.

Haley was born and raised in Franklin NC, growing up she never imagined she would struggle with drugs and alcohol. Haley moved to Asheville in 2016 in search of a new beginning, a life free from active addiction. She was a resident at the Women’s First Step Farm in Candler for a year before moving on to an Oxford House in West Asheville. From there Haley started her journey to give back what was so freely given to her– support in learning how to live life without alcohol or drugs. Helping other women is crucial in her personal recovery and a career path she plans on pursuing. At Willow Place, Haley gets to be a part of beautiful transformations in Women’s lives. She says for her that is a dream come true. 

Sarah Comerford has joined the Willow Place team as a Behavioral Technician/Case Manager. Sarah graduated from Kean University, in New Jersey, with a Bachelors degree in Psychology. Through her own personal and life experiences, Sarah moved to Asheville in August of 2019, to pursue a Graduate degree in Clinical Psychology at Lenoir Rhyne University. Sarah’s life mission is to help women live their lives as their most authentic selves, to love themselves whole, and to find their self worth.