Our Team
Director of Counseling
Lana Banegas is the Director of Counseling at The Well. Lana has over 14 years of experience in the field of therapy. She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a Clinical Fellow with the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (AAMFT). Lana is an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist and a AAMFT Supervisor. Lana holds a Master of Science in Marital and Family Therapy and a Master of Arts in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary and is passionate about the integration of theology and psychology. In her personal life, Lana loves spending time with her husband and four children, playing board games, cooking, watching hokey, and reading a good book.
Our Clinical Staff
Tona Kautz, MS MA | Counselor
Qualifications
M.S. in Clinical Psychology, Nelson University
M.A. in Organizational Leadership, Nelson University
B.A. in Church Leadership, Nelson University
AAC Credentials, International Coaching Federation
Ordained Minister, General Council of the Assemblies of God
Career Missionary, Assemblies of God World Missions
What Patients Can Expect
Tona graduated with a master’s degree in clinical psychology from Nelson University. As a minister, missionary, life and leadership coach, and therapist, she has always felt drawn towards being a champion of others, someone who people can turn to when they need someone to listen and share insight. As a therapist, she specializes in spiritual recovery, dynamics of leadership, family therapy, trauma, and transitions. Her goal is to help patients discover their strengths, build resilience, and find the right therapies to be successful in everyday life.
Therapeutic Approach
Tona understands the challenges that can arise as one works to find balance in both spiritual and mental health. Her passion is to help others discover the skills they need to be successful in overcoming difficulties. She strives to help others find awareness of the potential and abilities that lie within them in order to experience personal success. She also understands the dynamics that leaders encounter, whether dealing with pressure one experiences when given great responsibility or the need to understand how to better interact with team members. As a missionary, Tona understands the intricacies of emotions that are involved when one goes through a transition, be it through changes in life stages or transitions from moving cross-culturally. She is bilingual in Spanish and English, with a Mexican heritage, and has lived in Central and South America. Tona was drawn to mental health services when she and her husband founded a community center in Medellín, Colombia. She recognized that many needed someone who could walk alongside them through healing and finding their own voice in the midst of oppression. She has a long history of working with children, teens, young adults, and leaders.
A Little More About Tona
In her free time, Tona enjoys spending /time with her family. She is married and has two adult children. She enjoys a good game night, especially if Catan is being played. She also enjoys running.
Gabriella Diaz, RN, BSN, MA, LAPC | Counselor
Professional Summary
Gabriella Diaz is an Associate Professional Counselor who provides an integrative, multidisciplinary approach to mental health care. She brings compassion, steadiness, and genuine respect into the counseling relationship, believing that every person has the capacity to heal, grow, and overcome life’s challenges. She works under the supervision of Noelle Porter, LPC, NCC, CPCS, and is remarkably close to becoming fully licensed in Georgia.
Before becoming a mental health counselor, Gabriella spent more than 20 years as a Registered Nurse in a variety of healthcare settings. She also serves as an Adjunct Clinical Nursing Instructor. Her extensive nursing background continues to shape the way she cares for clients today—with attentiveness, clinical insight, and a deep commitment to treating everyone with dignity and compassion.
Education
Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Liberty University
Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Grand Canyon University
Associate of Arts in Biblical Studies, Southwest Bible College and Seminary
Ministry Experience
Gabriella has served as a lay minister in a variety of church ministries. Her experience includes teaching adult new believers classes, serving in childrens ministry, participating in altar prayer teams, leading small groups, and serving as Missions Director at Centreville Assembly of God (CAG) in Virginia.
The central passion of Gabriella's ministry has always been helping those who are hurting experience healing, freedom, and hope. She completed an internship with Frontline Response, where she supported staff and women recovering from sex trafficking.
These experiences continue to influence her heart for serving individuals who have experienced trauma, abuse, and marginalization.
Counseling Experience & Therapeutic Approach
Gabriella practices from a client-centered, integrative perspective, recognizing that each person’s emotional, physical, relational, and spiritual experiences contribute to overall well-being. She collaborates closely with clients to develop individualized, evidence-based treatment plans while incorporating Christian-informed interventions when desired by the client.
Her goal is to create a safe, compassionate environment where clients feel heard, understood, and empowered to move toward lasting change.
Treatment Modalities
Cognitive and Behavioral Approaches
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Psychosis (CBTp)
Brief Solution-Focused Therapy (informed approaches)
Trauma-Informed Approaches
EMDR-informed interventions
Brainspotting-informed interventions
Internal Family Systems (IFS)-informed interventions
Couples and Premarital Counseling
Gottman Method Training
Hope-Focused- informed Marriage Counseling
SYMBIS (Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts) Premarital Assessment and Counseling
Christian-Informed Counseling
Christian-integrated counseling
Inner Healing Prayer
Advanced Discipleship-informed approaches
Creative Approaches
Play therapy-informed interventions.
Art therapy-informed interventions for children and adults
Gabriella remains committed to ongoing professional development and continues to expand her knowledge of trauma, attachment, and other evidence-based counseling practices.
Gabriella’s clinical experience has focused primarily on working with adults experiencing anxiety, depression, personality disorders, as well as relationship and marital concerns. More recent experience includes working with adults experiencing severe mental illness, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and schizoaffective disorder.
Gabriella understands that counseling is often a difficult and deeply personal journey. She considers it a privilege to walk alongside clients as an empathetic witness, offering support, encouragement, and hope throughout the healing process.
A Little More About Gabriella
Outside of counseling, Gabriella enjoys spending time with her husband, family, and grandchildren. She and her husband recently celebrated their nineteenth wedding anniversary.
She is an avid reader who loves exploring libraries, bookstores, and historic downtowns, and she finds renewal by spending time outdoors in God’s creation.