Staff

 

Linda Marshall, LSW, C-SWCM, CGRS,

Linda Marshall is the founder of Health with Heart Consulting LLC. She is a licensed Social Worker, Grief Recovery and Mediation Specialist. Her goal to help people live better lives is evident through her education, service, and career path.

She has served in the healthcare field for more than 30 years. Linda worked in a hospital and nursing home setting before starting a private practice in care management.  She has been a healthcare manager and owner for 15 years.  She provides geriatric assessments, problem solving and heallth care planning. Her focus is to provide a caring approach in assisting her clients with advocacy and education. She can help with various living and healthcare needs such as alternative living arrangements, home care needs, finding the best community resources, and more.

Linda was trained at Beech Acres, which enables her to serve as a Mediator. This service is valuable in dealing with agencies and professionals, difficult meetings, end-of-life issues, and patient relationships with caregivers and family. Linda may also serve as a Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare, Guardianship, or Conservatorship when needed.

 In addition, Linda has been interested in the use of Medicinal Aromatherapy since 2000.  She has spent many years studying the effects and use of essential oils.  She recently completed her work and is now a Certified Level 1 Medicinal Aromatherapist. She is currently working on her Certification in Clinical Aromatherapy from ISHA.  She is also a Distributor for Wisdom of the Earth Essences, and Young Living Essential oils, and a Shakley Distributor.

Linda has been happily married to the love of her life her husband Rick for over thirty years.  They moved to the Cincinnati area in 1986.  Their pride and joy is a Jack Russell named Sidney. She loves to play and keeps them very busy.  When not working they enjoy traveling all over the United States, working in their yard, watching and feeding the birds-Humming Birds, and volunteering for local organizations.

Linda is a proud member of the following organizations:

Bob Usalis, LSW, CAGS

Robert Usalis brings his comprehensive work, life experience and deep understanding of human concerns to Health with Heart clients. Following high school he served in the US Army medical-corps on Okinawa during the Viet-Nam era, returning home to put himself through undergraduate as well as graduate school - paying for those by working on the railroad at local steel mills in Cleveland, for the telephone company, and in manufacturing. After attending the University of Cincinnati for both his Master's degree and his post-Master's CAGS, he married his sweetheart of four years and they moved to Wisconsin where he provided counseling services to students at UW-Madison. Later becoming the director of the Bethesda Lutheran Home sheltered workshop while his wife, Robin, completed her graduate work.

Following his wife's obtaining her Master's degree, they returned to Cincinnati where Bob took over a Title VII CETA project started by his graduate department at UC. Although he continued on in the rehabilitation & counseling fields through the following years, he made time to explore business interests at one point starting a computer consulting company. Presently, Bob works with Health with Heart providing social service and casework services to our clients. He maintains his Licensed Social Worker (LSW) credentials, is active with the Cincinnati Social Workers in Long Term Care, as well as having recreational interests with the Sierra Club and the Cincinnati Ski Club. He also enjoys motorcycle touring with his wife as sidekick, and to be sure he doesn't get too lost.

Bob's present volunteer work includes local long-term care facilities, the Red Cross mental-health teams on both national & local disasters, their 16-county 24/7 Disaster Action Unit, the St. Francis Outreach Center, and Katrina relief at his parish. He has previously volunteered with the Special Olympics, Pro Kids, and the Cincinnati Free Store. He is not alone in keeping busy.

The rest of Bob's family has been busy too: Mrs. Usalis heads up the Clovernook Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired while his oldest daughter is now soon to be a Captain in the US Army Medical Corps, and in June his youngest daughter will move to Colorado to start her teaching career, following graduation from UC with a major in Special Education and Deaf Studies.

Julie Rebensdorf, LSW

Julie has a Master's in Counseling from the University of Cincinnati and is a licensed social worker in the State of Ohio, where she has lived and worked in a variety of service and administrative positions for over 20 years. She has spent extensive time in elderly services, case management, sales, marketing, and admissions for a retirement community.  She has also served as a corporate elder-care specialist for various local companies.

Julie is in private practice as a Reiki therapist. She has been a practicing Usui Reiki Master since 1999, offering healing sessions by appointment for individuals and their pets. Julie has been working with healing energies for over fifteen years developed through studies with renowned healers and teachers. She uses an eclectic and intuitive approach in her practice.

Julie also offers Reiki training for those interested in learning this ancient art of healing to help them achieve a sense of balance and wellness in their daily lives. She also holds workshops on relaxation techniques. An example of some of the workshops include, teaching a class to pulmonary rehab patients at Cincinnati’s Christ Hospital on some basic energy medicine techniques and she was invited to present to graduate students at  ODU by Dr. Jill Jergens. Some qualifications Julie holds include a certificate in “Touch for Health” and in Ko-Laimni Healing Technique. Julie herself has taken a Donna Eden workshop and an Advanced healing techniques workshop at the Alliance Institute for Integrated Medicine.

Julie has worked with adults, children and animals. She especially enjoys teaching others how to empower themselves to make positive changes in their lives. It is difficult to explain various healing modalities so we as practitioners say just “experience it” for yourself.

I invite the reader to try an alternative method of healing and experience how helpful it can be.

Julie is on the board of a non-profit organization, Simple Beginnings, providing holistic services to those with medical needs. She is also a volunteer for Evercare Hospice.  She has also volunteered atCincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

Liz Tassone, Spiritual Director

Liz Tassone is a Gerontologist and Spiritual Director.  Liz began working with older adults when she was in high school when a family hired her to spend time with their mother who was in her late 90's.  This began a lifelong appreciation for and career serving older adults.  She received a BA in Sociology with an emphasis in Gerontology in 1980 from Miami University.  She has since worked as a senior center director and as Information and Referral Coordinator for Council on Aging.  From 1998 to 2006 she produced and hosted "Family Caregiver Hour" on WMKV 89.3 FM.

In 2008 Liz began a two year program learning the art of spiritual direction offered by Sycamore Spirituality Center, an interfaith organization dedicated to training of contemplative spiritual directors.  In May of 2010 Liz completed that program and currently sees clients for spiritual direction.  In spiritual direction, Liz explores with her clients the movement of God in their lives.  Most clients meet monthly with her, one on one, for an hour.  This time is spent exploring both the ordinary and extraordinary events in the client's life to discern the movement and invitation of God.

Liz is an active volunteer with various organizations in our community.  She is part of the Spiritual Care Department at Jewish Hospital and a helper at the Wesley Chapel Mission Center in Over the Rhine.  Liz also serves as a Board member of the Association for Professionals in Aging, an Advisory member of the Caregivers Assistance Network and a founding member of Southwest Ohio Caregivers Coalition.  She also is part of the Healing Touch Ministry at her church.

 Liz has been married to Don for almost 30 years and together they have four children--Ann, Patrick, Mary and Christopher.