Neuropsychology
Dr. Glen Johnson is a Fully Licensed Psychologist in Michigan specializing in Clinical Neuropsychology. After completing a Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Neuropsychology, he returned to his native Michigan and has been treating people with neurological disorders for over 25 years. The majority of his practice has been involved with treating people who sustained a traumatic brain injury (also called Post-Concussional Disorder). He has been working with brain injury programs since 1990 and developed his own program called New Approaches Center in 2010. He has written a free, easy to read book called TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY SURVIVIAL GUIDE, which can be found on the web at WWW.TBIGUIDE.COM.
Operations Manager
Michelle Jokinen
Michelle Jokinen is our Operations Manager here at New Approaches. She is the one you schedule appointments with, communicates with case managers, and is your powerful liaison to the insurance companies. And of course, she is the overarching customer care specialist. She has been with New Approaches for over nine years, and she describes it as “the best job ever!” She is a true native to Traverse City. She was born at the Munson Medical Center, was raised here, and raised her kids in Traverse City. She is a proud mom to her daughters Jessica and Erica. Michelle is also the loving grandmother to five grandchildren (one lives in heaven). She thrives in the small town feel that Traverse City offers. Many of her own family generations have lived in Traverse City throughout the years, so one can certainly understand the amount of love she has for the city and the history that bestows upon itself. Traverse City is not the only place she has lived. She lived in Scotland for about a year and cherished every minute of it. When she is not at work, she enjoys hiking, riding in her side by side, and visiting the Upper Peninsula as much as possible. She has visited Disney(world/land) a few times and looks forward to going back. When she lived in Scotland, she traveled to the magical Grand Canary Islands. She has a few places on her bucket list to travel to, but Alaska is the front runner. Some of her most favorite foods include everything her husband made when he was alive which included his chicken broccoli cheddar soup and his apple crisp (stomachs are growling I am sure as you read this). When she wants to visit a local food establishment, Sleder’s is her top go to. Next time you are in, maybe you can ask her for a recommendation at Sleder’s. Finally, she is the proud dog mom to Hawkeye. Hawkeye is a very friendly German Shepherd that comes to work with her occasionally. She take him on hikes, and he rides along with her when drives her side by side (of course wearing goggles for safety). He is the top ‘dawg’ at New Approaches.
Mental Health Counselor
Kathryn Maximiuk, MA, LLPC
Kathryn (Katy) Maximiuk is a limited licensed professional counselor originally from the Metro Detroit area. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Michigan – Dearborn in 2009, a Graduate Certificate in Complementary Medicine and Wellness from Oakland University in 2013, and a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Oakland University in 2020. Beyond academics, she has over 20 years of extensive clinical
practice providing her with in-depth experience in the treatment of anxiety, depression, trauma, sexual abuse, grief, and crisis-management. Katy employs a deeply individualized counseling approach, which prioritizes the client-counselor relationship. She subscribes to evidence-based psychotherapeutic techniques, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, and is skilled in conducting counseling for children, adults, families, and groups.
Neuropsychological Technician
Victoria Jamison is the Neuropsychological Technician at New Approaches. She had been in the marketing and design field for about 18 years after she earned her Bachelor of Art degree in graphic design. She recently earned a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from Central Michigan University. SHe started to earn her master’s degree in clinical mental health from Central Michigan University. She loves working with the diversity of patients at New Approaches and the ability to soak up as much information as possible. She is not a native to Traverse City and moved from San Diego to be with her now husband over four years ago. She loves Traverse City because of the slower paced environment and the beauty each season holds. When she is not working, she has multiple of activities she enjoys participating in. She enjoys visiting local restaurants and wineries, hiking, and kayaking with her husband and friends. She loves her ‘zoo’ at home (two dogs and two cats), and spending time with her step kids during the summer months. She has traveled to London, Costa Rica, Bali and many states in the U.S. Her dream destination since she was 18 is to go to Africa on a safari and/or do some volunteer work with local communities. He favorite eatery in Traverse City is Taproot or Little Fleet.
Speech Therapy
Annalise Holcomb is originally from Grayling, Michigan and went to Grayling High School. She then earned her Bachelors in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Grand Valley State University (Go Lakers!). She studied abroad in Belize while in undergrad and has a passion for traveling and learning new cultures and trying new foods! Annalise went on to earn her Masters in Speech-Language Pathology from Andrews University. She is a new graduate and has a passion working with adults in all areas of speech, language, cognition, and swallowing. She is currently engaged and lives with her fiance and chocolate lab in Traverse City. Annalise has always found herself traveling to TC for all the fun things to do, so why not live and work here! She enjoys going to the beach, hiking, working out, and going out to local restaurants and wineries.
Occupational Therapy
Joel Ayala
Joel Ayala is an occupational therapist who earned his bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy from Saginaw Valley State University in 1995. He has worked in a variety of outpatient rehab settings including community mental health, physical disabilities, neuro rehabilitation, return to work, functional capacity assessments, and driver’s rehabilitation. He is a father of two daughters and grandfather to two grandsons. He has lived in Traverse City Michigan for over 25 years.
Physical Therapy
Sara Laisure is another native to Traverse City. She went to Traverse City Central High School then earned her Bachelors in Kinesiology from Michigan State University (Go Green!). Sara went on to earn her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Grand Valley State University. Sara is another dog lover around here (we can’t help, it we love our four legged creatures). She is currently engaged and keeps herself busy outside of work with lots of activities. They include: biking, working out, and hiking. She also loves to travel – her and her fiancé recently visited Greece. Her favorite food is popcorn! Since Sara is a native to TC, she likes to be sure she geta out and about in the community, go to community events and activities, and stay up on local food.
Chelsea Lalonde
Massage Therapy
Bryan has been practicing massage therapy for over 10 years guiding patients through chronic pain and restricted movement in chiropractic offices, physical therapy clinics, and at New Approaches. New Approaches has provided the best clinician to patient relationship for healing and recovery. Recovering from an accident, especially one involving a head injury, takes time. The structural releases offer effective and begin the process of alleviating pain symptoms immediately. With the addition of Cranial Structural work, we can begin to reduce headache and migraine pain in addition to releasing core distortion patterns in the body. Greater mental clarity, improved joint function, and an expanding awareness of one’s health is what New Approaches offers.