Clinical Staff

Laya Bankston (she/her) is a proud Cleveland native and a graduate of Cleveland State University’s School of Social Work. She is passionate about helping children, teens, young adults, and families navigate life’s challenges and grow through healing.

She specializes in trauma-focused care, blending mindfulness, strengths-based strategies, and narrative techniques to foster resilience. Laya partners closely with clients and families, creating a collaborative space where children, teens, and young adults can explore emotional, relational, and life transition challenges, build coping skills, and process trauma. She prioritizes cultural humility, affirms LGBTQ+ identities, and views clients as the experts of their own lives, ensuring support is tailored to each individual’s experiences and needs. Her clinical experience spans schools—supporting children, staff, and families with emotional regulation and adjustment—and hospital settings, assisting families navigating trauma, foster care placements, parent-child dynamics, medical trauma, and anxiety.

Trained in CBT, Motivational Interviewing, and Child-Parent Psychotherapy, Laya also incorporates play therapy, attachment-based, and relational approaches. She is committed to meeting clients where they are and empowering them through individualized, strengths-based support.

In her spare time, Laya enjoys hiking Northeast Ohio’s beautiful trails, collecting rare and uncommon houseplants, and reading thrillers.

Sheryl has an extensive background working with children and their families. She has experience in a variety of settings providing counseling, specifically in schools, in the home environment and community.

Sheryl enjoys helping people across the lifespan and specializes in children’s mental health working with children ages 4-12. She is creative in her approach to facilitate change and growth. Her expertise is in treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), generalized anxiety disorder and family relationship building. Sheryl believes all clients are unique and provides a tailored service to address individual needs.

Samantha Elliott is a board certified Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner who brings strong clinical skills, an easygoing communication style, empathy, a little humor, and evidence-based comprehensive mental health treatment. She works with individuals from adolescence through adulthood struggling with depression, anxiety, mood disorders, ADHD, trauma, autism spectrum disorder, and other mental health issues.

A graduate of Maryville University of St Louis, Samantha received her Master of Science in Nursing with a focus of Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner: Lifespan. She was inducted into the Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society based on excellent academic performance while enrolled during the entirety of her master’s program.

Prior to becoming a PMHNP, she worked for over eleven years as an RN in emergency services, home health, oncology, addiction medicine, and mental health departments for organizations such as The Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals and The Nord Center. Additionally, she is an active LGBTQ+ ally.

In her free time, Samantha enjoys family game nights, antique stores, reading, traveling and her pets.

Peter Geier, M.D., specializes in Child/Adolescent, Adult and Forensic Psychiatry. He received a BA from Stanford University, CA, and M.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, OH. He is a Board Certified Diplomate in Psychiatry and Neurology with added qualifications for child and adolescent psychiatry and forensic psychiatry. His post-graduate training includes positions at hospitals in Washington, Ohio and Illinois.

Throughout his career, he has been involved in various research efforts and is a published author.

Dr. Geier has been in private practice since 2007 but continues to serve on the faculty of University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve University, in clinical and assistant professor positions. He remains active in professional organizations including the American Psychiatric Association, Ohio Psychiatric Association, American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, and the North East Ohio Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Association.

Dr. Hussain specializes in treating disruptive behavior disorders in children and adolescents, such as ADHD, ODD, anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, and bipolar disorders with medications and psychotherapy. He treats both adult patients and children.

In addition to his work with The Child and Family Counseling Center of Westlake, Dr. Hussain’s professional memberships include:

• American Academy of Child Psychiatry
• American Psychiatric Association
• Cleveland Psychiatric Society
• Northeast Ohio Council
• Ohio Psychiatric Association

Prior to becoming a board certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Michele Norman taught in the fields of Communication and Business at many local colleges and universities. Her teaching experience has played a huge role in the way she interacts with and works collaboratively with her patients to create the most effective treatment plan possible. She works with individuals across the lifespan on a variety of issues ranging from anxiety and depression to ADHD and PTSD and bipolar disorders.

One of her priorities is to be as open, welcoming and approachable to everyone regardless of age, sexual orientation, lifestyle choices, unusual hobbies, weird collections, music tastes etc. Her practice style is different, laid back, and building relationships with patients is her priority. Typically sporting hair with vibrant colors, she has been called “weird” and wears the label with pride.

Along with traditional medical practices, Michele is a big proponent of other holistic wellness techniques and a strong believer in natural medicine, animal assisted therapy, and herbalism. Her goal is to treat the entire individual, not just the mental health diagnosis that has been assigned.

She holds degrees from five universities, but her medical training was completed at Case Western Reserve University here in Cleveland. In her free time, she runs a non-profit organization devoted to rescuing and providing care of puppy mill and commercial breeding dogs. She is a closet author of fiction, having written about 8 books in an, as of yet, unpublished series. Lastly, and most importantly, her daughter is her “everything” and her inspiration to be the best person she can be every single day.

Lisa is the President and Founder of the Child and Family Counseling Center of Westlake. She has over 20 years of combined experience working in the areas of foster care, mental health, and acute psychiatric care. She has held positions as a foster care case manager and supervisor, director of a community mental health program, director of child/adolescent acute psychiatric services, and as a psychotherapist and business owner.

Her psychotherapy practice began in working with children, adolescents, and families experiencing a variety of issues and disorders such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, post-traumatic stress, sexual, physical, and emotional abuse, self-harming behaviors, and attachment disorder. After extensive training in clinical hypnotherapy (CHt), integral breath therapy, and other mind-body therapies, her client population has also grown to work with adults suffering from trauma, depression, anxiety and any dysfunctional behavior patterns requiring healing at a deeper level. Lisa continues to utilize cognitive behavioral and family systems approaches, providing clients what they need to achieve their goals.

For the past several years, Nicole has worked in community behavioral health. She has extensive experience providing mental health and trauma based services to children, families, and refugee families. Nicole integrates techniques from various therapies such as, Gestalt, cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, trauma-focused behavioral therapy, multi-systemic therapy, and solution-focused therapy. Nicole’s areas of interest include: post traumatic stress disorder, complex trauma, trauma/abuse, bereavement and grief, stress management, anxiety-based disorders, depressive disorders, mood disorders, and behavioral disorders.

Additionally, Nicole has conducted trauma-based research with several mental health, healthcare organizations and universities in Northeast Ohio. These organizations include: Frontline Services, Kent State University, Case Western Reserve University, and Cleveland State University.

Kristin has 20 years of experience in a variety of settings including as a school based therapist, child protective services, and as a clinician/intern at residential psychiatric facilities. She has received additional training through the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland, including specialization in working with children and adolescents from a Gestalt perspective, though she uses a variety of methods in her clinical work.

Kristin works with clients dealing with a variety of challenges including depression, anxiety, anger management, behavior/conduct concerns, life transitions, domestic violence, physical/sexual/emotional abuse, and post traumatic stress disorder. She is also LGBTQ+ supportive. In her spare time, she enjoys playing her violin, creating through various crafts, fostering kittens for the APL, and finding different ways to enjoy nature.

Deanna Watts has more than 15 years of experience in the social work field. Throughout her career, Deanna has worked in residential treatment centers, community-based practices, schools, and private practice, providing support to individuals and families through a wide range of life experiences and challenges.

Deanna works with adolescents and adults ages 10 and older. Her areas of experience include grief and loss, significant life changes, relational and behavioral challenges, family estrangement, anxiety and depression, childhood trauma, religious trauma, and supporting therapists through their own personal and professional journeys. She has experience with individual, family, and group therapy, as well as faith-based approaches for clients who desire to incorporate spirituality and faith into their therapeutic experience.

Deanna utilizes an integrative approach to therapy, drawing from Psychodynamic Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). She believes that therapy should be a collaborative and supportive process that allows clients to better understand themselves, develop healthy coping strategies, navigate difficult experiences, and create meaningful change.

At the heart of Deanna’s practice is a strengths-based perspective. She believes every client possesses strengths, resilience, and the capacity for growth, even when those qualities may be difficult to recognize during challenging seasons of life.

In addition to spending time with family and friends, Deanna enjoys raising monarch butterflies in a custom backyard habitat.

Erika has over 20 years of experience providing mental health services in a variety of settings including residential, foster care, schools, and private practice. Her clientele has spanned from school-aged children through adults and is especially skilled in providing counseling services to adolescents. She uses a variety of methods in her clinical work, focusing on mindfulness and cognitive behavioral perspectives.

Erika has several years of experience working with anxiety, mood disorders, ADHD, stress management, family and couples counseling. She is LGBTQ+ supportive.

In her free time, she enjoys quality family time, nature, playing volleyball, crafting, and spending time with friends.