Act Now!
Chat With Us
Act Now!

About Us

Sunstone Evolutionary Coaching & Consulting

Ask a Question

Our Services

Deborah Horowitz – CEO

Deborah A. Horowitz, MSW, LICSW – Chief Executive Officer, is a seasoned coach, clinician, trainer, researcher and curricula developer with more than 20 years of experience working in the private and public sectors. She possesses an excellent ability to assist clients with identifying organizational needs and challenges at micro, meso, macro, and meta levels. Using a four pronged model of organizational safety, she is able to create spaces and relationships that facilitate sustainable change and create a healthy productive workplace.
Deborah’s collaborative approach and fidelity to evidence based and best practices, furthers the client’s ability to modify, build upon, or expand their existing social capital and resources. By creating a solid scaffolding for individuals, teams, and leaders, they are in a better position to weather change and crises.
Deborah is dedicated to workforce development with integrity and purpose. Whether she is providing 1:1 or group coaching, single presentations on key subject areas, multiple trainings in order to meet diverse learning needs, or consultation and oversight of program development, her commitment is the same: Lead by experience, excellence, and example, not by ego.

Deborah Horowitz

Deborah A. Horowitz, MSW, LICSW – Chief Executive Officer, is a seasoned coach, clinician, trainer, researcher and curricula developer with more than 20 years of experience working in the private and public sectors. She possesses an excellent ability to assist clients with identifying organizational needs and challenges at micro, meso, macro, and meta levels. Using a four pronged model of organizational safety, she is able to create spaces and relationships that facilitate sustainable change and create a healthy productive workplace.
Deborah’s collaborative approach and fidelity to evidence based and best practices, furthers the client’s ability to modify, build upon, or expand their existing social capital and resources. By creating a solid scaffolding for individuals, teams, and leaders, they are in a better position to weather change and crises.
Deborah is dedicated to workforce development with integrity and purpose. Whether she is providing 1:1 or group coaching, single presentations on key subject areas, multiple trainings in order to meet diverse learning needs, or consultation and oversight of program development, her commitment is the same: Lead by experience, excellence, and example, not by ego.

Steve Elfant – CIO and CFO

Steven Elfant is a distinguished professional with a Bachelor of Science degree, currently serving as the Chief Financial and Information Officer. Steven is not just a consultant in the realm of eLearning. He is a dynamic contributor to the eLearning Heroes Community, actively engaged in both technical and creative facets of eLearning delivery. His technical expertise lies in seamlessly fusing content with functionality, employing a diverse array of methods, including crafting interactive online materials and shaping the visual identity through graphic design, video editing, artificial intelligence and web page creation.
Steve’s proficiency extends across a spectrum of domains, encompassing learning management systems, performance assessment, content design and development of online trainings, as well as cyber security analysis. Throughout his career, Steve has held various roles, including Director of Information Technology, eLearning Developer, Senior PC Analyst, and Network Administrator, amassing a wealth of experience.
Fueling his passion for intuitive electronic learning technologies, Steve finds immense satisfaction in sharing his knowledge and skills with others. His philosophy centers on crafting tailored systems and training solutions that precisely align with his clients’ needs. Steve considers himself exceptionally fortunate to be part of a field that allows him to make a tangible impact.

Steve Elfant

Steven Elfant is a distinguished professional with a Bachelor of Science degree, currently serving as the Chief Financial and Information Officer. Steven is not just a consultant in the realm of eLearning. He is a dynamic contributor to the eLearning Heroes Community, actively engaged in both technical and creative facets of eLearning delivery. His technical expertise lies in seamlessly fusing content with functionality, employing a diverse array of methods, including crafting interactive online materials and shaping the visual identity through graphic design, video editing, artificial intelligence and web page creation.
Steve’s proficiency extends across a spectrum of domains, encompassing learning management systems, performance assessment, content design and development of online trainings, as well as cyber security analysis. Throughout his career, Steve has held various roles, including Director of Information Technology, eLearning Developer, Senior PC Analyst, and Network Administrator, amassing a wealth of experience.
Fueling his passion for intuitive electronic learning technologies, Steve finds immense satisfaction in sharing his knowledge and skills with others. His philosophy centers on crafting tailored systems and training solutions that precisely align with his clients’ needs. Steve considers himself exceptionally fortunate to be part of a field that allows him to make a tangible impact.

Colleen Shah – Vice President of Operations

Colleen Shah, MSW, LCSW. is a well seasoned and dynamic speaker and facilitator, given to offering the most up to date information available to ensure staff engage and retain relevant knowledge. Her 10+ years of workforce development experience both as an manager, clinician and trainer, has led her to create powerful and inspiring ways of engaging with staff. She uses relational skills to foster a safe environment for staff where they are able to evaluate their own ideas and methods, all the while imparting new knowledge to her audience. This method allows staff to effectively problem solve areas that are of the deepest concern to them. Her gentle ability to challenge her audience to “try something different” often results in creative solutions over which staff has true ownership.
Colleen utilizes multimedia to facilitate a more inclusive, strengths based and person centered approach to learning and development. Using adult learning theory, Colleen effectively designs and delivers trainings that are user friendly, practical and memorable.
Colleen firmly believes that an organization’s workforce is their most valuable resource and aims to create an environment where continuous learning becomes standard operating procedure.

Colleen Shah

Colleen Shah, MSW, LCSW. is a well seasoned and dynamic speaker and facilitator, given to offering the most up to date information available to ensure staff engage and retain relevant knowledge. Her 10+ years of workforce development experience both as an manager, clinician and trainer, has led her to create powerful and inspiring ways of engaging with staff. She uses relational skills to foster a safe environment for staff where they are able to evaluate their own ideas and methods, all the while imparting new knowledge to her audience. This method allows staff to effectively problem solve areas that are of the deepest concern to them. Her gentle ability to challenge her audience to “try something different” often results in creative solutions over which staff has true ownership.
Colleen utilizes multimedia to facilitate a more inclusive, strengths based and person centered approach to learning and development. Using adult learning theory, Colleen effectively designs and delivers trainings that are user friendly, practical and memorable.
Colleen firmly believes that an organization’s workforce is their most valuable resource and aims to create an environment where continuous learning becomes standard operating procedure.

 

Tony Vario, LICSW – Creative Director

As a master’s level clinician with independent licensure in Social Work, I help others identify and remove obstacles to reach their full potential, particularly in the workplace. Using the principles of social engagement and motivational interviewing, I facilitate the discovery of an individual’s strengths or the untapped capabilities in a team or organization. Big ideas often come from small places and encouraging self-awareness and the ability to envision what could be, brings out the discretionary effort needed to achieve one’s goals. Solutions that stick are those that are discovered by employees, supervisors, managers, and leaders themselves with the assistance of a trusted advisor. Tony is the Creative Director for Sunstone

Tony Vario, LICSW - Creative Director

As a master’s level clinician with independent licensure in Social Work, I help others identify and remove obstacles to reach their full potential, particularly in the workplace. Using the principles of social engagement and motivational interviewing, I facilitate the discovery of an individual’s strengths or the untapped capabilities in a team or organization. Big ideas often come from small places and encouraging self-awareness and the ability to envision what could be, brings out the discretionary effort needed to achieve one’s goals. Solutions that stick are those that are discovered by employees, supervisors, managers, and leaders themselves with the assistance of a trusted advisor. Tony is the Creative Director for Sunstone

Kala Chakradhar

Kala Chakradhar, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical social worker in Kentucky, USA as well as Professor Emeritus of social work. Her teaching focused on mental health, healthcare and substance use issues. In addition to her work at Sunstone, she currently practices at a community mental health center and supervises new clinicians. Her educational credentials include a master’s in social work from Stella Maris College, Chennai M.Phil in Psychiatric Social Work from NIMHANS, Bangalore and a doctoral degree from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.
Her mental health practice experience in India spans more than a decade including work at TTK hospital, Chennai, an addiction treatment facility. Her professional contributions include curriculum reviews for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, member of the task force of the Council on Social Work Education to create curricular guides on Substance Use for Practice and Environmental Justice respectively, co-chair for the Council for Global Social Issues, reviewing for social work journals and serving community partners, besides others.
She is also a 2017 Rotary Peace Fellow and the Director of Global Initiatives for Sunstone.

Kala Chakradhar

Kala Chakradhar, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical social worker in Kentucky, USA as well as Professor Emeritus of social work. Her teaching focused on mental health, healthcare and substance use issues. In addition to her work at Sunstone, she currently practices at a community mental health center and supervises new clinicians. Her educational credentials include a master’s in social work from Stella Maris College, Chennai M.Phil in Psychiatric Social Work from NIMHANS, Bangalore and a doctoral degree from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.
Her mental health practice experience in India spans more than a decade including work at TTK hospital, Chennai, an addiction treatment facility. Her professional contributions include curriculum reviews for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, member of the task force of the Council on Social Work Education to create curricular guides on Substance Use for Practice and Environmental Justice respectively, co-chair for the Council for Global Social Issues, reviewing for social work journals and serving community partners, besides others.
She is also a 2017 Rotary Peace Fellow and the Director of Global Initiatives for Sunstone.

Nancy Sweeney

Nancy Sweeney, Psy.D. is a clinical psychologist with graduate degrees from Harvard University and the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology (now William James College). In the course of her career she worked in psychiatric inpatient care, provided emergency and forensic psychological evaluations, worked in outpatient mental health, and for more than two decades ran an independent private practice just outside of Boston, Massachusetts. As a clinical instructor for the Harvard Medical School, she supervised psychology interns at a teaching hospital in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She retired from clinical practice in 2019 when she had the pleasure of relocating to Mérida Mexico, where she now provides coaching and consultation to adult professionals from various walks of life. Dr. Sweeney is Sunstone’s prized Research and Resources Consultant.

Nancy Sweeney

Nancy Sweeney, Psy.D. is a clinical psychologist with graduate degrees from Harvard University and the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology (now William James College). In the course of her career she worked in psychiatric inpatient care, provided emergency and forensic psychological evaluations, worked in outpatient mental health, and for more than two decades ran an independent private practice just outside of Boston, Massachusetts. As a clinical instructor for the Harvard Medical School, she supervised psychology interns at a teaching hospital in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She retired from clinical practice in 2019 when she had the pleasure of relocating to Mérida Mexico, where she now provides coaching and consultation to adult professionals from various walks of life. Dr. Sweeney is Sunstone’s prized Research and Resources Consultant.

Kelly Finn

Kelly Finn LCSW, LISAC grew up in Phoenix, AZ and then moved to Los Angeles to get his master’s degree in Social Welfare at UCLA in California. This pursuit was inspired while working as a staff at a group home watching the therapists come in once a week to work with the children. He thought he was going to work in foster care policy and took classes in both “macro” and “micro” work.
Kelly started his career as a therapist at Harbor-UCLA, a teaching and research hospital that required education of roughly six hours per week. He became certified in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), became better at utilizing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and continued his love of life-long learning.
In 2003, he began working for Terros and ran a Families F.I.R.S.T. program which was meant for parents who had their children removed from the home by Child Protective Services due to substance abuse issues. This project included an education program, a standard outpatient group, an intensive outpatient group, and an aftercare group, all of which Kelly Finn conducted with the help of two case managers.
In 2005, Kelly Finn began working on a DBT program for ValueOptions, an insurance provider, and he remained with the team until 2021. As he was creating and developing this program, he became aware of the importance of adding Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to his repertoire.
Kelly has adapted his clinical skills in CBT, DBT, and ACT for many organizations, be they corporate or non-profit, by recognizing that mental health and well-being are on a continuum regardless of setting. By assisting others to regulate their thought processes and develop more constructive skills to manage overwhelming emotions, Kelly helps individuals, teams, and leaders stay grounded. When people internalize these skills, they can be curious, creative, and innovative-all of which is necessary to a healthy workplace culture

Kelly Finn

Kelly Finn LCSW, LISAC grew up in Phoenix, AZ and then moved to Los Angeles to get his master’s degree in Social Welfare at UCLA in California. This pursuit was inspired while working as a staff at a group home watching the therapists come in once a week to work with the children. He thought he was going to work in foster care policy and took classes in both “macro” and “micro” work.
Kelly started his career as a therapist at Harbor-UCLA, a teaching and research hospital that required education of roughly six hours per week. He became certified in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), became better at utilizing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and continued his love of life-long learning.
In 2003, he began working for Terros and ran a Families F.I.R.S.T. program which was meant for parents who had their children removed from the home by Child Protective Services due to substance abuse issues. This project included an education program, a standard outpatient group, an intensive outpatient group, and an aftercare group, all of which Kelly Finn conducted with the help of two case managers.
In 2005, Kelly Finn began working on a DBT program for ValueOptions, an insurance provider, and he remained with the team until 2021. As he was creating and developing this program, he became aware of the importance of adding Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to his repertoire.
Kelly has adapted his clinical skills in CBT, DBT, and ACT for many organizations, be they corporate or non-profit, by recognizing that mental health and well-being are on a continuum regardless of setting. By assisting others to regulate their thought processes and develop more constructive skills to manage overwhelming emotions, Kelly helps individuals, teams, and leaders stay grounded. When people internalize these skills, they can be curious, creative, and innovative-all of which is necessary to a healthy workplace culture

Erin Jackson

Erin Jackson, MSW, LCSW is a seasoned master’s level clinical social worker who has worked in the field of Human Services for over 17 years in various capacities including management and leadership.. Throughout her tenure in the field, Erin has found the most enjoyment in service to others by way of learning and development, mentorship and coaching.
Erin is passionate about quality care and has enjoyed supporting agencies and individuals in setting the bar for excellence in their standard of care practices. Coming from an eclectic background of experience, Erin is also passionate about Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) aligning her scope of practice with the pillars of diversity to: Engage, Equip, Empower, Embed, Evaluate and Evolve.
With a background including work within the criminal justice system and child protective services, expertise navigating the mental health systems of several states and the aptitude to create and deliver outstanding learning and development content, Erin brings out the “leader” in us all. Erin’s passion is for people, for their personal and professional development and for fine tuning systems to provide comprehensive and equitable services, thereby creating organizational cultures that truly care.

Erin Jackson

Erin Jackson, MSW, LCSW is a seasoned master’s level clinical social worker who has worked in the field of Human Services for over 17 years in various capacities including management and leadership.. Throughout her tenure in the field, Erin has found the most enjoyment in service to others by way of learning and development, mentorship and coaching.
Erin is passionate about quality care and has enjoyed supporting agencies and individuals in setting the bar for excellence in their standard of care practices. Coming from an eclectic background of experience, Erin is also passionate about Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) aligning her scope of practice with the pillars of diversity to: Engage, Equip, Empower, Embed, Evaluate and Evolve.
With a background including work within the criminal justice system and child protective services, expertise navigating the mental health systems of several states and the aptitude to create and deliver outstanding learning and development content, Erin brings out the “leader” in us all. Erin’s passion is for people, for their personal and professional development and for fine tuning systems to provide comprehensive and equitable services, thereby creating organizational cultures that truly care.

Javita Banks

JaVita earned her master’s degree at Howard University and has been practicing as an Administrator for more than 20 years. She is a Licensed Social Worker who has specialized in Psychiatric Social Work and devoted her career to understanding the intergenerational impact of trauma on the family structure and culture. JaVita also holds a license as a Masters in Addiction Counseling, which has enabled her to successfully work with those coping with substance use disorder and the impact of generational racism and trauma.
JaVita is skilled in trauma informed care and evidence-based programming.
Her long-standing interest and passion in trauma, addiction and culture has enabled her to obtain years of invaluable mental health and cultural experience, to become an integral part of the supervision and training of new administrators and mental health practitioners and to assist in the implementation and training of Family Violence Protocol in New York City.
Her experiences propelled her to become proficient in grant writing and program development. JaVita developed two programs, which were implemented at Social Service agencies in the New York area. The programs were specialized in understanding trauma, service delivery and the impact on mental health through the lens of the community. Both programs continued long after her departure, continuing to serve women and their families. JaVita is currently in the process of writing two books on ‘Trauma at the point of Conception’ and ‘Living with Trauma, Culture and Self Talk.’

Javita Banks

JaVita earned her master’s degree at Howard University and has been practicing as an Administrator for more than 20 years. She is a Licensed Social Worker who has specialized in Psychiatric Social Work and devoted her career to understanding the intergenerational impact of trauma on the family structure and culture. JaVita also holds a license as a Masters in Addiction Counseling, which has enabled her to successfully work with those coping with substance use disorder and the impact of generational racism and trauma.
JaVita is skilled in trauma informed care and evidence-based programming.
Her long-standing interest and passion in trauma, addiction and culture has enabled her to obtain years of invaluable mental health and cultural experience, to become an integral part of the supervision and training of new administrators and mental health practitioners and to assist in the implementation and training of Family Violence Protocol in New York City.
Her experiences propelled her to become proficient in grant writing and program development. JaVita developed two programs, which were implemented at Social Service agencies in the New York area. The programs were specialized in understanding trauma, service delivery and the impact on mental health through the lens of the community. Both programs continued long after her departure, continuing to serve women and their families. JaVita is currently in the process of writing two books on ‘Trauma at the point of Conception’ and ‘Living with Trauma, Culture and Self Talk.’

Jovi Lombardo

Jovi Lombardo, LCSW is an experienced clinician whose ability to use trauma informed and trauma specific interventions have made her an expert in managing crisis situations across many domains. Her compassion and dedication to those who have been impacted by painful, negative, and sometimes violent situations, is evident whether she is working with one person or twenty.
She has researched, designed, and implemented many programs designed to support individuals and organizations on their journeys to growth and healing and is able to demonstrate concrete and tangible outcomes, from her many trainings and workshops.
Her practice approach is one of self-empowerment using techniques that address individual and collective experience. Knowing the “right” things to say and how to support others can be confusing and, often, difficult without the right tools and perspective. For Jovi, there is the recognition that all of us go through painful experiences, the wisdom is in knowing you don’t need to get stuck there.

Jovi Lombardo

Jovi Lombardo, LCSW is an experienced clinician whose ability to use trauma informed and trauma specific interventions have made her an expert in managing crisis situations across many domains. Her compassion and dedication to those who have been impacted by painful, negative, and sometimes violent situations, is evident whether she is working with one person or twenty.
She has researched, designed, and implemented many programs designed to support individuals and organizations on their journeys to growth and healing and is able to demonstrate concrete and tangible outcomes, from her many trainings and workshops.
Her practice approach is one of self-empowerment using techniques that address individual and collective experience. Knowing the “right” things to say and how to support others can be confusing and, often, difficult without the right tools and perspective. For Jovi, there is the recognition that all of us go through painful experiences, the wisdom is in knowing you don’t need to get stuck there.

Elijah (Opal) Weisbrod

Opal is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach. She works with high-achieving founders and executives who feel like they are constantly “swimming upstream” and “waiting for the other shoe to drop.” With her unique brand of Emotional Fitness Coaching, she helps her clients break the cycle of burnout by letting go of old habits that are no longer serving them, reconnecting to their sense of passion and purpose, and opening up to exciting new opportunities with curiosity and confidence. Her clients have reported significant improvement in their ability to overcome negative self-talk, bounce back from rejection and failure quickly and gracefully, and develop thriving relationships with clients, colleagues, and collaborators.

Elijah (Opal) Weisbrod

Opal is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach. She works with high-achieving founders and executives who feel like they are constantly “swimming upstream” and “waiting for the other shoe to drop.” With her unique brand of Emotional Fitness Coaching, she helps her clients break the cycle of burnout by letting go of old habits that are no longer serving them, reconnecting to their sense of passion and purpose, and opening up to exciting new opportunities with curiosity and confidence. Her clients have reported significant improvement in their ability to overcome negative self-talk, bounce back from rejection and failure quickly and gracefully, and develop thriving relationships with clients, colleagues, and collaborators.

Let’s discuss our cooperation to achieve maximum results

Or connect us on