Couples & Family Institute

Mary Blackwood, LCMFT serves as the Program Director for the Couples & Family Institute. Mary envisioned and created the Couples & Family Institute in 2018, a program that focuses on providing comprehensive and systemic care for families and couples.

She received her MS in Marriage & Family Therapy from Capella University. She completed the 18-month process to become an AAMFT Board Approved Supervisor. Mary’s love and respect for the family positioned her to share this passion with MPB Group, Inc. for the last ten + years. From an intern to Program Director, the focus has always been on providing stellar systemic services by training future dedicated family therapists that help and guide couples and families to discover or rediscover their own family harmony. She has worked extensively with families of adoption, foster care, and guardianship. This vulnerable population and the lack of resources for the families is the first program under CFI where extensive training was developed and introduced to every clinician. MPB Group is now an Adoption Competent Agency.

Mary continues to incorporate different model trainings to better prepare the CFI team to work with the various challenges couples and families bring to the clinic. Discernment Counseling, Pre-marital Counseling and Trauma-informed Family Therapy to name a few.

Jasmine Jenkins is a licensed Clinical Marriage and Family Therapist. She joined MPB Group as an intern; that is when she made an indelible impact upon the CFI team. After completing her MA degree at Capella University, she returned to MPB Group. Jasmine combines her early child development professional experience with training in family therapy using Structural Family Therapy to realign families that need adjustment. Addressing challenges such as depression, anxiety, ADHD, parenting skills and communication, she works with children, adolescents, and teens within the family system to help parents and children better communicate and find their family harmony. She is an Adoption Competent Therapist. She particularly enjoys working with couples facing all sorts of challenges through the lens of Attachment Theory: infidelity, discernment, and trauma.

She earned her new title after the hard work and dedication to the CFI Team. She is now an AAMFT Board Approved Supervisor Mentee. In 18 months, she will be fully certified as an AAMFT Board Approved Supervisor.

Trish is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who earned her MA degree at Northcentral University, specializing in Military Families. She is Prepare/Enrich certified for premarital counseling. Trish attends Liberty University in pursuit of obtaining a Doctor of Education in Community Care with an emphasis in Marriage and Family therapy. She is writing her dissertation on the effects of PTSD on military couples and has less than a year left until completing her degree. Trish uses Experiential Therapy as her model to create memorable moments in session for families and couples to see family patterns that are getting in the way of synchronicity. She then guides couples and families to take the steps towards positive change, encouraging healthy family patterns, behaviors, and fun! She helps families access their own strengths and create real life, effective changes that impact their families today and for future generations. She believes that healthy families are the cornerstone of healthy communities.

Trish sees couples and families via teletherapy only.

Kayla is a passionate and dedicated therapist committed to supporting couples and families on their journey to authentic growth. She received her master’s degree from Campbellsville University in Marriage and Family Therapy. She is skilled in individual and family trauma, suicide prevention, premarital and discernment counseling. Kayla is equipped with training in EMDR, and Family Systems trauma therapy. She is ready to aid in the emotional health of those she encounters.

Kayla has had the privilege of working with diverse populations, including adults, adolescents, and couples. Her expertise in helping individuals navigate issues related to topics, such as anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship difficulties, and self-esteem. She finds witnessing the transformation and growth of her clients incredibly rewarding.

Bryan is a Licensed Graduate Marriage and Family Therapist who earned his master's degree from National University. Bryan started as an intern at MPB Group and returned after passing his Boards. Bryan enjoys working with families, especially those who are experiencing behavioral issues, ADHD, depression, anxiety and trauma. His specialty is working with younger children and teens as they develop their own personalities within the family system. Helping individuals launch into adulthood is one of his many passions. Bryan’s goal for the therapy process is to create an empathetic, safe and authentic space for the family, couple or individual to grow and find their strengths and abilities to live life to their fullest. Working from a Structural Family Therapy model, Bryan helps the family to discover and adjust their roles, dynamics and patterns for a positive living experience at home through essential change.

Bryan works in the Columbia and Bowie office as well as virtual.

This is a picture of our current MFT intern team. We invite MFT interns from all universities and colleges who are seeking an MFT license in the state of Maryland to reach out to Mary Blackwood, Program Director, if interested in joining the CFI team. If you read the bios of our licensed clinicians, you will see a pattern – interns want to return.