MEET THE TEAM
JENNIFER WILES, M.A., LMHC, BC-DMT
Director of the HEARTplay Program and Camp Erin Boston
at Good Shepherd Community Care
Jennifer is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and a Board Certified Dance/Movement Therapist. Jennifer has served as the director of the HEARTplay program and Camp Erin Boston since 2012. Under Jennifer's direction, these programs have expanded significantly; allowing her award winning programs to serve more grieving children. She is on the adjunct faculty of Lesley University's Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences, and an approved site supervisor for their Field Training Program. Jennifer is on the Board of Director for the National Alliance for Children's Grief where she also chairs the Education Committee.
KATIE McGRAIL,
LMHC, BC-DMT
HEARTplay Services Coordinator
Katie is the HEARTplay Services Coordinator at Good Shepherd Community Care and Assistant Director of Camp Erin Boston. She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Board Certified Dance/Movement Therapist, and 200-certified yoga instructor. Katie's experience includes working with children and families including those with complex medical challenges and living with a variety of disabilities in pediatric palliative care, at end of life, and in bereavement. She also has experience teaching dance and yoga to children and adults and collaborating/performing with local choreographers and dance companies in the Boston area. Katie also enjoys reading, baking, and spending time outside!
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JASMIN TORREJON, M.A.
Corazon a Corazon Group Leader
Jasmin (pronounced Hass-mean) graduated from Lesley University in May 2019 with her Master’s in Mental Health Counseling with a Specialization in Dance/Movement Therapy. Jasmin worked as an In-Home Therapist, with the Justice Resource Institute in Boston, MA after graduating. She now works with Boston Public Schools as a School Social Worker. During her time at Lesley, Jasmin was passionate about issues surrounding the field’s cultural humility and acknowledgement of other cultures in the use of dance and movement as healing practices. Her thesis, Enduring Resilience: An Exploration of Puerto Rican Colonization, Hurricane Maria, and Ongoing Healing through Cultural Rituals, was a personal exploration of her Puerto Rican culture, and a dance style called Bomba. Jasmin is committed to a life of service and excited about the many paths that may take. She is also a mother to her daughter Alma Esperanza -who is her world. Being a parent and healer informs her work with children everyday.
JON HAZILLA
HEARTplay Percussionist
Jon has been a Professor at Berklee College for thirty-seven years. He was a certified Hospice volunteer for Aseracare Hospice. He has volunteered with various humanitarian organizations. Jon was a Pastoral Associate at First Parish Unitarian Universalist church in Brookline, Massachusetts, taught in the R. E. program, and is artistic coordinator for Peace by Piece, a community trauma outreach program in South Boston. He has run over forty-five marathons and one ultra. We are fortunate to have Jon bring his incredible experience as a musician and mentor to our HEARTplay groups.
KEN BARRINGER, M.A., LMHC
HEARTplay Parent/Caregiver Support
Group Leader
Ken is the director of H.E.A.L.I.N.G. (Helping Everyone Accept Loss Instead of Neglecting Grief) a program that works with death and nondeath losses. H.E.A.L.I.N.G. helps individuals, families, groups, schools, agencies and businesses to validate, normalize and educate their process through grief. He is also an adjunct faculty member at Lesley University Division of Counseling and Psychology and directs the Academy of Physical and Social Development.
DARRELL V. HYCHE II
HEARTplay Mental Health Therapist
Darrell Darrell is honored to join HEARTplay as a Mental Health Therapist following his year-long internship in the program. In addition to this role, he serves as a Psycho-Social Provider and Dance/Movement Therapist for Good Shepherd’s Pediatric Palliative Care Program. Darrell graduated from Lesley University in May 2024 with his Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a specialization in Dance/Movement Therapy. Darrell’s therapeutic lens has been shaped by his decade of experience as a professional dancer in St. Louis, MO, his work in school-based settings with children with intellectual/physical impairments, and his research on the nuances of grief for communities of color. When he isn’t dancing, Darrell enjoys cooking and being outdoors.
SELINA NIEVES
HEARTplay Volunteer
Selina is in her final year at Lesley University pursuing Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Dance Movement Therapy. She is a Boston transplant, originally from Connecticut. Selina has a background in ballroom dance and is a ballroom dance instructor. She also served as a City Year Americorps member, mentoring 6th graders in a Chicago school. Selina joins HEARTplay after interning with Michael Winward's Steps in Time program where she sparked joy by partner dancing with the elderly in various settings. In her free time, Selina enjoys karaoke and latin dancing. She is elated to join the HEARTplay family and Good Shepard Community Care!
HALEY GILBERT
HEARTplay Intern
Haley is currently in her final year at Lesley University studying Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Dance/Movement Therapy. She relocated to Boston and is originally from Pennsylvania where she danced professionally for 6 years and classically trained in multiple styles of dance. Haley works with adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities, as well as those living with dementia. She previously interned at The Falls at Cordingly Dam, an assisted living facility, where she was able to bring movement and the expressive arts to the Mind and Memory Care residents. In her down time, Haley enjoys taking ballet classes, reading, and pet sitting. She is so excited to join the HEARTplay and Good Shepherd Community Care family!
