ABOUT US
Meet our staff
Jennifer Cornwell LMFT, CSAC, SAP
Aloha, my name is Jennifer Cornwell , Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Certified Substance Abuse Counselor, and Substance Abuse Professional. A little about myself, I was born and raised on this beautiful island of O'ahu. As a young girl living in a then rural Island, I always loved to wonder, dream, explore my surroundings, and question life! As you can imagine these traits sometimes put me on crazy adventures but because of them I believe they have shaped who I am today and greatly influences my therapeutic style. With that same curiosity, I have come to believe that everyone has a special story unique to their own circumstance and as a therapist I am here to help clients understand, navigate and uncover their story. Like every adventure in life there are always challenges that come up or a crossroad to go through and that is where a trained ear can make the world difference!
Also, with such an ever changing new world Behavioral Health is so important for the social and emotional health of today's children and adolescents. With over 18 years of experience providing therapy to children, adolescents and their families; I believe early intervention is the key to thriving adults. I provide not only individual therapy to children/adolescents but provide social and life skills groups on specific days with the help of other qualified staff and counselors.
In addition, I spent my first part of my professional career in substance abuse counseling. As a Certified Drug and Alcohol Counselor and Substance Abuse Professional I am trained to conduct assessments, provide individual or group counseling and case management. People often ask me "How did you go from drug counseling to children/adolescents/family counseling, they are a totally different population?" My response is always that everything starts with our childhood and to me that is the same. We all have a time when we need help, it just depends on when!
Therefore, I am very comfortable in working with various communities such our military population, multi-generational, low income, Native Hawaiian and local mixed communities, etc. I am able to work with individuals, couples, families and comfortable with a wide range of topics. My style for counseling is eclectic. Not one size fits all. We are all uniquely our own and so the approach differs on the needs of the individual or family. My background includes Art Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Play Therapy, Dialectic Behavioral Therapy, Applied Behavioral techniques, Solution Focused, Narrative, Structural, psychoeducational, EMDR and again various skills training.
Lastly, I am credentialed with various Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) to provide individual ,family, group counseling to help employees and employers live their best lives. Thank you for taking the time to review my page , I hope to hear from you!
Kelsie Higashino, MA ( Pre-Licnesed Marriage and Family Therapist).
Hi, my name is Kelsie Higashino, and I am excited to be a part of the Lokahi Counseling Center team. Growing up, I always loved learning about people and how they have been shaped by their experiences. This led me to pursue my Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology with a focus in Marriage and Family Therapy. Eventually, I hope to gain full licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT).
Currently, I work at the Sex Abuse Treatment Center, providing crisis counseling and advocacy to those who have gone through sexual trauma. During my graduate program internships, I also worked at both a DOE school and a private practice. From those experiences, I was able to work with adults, children, women’s groups, and families.
I believe the therapeutic alliance is a key part of the process. Each person is unique and benefits from an approach specifically tailored to who they are and what their goals are. Thank you for taking some time to get to know me, and I look forward to getting to know you!
Michelle Wong, MA (Pre-Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist).
Aloha my name is Michelle Wong I am the newest member of Lokahi Counseling Center. A pre-licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, I am looking forward to helping in the child and adolescent program of the center.
During my graduate studies, I had the opportunity to intern for the DOE in the Behavioral Health Service Department and also volunteered at Institute of Human Services. Through this experience I have learned to work with a diversity of children and adolescents from variety demographics and diagnoses to implement evidence based practices.
I have a heart for children and teens as they are our future. I believe building resilency is important in the children’s development. My passion is to guide individuals to become resilient in any circumstances.
A little about myself, I love to travel, able to converse in Japanese, am a big movie buff and enjoy trying new foods! Thank you for taking the time to read my bio. I look forward to meeting your ohana.
Dianne Bright-Tosie MA ( Pre Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist).
In our world today, it is not uncommon to experience Life Stressors and Trauma that can become overwhelming leaving a person to experience a loss of hope, and loss of life stability. My Greatest passion is working with people who are experiencing Life stressors and traumatic situations, and to be able to provide Healing interventions, and equipping them with “tools” to face future difficulties, and work through them more easily and successfully.
My clients include Individual adults and couples, children and families find solutions, healing, and peace, so that they can thrive and feel safe and complete, and experience a renewed feeling of hope and happiness, and stability in moving forward in life. I have been trained in a range of modalities, that includes Solution-focused therapy, Cognitive Behavioral therapy and Experiential, Intergenerational and Structural Family Therapies, among other modalities.
My Educational and Work background includes a Graduate MA degree from Argosy University in Hawaii, and undergraduate Bachelor of Science degrees from Northern Michigan University. I have over 40 years of professional work in the fields of Mental Health and Social Services combined.
When I am not at work, I enjoy spending time with my adult children, my grandkids and my Hanai family having fun and making cherished memories.