Meet Our Team Of Professionals
Benita offers therapy to adults across Arizona, North Carolina, and Colorado. She is licensed in Arizona and North Carolina and holds a Colorado telehealth license, offering in-person sessions in Hampstead, North Carolina, and virtual therapy across all three states.
Benita is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Arizona and North Carolina and the founder of Brave Heart Therapy. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from the University of Kentucky and her Master’s in Social Work from Arizona State University. She specializes in working with individual adults (18+) navigating trauma, PTSD and complex PTSD, anxiety and depressive disorders, mood disorders, and life transitions.
Benita became a certified EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapist on September 1, 2023. She has also completed Levels 1, 2, and 3 training in Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR), along with training in Structural Dissociation Theory, Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which she integrates based on each client’s individual needs.
Her therapeutic approach is trauma-informed, client-centered, and multimodal, drawing from a range of evidence-based methods to help clients better understand the roots of their distress and work toward meaningful relief.
As a therapist, Benita’s goal is not only to do something for her clients, but to be something for them: grounded, present, compassionate, and real. She is warm and down-to-earth while also being direct. She believes in both holding space and encouraging accountability, creating a safe and accepting environment where clients can show up fully, feel supported, and begin challenging and rewriting self-defeating narratives that no longer serve them.
Ages:
Adults (18 +)
Insurances Accepted:
Lyra EAP
Aetna
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina
Benita DeLuca Villalino, LCSW
Samantha Dow, LAC
Samantha offers both in-person therapy in Mesa, Arizona and virtual sessions throughout Arizona.
Samantha received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of New Hampshire in 2020 and went on to earn her Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Southern New Hampshire University in 2025. She is a Licensed Associate Counselor who provides psychotherapy to adults, young adults, individuals, and couples navigating a range of emotional and relational concerns. She specializes in anxiety disorders, depressive and mood disorders, trauma, relationship and attachment concerns, emotional dysregulation, and self-esteem issues.
Samantha is trained in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT). Her approach is also informed by Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy. Her work is grounded in attachment theory and guided by a trauma-informed, client-centered approach. She tailors therapy to each client’s unique needs and goals, with an emphasis on making the process both personalized and collaborative.
Samantha strongly values the therapeutic relationship and works to create a safe, warm, and nonjudgmental environment where clients feel seen, heard, and supported. She prioritizes trust, transparency, authenticity, and compassion, and is committed to supporting clients with care and intention as they navigate difficult experiences, strengthen relationships, and deepen their understanding of themselves.
Samantha is the only therapist at this time that provides therapy for couples.
Ages:
Adults (18 +)
Insurances Accepted:
Aetna
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona