Although the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) ended as of May 11th 2023,
Vance Mental Health Services will continue treating both new and established clients via telemedicine.
To schedule an appointment, or for any inquiries you may have, please call us at
(301) 848-0461.
Meet the Staff at Vance Mental Health Services
Dr. Patricia Vance, Ph.D.
Dr. Vance earned her PhD in 1992 from University of Maryland College Park. She worked in community mental health for 25 years, serving adults and children of all ages, and supervised many graduate students working toward their degrees in psychology. Dr. Vance has additional training in the areas of psychological trauma such as PTSD and child abuse and works with many people who have histories of trauma related to military service, accidents, or child abuse. She started Vance Mental Health Services in 2007 as a solo practitioner, and gradually grew the staff to accommodate the increasing demand for services. Currently, Dr. Vance continues to provide therapeutic services to individuals of all ages and is happy to have working with her many very talented therapists, allowing Vance Mental Health Services to better meet the needs of the community.
Dr. Paul Donato, LCSW-C, Ph.D.
Dr. Paul Donato is a graduate of Cornell University. His PhD focus was on transcultural mental health. He has over 40 years of experience in mental health services and was a director of a regional mental health clinic for the State of Maryland for 21 years. His specialty areas include military and employee mental health, as well as general family therapy with couples.
Dr. Ann Bryant, Psy.D.
Dr. Ann Bryant received her Psy. D. from Argosy University in 2012. This was a late career choice: she was an immigration lawyer for over 25 years and practiced, lectured, and published extensively in that field. She was also an Adjunct Law Professor at Georgetown University for several years, teaching immigration and nationality law there. Dr. Bryant also has many years of experience resettling and advocating for refugees and asylees, principally from Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Her psychology practice was initially in public mental health, both in Charles County and, for one year, in Chicago. During that year most of her clients were Spanish-speakers and therapy was conducted in Spanish. She has been in private practice with Vance Mental health since 2011. Dr. Bryant is a proud generalist who enjoys helping the very young, older patients, and people of all ages in-between, as well as couples and groups. One area of particular interest is in treating depression and anxiety that overlap with more longstanding personality problems and with trauma. She is also deeply interested in how cultural issues affect mental health and what to do about it. She speaks Spanish fluently, is conversant in French and Italian, and has a working knowledge of Portuguese.
Dr. Mary Goodwin, Psy.D.
Mary E. Goodwin, Psy.D. earned her doctorate in psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Mary has worked with Vance Mental Health Services since 2012 and provides therapeutic services to individuals, couples, and families. She practices from a holistic perspective and believes that people are greater than their problems and possess the capacity for growth and change. Mary utilizes an integrative approach to treatment which incorporates principles from person-centered therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, psychodynamic therapy, family systems therapy, and play therapy. Mary possesses a broad public service background in government and education and has worked with diverse groups of people. She has extensive experience working within the faith community and has been actively involved in projects geared toward preserving human dignity and minimizing suffering. Mary has spearheaded drives to secure necessities for local, national, and international communities, organized events for institutionalized adults and children, mentored at-risk-children, and worked with disabled veterans. Mary is co-founder of a non-profit organization which provides resources to families and children to help address their emergency needs and provide for their daily living requirements.
Cynthia “Cindy" Behm, LCSW-C
Cindy earned her degree in Clinical Social Work from the University of Maryland School of Social Work in 1994. This began 27 years of providing mental health services to the residents of Southern Maryland. Clients are primarily adults and couples. Experienced with Anxiety, Depression, ADHD, Anger Management, and Life Transitions. Modalities: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Person-Centered, and to fit the method to the needs of each client.
Cindy believes in individuals' ability to learn and grow throughout their life, and that therapy affords a safe environment to explore their strengths and to clarify their purpose and their goals, and to increase their hope for the future.
Emily Gotsch, LGPC
Emily Gotsch is a Licensed Graduate Professional Counselor. She received her bachelor’s degree in Forensic Psychology, with a certification in child advocacy, from The Florida Institute of Technology and her master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Liberty University. Emily provides counselling to children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families. Her goal is to create a nonjudgmental and therapeutic environment for clients to discuss uncomfortable feelings. Emily works with clients who are experiencing depression, grief, anxiety, trauma, relationship conflicts, substance abuse, and emotional dysregulation.
Paige Lindsay, LMSW
Paige Lindsay obtained her bachelor’s in psychology with a minor in Family Studies from Towson University, and has a Masters in Clinical Social Work specializing in Mental Health from University of Maryland. Ms. Lindsay is a Licensed Graduate Social Worker for the state of Maryland and has provided counselling services to children, adolescence, adults, families, and couples. She has experience treating individuals with ADHD, anxiety, depression, PTSD, grief, anger management, and adjustment disorder.
Tamara Spence, LMSW
Tamara Spence is a Maryland Board Licensed Master Social Worker who graduated from Walden University with a Master of Social Work Degree with a Clinical Concentration. Tamara brings 10 years of experience with individuals with chronic health and acute mental diagnosis to this practice. It is her mission and passion to advocate for vulnerable populations as well as provide top notch care. Tamara has gained clinical experience through two internships working with individuals, families, and couples. Her sessions will focus on creating a non-judgmental space where clients feelings will be acknowledged and validated. Tamara will work with clients to achieve their personal goal through evidence practice and interventions. Her primary modalities are person-centered, cognitive-behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, and mindfulness.
Michael Wright, LMSW
Michael P. Wright received his master's of Social Work Degree from Howard University in 2015. Michael provides services to clients of all ages with a wide range of emotional and behavioral diagnoses. He believes in a highly personalized approach, tailored to each individual clients’ needs in order to attain personal growth. Michael specializes in depression & anxiety disorders, couples & family counseling, parenting support, grief counseling, and stress management.
Dedicated Support Staff
Ivett Contreras, Billing Coordinator
Jenny Qin, Billing Specialist
Amanda C, Credentialing Specialist/Payroll
To learn more about our staff, give us a call at (301) 848-0461.