HER STORY

Jasmine came to Compass Behavioral Health with over 8 years of medical office and customer service experience. Jasmine prides herself in the responsibility she has in advocating for our families to ensure the maximizing of their benefits. Jasmine works closely with insurance companies to ensure full insurance reimbursement and corrects any claim issues families may experience.

Jasmine has gained an exceptional amount of on-the-job training throughout her career. Her training began through volunteer work with the Salvation Army, and eventually led her to joining the Compass Behavioral Health team.

HER TRUE NORTH

Jasmine has a passion for animals, which has led her to volunteer at animal sanctuaries, helping to give them the love and support they need. Her hope is that she will spread awareness to others in joining and volunteering.

HER STORY

Marianne is a recent recipient of her Bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley, where she researched art-therapy as treatment for PTSD. Since her graduation in 2019, Marianne has worked in the mental health field as a strong means of support for teens struggling with addiction, self-harm, trauma, suicide attempts and ideation, eating disorders, mood dysregulation, psychosis, and other challenges surrounding mental health. Marianne keeps a warm and positive outlook while empowering teens to practice healthy coping skills, self-love and self-compassion, healthy communication, and self-advocacy. In addition, Marianne has taken her passion for all things theater and applied it to the mental health field as a Drama Therapy Apprentice for the past 2 years. As a Program Development Specialist, Marianne uses her experience as an auditor for residential treatment facilities across the country to write policies that guarantee fair treatment and the highest quality of care for all clients who come to Compass.

HER SUMMITS

• A. in Interdisciplinary Studies from University of California, Berkeley
• 2021 Volunteer of the Year for the Down Syndrome Association of Orange County
• Presented research on the effects of Drama Therapy methods in PTSD in refugee populations
• Acceptance to Columbia School of Social Work for Fall ‘22!

HER TRUE NORTH

On Marianne’s rare free days, you can find her participating in Indigenous social justice advocacy, supporting local drag artists, hand-beading portraits, exploring new music, and spending time with her loved ones, including her cat Pumpkin.

HER STORY

Savannah is a recent college graduate from California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), where she obtained her Bachelors of Arts in Human Development with a minor in Psychology and Sociology. She currently interns as a research assistant for the Child Language Interactions and Memory Lab (CLIaM) at CSULB. The research she conducts focuses on the intersection of language and cognitive development in children using an interdisciplinary theory from developmental psychology, to address issues facing children and families. Savannah has a passion for helping others and strives to make a positive and ever-lasting impact on people’s lives.

HER TRAINING

• Bachelors of Arts in Human Development at California State University, Long Beach ABA Training

HER SUMMITS

• Co-authorship on a published article in the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology
• Presented research on High Impact Practices (HIPs) and Parent-Child Interaction, through her participation in CLIaM Lab, at the American Education Research Association (AERA) & Western Psychological Association (WPA) Research Conferences

HER TRUE NORTH

Savannah loves spending her time reading, hiking and working out. She is also a huge foodie and loves checking out new food spots with her friends and family.

HIS STORY

Mitchell obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Human Services from California State University, Fullerton and is currently attending California Southern University to obtain his Master’s Degree in Psychology. Before he started his journey with Compass, he had spent two years working at a residential treatment center for adolescents struggling with addiction, trauma, self-harm.

HIS SUMMITS

• Bachelor of Arts in Human Services from California State University, Fullerton
• Ongoing Master of Arts in Psychology from California Southern University

HIS TRUE NORTH

Mitchell enjoys spending most of his time with his roommates and family, reading and writing fantasy, and playing Dungeons and Dragons.

HER STORY

Georgia earned her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from California State University, Fullerton and is hoping to pursue a graduate degree in a related field in the near future. Throughout her undergrad and for the better part of a decade, Georgia worked as a barista making coffee and connecting with others. Before working at Compass, she was also a Mental Health Counselor at a six-bed residential facility for the treatment of adolescents with eating disorders. It was this experience that sparked her interest in harm reduction, mutual aid, and social justice approaches to community mental health. Her research interests include the impact of anti-fat bias, diet culture, and social determinants of health on collective liberation, mental health services, and overall well-being.

HER TRAINING AND SUMMITS

• Undergraduate degree from California State University, Fullerton in Sociology
• Post-baccalaureate units earned from courses in Psychology
• Trained in Nonviolent Crisis Prevention AED, Adult/Child/Infant CPR, & First Aid

HER TRUE NORTH

Georgia enjoys cats, coffee, plants, and reading—in no particular order, but ideally at the same time. She is a self-proclaimed lifelong learner and likes to read a balance of fiction and non-fiction. She is an avid teller and lover of what are commonly known as “dad jokes,” which she insists are just called jokes.

Within Patricia’s role as the Research Director, Patricia is responsible for the development of new treatment methods, supervising, consulting, and training research assistants and therapists, overseeing quality assurance, progress indictors, and DBT adherence, and designing, conducting, and disseminating research. In this capacity, Patricia works closely with Dr. Clive Robbins, DBT Training Director at Duke University and Compass Training Institute. Additionally, Patricia facilitates a clinical caseload, providing individual, couple, and family therapy, and attends weekly team consultation meetings.

HER STORY

Patricia’s experiences providing services to clients in a variety of clinical settings have significantly influenced her research interests. Her clinical internships in medical facilities at East Carolina University (ECU) illuminated the intersection between the sexual, reproductive, and mental health of individuals, couples, and families in an integrated care setting. These experiences contributed to her interest in integrated care and demonstrated the importance of attending to the biopsychosocial and spiritual health of clients. Subsequently, she was employed at Awakenings: Counseling for Couples and Sexuality, a private psychotherapy practice that specializes in couple and sex therapy. Her clients varied in their reasons for seeking therapy; however, she frequently worked with LGBTQIA+ and heterosexual individuals and couples seeking relief from sexual health concerns, relationship distress, and mental health symptoms. In conjunction, her clinical experiences at ECU and Awakenings solidified her scholarly interest in couple therapy and psychoeducation, sexual health, perinatal depression, integrated care, and improving marginalized communities’ access to mental healthcare services. Her research interests and research experience culminated into her dissertation, which features the design and implementation of a pilot study examining the efficacy of an online, adapted version of the Hold Me Tight (HMT) couple workshop with couples at risk for or experiencing perinatal depression.

During her doctorate at Michigan State University (MSU), Patricia pursued multiple sources of training and specialized education to further inform her clinical and teaching practices. First, she completed the required courses to become an Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) therapist. She also sought training in HMT to support her intervention-based dissertation research. Additionally, she completed the Sexual Health Certificate Program (SHCP) at the University of Michigan. She participated in both the Sex Therapist and Sexuality Educator certification tracks to enhance her clinical practice and pedagogy. Furthermore, she completed the Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) through the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT). This program featured numerous training opportunities, two multi-day training institutes, a faculty mentor, and a project that cumulated in a research presentation.

Patricia has been a teaching assistant, guest lecturer, and instructor of record for a variety of courses in the Human Development and Family Studies department at MSU. She was a teaching assistant for courses on children, youth, and families and human sexuality before graduating to instructor of record for the online human sexuality course. She has repeatedly been a guest lecturer for courses on human sexuality, acclimating to graduate school, parenting, and clinical supervision. She prides herself on creating classroom environments that accommodate the needs of her students, center their intellectual interests, and promote a high level of critical thought and writing skills. Some of her most fulfilling experiences as an instructor have arisen from helping students struggling to grasp difficult concepts through a combination of individual meetings, experiential activities, and larger group discussions.

HER TRAINING

• Undergraduate degree from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Psychology and Sociology with a minor in Sexuality Studies
• Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from East Carolina University
• Doctor of Philosophy degree in Human Development and Family Studies with a specialization in Couple and Family Therapy from Michigan State University
• Trained in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and Hold Me Tight (HMT)      
• Completed the Sexual Health Certificate Program (SHCP) from the University of Michigan – Sex Therapist and Sexuality Education certification tracks
• Completed the Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) through the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT)
• Trained in Prepare and Enrich

HER SUMMITS

• Completion of her PhD from Michigan State University
• Completion of the educational components of Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
• Completion of the Sexual Health Certificate Program (SHCP) from the University of Michigan

HER TRUE NORTH

Patricia’s passions include connecting with others, teaching, rescuing animals, interior decorating, thrift shopping, and traveling. She also enjoys spending time with her fur-babies, Kimmy and Chevy!

SENIOR GUIDE/COMPASS RTC MEDICAL DIRECTOR

In Dr. Nicole’s role as Medical Director of the Compass Residential Treatment Program (RTC), The Farmhouse, she oversees the medication management and overall psychiatric treatment of residents.  Dr. Nicole works closely with the Compass Chef to develop nutritional psychiatry informed menu programming, utilizing food as a source of mood stabilization, improving focus, and enhancing overall well-being and health.

HER STORY

Early in her training in medicine, Dr. Nicole realized quickly that health is far from black and white, and medicine is often looked at from the standpoint of disease and what is wrong, rather than searching for optimal health. It was through her intensive training that Dr. Nicole found medications far from enough to help those struggling with their mental health. By integrating therapy, self-discovery, mindfulness, nutrition, exercise and sometimes medications, we can live an emboldened life to the fullest.

At Compass Behavioral Health, Dr. Nicole found a community of providers that embodied these values of wellness where a life worth living can be realized.

• Undergraduate degree from University of California, Irvine in Psychology and Social Behavior
• Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from Western University of Health Sciences, College of Osteopathic Medicine (WesternU)
• Completed a Post-Doctoral Teaching Fellowship in medical school at WesternU
• General Psychiatry Residency at Kaiser Permanente, Fontana
• Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship at University of California, Irvine
• Trained in infant, child and adolescent psychoanalytic psychotherapy at Newport Psychoanalytic Institute
• Trained in Mentalization Based Treatments with Children and Young People at the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families
• Certifications in Integrative and in Nutritional Psychiatry from Integrative Psychiatry Institute

HER SUMMITS

• Fitness instructor at LA Fitness
• President of MBLDN Psych and Wellness

HER TRUE NORTH

Dr. Nicole loves spending time with her family and two shih-tzus, Honey and James. Though while with her family, she will often be spotted making amigurumi with crochet or learning new crafts.

EXPEDITION LEADER / EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Cherie oversees the implementation of Compass’ Mission Statement and adherence to its driving principles.

HER STORY

After nearly two decades of working with adolescents struggling with depression, suicidal ideation and other disorders, Cherie noticed a disturbing trend. “When I interviewed the young adults on our psych ward who weren’t getting better, I heard the same statements over and over,” she recalls. “It must be me, I must be too broken to be fixed.”

Working closely with hundreds of patients and their families, it became clear to Cherie that recovery depended on developing an effective treatment program before patients started to form their identity. “Before their identity literally became ‘depressed and suicidal’,” she says. “Before they developed a mindset that nothing could help or that they were broken, that was when they needed help the most.” It was with these families in mind that Cherie founded Compass Behavioral Health.

HER TRAINING

• Undergraduate degree from Vanguard University in Cultural Anthropology
• Master’s degree in Marriage, Family, and Child Therapy from Fuller Theological Seminary’s Graduate School of Psychology
• Certification as a Play Therapist from UCSD Extension
• Intensively trained in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) through Behavioral Tech, DBT treatment developer Dr. Marsha Linehan’s training institute
• Intensively trained in DBT-Prolonged Exposure by treatment developer Dr. Melanie Harned
• Comprehensively Trained as a Family Connections Leader by treatment developer Dr. Alan Fruzzetti
• Intensively trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Eating Disorders (CBT-E) through Oxford’s Center for Research on Eating Disorders
• Intensively trained in Behavioral Activation through Oxford’s Center for Research on Eating Disorders
• Intensively Trained in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy for Children (DBT-C) by treatment developer Dr. Franscheska Perepletchikova
• Intensively Trained in DBT Family Therapy by treatment developer Dr. Alan Fruzzetti
• Trained in Emotion-Focused Family Therapy by treatment developer Dr. Sue Johnson through Psychwire Training Institute 

HER SUMMITS

• Past Director of the Advisory Board to Orange County Parenting Magazine and a contributing writer
• 1999 nominee for Mental Health Care Professional of the Year for Orange County for her effective treatment outcomes (now titled Thomas F. Riley Award)
• DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified DBT Clinician™

HER TRUE NORTH

An avid mountaineer and globe-trotter, Cherie is on a continuing mission to carry a Compass summit flag to the highest peak on every continent on Earth. Two down, five to go.

Mount Elbrus, the highest point in Europe at 18,511 ft.

Lizbeth serves as Field Instructor for Colombia School of Social Work Compass Interns.

HER STORY

Lizbeth first become introduced to the practice of evidenced based therapies in 2006 when she was completing her Master’s in Social Work (MSW). At first, she was a bit hesitant and turned off by the idea that adopting a treatment protocol may make her feel “tied down”- still, she gave evidenced based treatments a chance. In her MSW program while interning at Harbor UCLA Medical Center she was trained in the evidenced based therapies of dialectical behavior therapy, cognitive behavior therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and cognitive behavioral analysis system of psychotherapy. It was then that she was able to implement these modalities and was in awe of the significant positive outcomes she witness. She was successfully able to treat clients who had struggled with lifelong illness associated with issues such as severe trauma, depression, panic attacks, suicide attempts, non-suicidal self-injurious behaviors and substantial interpersonal problems. Lizbeth has been in favor of and an advocate for evidenced based practices ever since. Lizbeth also saw a need to provide evidenced based practices such as dialectical behavior therapy to diverse communities such as monolingual Spanish speaking clients. While at Harbor UCLA, in October of 2007, she co-led the first Spanish DBT Skills group as she helped found and launch the first adherent dialectical behavior therapy program in Spanish within Los Angeles County. As a bilingual bicultural therapist, Lizbeth finds it a gift that she is able to use her primary language to serve her clients. She has continued her work as a consultant, researcher and provider of DBT in Spanish.

HER TRAINING

• Bachelor’s in psychology from UCLA
• Master’s in Social Work from CSULA
• Doctorate in Social Work form USC
• Intensively trained in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) through Behavioral Tech, DBT treatment developer Dr. Marsha Linehan’s training institute
• Trained in DBT-Accepting the Challenges to Exiting the System by treatment developer Dr. Kate Comtois
• Intensively trained in Prolonged Exposure by treatment developer Dr. Edna Foa
• Trained in DBT-Prolonged Exposure by treatment developer Dr. Melanie Harned
• Trained in Case Formulation of Cognitive Behavior Therapy by Dr. Jacqueline Persons
• Certified Cognitive Behavior Therapist via the Academy of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies
• Certified Prolonged Exposure Therapist via the University of Pennsylvania, Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety

HER SUMMITS

• Published work on the intersection of DBT and culture
• A founder of the first DBT adherent program in Spanish within Los Angeles County, Harbor UCLA Medical Center
• Chair, Diversity Action Committee, Academy of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies, 2020-Present
• Consultant, Treatment Implementation and Care Collaborative: Race(ism) Work Group, 2020-Present
• Board Member, Academy of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies, 2019-Present
• Student Ambassador, Association of Cognitive and Behavior Therapy, 2017-2019
• Nominated and Scholar of Saks Institute for Mental Health, USC Gould School of Law 2016-2017
• Co-Chair, Doctoral Student Association, USC Suzanne Dwork-Peck School of Social Work, 2016-2017
• Nominated, Social Worker of the Year, 2015, Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, Harbor UCLA Medical Center

HER TRUE NORTH

As a proud mommy, Lizbeth considers her role as a mother as first and foremost. She is often found chasing her little one around in her home or going on family bike rides with her toddler. When she is not parenting she enjoys baking and photography.

HER STORY

​Candace obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and is currently attending California State University, Long Beach for a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology. Before working at Compass, she spent two years working as a Behavioral Therapist, providing one on one therapy to neurodivergent children. Her research interests are mental health and the mental wellbeing of marginalized communities.

HER TRAINING

• Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from University of California Santa Cruz
• ABA Training
• Ongoing Master of Science degree from California State University Long Beach

HER TRUE NORTH

Candace enjoys roller-skating with her friends, trying new vegan food, and all things coffee!

PROGRAM CLINICIAN

Natalie provides comprehensive DBT including individual therapy, phone coaching, DBT group skills training, team consultation, and skills coaching. She is also a part of the research team associated with Duke University taking on the role of the research assistant and case manager. Natalie receives expert consultation from Dr. Clive Robbins, DBT Training Director at Duke University and Compass Training Institute and is supervised by Marissa Colangelo, LCSW (#78805).

HER STORY

Natalie is a recent graduate of Columbia University’s School of Social Work (CSSW) where she was a fellow in Dr. Andre Ivanoff’s Dialectical Behavior Therapy Training Lab. Natalie completed her second year internship at Columbia University Irving Medical Center Psychiatry Department’s DBT Program where she helped launch their Accelerated DBT Program and was their first Social Work intern. Prior to her time at Columbia University, she was Marissa Colangelo’s teacher’s assistant during undergrad where she was introduced to DBT. From that point on, the spark of passion for this modality and its efficacy has been her driving force in helping teens, adolescents, and young adults find their life worth living.

• Master of Science in Social Work at Columbia School of Social Work, New York City
• Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Child and Adolescent Development at California State University, Northridge
• Completed 65 hours of Intensive DBT Training offered by Behavioral Tech trainers, Randy Wolbert and Gwen Abney-Cunningham
• Completed Behavioral Tech’s Skills Training Therapy Interfering Behaviors, and Exposure Therapy Trainings

HER TRUE NORTH

Natalie’s passions include teaching, interior decorating, music, and fashion. She also enjoys spending time with her fur-baby, Sparky!

SENIOR GUIDE / DIRECTOR OF COMPASS TRAINING INSTITUTE

Compass Behavioral Health is proud to have Dr. Clive Robins as its premier Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) expert and Director of the Compass Training Institute. Dr. Robins provides consultation to Compass on program development, staff training, and treatment assessment. Dr. Robins evaluates Compass treatment plans, and reviews treatment videos for coding and treatment adherence in Compass’s comprehensive DBT Training program. In Dr. Robins’s role as Director of the Compass Training Institute, he oversees the University of California, Irvine Child & Adolescent Psychiatry second year DBT Didactics at Compass Behavioral Health. This comprehensive DBT training involves core didactic lectures on DBT principles, strategies, and protocols.

HIS STORY

Dr. Robins has been a proponent of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for more than 20 years. In 1993, he completed the first intensive training in dialectical behavior therapy, which was conducted by Dr. Marsha Linehan, the psychologist who created DBT, which combines behavioral science with concepts such as acceptance and mindfulness.

During that same year, Dr. Robins established the DBT program at Duke University Medical Center, which he directed until 2015. In the last two decades Dr. Robins has: provided DBT to many patients, trained and supervised more than 70 psychology interns and postdoctoral fellows, taught graduate-level courses in Psychological Intervention, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and the Psychology of Mindfulness, given more than 25 Grand Rounds and other invited presentations at Universities and Medical Centers, and conducted more than 90 DBT trainings and workshops for mental health professionals. He was also a co-investigator, along with his colleague Cedar Koons, on the first randomized controlled trial of DBT outside Dr. Linehan’s laboratory, and published in 2001.

HIS TRAINING

• Masters degree in Experimental Psychology from the University of Sussex graduate school at Stanford University
• Doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology, State University of New York at Stony Brook

HIS SUMMITS

• Faculty member, New York University
• Faculty member, Duke University
• Professor Emeritus, Duke University, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
• Professor Emeritus, Duke University, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience
• Certified in Cognitive and Behavioral Psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology
• Licensed Psychologist, North Carolina, License No. 1421
• Founding Fellow in the Academy of Cognitive Therapy
• Served as Associate Editor and on the editorial boards of several scientific and professional journals
• More than 80 published articles and book chapters on depression, borderline personality disorder, and cognitive-behavioral and dialectical behavior therapies
• Recipient of research grant funding from the National Institute of Mental Health
• Behavioral Tech DBT Expert Trainer
• DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified Clinician™

HIS TRUE NORTH

Clive had the privilege of seeing Jimi Hendrix perform live in 1967 and playing guitar has been a passion ever since. Self-taught as a rock guitarist, he is now (slowly!) learning to play jazz.

HER STORY

Aerie has a background in real estate and home furnishing purchasing and design. She has a passion for creating peaceful spaces with an emphasis on minimalistic organization. Aerie is constantly developing herself professionally and is currently training in human resources.

HER TRAINING

Fullerton College

HER SUMMITS

Member of Society of Human Resource Management
Member of HR California

HER TRUE NORTH

Aerie has a passion for traveling and loves meeting new people from different cultures. She has taken solo journeys to Spain and China, and her most recent trip was to the Philippines. When Aerie is not planning the next big event at Compass, she is undoubtedly planning her next adventure.

BASE CAMP MANAGER/OPERATIONS MANAGER

Kellie Severin’s role as Operations Manager oversees several departments, including the Billing Department, Payroll, and Human Resources.

HER STORY

Kellie’s background is in public education, where she has worked various positions helping contribute to the care and education of children grades Pre-K to 12th grade. Kellie has worked in a variety of positions since arriving at Compass, and now helps to lead the team upward in successful support of our families.

HER TRAINING

Andon College, Modesto Jr. College, and Clark Community College. Certificate in Medication Administration, AIDS Education, UC Davis Online Pet Nutrition, Beyond Diversity Training, & Highly Qualified Para Assessment Certification.

HER SUMMITS

Founded a community-based food assistance program of over 4,000 to help serve families in need.

HER TRUE NORTH

Kellie’s mantra is “Living my best life” here at Compass and anywhere else her journey leads her.

LEAD GUIDE / ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF COMPASS TRAINING INSTITUTE / CLINICAL SUPERVISOR / DBT PROGRAM CLINICIAN

Within Marissa’s role as Associate Director of Compass Training institute, she serves as the Clinical Supervisor for Columbia University’s Master of Social Work graduates, as well as provides supervision and consultation to the team to ensure adherence to DBT. Marissa is responsible for teaching DBT didactics to UCI’s Psychiatry Fellows, provides trainings both in-house and to the community and manages Compass Training Institute’s Continuing Education.  Marissa works closely with Compass’ Research Director to identify training needs and to ensure clinical excellence. Marissa facilitates Meet and Greets with prospective families interested in Compass to identify goodness of fit and to provide an overview of the program.

Marissa serves of the Field Instructor for Columbia School of Social Work master’s level graduate students. Within this role, Marissa provides clinical supervision and oversees interns’ tasks at Compass.

Additionally, Marissa facilitates a clinical caseload, providing individual and family therapy, leading DBT Skills Training groups, phone coaching and attends weekly team consultation meetings. A team of coding and therapy adherent professionals review her treatment plans and clinical videos, and she receives expert consultation from Dr. Clive Robbins, DBT Training Director at Duke University and Compass Training Institute.

HER STORY

Marissa started her master’s in Social Work at Columbia School of Social Work (CSSW) in 2012. Marissa participated in research under Dr. Allen Zweben, studying the efficacy of Chantix with substance abuse. Marissa’s research sparked interest in working with mental health and substance abuse. During her second year at CSSW, she found her passion in providing therapy to individuals who suffer from emotion dysregulation and completed her intensive training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) in 2014 by Dr. Andre Ivanoff. Marissa completed her second-year internship at Rikers Island, providing DBT to female inmates. Here, she provided DBT in a setting with limitations and restrictions, leading to her passion of providing affordable and accessible DBT to the community.

Marissa has extensive experience working with adolescents and young adults providing evidence-based therapy in a variety of levels of care. Marissa participated in the development of the Partial Hospitalization Program at Clearview Treatment Programs and has provided therapy at the outpatient and intensive-outpatient level of care since 2014. Marissa has a passion for teaching and returned to her alma mater at California State University, Northridge and was an Associate Professor in the Child and Adolescent Department for 3 years.

HER TRAINING

• Master’s degree in Social Work from Columbia School of Social Work
• Undergraduate degree from California State University, Northridge in Child and Adolescent Development
• Intensively trained in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) through Columbia School of Social Work DBT Lab in 2013
• Completed a 4-day Advanced Dialectical Behavior Therapy by Dr. Shari Manning
• Intensively trained in DBT-Prolonged Exposure by treatment developer Dr. Melanie Harned
• Trained in Behavioral Activation through Oxford’s Center for Research on Eating Disorders
• Intensively Trained in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy for Children (DBT-C) by treatment developer Dr. Franscheska Perepletchikova
• Trained in DBT Family Therapy by treatment developer Dr. Alan Fruzzetti
• Trained in Emotion-Focused Family Therapy by treatment developer Dr. Sue Johnson through Psychwire Training Institute 
• Trained in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
• Trained in Cognitive Behavior Therapy

HER SUMMITS

• DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified DBT Clinician™
• Field Instructor for Alma Mater, Columbia School of Social Work

HER TRUE NORTH

In addition to her loving fur-baby Madonna, Marissa enjoys spending time with friends and family, Pilates, teaching, flower arrangements, attending concerts and traveling.

LEAD GUIDE / OUTPATIENT CLINIC DIRECTOR

Matt oversees Compass’ clinical policies, quality assurance, and adherence to DBT treatment procedures.

HIS STORY

Matt is a DBT-Board of Certification, Certified Clinician™ and has been comprehensively trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) through Compass Behavioral Health. He provides therapy for individuals and their families, skills coaching, and co-facilitates Compass’ DBT Skills Training groups. A team of coding and therapy adherent professionals review the therapy he provides and he receives expert consultation from Dr. Clive Robins, DBT Training Director at Duke University. Dr. Melanie Harned, Research Director at Dr. Linehan’s lab at the University of Washington, has intensively trained Matt in Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE) in a DBT framework. He has been intensively trained to provide Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Children (DBT-C) by the treatment’s developer, Dr. Francheska Perepletchikova. Matt has also been comprehensively trained as a Family Connections (FC) Leader by Dr. Alan Fruzzetti, FC treatment developer, in alliance with the National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality. Additionally, Matt has been intensively trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Eating Disorders (CBT-E) through Oxford’s Center for Research on Eating Disorders.

Matt has extensive experience working with children and adolescents with emotion dysregulation. He has worked with several different populations providing behavioral therapy and interventions. Before joining Compass, Matt provided Applied Behavioral Analysis to children and teens with Autism and other presenting conditions, working in home, school, and community settings. He also provided parent training for families, helping them learn (and practice) essential skills to effectively respond to a wide range of issues while supporting their child throughout the treatment process. He completed his Graduate School Practicum at the Eli Home for Abused and Neglected Families, where he provided individual and group therapy to victims of domestic violence. Matt also taught the shelter’s “Safe People” class, which focuses on forming boundaries and creating long-lasting relationships.

Among his other accomplishments, Matt participated in research at the University of California Irvine (UCI) that measured the relationship between Betamethasone intake during pregnancy and infant temperament. He helped the program facilitate its “Stranger Danger” situation scenario. He also collected research data at UCI and participated in weekly program updates and video coding adherence for therapists.

HIS TRAINING

• Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Social Behavior from the University of California, Irvine
• Masters of Arts in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology
• Intensively trained in Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA)
• Intensively trained in Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Eating Disorders (CBT-E)
• Comprehensively trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
• Intensively trained in DBT-Prolonged Exposure (DBT-PE) by Dr. Melanie Harned, Ph.D
• Intensively trained in DBT for Children (DBT-C) by Dr. Francheska Perepletchikova, Ph.D

HIS SUMMITS

• Registered member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists
• DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified DBT Clinician™, 2019
• Created Compass’ Electronic Medical Record system

HIS TRUE NORTH

Throughout early adulthood and his education, Matt knew that he wanted to work with teens to help them when they are at their most vulnerable. Compass has provided him the ability to not only do that, but to also to work with technology and use it to help those around him. Therapy and IT together as a dream job!

RESIDENTIAL CLINICAL DIRECTOR

As clinical director of the RTC, Dr. Leonard oversees clinical services and programming; recruits, trains and supervises staff; and ensures quality assurance and licensing compliance.

HIS STORY

Dr. Leonard began his journey in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) working in a research capacity on the first randomized control trial studying the efficacy of DBT for Adolescents led by Dr. Marsha Linehan. Dr. Leonard completed his doctorate at the Ph.D. program in clinical-community psychology jointly offered by the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) and the University of Alaska Anchorage. There, he began his clinical training in DBT under Dr. Mike Worrall and was a founding member of the UAF DBT program. Dr. Leonard completed his pre-doctoral internship at Yale School of Medicine as a DBT fellow and was trained by Drs. Seth Axelrod and Emily Cooney. Dr. Leonard completed his post-doctoral residency at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center as a CBT fellow where he was further trained by Dr. Lynn McFarr. Dr. Leonard has extensive experience in providing DBT and CBT. He has also provided didactics, seminars and supervision to mental health clinicians in CBT and DBT in both Alaska and California and has facilitated implementation of DBT skills groups in various outpatient settings.

• Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Sociology, honors in both majors, from California State University, Dominguez Hills
• Master of Science in Clinical Psychology from the University of Alaska, Anchorage
• Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical-Community Psychology jointly offered by the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the University of Alaska Anchorage
• Comprehensively trained in DBT through a pre-doctoral fellowship at Yale School of Medicine
• Comprehensively trained in DBT and CBT through a post-doctoral fellowship at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center

HIS SUMMITS

• Diplomate and certified CBT Therapist, Academy of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies
• Published in peer-review journal, Mindfulness, on clinician mindfulness facilitating therapeutic effectiveness
• Seminar developer for Alaska Behavioral Health’s CBT training program
• Research staff on the first and largest randomized controlled multi-site study (UCLA, University of Washington, and CHOC Seattle) showing the efficacy of DBT for Adolescents led by treatment developer Dr. Marsha Linehan

HIS TRUE NORTH

As a member of the DBT community, Hugh experiences a rewarding sense of purpose and fulfillment as he helps others in solving their problems and working toward their lives worth living with clarity, precision and compassion. Hugh also enjoys being active and spending time in nature with his family and their Sheepadoodle, Mosby.

GUIDE/ PROGRAM CLINICIAN

Angel conducts individual therapy and coaching sessions, in addition to co-leading the DBT Skills Training groups for teens. He also is part of the research team associated with Duke University.

HIS STORY

Angel Amaro is a Dialectical Behavior Therapy Program Clinician at Compass Behavioral Health as of June 2019.  He is a recent graduate of Columbia University’s School of Social Work (CSSW) and was intensively trained in Dr. Andre Ivanoff’s Dialectical Behavior Therapy Training Lab at CSSW. Prior to his academic work, Angel worked for over nine years at a non-profit organization in Santa Monica assisting homeless adults who had been diagnosed with mental illness. Angel Amaro is supervised by Marissa Colangelo, LCSW (#78805).

HIS TRAINING

• Bachelor of Arts in Latin American and Caribbean Studies at Lehman College
• Master of Science in Social Work at Columbia School of Social Work in New York
• Completed 65 hours of Intensive DBT Training offered by Behavioral Tech trainers Randy Wolbert and Gwen Abney-Cunningham
• Completed Online DBT Trainings by Behavioral Tech on Skills Training, Therapy Interfering Behaviors, and Exposure Therapy

HIS TRUE NORTH

Angel has a fur-baby named Max who also makes special appearances at Compass and provides emotional support to clients. Angel’s passions include anything Disney-related as well as focusing on building a life-worth living for himself, family, friends, and clients’ alike.

GUIDE/ PROGRAM CLINICIAN

Erin works directly with patients and their families as program and skills group clinician. Her psychological interests include anxiety, eating disorders and hypnosis.

HER TRAINING

• Undergraduate degree from UCLA majoring in psychology
• Master and doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology from California School of Professional Psychology – San Diego
• Internships included years’ worth of trainings in process groups, testing, inpatient hospitalization with severely mental ill adults, teens and children, as well as work with substance abuse and long-term private practice clients.
• Intensively trained in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) through Compass Behavioral Health
• Intensively trained in DBT-Prolonged Exposure by treatment developer Dr. Melanie Harned
• ntensively trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Eating Disorders (CBT-E) through Oxford’s Center for Research on Eating Disorders

HER SUMMITS

• Dissertation “Body Dissatisfaction and Ideal Body Internalization in Heterosexual Men and Women”
• Has completed 3/4 steps towards DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Individual Clinician Certification™

HER TRUE NORTH

Erin enjoys reading non-fiction and traveling to places with historical significance.

Katina provides individual and group therapy, skills coaching, and phone coaching to Compass patients and their families.

HER STORY

Katina has practiced as a marriage and family therapist in a wide variety of settings with diverse populations. She has provided therapy to individuals with severe emotional dysregulation, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, psychotic disorders, and Borderline Personality traits at Pacific Clinics, a county-contracted community mental health agency. She has also worked with children and their families in public elementary schools through the Boys & Girls Club of Garden Grove. She has in-depth experience in cross-cultural and spiritual issues having worked at Asian-American Christian Counseling Service and Lake Avenue Church Counseling Center. She was also trained in an insight-oriented, attachment approach at the Center for Individual and Family Therapy. Katina is passionate about the intersection of spirituality and mental health. Prior to being a therapist, Katina taught English-as-a-second language to teens and adults in China, Newport Beach, and Berkeley.

HER TRAINING

• Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley
• Masters of Science in Marital & Family Therapy from Fuller Theological Seminary
• Comprehensively trained in Restoration Therapy by Dr. Terry Hargrave
• Comprehensively trained in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) by Cherie Mills, LMFT, DBT-LBC Certified Team Leader
• Intensively Trained in DBT-Prolonged Exposure by Dr. Melanie Harned

HER SUMMITS

• Registered member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists
• Has completed 3 of the 4 steps towards DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified DBT Clinician™

HER TRUE NORTH

Katina is passionate about her family, friends, God, and all kinds of art. She and her husband are expecting a (long-awaited) baby girl and are overjoyed to start a new adventure of being parents. Katina is guided in all aspects of life by a passion for helping others find their way to joy, peace, and the fullest life possible.

CLINICAL SUPERVISOR & PROGRAM CLINICIAN

Megan provides evidenced-based treatment to adolescents, teens and their families.

HER STORY

Megan began her clinical career providing individual therapy to middle school students during her undergraduate internship through San Francisco State’s highly-acclaimed School of Social Work. She earned Bachelor of the Arts degrees from SFSU with highest honors in Psychology as well as Social Work. As an undergraduate student, she was a teaching assistant for statistics, research methods and cognitive psychology courses and participated in Dr. Ben Zeev’s research lab, studying Stereotype Threat and Perceived Fraudulence (The Imposter Syndrome).

Megan went on to earn a Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from John F. Kennedy University where she completed her MFT traineeship as a group and individual therapist in a San Francisco-based Intensive Outpatient Substance Abuse program. Since graduating, Megan has provided group and individual therapy for children, adolescents, adults and families in a variety of settings. School-based, residential, intensive outpatient and clinic experience all contribute to Megan’s style and approach to therapy.

In addition to her clinical work with Compass Behavioral Health, Megan oversees Children’s Residential Intensive Services for teens and adolescents in the Child Welfare systems of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. As a part of her role as the Head of Service, Megan provides clinical supervision to pre-licensed clinicians.

HER TRAINING

• Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from San Francisco State University
• Bachelor of Arts in Social Work from San Francisco State University
• Masters of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy from John F. Kennedy University
• Comprehensively trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
• Intensively trained in DBT-Prolonged Exposure by treatment developer, Dr. Melanie Harned
• Intensively trained in DBT for Children by treatment developer, Dr. Francheska Perepletchikova

• Lifetime member of the Psi Chi Honor Society for Psychology
• Lifetime member of the Mu Beta Honor for Social Work
• Research assistant in Dr. Avi Ben-Zeev’s lab at San Francisco State University (studying Perceived Fraudulence and Stereotype Threat/”Imposter Syndrome”)
• Teaching Assistant for Statistics, Research Methods and Complex Cognitive Psychology courses for Dr. Avi Ben-Zeev at San Francisco State University
• Registered member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT)
• DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified Clinician™

HER TRUE NORTH

Megan spends as much time as possible with her sisters, nieces, nephews, father and extended family. Dedicated to your family and hers, she travels from her home base in Big Bear to Compass Behavioral Health to enjoy the “best of both worlds.”

GUIDE/ PROGRAM CLINICIAN

Naoki provides individual therapy, phone coaching, skills coaching, and team consultation.

HIS STORY

At the Columbia University School of Social Work, Naoki was part of a year-long extensive DBT training and lab program directed by Dr. Andre Ivanoff. During this time, he received intensive training by Behavioral Tech in DBT. Naoki is dedicated to utilizing DBT to support adolescents and young adults who are struggling with emotion dysregulation, impulsivity, anger, substance abuse, and other mental health vulnerabilities.

After graduating from New York University, Naoki began his career in clinical work as an Assistant Behavioral Intervention Specialist to support people with profound Intellectual Disabilities and Developmental Delays in residential and hospice settings. After going back to graduate school in social work, he interned at an at-risk high school providing weekly individual counseling and psychoeducation workshops. Additionally, he worked as a DBT-informed family therapist in a community-based aftercare team to support foster care youths in their goals of family reunification and independent living.

A team of DBT adherence coding professionals reviews his therapy treatment plans and clinical sessions, and he receives expert consultation from Dr. Clive Robbins, Professor Emeritus at Duke University. Naoki is supervised by Marissa Colangelo, LCSW (#78805).

HIS TRAINING

• Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at New York University
• Master of Science in Social Work at Columbia School of Social Work in New York City
• Completed 65 hours of Intensive DBT Training offered by Behavioral Tech trainers Randy Wolbert and Gwen Abney-Cunningham
• Completed Online DBT Trainings by Behavioral Tech on Skills training, Therapy interfering behaviors, and Exposure therapy

HIS TRUE NORTH

Naoki enjoys playing competitive soccer and practices rigorously to improve his game. He loves discovering new music and creating samples and mixes, and is currently working on polishing up his blues and jazz guitar skills.

CLINICAL SUPERVISOR & PROGRAM CLINICIAN

Dr. Nicole Zaha is a licensed Clinical Psychologist, a DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified Clinician™. She specializes in the treatment of children, adolescents and young adults with emotion dysregulation, depression, anxiety, self-injurious behaviors, Borderline Personality traits and other conditions.

Dr. Zaha’s role at Compass includes providing individual DBT treatment and skills coaching sessions, conducting DBT skills group, participating in weekly team consultation and supervision, and developing the teen residential program.

HER STORY

Dr. Zaha has actively practiced DBT and multiple evidence-based therapies such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy since 2008. Dr. Zaha’s DBT experience developed initially though Harbor-UCLA’s doctoral practicum training in the Adult Outpatient Clinic and Inpatient hospital in Torrance, CA, and under the direction of Lynn Mc Farr, Ph.D. Dr. Zaha completed her doctoral internship at Metropolitan State Hospital, in which she participated and helped to train and develop an inpatient DBT team, led DBT Skills Training groups, conducted individual DBT sessions, and developed positive behavior support plans. Dr. Zaha additionally worked at Clearview Women’s Residential DBT Program in Los Angeles, CA in which she conducted individual and group DBT sessions and helped train staff members in DBT. Dr. Zaha has extensive training and education in suicide and risk assessment. She additionally has several years of training in conducting neuropsychological and forensic assessments and community mental health experience. Dr. Zaha has worked as a Research Assistant with eHarmony and as a Research Coordinator at her university. Dr. Zaha’s graduate studies focused on Family Psychology and Adolescent Identity Formation and emphasized multicultural and spiritual integration. Dr. Zaha’s personal interests include yoga, family, ukulele, dancing, writing, and mindfulness meditation.

HER TRAINING

• Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (Minor in Religious Studies), Cum Laude, Azusa Pacific University
• Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology, specialty in Family Psychology, Azusa Pacific University
• Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology, specialty in Family Psychology, Azusa Pacific University
• Comprehensively trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy
• Intensively Trained in DBT-Prolonged Exposure
• Comprehensively trained in Acceptence and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

HER SUMMITS

• DBT- Linehan Board of Certification, Certified Clinician™

HER TRUE NORTH

Dr. Zaha’s passions and personal interests include yoga, family, ukulele, dancing, writing, and mindfulness meditation.

Ashley works diligently on behalf of Compass families to ensure they pay the lowest possible out-of-pocket costs.

HER STORY

After graduating with honors from American Career College, Ashley began her billing career with Compass Behavioral Health, joining the family in October of 2016. She is developing and mastering valuable skills in insurance verification, denials and billing.

HER TRAINING

• Certificate in Medical Billing and Coding, American Career College
• Associates Degree in Human Services from Cypress College

HER TRUE NORTH

Ashley is currently continuing her education and is pursuing to become a Certified Professional Coder (CPC).

Corine works closely with insurance companies to ensure full insurance reimbursement and correct any claims issues families may experience.

HER STORY
After graduating with honors from American Career College, she began her billing career with Compass Behavioral Health in October 2017. She comes to Compass Behavioral Health with over 15 years of collections and customer service skills.

HER TRAINING

• Diploma in Medical Billing and Coding, American Career College

HER TRUE NORTH

Corine plans to continue her education to become a Certified Professional Coder (CPC).

BASE CAMP CREW/CERTIFIED MEDICAL BILLER

Elizabeth translates healthcare services into billable claims, working closely with clinicians to ensure that all services are correctly billed to insurance.

HER STORY

Raised in Orange County, Elizabeth grew up exploring the outdoors with her family. Spending much of her time going on hikes and exploring all that nature had to offer, created both a love and admiration for the great outdoors.

HER TRAINING

• Diploma in Medical Billing and Coding, American Career College
• After graduating from American Career College, Elizabeth began her billing career with Compass Behavioral Health in January 2019.

HER TRUE NORTH

Elizabeth strives to continue exploring all the wonders that nature has to offer. Her ultimate bucket list goal is to visit Alaska and see the Northern Lights in person. Aside from continuing to explore nature, Elizabeth is also actively working to receive her Certified Professional Coder (CPC) certification.

Bridget works closely with insurance companies to ensure full insurance reimbursement and correct any claim issues families may experience.

HER STORY

​Bridget attended American Career College and completed her externship here at Compass Behavioral Health. Bridget with honors and began working as Claim Analyst in 2021, starting her career in the medical billing field.

HER TRAINING

• Diploma in Medical Billing and Coding, American Career College

HER TRUE NORTH

Bridget enjoys spending time with family and friends. She enjoys being active outside, playing disc golf. She has two dogs, who she loves spending time with and caring for. She enjoys going on long walks and playing tug-of-war and fetch with them.

Melody takes great pride in assisting all departments with their special project needs.

HER STORY

Gifted the name “Mama Mel,” Melody helped open Compass Behavioral Health in 2014 after working with Executive Director Cherie Mills for a year.

HER SUMMITS

• Opened and ran two successful businesses.

HER TRAINING

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Chapman University
• Front Office Clerk & Sales Assistant, Marriott Hotels and Resorts International
• HR Project Coordinator, PacifiCare
• Medical Billing, office Cherie Mills, LMFT

HER TRUE NORTH

Melody is a proud Southern California native and admirer of all things bacon, In-N-Out Burgers, and Netflix.

Sarah is the first point of contact for new families, and responsible for the day-to-day business operations.

HER STORY

Sarah joined Compass Behavioral Health after a decade as a medical assistant and insurance specialist for Memorial Care Medical Group. Her passion for medical care inspired her to undertake a medical mission to Haiti after the devastating 2010 earthquake.

HER TRUE NORTH

Sarah takes great pride in all her work here at Compass simply because it’s what she loves to do and is a believer that when you love what you do you never work a day in your life.

Johanna assists in document and file management, administrative tasks, and event planning. She is committed to building community at Compass and has been known to leave encouraging post-it notes on staff desks.

Before moving to southern California, Johanna spent several years in Washington where she enjoyed theater and experiencing the beautiful nature of the Pacific Northwest.

HER TRAINING

• Management training, scheduling, inventory and ordering maintenance, filing weekly store reports, and maintaining a safe work environment.

HER SUMMITS

• Promoted to Store Manager of two franchises with in the first year of employment, managing 12 employees at the age of 19.
• Working at Compass Behavioral Health.

HER TRUE NORTH

Johanna is pursuing her Associates of Arts degree at Santiago Canyon College. Johanna would like to obtain a master’s in business administration to better assist Compass as the future CEO.

SUPPORT CREW

Madonna is a Maltese-Terrier mix with an unknown age (about 8 years old)! She provides comfort and self-soothe to those in need. She helps others accumulate positives by playing fetch, doing tricks for treats, or playing with toys. She also helps clients practice mindfulness skills. Sometimes Madonna is in the mood to play and sometimes she is in need of rest.

HER STORY

Madonna was rescued in March 2015 and required a lot of TLC. She had an ulcer in her eye, an ear infection, and a hurt hip from giving birth. Madonna wants to contribute to others in their healing journey. Her favorite hobbies include playing with toys, following her mom around the clinic (who has warmly nicknamed her Shadow!), watching other people eat yummy human food that she’s not allowed to have, and getting her belly and ears rubbed. Madonna is most happy when people let her smell their hand first so that she can get to know their scent and warm up to them.

HER TRUE NORTH

Madonna has built mastery at sitting, handshakes, laying down and rolling over. She’s currently building mastery at jumping through hoops—for treats of course!

SUPPORT CREW

Mochi’s main skill is tactile self-soothe for the Compass kids that hold and pet him

HIS STORY

Mochi was born at Compass! His mom was taken in as a foster cat by Compass and in the middle of her first night here, she gave birth to a litter of 5 kittens. He is most-likely a Norwegian Forest cat, as he is so “chill.” He likes laser pointers and people’s laps. Mochi typically “trills” (a high-pitched, chirp-like noise in cats signaling hello) more than he meows.

HIS TRUE NORTH

Mochi has spent almost every workday at Compass since his birth comforting, entertaining, and loving on Compass kids—in fact Compass kids gave him his name and his purpose.