Founder & Executive Director | LMFT #36644

Joanne Mednick, Psy. D., LMFT

Dr. Mednick is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who specializes in a unique blend of various methodologies to offer her clients the deepest possible healing. Dr. Mednick has received her Psy.D, MFT from Ryokan College and has Master’s degrees in both Applied Psychology as well as Counseling Psychology and her undergraduate work was at the University of Southern California. Her studies in Spiritual Psychology frame her point of view that we are spiritual beings having a human experience. This unique perspective permeates into Dr. Mednick’s further studies.

Dr. Mednick has also received an additional degree in the field of Consciousness Health and Healing. This concentration allows her a deep understanding of the most severe addictions and traumas, and to assist in finding ways to help trauma survivors and sex addicts heal on all five levels of consciousness: Mental, Physical, Energetic, Emotional, and Spiritual. Dr. Mednick has built her practice with clients worldwide. Through trauma, illness, and addiction therapy, she transitions clients from the identification of living as “victims” or “survivors” all the way to that of living as “thrivers.” She offers her clients complete healing to find deep meaning in past occurrences and to take the “silver lining” in it all and view their issues as blessings in disguise. Dr. Mednick strives to bring her clients completion in the trauma/addiction/illness cycle and to move them from a pull into the trauma vortex (pain and chaos) towards easily and consciously choosing the healing vortex (calm and relaxed). Dr. Mednick took ongoing training in advanced EMDR techniques such as the Strategic Developmental Model for EMDR, is certified in Brain Spotting, and trained in Sensory Motor Psychotherapy and Somatic Therapy. This assisted her most extremely traumatized clients and addicts process their issues much more easily, and without undue distress.

Dr. Mednick believes in the importance of the Inner Journey and how best to support her clients in reconnecting with that which is inside. Dr. Mednick had also undertaken twelve further years of study with world-renowned Energy Medicine specialist Christine Schenk. She was a member of the first US graduating Master’s class. Dr. Mednick is one of the few people in America trained in the CHRIS®-Technique, and as a part of the services she offers, Dr. Mednick blends these techniques into her work at Serenity Trauma Healing Center. The addition of the CHRIS®-Technique to all the psychotherapeutic education has helped Joanne to assist her clients in reaching higher levels of inner peace, connectedness in their bodies, and achieving a sense of wellness in their lives. Through her many years as a therapist and her deep commitment to cutting-edge education, she has learned to pinpoint even the most resistant clients’ deepest issues and help them to change their destructive patterns. Dr. Mednick believes it is her life’s purpose to help others move along their own path towards full and complete healing. We treat dual-diagnosis clients with an emphasis on underlying psychological trauma.

Medical Director

Dr. Raskin

Dr. Raskin is a leading board-certified internist and Diplomate of the American Board of Addiction Medicine. Treating patients in his private practice since 1996, Dr. Raskin has earned a reputation for exceptional patient care and effective individualized treatment. Today, through cutting-edge and compassionate techniques, Dr. Raskin helps his patients maintain and regain their health. Dr. Raskin contributes regularly to local and national television broadcasts. Most recently he has appeared as a medical expert on Good Morning America and Nightline.

Assistant Clinical Director

Mike Beychok, M.A., Psy.D, Registered Psychological Associate #PSB94027232

Mike is currently a Doctoral Candidate at California Southern University and is supervised by Ruben Vaisman-Tzachor PH.D. Licensed #15091. He received his Masters’s degree from the University of Santa Monica (USM) in Spiritual Psychology. He has been facilitating all age ranges for over a decade and has helped countless individuals work through their issues. Mike decided to become more specifically involved in the addiction field as he saw the great need for coaching that specialized in recovery. Using a very open and intuitive approach, he is easily able to connect with clients to help guide them to a supportive and successful recovery. Having struggled with food addiction and eating disorders himself, he has a deep understanding of what individuals may be feeling and experiencing.

Mike’s struggle with weight and body image led him to become very active in the fields of physical fitness and nutrition. Being recruited as a walk-on for a division 1 sports team at a top university gives Mike experience working with some of the top athletes and coaching in the world. He has a genuine passion for helping people with their fitness goals and assisting them in creating a healthy lifestyle to coincide with their recovery.

Mike also graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies Field Major focusing on the impacts of globalization on marketing and finance. His multiple years of experience in the fields of marketing and business development have given him the perfect background to assist Serenity with its marketing and outreach efforts daily.

Mike looks forward to meeting and helping as many people as possible through their healing journey.

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist/PhD Student

Z Zoccolante, LMFT

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist/PhD Student.

Z Zoccolante, LMFT, is originally from Hawaii and brings over 10 years of experience in somatic bodywork and cognitive processing, connecting the body, mind, and soul through massage, coaching, esthetics, acting, and travels.

As a licensed marriage and family therapist, Z utilizes her creative background in her specialty with trauma and addiction recovery blending cognitive and creative modalities as well as brain based CRM, EMDR, and Brainspotting to fiercely and lovingly move through things that keep us stuck in trauma loops and old stories that no longer serve us.

She’s the author of Throwing Up Rainbows and the study guide (Amazon), for eating disorder recovery support, as well as the podcast Throwing Up Rainbows found on iTunes and ThrowingUpRainbows.com. She’s passionate about assisting others in their personal empowerment to create expanding possibilities of feeling free, happy, healthy, and whole. She’s currently in a PhD program in Depth Psychology.

Certified Life Coach

Terry Adamson

Terry Adamson, JD is a certified life coach specializing in helping people through life transitions, using skills and insights to help people navigate through emotional pain. She specializes in helping clients who have gone through trauma and grief reignite their passion for life, discover their resilience, and regain inner peace. Terry has gained exceptional compassion for others and mentoring skills from her 18 years as a Malibu Superior Court Commissioner, and an adjunct professor at Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, mentoring and coaching students since 1993. Terry has been studying spiritual and positive psychology since 2010. She is a certified Wayfinder Life Coach through Martha Beck Inc. She has also completed two Mastermind spiritual psychology courses with renowned life coach Robert Holden.

Terry uses techniques including meditation and exercises, such as affirmations, ideal day visualizations, metaphor, and dream analysis, developed to access the right brain, to guide clients to discover their own intuition and resilience. She is passionate about helping clients to flourish, reignite their passion for life, and experience inner peace. Terry’s coaching methods have proven to be effective in helping clients reduce their emotional and physical pain, using spiritual psychology to help create healthy neuropathways. Terry’s own experience of overcoming severe trauma and grief and discovering post-traumatic strength has inspired her to dedicate her career to helping others experience more joy in their lives.

Alma Valenzuela

Alma is certified in Somatic Psychotherapy and Practices and has worked in Somatic Experiencing for 7 years in Latin America and The United States. Alma has a B.A in Psychology is registered in the Behavior Analyst Certification Board and has complementary studies in Western and Eastern practices, emotional intelligence, and Neuro-Psycho-Education. In 2015, Alma founded Body-Mind Center in Villa de Leyva, Colombia, being a pioneer in the field of using Body Movement techniques, to embody emotions and bring about body awareness. Alma is a certified Personal Trainer in Latin America and Europe, a Reiki practitioner, and Yoga Instructor (Inbound Yoga) and initiated as Kriyavan (Kriya Yoga). Alma had observed in her own healing experience, how the movement of the body could not only release tension from a traumatic or stressful event but also speak up for the emotions.

As a Rock Climber and yoga practitioner, Alma was able to find the Body-Mind connection and consciousness and bring that experience to her clients. As part of Alma’s career, for 8 years, she worked as Forensic Expert and was the author of published research on the subjects of Suicide, Domestic Violence, and assault. “Climbing the pinnacle of life, one rock at a time. We start on the ground until we get to the top of the hill we want to climb”. Alma.

Christine Patrikian

Christine Patrikian leads private movement sessions focusing on yoga, kickboxing, and personal training as well as music therapy. She is trained in Kickboxing instruction and restorative yoga. Christine has a Bachelor of Music Degree in Performance and Music Education and is currently a student of Music Therapy at California State University, Northridge. In her free time, Christine loves strength training and rock climbing. She also keeps busy by performing music all around the Los Angeles area.

E- RYT 500, RPYT, YACEP

Deepa Chemery

Assistant Office Manager
Neurofeedback Therapist
Yoga and mindfulness instructor

Deepa is a software engineer turned therapist due to the immense passion to help and heal. She holds a Bachelors degree in computer science, has worked extensively in the field of mainframe computers and data base management. She thoroughly enjoys being a support admin staff at Serenity.

Deepa joined serenity as a yoga therapist, mindfulness instructor and Ayurveda nutritionist. She vouches for Yoga and Ayurveda as fundamental practice to ensure good physical and mental health. She aligns with the philosophy of Yoga which presents the art of untangling all the threads that binds us to our pain with compassion and respect. Deepa is the founder of Pragathi Yoga. She considers Yoga as a wonderful tool to educate and empower women. Through Pragathi Yoga she encourages her students to drive insight into action and to practice Yoga beyond the mat.  She is a global ambassador of YogaGivesBack a nonprofit organization supporting girls’ education in India.

Deepa is also certified in neuro feedback therapy (Othmer method). Neurofeedback is training in self-regulation. It is simply biofeedback applied to the brain directly. Self-regulation is a necessary part of good brain function. Self-regulation training allows the system (the central nervous system) to function better.

According to her all these healing modalities are powerful and effective and when brought together the effect is multifold.

In her down time Deepa enjoys connecting to her roots performing Indian classical dance Mohiniyattam. She does watercolor florals, plays badminton and spends quality time with family.

Certified Massage Therapist

Ale

Ale is a Certified Massage Therapist registered with the California Massage Therapy Council. She has been in the healing arts for over a decade. Her journey began working in tandem with chiropractors in a clinical setting assessing the needs of patients by utilizing an interdisciplinary holistic approach. She has extensive experience in meeting the needs of clients who have a broad range of conditions including pain, trauma & illness. Ale loves to connect meaningfully with people of various backgrounds. Her passion is to transform the lives of humankind through the healing power of touch, sound & aromatherapy. In her spare time, she enjoys exploring nature. Ale takes pride in how instrumental the staff at Serenity is in providing the utmost wellness for each client.

Samantha Blaustein, BA, C-IAYT

Samantha Blaustein, ACSW, C-IAYT is an Associate Clinical Social Worker with a Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Southern California. In addition, she studied at Loyola Marymount University and is a certified Clinical Yoga Therapist through the International Association of Yoga Therapists. Samantha completed her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology with an emphasis in Criminal Justice, at the California State University of Northridge.

Samantha has six years of experience in somatic healing interventions and over ten years practicing and teaching Hatha Yoga, Restorative Yoga, and Yin. She specializes in working with individuals who suffer from dis-ease in the body and have dysregulated nervous systems. Samantha is most interested in helping her patients foster a healthy mind-body connection. She uses multidimensional therapy approaches to help those suffering from trauma. Samantha works alongside patients to help them process their trauma(s) and help them to discover a new narrative. She educates her patients on regulating their nervous systems and strengthening their internal awareness and resiliency.

Samantha is an interactive trauma therapist. Her therapeutic approach is strength-based in which she helps patients build interpersonal effectiveness, self-worth, communication skills, emotional regulation skills, and distress tolerance. She integrates complementary methodologies and techniques to offer a personalized approach tailored to each client. With compassion and understanding, she works with each patient to help them build on their strengths and helps them to accomplish their goals one step at a time

Olivia Moses

Olivia is open, and friendly and will meet you exactly where you are at. Before becoming a therapist she was a school social worker for several years & has warmth & compassion for kids & adolescents. She recently completed her first year of training in Somatic Experiencing.

Olivia has a wide range of experience working with diverse communities & age groups in Chicago & New York City. Olivia is trained in somatic experiencing, psychodynamic/Jungian, DBT, mindfulness, and complex trauma. She is also a certified yoga instructor & professionally trained life coach. Olivia has the knowledge and skills to help you navigate through difficult emotions & challenging times. She can motivate you as you work to achieve higher levels of fulfillment, peace, and success.

Hope Carter, ATR-BC, LPCC, LPC

Hope received her MS in Art Therapy from Eastern Virginia Medical School. As a Certified Havening Practitioner, she is very excited to incorporate Havening into her ongoing work as an Art Therapist and Clinical Counselor, which she has done for over 20 years. She has enjoyed working in various cities and worked at a well-recognized trauma center in Southern California for almost 10 years. Specialty work includes working with trauma recovery/DID and eating disorders. She has also enjoyed her career with child/adolescent/family therapy centers, domestic violence/ shelters, sexual addiction, and substance recovery programs, and various inpatient hospital settings such as the VA, as well as Hospice. She enjoys using additional approaches such as Cinematherapy, writing, meditation, and Inner Child work. As a mom, including being an adoptive mother, she enjoys working with fertility, maternal wellness, and postpartum issues.

Hope loves exploring how life, creativity, and healing intersect. In addition to art, other passions include writing and Feng Shui, and she feels fortunate to have trained in Reiki Levels 1 & 2 in Hong Kong. She is grateful for her experiences living and exploring the arts in unique places such as New York.

Director of Clinical Operations

Dr. Dawn Lewis

Dr. Dawn Lewis DNP, FNP-MSN

Dawn has been a Director in Healthcare for 10 years. She has here PhD in Healthcare Leadership and is also a Family Nurse Practitioner. She is a part- time educator at a local University for Nursing and Pre- med students.

She is experienced with accreditation for Joint Commission, AAAHC and CARF.  She has a background in Mental health leadership. Opened a IOP/PHP program for other facilities while teaching and training staff.

On her free time, she utilizes Reiki and sound bath meditation for her own clients. As, she is a Reiki Master III. Her goal is to assist with healing the whole person inside and out one person at a time.

Office manager

Elisha Wright

Bio Coming Soon

Therapist LPCC

Madeleine Shore

Bio Coming Soon

Therapist LCSW

Jessica Cahn

Bio Coming Soon

Somatic Therapist

Lisa Cefalu

Lisa has studied with the top medical professionals, neuroscientists, conventional and holistic therapists and is trained in a wide range of therapeutic modalities allowing you to heal your mind at the conscious and subconscious levels, and heal your body through somatic based therapies.  She uses a diverse combination of therapies such as Somatic Experiencing (SE™), Brainspotting, Clinical Hypnotherapy, Constellation Therapy, Mindfulness, Transformational Breathwork and Energy Work. 

​Lisa has advanced her somatic trauma therapy skills by completing Peter Levine’s Somatic Experiencing® three year trauma training program where she is now also assisting training modules for students. She is multi-certified in Constellation Therapy based on the work of Bert Hellinger, which addresses inherited family and ancestral patterns and issues passed down through our Epigenetics and familial patterns. In addition to her private practice Lisa has worked extensively in Alcohol and Drug Treatment Centers  and is on staff part time at Serenity Trauma Healing Center in Malibu.

She has offered her support at WeSpark Cancer Center in Sherman Oaks for over a decade & The UCLA “Young Women’s Breast Cancer Survivors Group”. For many years Lisa was part of the faculty at The Hypnosis Motivation Institute where she attended school and quickly transitioned to teaching workshops and core classes earning state credentials in the area of hypnosis and behavior modification.

Neurofeedback therapist

Tehilla Manoucheri

Bio Coming Soon

Music Therapist

Bella Christopherson

Bella is a Board Certified Music Therapist and a Certified Yoga Instructor. Bella received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music Therapy and a Minor in Psychology from Berklee College of Music. She has worked with individuals of all ages, stages of life, and abilities. From end-of-life hospice care, to early childhood, to individuals with development disabilities, Bella has used music to connect with individuals to address a variety of life goals. Music, movement, and mindfulness are the three modalities that Bella has always strongly aligned with. She incorporates the three of them together to create a safe, inclusive, and healing experience in her work. Bella has seen the power that music, movement, and mindfulness have on the physical, emotional, and energetic body, and use these modalities to help others deepen their relationship with the self, others, and nature. Bella believes that engaging with these modalities alone, or together can elicit positive and sustainable changes. Her favorite part of work is building genuine relationships with her clients, and seeing them deepen their connection to their self.

Acupuncturist

Marcy Sproull

Bio Coming Soon

Physical Therapist

Valerie Witkow

Bio Coming Soon

Movement therapist

Sonya Enchill

Bio Coming Soon

Movement therapist

Yashmine Anderson

Bio Coming Soon

Deepa Chemery

Deepa is a software engineer turned therapist due to the immense passion to help and heal. She holds a Bachelors degree in computer science, has worked extensively in the field of mainframe computers and data base management. She thoroughly enjoys being a support admin staff at Serenity.

Deepa joined serenity as a yoga therapist, mindfulness instructor and Ayurveda nutritionist. She vouches for Yoga and Ayurveda as fundamental practice to ensure good physical and mental health. She aligns with the philosophy of Yoga which presents the art of untangling all the threads that binds us to our pain with compassion and respect. Deepa is the founder of Pragathi Yoga. She considers Yoga as a wonderful tool to educate and empower women. Through Pragathi Yoga she encourages her students to drive insight into action and to practice Yoga beyond the mat. She is a global ambassador of YogaGivesBack a nonprofit organization supporting girls’ education in India.

Deepa is also certified in neuro feedback therapy (Othmer method). Neurofeedback is training in self-regulation. It is simply biofeedback applied to the brain directly. Self-regulation is a necessary part of good brain function. Self-regulation training allows the system (the central nervous system) to function better.

According to her all these healing modalities are powerful and effective and when brought together the effect is multifold.

In her down time Deepa enjoys connecting to her roots performing Indian classical dance Mohiniyattam. She does watercolor florals, plays badminton and spends quality time with family.

Elisha Wright-Roberts, BHS, HCM

Elisha Wright-Roberts BHS HCM has been involved in healthcare delivery for over 13 years. She started as a medical assistant helping internists with day-to-day care in the back office. Her drive and dedication led the providers to ask her to be the “face” of their practice, switching her focus to the administrative aspect of healthcare delivery. As the site preceptor she realized a passion for teaching the aspects in the medical office. This led her to become a teacher at a private university.

Honing her skills and knowledge teaching subjects in administrative and clinical care was fulfilling and gave insight into the processes of healthcare delivery that would lead her into leadership roles. Mrs. Roberts graduated from Azusa Pacific University with her bachelor’s in health sciences, minoring in healthcare management. She utilizes the knowledge gained in practice, combined with book smarts and her personal connection to those currently living with mental health issues, to guide clients through their healthcare experience.