Bharati Acharya, MA, LPCC, Board Approved Supervisor, Diplomate Narrative Therapy (she/her/hers)
Bharati is a Licensed Mental Health Professional with 20 years of experience working in the field of mental health. Bharati is rooted in the notion that all mental health issues must be considered with a social justice lens. She is enthusiastic about working alongside people from a diverse range of cultural backgrounds, using a collaborative and anti-oppressive framework. Bharati has extensive experience in collaborating with women and LGBTQIA+ people, as they have navigated challenges with depression, anxiety, complex trauma and substance use. She integrates EMDR, Brain Spotting, Narrative practices and yoga in her work. As a part of her passion for addressing systemic challenges and barriers to care in the field of mental health, she serves on the Minnesota Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy and the Minnesota Culturally Informed and Culturally Responsive Task Force.
Riley Decko, MSW, LGSW (she/her/hers)
Riley graduated with a Master of Social Work from Saint Mary’s University and is a Licensed Graduate Social Worker. According to Riley, working in the field of social work has always been her passion, and she is grateful for the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives. For the past three years, Riley has worked side-by-side with a multidisciplinary team at Avivo. Prior to Avivo, she spent seven more years in the mental health field in the community and as a mental health case manager. Into every environment she works, Riley brings an energy of acceptance and the belief that as providers, we meet people where they are. Her mission as a therapist is to empower individuals by identifying and removing obstacles while facilitating personal growth through an individualistic approach. Her clinical practice incorporates CBT, Behavioral Activation, and mindfulness. Riley states, “I am excited to continue to advocate and assist clients within our community, while also being able to offer therapeutic services.”
Bruce Field, MD
Dr. Field is board certified in general and addiction psychiatry. He studied medicine at Temple Medical School and trained in psychiatry at NYU Medical Center. He later studied psychotherapy at the Minnesota Institute of Contemporary Psychoanalysis and completed a certification program in refugee trauma and recovery through Harvard Medical School.
His areas of interest include psychotherapy, cross-cultural psychiatry, refugee mental health, addiction and trauma. Much of his career has been devoted to working with disenfranchised and underserved communities in the Twin Cities. For more than 25 years, Dr. Field has worked in a variety of settings including community clinics, private practice, and major teaching hospitals including the Center for International Health, Center for Victims of Torture, Regions Hospital, and Veterans Medical Center.
Dr. Field strives to work in a collaborative manner with his patients and his co-workers. He is also able to provide psychiatric services in Spanish.
Darian (Dar) Larsen, MSW, LICSW (they/them/theirs)
Dar is a program manager with Avivo’s family navigation and transitional recovery housing programs. They hold a Master of Science in Social Work. They have been in the field for more than ten years and were recently convinced to use their knowledge in a clinical setting. Dar is passionate about honoring people as their full and authentic self and working with them to meet their personal goals. Dar has an eclectic experience background and currently works mostly with families and individuals in recovery.
Shari Peterson, MSW, LICSW (she/her/hers)
Shari is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) who has been working in the field of mental health for over 20 years. She earned a bachelor’s degree in child psychology with an emphasis in emotional & behavioral disorders from the University of Minnesota. She has a Master of Social Work from Augsburg College. Shari believes in the inherent worth and dignity of all people, the wisdom of our bodies, and in supporting recovery as a journey that happens within the many systems involved in a person’s life. Shari is passionate about helping people break free from the limitations and constraints that are the living legacy of trauma. Shari works with teens and adults in individual or family therapy. Her areas of focus include trauma, stress and anxiety, depression, addiction, ADHD and relationship problems.