Why Compass
Why Compass
A program with a purpose
Our purpose lives and breathes in the symbolism behind our name. Compass: An elegant tool that puts the power to find your true north in your hands. Without forcing you to take a single step or promising to take your steps for you. Without judgment and with an unshakeable sense of direction. Relying on a compass makes you stronger and more confident, not weaker and more dependent. A compass is your guide, not your master. And as every skilled guide knows, no journey should be undertaken without the right tools.
The path ahead will be tough. And beautiful. Frustrating, and exhilarating. You will stumble. And you will soar. It may not be easy. But with the tools and insights you’ll gain here, you will forge ahead.
We’re not your ordinary program. If you’re ready to find your way, define your why, and map out your how, we can’t wait to meet you.
A program on a mission
Defining our principles is simple. Living up to them daily is anything but.
1. Every young person deserves access to evidence-based treatment, such as DBT.
We believe that effective Evidence-based therapy should be accessible and believe that the ability to pay should not stand in the way of the ability to thrive. That’s why we go the distance to work with your insurance provider, reach whatever agreements we can, and ensure that you can utilize your benefits to cover the cost of treatment. We assign every family a dedicated financial account manager, to help you make your coverage work as hard as you do.
2. It takes a community to support stronger treatment outcomes.
We practice what we teach, living in community through weekly staff mindfulness practice, to communal meals and group exercise. At the same time, we strive to build community among our families through programs like Family Connections, Multi-Family Skills Training Groups, Compass Talent Shows, and sponsorship of community events such as the Walk Out Of Darkness for suicide prevention.
3. Let the evidence lead the way—redefine the standard for clinical excellence.
Our understanding of the human mind and human behavior never stops advancing. And neither do we. Our partnership with Duke University and the continuing education we provide through the Compass Training Institute mean that your family receives the highest caliber of evidence-based treatments at all times.
4. Open our doors—and our training—to the community.
We believe that when it comes to advancing the cause of mental health treatment, we’re all in this together. That’s why we commit ourselves to providing education to the larger Southern California community on childhood mental health issues, advocacy, and the evidence-based treatments that bring healing.
5. Multi-disciplinary and culturally-competent.
The mind is not a one-size-fits-all puzzle, so we house a multi-disciplinary, culturally-competent team committed to providing expert care to the families we serve.
Committed to excellence. And to you.
Most Compass’ Clinicians are DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified Clinicians™ and calibrated DBT Adherence Coders through the University of Washington, coding and scoring videos and case formulations for DBT adherence for the DBT-Linehan Board of Certification™. In Compass’ commitment to excellence and quality assurance, a percentage of all Compass sessions are randomly selected and coded for adherence to the research protocol.
Compass was the first DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified Program™, in California. Achieving this certification was a rigorous process that ensured our families were receiving the “gold standard” in DBT treatment and care.
As a designated Performance Site through Duke University, we track our treatment outcomes in the pursuit of advancing the development of evidenced-based treatments. Every 6 months, we measure our treatment outcomes through a standardized battery of tests. A summary of these test results are available to our families on a quarterly basis. In addition, Compass is conducting a longitudinal study of its program treatment gains post discharge as the ultimate source of accountability to our families.
Our program is a required rotation in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy for UCI Medical School psychiatrists in training. This rotation will help psychiatrists incorporate DBT skills into their practice so that all forms of treatment can work together.
Compass Treatment Outcomes:
What the Evidence Tells Us
The evidence is clear: Compass works! From our patients’ first day at Compass to the 6-month mark in their treatment journey, the results show marked reduction across the board in depressive symptoms, suicide severity/risk, emotion dysregulation, identity dysregulation, and borderline symptoms.
Our patients continue to make progress in every single one of these areas 6-12 months into treatment. In many areas, average scores approach or fall below the non-clinical range, where we would consider a patient’s symptoms as being “normal” and not in need of treatment.
Empirical Evidence of Effective Treatment at Compass
Data collected 2016-2019
MEASURE OF DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS
MEASURE OF IDENTITY DYSREGULATION
MEASURE OF EMOTION DYSREGULATION
MEASURE OF SUICIDE SEVERITY & RISK
MEASURE OF BORDERLINE SYMPTOMS
MEASURE OF BORDERLINE SYMPTOMS
Summary & Conclusions: All measures graphed above are standardized, validated, commonly used assessments that are administered to our patients at intake and every 6 months after throughout the course of treatment. This is one of our main ways of assessing severity of symptoms across a variety of areas and of tracking treatment outcomes to ensure that treatment is working. The graphs show treatment outcomes at intake, 6, and 12 months into treatment for all people who have consented to be part of our research study (approved by the Duke University Institutional Review Board).
The results show marked reduction across the board in depressive symptoms, suicide severity/risk, emotion dysregulation, identity dysregulation, and borderline symptoms from intake to 6 months into treatment. The results also show that our patients continue to make progress in all of these areas from 6 to 12 months into treatment. Moreover, these are not just numbers; as treatment progresses scores are approaching (and in several areas dipping below) clinical “norms,” meaning that symptoms are nearing a non-clinical range. This evidence directly from our clinic provides evidence that DBT at Compass does work!
Primary Treatment Target Data
Collected from diary cards
ACTIVE SUICIDAL IDEATION
PASSIVE SUICIDAL IDEATION
SELF-HARM
NEGATIVE SELF-JUDGMENTS
Summary & Conclusions: Our new medical record system allows us to track precise data from session to session. Results show that our kids have significant reduction of life-threatening behaviors over the course of the first 7-8 months of treatment. The biggest treatment gains were made within the first 6 months, and these gains were maintained over the next few months while other targets became the focus of treatment.
Other Noteworthy Conclusions from our Clinic:
- Drastic reduction in suicide behaviors (e.g., planning, accessing means, writing suicide notes, suicide attempts) across patients:
- 0-10 range reported at time of intake
- <10% of patients reported suicide behaviors during first 12 months of treatment
- Kids achieve better treatment outcomes if their family participates in Multifamily Group:
- Significantly lower borderline symptoms
- Significantly lower identity dysregulation
- Family therapy enhances treatment outcomes
- Lower identity dysregulation & depression
- Skills coaching makes a difference!
- Lower identity dysregulation, lower borderline symptoms, & depression
Note: Data analyzed from patients who consented to be part of our study. At this time, our sample size is too small to make broad generalizations and to test for significant differences in some cases. We plan to continue tracking data over time to determine if these trends prevail.
Clinical Team
Cherie Mills
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Licensed Marriage, Family Therapist
(LMFT #40443)
DBT-Linehan Board of Certification,
Certified DBT Clinician™
Dr. Clive Robins, Ph.D.,
DIRECTOR OF COMPASS
TRAINING INSTITUTE
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
(License No. 1421)
DBT-Linehan Board of Certification,
Certified DBT Clinician™
Matt Reino
Associate Clinical Director
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT #97638)
DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified DBT Clinician™
Angel Amaro
Program Clinician
Associate Clinical Social Worker (ACSW #89927)
Erin Bray
Program Clinician
Licensed Psychologist (PSY #27381)
Marissa Colangelo
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF
COMPASS TRAINING INSTITUTE
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
(LCSW #78805)
DBT-Linehan Board of Certification,
Certified DBT Clinician™
Megan Plakos Szabo
Program Clinician
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT #98658)
DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified DBT Clinician™
Naoki Hemmi
Program Clinican
Associate Clinical Social Worker (ACSW #89676)
Dr. Nicole Zaha
Program Clinician
Licensed Clinical Psychologist (Lic. PSY29916)
DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified Clinician™
Madonna
Therapy Pet
Mochi
Therapy Pet
Administrative Team
Aerie de la Cruz
Human Resource Representative &
Executive Assistant to the Executive Director
Kellie Severin
Billing Department Manager
Ashley Ikai
FINANCIAL ACCOUNT MANAGER
Corine Corral
Claims Analyst
Elizabeth Gonzalez
Certified Medical Biller
Melody Sadowski
Project Specialist
Sarah Proctor
Program Administrative Assistant
Shannon Bresnahan
Research Assistant and Case Manager
Cherie Mills
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT #40443)
DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified DBT Clinician™
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 Dialectical Behavioral Therapy for Children (DBT-C) by treatment developer Dr. Franscheska Perepletchikova
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™
- Calibrated DBT Adherence Coders Through the University of Washington, Behavioral Research, and Therapy Clinic
- Coder for the DBT-Linehan Board of Certification
- Member of DBT Leadership, Strategy, & Future Directions Committee of the DBT-Linehan Board of Certification™
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.
Dr. Clive Robins, Ph.D.,
DIRECTOR OF COMPASS
TRAINING INSTITUTE
Licensed Clinical Psychologist (License No. 1421)
DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified DBT Clinician™
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.
Aerie de la Cruz
Human Resource Representative &
Executive Assistant to the Executive Director
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.
Kellie Severin
Billing Department Manager
BASE CAMP MANAGER/BILLING DEPARTMENT MANAGER
Kellie Severin role as Billing Department Manager oversees the Billing Department to ensure that families can make use of their health insurance policies and minimize their out-of-pocket expenses.
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.
Marissa Colangelo
Associate Director of Compass Training Institute, Clinical Supervisor, DBT Program Clinician
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW #78805)
DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified DBT Clinician™
LEAD GUIDE / ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF COMPASS TRAINING INSTITUTE / CLINICAL SUPERVISOR / DBT PROGRAM CLINICIAN
Within Marissa’s role as Associate Director of Compass Training institute, Marissa serves as the Clinical Supervisor for Columbia University’s Master of Social Work graduates. Additionally, Marissa is responsible for teaching didactics and DBT Skills Training to UCI’s Psychiatry Fellows and the community, providing supervision and ensuring adherence to DBT, and managing Continuing Education. Marissa works closely with Compass’ Research Director to identify training needs and to ensure clinical excellence. She provides both in-house training and external trainings. Additionally, she facilitates meet and greets with families interested in Compass to identify goodness of fit and to provide an overview of the program.
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. She served as a Student Ambassador, working with prospective students and Alumni. It was here that Marissa gained interest in research and 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 for nearly 4 years. 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. Here, Marissa taught Child Abuse and Neglect, Adolescence, Professional Pathways and Careers in Child and Adolescent Development before joining the team at Compass Behavioral Health.
HER TRAINING
- Bachelor of Arts in Child and Adolescent Development at California State University, Northridge 2012
- Master of Science in Social Work at Columbia School of Social Work, New York City 2014
- Adjunct Professor California State University, Northridge 2014-2018
- Completed Intensive DBT Training, 2014
- Certification in Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Lynn McFarr 2016
- Completed Advanced DBT Training, 2017
- Completed Intensive Training in DBT-Prolonged Exposure, 2018
- Completed Intensive Training in DBT-C (DBT for Children), 2019
HER SUMMITS
- DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified DBT Clinician™
- Calibrated video Adherence Coder to the DBT-Linehan Board of Certification™
HER TRUE NORTH
In addition to her loving fur-baby, teaching is at the core of Marissa’s passions and values.
Matt Reino
Associate Clinical Director
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT #97638)
DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified DBT Clinician™
LEAD GUIDE / ASSOCIATE CLINICAL 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
- Calibrated DBT Adherence coder through the University of Washington
- 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!
Angel Amaro
Program Clinician
Associate Clinical Social Worker (ACSW #89927)
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.
Erin Bray
Program Clinician
Licensed Psychologist (PSY #27381)
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 Laib
Program Clinician
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT #98896)
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.
Megan Plakos Szabo
Program Clinician
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT #98658)
DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified DBT Clinician™
GUIDE/ 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.”
Naoki Hemmi
Program Clinican
Associate Clinical Social Worker (ACSW #89676)
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.
Dr. Nicole Zaha
Program Clinician
Licensed Clinical Psychologist (Lic. PSY29916)
DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified Clinician™
GUIDE/ 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 Ikai
Financial Account Manager
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 Corral
Claims Analyst
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).
Elizabeth Gonzalez
Certified Medical Biller
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.
Melody Sadowski
Project Specialist
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 Proctor
Program Administrative Assistant
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 NORTHSarah 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.
Shannon Bresnahan
Research Assistant and Case Manager
HER STORY
Shannon grew up exploring the oak and manzanita forests of the Sierra Nevada foothills, before moving to the redwood forest of Humboldt County for university. There she studied anthropology and participated in an archeological dig of Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania, discovering the humerus of a hominin – Homo habilis.
In her free time, Shannon likes to explore the beaches and redwood forest, write, and read novels.
HER TRAINING
- Anthropology BA, Humboldt State University
- Archaeology fieldwork in California and Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania
- Digitizing and archiving artifact collections using Past Perfect
- ArcGIS database maintenance
- Stable isotope analysis
- Bookkeeping, accounts payable, and file maintenance
HER SUMMITS
- Poster Presentation, Exploring the Evolution of the Human Lifespan. Humboldt State’s 2016 Anthropology Symposium
- Poster Presentation, Stable Isotope Analysis on Humboldt Wildlife. Humboldt State’s 2017 Anthropology Symposium
- Stable isotope analysis lab director, HSU’s Biological Anthropology Lab
- Certificate of Appreciation for GIS Maintenance, HSU’s Archaeology Lab
HER TRUE NORTH
Shannon plans to pursue graduate studies in library science, further developing her love of analytics and knowledge.
Madonna
Therapy Pet
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!
Mochi
Therapy Pet
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.