CAVA - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Director of Community Based Services
Benjamin Harris III, also known as Trey, has received his Master's degree in Counseling from Eastern Mennonite University and is a Resident in Counseling, currently working towards his licensure as a Community-Based Counselor at CAVA. Trey has received training in topics such as; Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience (STAR) Training, Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST), and Motivational Interviewing (MI) Training. Trey works from a Structural Family Therapy model with influences from theories like Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Mindfulness, and Psychodynamic Interpersonal Therapy. His experiences allow him to work clinically with a variety of clients dealing with depression, anxiety, anger management, PTSD (and/or related traumas), autism spectrum disorder, grief, and many other mental health conditions and diagnoses, working with all ages with a current emphasis on children and adolescents. Trey looks forward to working with you and your family!
Job Titles:
- Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Dr. Rafaella Sale, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in the treatment and assessment of disruptive behavior problems in children and adolescents. In addition to outpatient therapy. She also provides psychological and neuropsychological testing through a trauma-informed approach. Dr. Sale earned a doctorate in school psychology from the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in neuropsychology. In 2020, She completed an APA-accredited clinical residency in pediatric neuropsychology at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior in Los Angeles. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship, Dr. Sale aided state leaders in program evaluation and policy design as an assistant professor in the department of psychology at the Virginia Commonwealth University.
Since early 2025, Dr. Sale has been enthusiastic to return to clinical practice and further learn how to serve families impacted by racial trauma under the mentorship of CAVA owner, Gene Cash. Rafaella is involved at the national level as a training program consultant and site visitor for the American Psychological Association, and locally as a member of the Civilian Advisory Committee for the Richmond police department.
Counseling Alliance of Virginia, LLC was founded by Gene E. Cash Jr. and a small group of clinicians who believe quality services are essential for the betterment of their communities.
Gene has dedicated his life and career to providing quality mental health services to communities and families who've encounter challenging times in their lives. As the owner he takes great pride in making sure CAVA strives to ensure the utmost professionalism and excellent care is delivered on a consistent basis. His mentors possessed over 150 years of combined experience which provided him with the clinical expertise needed to care and serve for others. While developing his craft over the past 34 years he has worked in acute care, inpatient psychiatric and chemical dependency units, juvenile residential treatment, community-based wraparound services and has been in private practice since 1997. After receiving his Masters of Social Work from The Ohio State University he made a decision to increase his knowledge and skills in Structural family Therapy by relocating to Charlottesville, Virginia to train under his long time mentor Dr. Steve Greenstein who was a Nationally recognized trainer in Structural Family Therapy and the former Director of Training at the Philadelphia Child Guidance Clinic in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania under the direction of Dr. Salvador Minuchin, M.D., the founder of Structural Family Therapy. Gene continues to train personally as he believes in order to maintain your craft you must continue to learn and grow in order to meet the needs of your clients and staff. He provides clinical supervision on weekly basis and continues to practice therapy while videotaping his work in order to be the best clinician he can.
Gene's passion is working with adolescents, families and couples. His theoretical orientation and approach is firmly rooted in Structural Family therapy. He also utilizes cognitive behavioral, reality, schema, strategic, and trauma focused therapies to assist clients and families improving their lives. Over the years he has specialized in family therapy, marital/couples, juvenile delinquency, substance abuse, sexually acting out youth, trauma, racial trauma & healing, racial awareness and sensitivity and developmental life transitions.
His commitment to elevating the quality and integrity of the mental health field is evident in his dedication and desire to train and serve clinicians who are willing to gain a deeper understanding of their craft as being helpers and healers. Gene helps them to have a clear theoretical foundation which will ground them and the families they work with in order to foster mutual growth for both client and clinician.
Gene believes our work as clinicians involves courage to accept the responsibility of being with others along their journey and as helpers and healers we become the bridge or fill the void that assists others toward a happier and more fulfilling life.
Job Titles:
- Human Resources Coordinator
Greetings! My name is LaTasha Edwards and I have the tremendous opportunity of serving as CAVA's 1 st Human Resource Coordinator; a career transition that took place after 2 ½ years of serving as a Community Based Counselor for CAVA and a former career in Education. I have a Master's degree in Human Services Counseling, with a cognate in Marriage and Family and I am a Qualified Mental Health Professional for Children. I sincerely believe in CAVA's philosophy to "Care and Serve" and attempt to allow it to continuously guide my work, whether serving on the clinical or administrative side of the agency.
Serving as Human Resource Coordinator serves my natural propensity to be both task and people-orientated and motivated. I am energized when I can successfully recruit new staff members who are a good fit for the company. I enjoy sharing my personal experiences as a counselor and staff member and informing people of the wonderful aspects of CAVA. Additionally, I find pleasure in assisting staff members during the various steps and aspects of employment, including but not limited to, Orienting, Professional Development, coordinating benefits, Credentialing, special events, and unfortunate conflicts that may arise.
Job Titles:
- Outpatient Therapist & Supervisor - Hybrid
Navigating life's challenges can be stressful, especially if trying to do so alone. Using a strengths-based approach, Lauren works with children, adolescents, and their families to help them discover potential and make positive changes that will help them lead more fulfilling lives. She understands that there is no one-size-fits-all solution and that each person must find out what works for their unique situation. Lauren brings patience, compassion, and a sense of trust to the therapeutic relationship. She believes that with the right support, all people can find their path to healing.
Lauren received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Virginia, and her Master of Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University. She has worked with clients in residential, community-based, and outpatient settings to address challenges such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and oppositional behaviors. Lauren uses a variety of approaches, including structural family therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, play therapy, and EMDR.
Sherri Wise joins the staff of CAVA, coming with over 28 years of experience in the mental health sector. Sherri has held numerous positions in her career, including administrative and director roles.
Sherri holds a Master of Science in Community and College Counseling from Longwood University and a Bachelor of Science in Business from Longwood University. She combines her skills in both areas to assist agencies in the mental health field's clinical and operational sides.
Sherri began her career as the Regional Director of Family Preservation Services in Farmville, serving there for 15 years. From there, Sherri joined the League of Therapists in Charlottesville as the Director of Quality Assurance. Following her tenure at The League, she joined the National Counseling Group. She served in numerous director roles until joining Family Insight in 2020, where she was an Agency Administrator and Quality Assurance Coordination. She brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to CAVA.
Sherri joins CAVA as a consultant, providing her expertise to the agency, particularly in quality improvement and quality assurance in clinical record management, and sharing her ability to recruit and retain staff.