SUMMARY:

In this episode of TLC Connections, Alyssa Brouse sits down with Chimère Holmes for a rich and honest discussion about mental health, relationships, and the work required to sustain meaningful connection. Chimère shares insights from her role as an Outpatient Program therapist, explaining the continuum of mental health care and the emotional labor involved in true therapeutic change.

The conversation explores common challenges couples and families face today, including communication breakdowns, parenting differences, intimacy struggles, financial stress, and the impact of unresolved family-of-origin patterns. Chimère discusses attachment styles, emotional regulation, and the importance of respect, empathy, and accountability in relationships—emphasizing her belief in “happy spouse, happy house.”

Listeners will also hear Chimère reflect on her journey into the helping profession, the mentors who shaped her path, and her current work as a doctoral student in Marriage and Family Therapy. The episode closes with a powerful reminder that mental health is important—and that support, healing, and connection are always possible when we’re willing to do the work.

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Chimère Holmes, LPC, is a Licensed Professional Counselor and doctoral candidate in Marriage and Family Therapy. She currently serves the community through her Outpatient Therapy Program, Be Ye Renewed Counseling, providing mental health treatment focused on emotional regulation, communication, coping skills, and trauma-informed care. Chimère has extensive experience working across levels of care, including inpatient, partial hospitalization, and intensive outpatient settings.

Her clinical work is grounded in systems theory, attachment theory, and a holistic approach to wellness that honors emotional, relational, physical, and spiritual health. Chimère is especially passionate about couples and family work, BIPOC mental health spaces, and helping individuals and families break old patterns to build healthier ways of relating. She is completing her doctoral research while continuing to serve clients and mentor future clinicians.

Helpful Links: Chimère Holmes –

About & Practice: https://chimereholmes.com/about/

The Lincoln Center for Family and Youth: https://thelincolncenter.com

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): https://www.nami.org

SPONSOR:

The Lincoln Center for Family and Youth (TLC) is a social enterprise company based in the Greater Philadelphia Area. Founded in 1970 by a behavioral health hospital, TLC is an entrepreneurial nonprofit providing innovative education, coaching, and counseling services to individuals and families, as well as grant writing and management services for school districts and universities.

SUMMARY:

In this episode of TLC Connections, GT Freeman welcomes Rob D’Alonzo, SVP of School-Based Services at The Lincoln Center, for a wide-ranging and deeply human conversation about mental health, relationships, and meaning-making.

Rob shares formative experiences from his personal and professional life—from growing up as a fraternal twin to working on the front lines of psychiatric crisis care in hospitals and emergency response centers. He reflects on powerful moments of connection with individuals in extreme distress, the role of empathy and instinct in effective care, and why systems—not individuals in isolation—are critical to long-term healing.

The conversation also explores burnout, vicarious trauma, and how mental health professionals can care for themselves while caring for others. Rob discusses the importance of physical activity, family, optimism, and authentic relationships in sustaining a long career in a demanding field. Together, GT and Rob examine the current state of mental health in our communities, particularly for youth, and why access, prevention, and personalized support matter now more than ever.

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Rob D’Alonzo, MA, LPC, is the Senior Vice President of School-Based Services at The Lincoln Center for Family and Youth. Rob joined TLC in 2011 and has held several leadership roles, including Director of the Family Resource Center, where he oversaw services with the Office of Children and Youth and led Family Focused Solution Based Services in partnership with Central Behavioral Health.

In his current role, Rob leads TLC’s School-Based Services division and provides clinical supervision to counselors and graduate interns across the agency. With decades of experience in crisis response, residential treatment, and community-based mental health, Rob brings a systems-focused, relationship-driven approach to supporting youth, families, and professionals.

Rob earned his bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Syracuse University and his master’s degree from Antioch University in Santa Barbara, California. He has been a Licensed Professional Counselor in Pennsylvania since 2002.

SPONSOR:

The Lincoln Center for Family and Youth (TLC) is a social enterprise company based in the Greater Philadelphia Area. Founded in 1970 by a behavioral health hospital, TLC is an entrepreneurial nonprofit providing innovative education, coaching, and counseling services to individuals and families, as well as grant writing and management services for school districts and universities.

Victim Services Center: https://www.victimservicescenter.org

SUMMARY:

In this episode of TLC Connections, host Julie Knudsen speaks with Erin Milbourne Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Direct Services Supervisor at the Victim Services Center of Montgomery County (VSC). Erin shares her 18-year journey in victim services, her deep sense of purpose, and what keeps her committed to such emotionally demanding work. She describes VSC’s free, confidential, trauma-informed services—including counseling, 24/7 crisis hotline support, police/hospital/court accompaniment, and specialized support groups for survivors of sexual assault, childhood abuse, gun violence, homicide, and grief.

Erin explains how VSC ensures zero barriers to care: no insurance needed, no requirement to report to police, no immigration questions, and free interpretation for any language. She also highlights the agency’s proactive outreach model, strong collaborations with police departments, hospitals, schools, and courts, and the critical role of advocacy in helping victims navigate complex legal processes. Additional topics include the rise of elder fraud, the importance of language access, and the emotional rewards and challenges of the work. The conversation illuminates how VSC’s small but mighty team supports thousands of survivors and why community awareness, partnerships, and financial support remain vital.

GUEST BIO:

Erin Milbourne, LCSW, is the Direct Services Supervisor at the Victim Services Center of Montgomery County, the county’s only nonprofit providing comprehensive, free, and confidential support to survivors of crime and their loved ones. With nearly two decades at VSC, Erin oversees clinical services, advocacy programs, crisis response, and multiple specialized support groups offered both in person and virtually.

A trauma-informed clinician and longtime social worker, Erin is recognized for her leadership in expanding language access, strengthening partnerships with law enforcement and courts, and improving service pathways for survivors of sexual violence, homicide, gun violence, and elder fraud. She has been instrumental in implementing outreach initiatives such as countywide bilingual awareness campaigns and innovative virtual support groups. Motivated by her own lived experience as a survivor, Erin brings deep empathy, expertise, and purpose to her work supporting victims across Montgomery County and throughout Pennsylvania.

SPONSOR:

The Lincoln Center for Family and Youth (TLC) is a social enterprise company based in the Greater Philadelphia Area. Founded in 1970 by a behavioral health hospital, TLC is an entrepreneurial nonprofit providing innovative education, coaching, and counseling services to individuals and families, as well as grant writing and management services for school districts and universities.