Suzanne Santos LPC, ACS, PMH-C Founder/ Clinical Director

Suzanne Santos is the founder and Clinical Director of Guided Hope Center and has over 15 years of experience in the mental health field. Her background includes outpatient counseling, Intensive In-Home Community Counseling (IIC), trauma work, parent coaching, and working with children, teens, adults, couples, and families. She earned her Master’s degree in Counseling from Centenary University in Hackettstown, NJ.

Suzanne has advanced trauma training, is Gottman Level 2 trained in couples counseling, and holds a Perinatal Mental Health Certification (PMH-C). She has a particular passion for supporting women through pregnancy, postpartum, motherhood, identity shifts, relationship changes, and the mental load that often comes with caring for everyone else.

Suzanne also works extensively with individuals and couples navigating relationship difficulties, separation, breakups, divorce, intimacy concerns, and changing friendships. Clients often describe her as direct, honest, approachable, and down-to-earth. She creates a warm, supportive environment while also offering practical feedback and gentle challenge to help clients recognize patterns, set boundaries, improve communication, and create meaningful change.

Suzanne founded Guided Hope Center after seeing the growing need for quality, accessible mental health care. As Clinical Director, she supervises Guided Hope Center’s associate clinicians and remains closely involved in the clinical development of the team.

Guided Hope Center offers both in-person therapy in Hackettstown and telehealth throughout New Jersey.


Amanda Malanga, LPC, NCC, ACS

Amanda is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), National Certified Counselor (NCC), and Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS) with nearly two decades of experience working with children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families.

Amanda earned her Master of Science in Psychological Counseling with a specialization in Marriage and Family Therapy. Her experience spans community mental health, residential programs, schools, family homes, and outpatient settings. She also has a longstanding professional interest in law enforcement and the unique mental health needs of law enforcement professionals and their families.

Amanda takes a warm, practical, and individualized approach to therapy. Her training includes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), mindfulness, Motivational Interviewing, sensory processing, and play-based CBT. With couples and families, she incorporates family systems and Gottman Method-informed interventions to improve communication, address recurring patterns, and strengthen connection.

As a Certified Yoga Instructor, Amanda can also incorporate mindfulness, movement, and mind-body strategies to support emotional regulation. She is a Nurtured Heart Approach Advanced Trainer and QPR Suicide Prevention Instructor.

Amanda works with children ages 3+, teens, adults, couples, and families experiencing anxiety, OCD, depression, trauma/PTSD, ADHD, autism, attachment and sensory concerns, school difficulties, work-related stress, family conflict, and relationship concerns.

Amanda may be a great fit if you are:

  • Looking for an experienced therapist who works with children, adolescents, young adults, adults, couples, and families
  • Struggling with anxiety, OCD, depression, bipolar disorder, trauma, or PTSD
  • Seeking support for ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, sensory processing concerns, attachment issues, or social skills difficulties
  • Looking for support for a child experiencing school refusal or emotional or mental health concerns affecting academics
  • A couple looking to improve communication, navigate conflict, or strengthen your relationship
  • A family experiencing conflict or wanting to build healthier patterns and connections
  • Seeking pre- or post-marital counseling
  • A law enforcement member or family member seeking mental health support
  • Interested in an individualized approach that may incorporate CBT, TF-CBT, DBT, mindfulness, Motivational Interviewing, Gottman Method-informed interventions, or movement

Katie Cautero, LAC, NCC

Katie Cautero is a Licensed Associate Counselor (LAC) at Guided Hope Center and a National Certified Counselor (NCC). She earned her Master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Hood College in Frederick, Maryland. Through her clinical internship, Katie gained experience supporting clients through a range of trauma-related behavioral and mental health challenges, including crisis intervention. This experience deepened her commitment to meeting people in their hardest moments with steadiness, compassion, and care.

Katie believes that seeking support is a courageous step toward growth and feels honored to be part of each client's journey. Her approach is person-centered and strengths-based, drawing from Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), somatic-informed approaches, creativity, and emotion-focused interventions. She tailors each session to her clients' unique goals, helping them build self-awareness, healthier coping skills, and lasting change.

Katie works with adolescents, young adults, and adults experiencing stress, anxiety, life transitions, relationship concerns, identity development, self-esteem challenges, trauma, and women's issues. She is passionate about empowering clients to reconnect with their strengths, build resilience, and gain confidence while navigating life's challenges.

Clients are welcome to show up exactly as they are. Recognizing that safety looks different for everyone, Katie strives to create a warm, collaborative space grounded in curiosity, trust, and genuine connection. Her hope is that clients leave each session feeling more empowered, understood, and equipped with the tools they need to move forward with greater confidence and self-compassion.

Katie may be a great fit if you are:

  • Feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, or the demands of daily life
  • Healing from trauma or difficult life experiences
  • Navigating a major life transition or identity changes
  • Wanting to build healthier relationships and improve communication
  • Looking to strengthen your self-esteem and self-compassion
  • Seeking a therapist who provides a warm, collaborative, and creative approach to therapy

Katie O'Neal, LAC

Katie O'Neal is a Licensed Associate Counselor (LAC) at Guided Hope Center with over 25 years of experience supporting children, adolescents, adults, and families through education, counseling, and mental health services. She began her career as a teacher in 1998 before becoming a school counselor in 2005. In addition to her work at Guided Hope Center, Katie currently serves as a high school counselor, giving her a unique understanding of the academic, emotional, and social challenges that adolescents and families face.

Katie earned her Master's degree in Counseling from Montclair State University. She believes therapy should be a collaborative, supportive experience where clients feel heard, understood, and empowered to make meaningful change. Her approach is tailored to each individual's needs, integrating Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), mindfulness, motivational interviewing, Polyvagal Theory, and Clinical Hypnosis (Levels I and II) to help clients build practical skills, regulate emotions, and develop resilience.

Katie works with adolescents, adults, and couples experiencing anxiety, depression, relationship concerns, grief, self-esteem challenges, stress, and life transitions. She enjoys helping clients better understand themselves while providing practical tools they can use long after therapy ends.

Clients often describe Katie as compassionate, genuine, and easy to talk to. She believes that while therapy often involves difficult conversations, healing doesn't have to happen without laughter. Katie enjoys using humor when appropriate to help clients feel comfortable, build connection, and find hope—even during life's most challenging seasons.

Katie offers in-person, telehealth, and walk-and-talk therapy sessions, allowing clients to choose the setting that best supports their comfort and therapeutic goals.

Katie may be a great fit if you are:

  • Feeling overwhelmed by anxiety, stress, or life's daily demands
  • Navigating grief, a major life transition, or relationship challenges
  • Looking to improve emotional regulation and build healthier coping skills
  • Wanting practical strategies you can use outside of therapy
  • Seeking a therapist who is warm, collaborative, genuine, and believes growth can include moments of laughter

Grayson Woolrey, LAC, NCC

Grayson Woolery is a Licensed Associate Counselor (LAC) and National Certified Counselor (NCC) with a Master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Centenary University. He works with clients across the lifespan, including children as young as six, adolescents, adults, couples, and families. Grayson has experience supporting clients navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, family conflict, identity exploration, relationship challenges, life transitions, and behavioral concerns.

Grayson takes a person-centered, strengths-based approach to therapy and believes that seeking support is a courageous step toward growth. He strives to meet clients where they are while helping them recognize and build upon their existing strengths. His approach is also informed by systemic and ecosystemic perspectives, recognizing that our families, relationships, communities, and experiences all shape who we are.

Clients can expect Grayson to be empathetic, authentic, and engaged throughout the therapeutic process. He believes meaningful change comes from feeling understood while also being gently challenged to engage in self-discovery. Grayson brings directness and curiosity into his work while creating a space where clients can feel safe being themselves, explore difficult experiences, and develop greater self-awareness and resilience.

Grayson works with individuals, couples, and families, including LGBTQ+ and gender-diverse clients. He is passionate about helping clients navigate life's challenges, strengthen their relationships, and develop the confidence and skills needed to move forward.

Grayson may be a great fit if you are:

  • Navigating anxiety, depression, stress, or difficult emotions
  • Working through trauma or challenging life experiences
  • Experiencing family or relationship difficulties
  • Exploring identity or navigating life transitions
  • Looking to strengthen your coping skills, self-esteem, or resilience
  • Seeking support with parenting or family dynamics
  • Looking for a therapist who will both affirm you and gently challenge you

Katarina Grofikova, LAC

Katarina Grofikova is a Licensed Associate Counselor (LAC) with a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Grand Canyon University. She has experience supporting clients through anxiety, depression, trauma and PTSD, grief and loss, relationship difficulties, life transitions, family stress, and substance use and recovery. Her background also includes working with survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault and with individuals from a wide range of backgrounds and life experiences.

Katarina’s approach to counseling is grounded in person-centered therapy, with the belief that feeling genuinely heard, understood, and accepted can create the foundation for meaningful change. She strives to provide a warm, nonjudgmental environment where clients can openly explore what they are experiencing while developing greater insight, confidence, and healthier ways of coping.

She tailors therapy to each individual and incorporates evidence-based approaches including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), mindfulness, Motivational Interviewing, and narrative techniques.

Katarina takes a holistic approach and recognizes that emotional well-being is often connected to relationships, family roles, past experiences, identity, and major life changes. She works collaboratively with clients to help them better understand themselves, strengthen coping skills, establish healthier boundaries, and create meaningful change in their lives.

Katarina may be a great fit if you are:

  • Struggling with anxiety, depression, stress, or feeling emotionally overwhelmed
  • Healing from trauma, PTSD, domestic violence, or sexual assault
  • Coping with grief or a significant loss
  • Navigating relationship difficulties, family conflict, or parenting stress
  • Adjusting to pregnancy, postpartum, motherhood, fertility challenges, or other changes in a woman’s life
  • Going through a major life transition or feeling unsure about what comes next
  • Struggling with self-esteem, confidence, boundaries, or people-pleasing
  • Working through substance use or recovery-related concerns
  • Looking for a therapist who will provide a supportive, nonjudgmental space while also helping you move toward meaningful change

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