About Us
Meet our team
PROVIDING EFFECTIVE THERAPY SOLUTIONS, With Care!
While we can’t change difficult situations of the past, we can work together to better understand and move through challenges in your life. By applying complementary therapy approaches and techniques, we will expand and explore the negative patterns or perceptions that may be holding you back from experiencing a more fulfilling, peaceful, and meaningful life.
Today you are one step closer to a new you where you feel empowered and on a positive path of growth and well-being.
Call or email for an individual, couples, or
family therapy consultation today!
Our Counselors
Meg Cornwell
Master’s Level Intern
Meg is a dedicated and compassionate Master's Level Intern working under the supervision of Amanda Gerdts while currently pursuing her degree in Mental Health Counseling at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Over the past year, she has seamlessly transitioned from her role as the Footnotes receptionist to an integral part of the counseling team as an intern. We are excited to expand our services to the Greater Mankato Area community by welcoming Meg as a long term Mental Health Practitioner here at Footnotes. Meg's passion lies in working with individuals of all ages, with a special focus on neuroscience and working with children and adolescents. She is committed to supporting clients through a diverse range of mental health challenges and to excellence in delivering and executing trauma-informed care.
Meg firmly believes that asking for help is a sign of strength rather than weakness. She understands that life can be overwhelming, and having a trusted professional to help navigate through life's struggles and stressors can be transformative. Meg is dedicated to creating a safe, supportive, and empathetic environment where clients feel truly heard and validated. Her goal is to empower individuals on their journey to healing and personal growth, fostering a sense of hope and resilience in every client she works with.
Beyond her professional life, Meg is married and in her free time, enjoys spending time with family, being outside, reading, painting, and playing sports.
Megan McMahon
MA, CCTPII, Mental Health Practitioner
Megan holds a Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling from Buena Vista University. She is a compassionate and dedicated counselor who has been an integral part of the Footnotes team for over 4 years. She is trained in CPT and CCTPII (Clinically Certified Trauma Professional Level II). As a United States Army Veteran, Megan brings a deep understanding of trauma recovery and a passion for helping individuals find strength and peace within themselves. Megan is committed to ongoing professional growth and continuing education.
Using a trauma-informed lens, Megan specializes in working with individuals with trauma, including but not limited to Veterans and first-responders. Megan has experience working with a variety of clients and ages in helping them navigate trauma recovery, anxiety, depression, marital and family discord, and work-related stress management. Megan has witnessed firsthand the potential for hope and recovery and continues in her passion for helping people navigate through what can be dark and treacherous territory to finding and continuing to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Help and hope are real.
In addition, Megan offers equine therapy as another form of healing. She believes the unique bond between humans and horses can provide profound therapeutic benefits, particularly for those dealing with trauma and emotional challenges.
Beyond her professional life, Megan has been married for 11 years and has 2 children. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, playing sports, baking, target practicing, and caring for her ranch animals.
Lori Letourneau
MA, Mental Health Practitioner
Lori Letourneau holds a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology from Minnesota State University, Mankato where she also served as an Adjunct Professor for both undergraduate and graduate level psychology courses; she is currently continuing her education in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in pursuit of becoming licensed as a Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC). Prior to joining the Footnotes team, Lori has been a blessing to the Greater Mankato Area as the founding Executive Director for Options for Women. She led the organization from implementation into accreditation, managing all operations of the medical clinic, donor relations, strategic planning, client services, and most importantly provided direct quality, compassionate care to those facing unexpected pregnancy or difficult parenting situations.
Lori is passionate about serving sexual abuse populations and couples in both pre-marriage and marital stages. She is Certified in Prepare & Enrich and has extensive experience working with premarital couples. Lori has both a personal and school-based collaboration background in serving and advocating for families and individuals with autism. She is an expert and effective listener, as well as a seasoned public speaker. Lori’s diverse professional experience covers a wide range of mental health concerns, such as but not limited to, anxiety, depression, pre-marriage, marital resiliency, discord and care, trauma recovery, parenting, autism, chronic pain, and work and stress management. Above all she exudes caring for the wellness of others and living a life of service as a Christ-follower.
In Lori’s personal life, she has been married for 27 years and has 2 young adult children. Her hobbies include spending time with family, cooking, baking, riding motorcycles, and driving pace cars.
Amanda Gerdts
LMFT, CCTP, NCC, Owner
Amanda Gerdts is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, a Clinically Certified Trauma Professional, and a Nationally Certified Counselor specializing in working with trauma and marriage.
“It is my goal in life to be real. Real Peace. Real Hope. Real Strength. I hope that through my life-touches that I might aid in helping others find peace within themselves and strength in the connections of their intimate relationships. I believe that relationships heal and have the capacity to heal. As a clinician, I help people improve the quality of their life through improving the quality of their relationships (both internal and external). I believe that growth is essential, can be graceful, and is designed by God.”
Her hobbies and interests include cooking, gardening, spending time with family, playing cards, playing with flowers, and seeing new places.
Our Movement Instructor
TerrI Fries
Office Manager
Terri is the office manager at Footnotes. She assists with scheduling appointments, bookkeeping, and running the daily operations in the office. She also works behind the scenes with our sister company, Footnotes: Trauma Foundation. You should see Terri at the front desk when you walk in the building.
Terri's hobbies and interests include crocheting, walking in the great outdoors, gardening, spending time with family, and volunteering at church.
joann demerit
Certified Yoga Instructor
Joann is a trained and registered yoga instructor who brings the body movement, flow and self-grounding aspects of yoga practice to the benefit of individuals seeking remedy to physical or emotional trauma. Joann is an integral part of the Footnotes Team and strives to serve individuals through the facilitation of our Breath En’ Motion: Reconnecting Movement Therapy.
Achieving her initial NETA yoga certification in 2006 and furthering her certification by completing a 200 hour yoga instructor training in 2009, Joann accumulated additional certifications for aerial yoga, cycling, group exercise including Pilates and Silver Sneakers programs for senior citizens. For 12 years she facilitated a public yoga studio through the Parks & Recreation department in Port Washington, WI, managing the financial aspect of a program involving daily class schedules and a host of other instructors. One of her greatest joys was developing and teaching yoga programs for PE students at the local high school, including working with the football team. Increasingly, Joann began helping clients whose situation would improve with yoga therapy but whose personal needs required personal focus, not group sessions.
Joann is the married mother of four children, two sets of twins, originally from Seattle, WA but recently relocated to Madison Lake, MN in a transition to the “empty nest” stage of life. In her free time, she enjoys paddle boarding, bird watching, gardening and long walks along the lake.