Feeling comfortable with your therapist is one of the key ingredients to a successful therapeutic journey. Therapists are certainly not a “one size fits all” so it is important that you enter into therapy with some awareness of your therapist’s skills, background, and their approach. We encourage you to learn a little about our clinicians as you decide who you may align best with for your needs.
Meet the Therapists
Anamae Franek, MSW, LCSW-C, Licensed in Maryland
In office and telehealth
15+
Anamae was born and raised in Calvert County, Maryland. After high school, she ventured to Baltimore, Maryland to attend Stevenson University where she majored in Psychology and obtained her Bachelor’s degree. During her undergrad, she started working at an inpatient mental health hospital where she supported adults & adolescents with eating disorders. This is where her passion for working with individuals with eating disorders, body image issues, anxiety, depression, and self-esteem issues developed.
Anamae’s passion for helping people led her to get her Masters in Social Work while she managed a treatment center for individuals with eating disorders. She offers person-centered interventions that allow people to have a safe space to process emotions and experiences, self-reflect without judgment, explore ambivalence to change and ultimately commit to caring for themselves. She looks forward to assisting you on your journey in navigating your emotions and reaching your treatment goals.
As a new mom, she enjoys spending time with her family and watching her baby boy grow and develop. She found a new meaning to life when her son was born and started to focus on the importance of the small things in life and creating meaningful memories with her family. Her new-found super powers as a mom has inspired her to continue to work with empowering others.
Kelli Remmel, MSW, LCSW-C, Licensed in Maryland and Pennsylvania
Clinical Supervisor
Telehealth
15+
With over 20 years of experience in the behavioral health field, Kelli brings her knowledge, compassion and desire to support clients on their journey towards realizing their inner strengths and resilience. Kelli has worked in a vast array of settings such as a transitional housing program in Baltimore, an inpatient psychiatric unit, Department of Social Services, nonpublic special education school, and in managed care working with individuals and providers. Most recently, she has served as the Assistant Director of Counseling Services at St. Mary’s College of Maryland and works on an integrative team at a health clinic in southern Maryland.
Licensed in both Maryland and Pennsylvania, Kelli is comfortable working with adolescents and adults. She is well versed in treating anxiety disorders, OCD, depression, grief, self-esteem, and life transitions. Her therapeutic approach utilizes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Strengths-Based, Solution Focused and elements of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Valuing the importance of being a trauma informed provider, she recently completed an extensive trauma certification program. She is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Social Work (DSW) and is focusing her research on higher education and trauma.
Christina Keen, LCSW-C, Licensed in Maryland and DC
Telehealth
18+
Hemingway wrote, “The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places.” Christina believes that given enough stress, any of us can struggle with our mental health. Grief, depression, anxiety, chronic pain, or challenging life transition may leave us feeling stuck. She takes a holistic, strengths-based approach to help you navigate these and future life challenges by creating an individualized mental health toolkit. Christina deeply cares for her clients and her goal is to set you up for success. Currently, she is providing short term therapy for adults (8 to 20 sessions) using cognitive behavior therapy, a structured, goal-oriented type of talk therapy. CBT can help you challenge negative thought patterns and learn to respond instead of react to stressful situations.
Melanie Flickinger, MS.ED
Practice Administrator
Melanie is By The Bay’s practice administrator and plays an integral role in By The Bay Counseling Solutions, LLC’s daily operations. She ensures that your therapy needs are communicated accurately to our therapists in order to provide you the most up-to-date information regarding service and availability. Melanie manages scheduling, the intake process and insurance verification.
Melanie is originally from Pennsylvania, but as an active duty military spouse, she has lived in several states in the northeast and mid south. She has permanently settled on the shoreline of Connecticut where she lives with her husband and two teenage daughters.
In addition to her practice administrator role at By The Bay, Melanie has been a certified elementary school teacher for over 20 years and is currently working within the Madison Public School District in Connecticut. When she is not busy working or spending time at her daughters’ gymnastics meets, Melanie enjoys being at the beach reading a book, hiking, and spending time with friends and family.
