Eagle River Providers

Desiree Niederer, LPC

Desiree Niederer graduated with a master’s degree in counseling from UAA in 2004. A lifelong Alaskan, she has been practicing in the mental health field for 20 years. Experience includes residential care for emotionally disturbed teens, acute inpatient psychiatric unit experience, and emergency department mental health care. She has also practiced individual and group counseling in private office settings for the past 5 years. She specializes in the treatment of higher risk teens and young adults.

Desiree has a specialized focus on assisting others to develop their fullest potential, enhance self-esteem, and identifying personal strengths. Desiree has experience that includes, but is not limited to, marital counseling, adjustment to new family systems, trauma recovery, dual diagnosis substance abuse concerns, mood disorders, crisis intervention, anxiety and social navigation.

John Harpole, MA, LPC, NCC

John earned his Master of Arts in Counselor Education from Missouri Baptist University in St. Louis, Missouri and is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Alaska and Missouri. Additionally, John completed training as a psychodynamic psychotherapist in St. Louis as well as education as a School Psychological Examiner in Missouri and worked for St. Louis Public Schools completing psychoeducational assessments. John has worked in private practice as well as community mental health.

In Alaska, John has worked in both rural areas as well as Anchorage. He is well versed in multicultural issues as well as in crisis work.

John has additional training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Narrative Therapy, and Solution Focused Brief Therapy. John has experience working with individuals, couples, and families.

Muranda Griggs, MS, LPC, CDC I, MAC

Muranda earned her Master’s degree in Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse from Southern New Hampshire University and has worked in the mental health field since 2008.

Throughout her career, Muranda has worked in a variety of mental health settings, including school- and community-based programs, juvenile detention and probation, VA clinics, adolescent substance abuse treatment, child advocacy centers, and emergency psychiatric services. These experiences have provided her with a broad understanding of trauma, life transitions, family dynamics, and the many challenges that can impact mental health across the lifespan.

Today, Muranda provides exclusively virtual therapy and enjoys working with clients experiencing anxiety, depression, relationship and family challenges, changes in identity, parenthood, marriage and other major life transitions.

She especially enjoys helping women navigate the often-unspoken challenges of adulthood—including figuring out who they are as their roles and responsibilities change, balancing the needs of themselves and others, and finding a sense of identity and fulfillment throughout the lifespan.


Muranda is trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Trauma-Informed Expressive Art Therapy (TI-EAT), Structural and Strategic Family Therapy, and Narrative Therapy. She draws from these approaches to provide a well-rounded, individualized, and client-centered approach to treatment.

Judith Lindenfelser, RN, ANP

Judith is a board-certified Adult Psychiatric-Mental Health Clinical Nurse Specialist. She uses a combination of talk therapy and medication management to improve such problems as anxiety, mood, and cognition. Her most used modalities include psychoanalytic, family systems and cognitive behavior therapy. She has a special interest in creativity. Judith has worked with individuals, groups and families in a variety of settings, including inpatient psychiatric hospitals, outpatient clinics, private practice, and academia.