Beach Cities Health District convened a Student Mental Health Provider Task Force in 2018 as a part of a Beach Cities-wide effort to address student stress and substance use. The Student Mental Health Provider Task Force is made of more than 60 organizations and providers in the Beach Cities that support students and families.
Provider service areas include:
- Substance use prevention
- Mental health
- Mindfulness and social-emotional learning
The Task Force meets quarterly to offer recommendations on student health issues. Participants provide resources and services to Beach Cities students and families on topics including cancer support, mental health, grief counseling, substance use prevention, interventions and education, as well as mindfulness and social-emotional learning.
Participating providers will:
- Be part of a Beach Cities-wide effort to address student stress and substance use
- Offer recommendations on student health issues
- Convene 3-4 times annually with other providers in the Beach Cities
- Be eligible to be listed as a community resource on bchd.org/resources
- Be eligible to participate in/support school events
For questions about the Student Mental Health Provider Task Force, please contact Nicole Lunde, Youth Services Substance Use Prevention Coordinator, at nicole.lunde@bchd.org.
Task Force Members
| Substance Use | |
| Alice Kuo, PhD | UCLA Pediatrics |
| Alix Helena Politanoff | Behavioral Health Services Inc. |
| Christian Lara | Insight Treatment Programs |
| Donnie W. Watson, Ph.D. | Thelma McMillen Center For Alcohol & Drug Treatment/Torrance Memorial |
| Emily Pederson | Clear Recovery Center |
| Frederik Schulin | Insight Treatment Programs |
| Gary Tsai, MD | Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Substance Abuse Prevention and Control (SAPC) |
| Heather Longridge | Behavioral Health Services, Inc. |
| Howard Barker | Clear Recovery Center |
| Inger Hauge | Center for Discovery |
| Jac Folkert | UCLA Health |
| Jazmine Pamintuan | Asian American Drug Abuse Program, Inc |
| Jeanette Barreto | Clear Recovery Center |
| Joan Stein Jenkins | Beach Cities Juvenile Diversion Project |
| Laura McIntire | South Bay Families Connected |
| Mary Eno, MD | Kaiser Permanente Addiction Medicine |
| Melissa Estelle | Mothers Against Drunk Driving |
| Miriam Ruiz | Asian American Drug Abuse Program, Inc |
| Moe Gelbart, PhD | Thelma McMillen Center for Alcohol and Drug Treatment |
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| Mental Health | |
| Abby Withee, LMFT | Withee Family Therapy |
| Albert Knapp, PsyD, BCBA-D, RPT-S | Play Lab, Albert Knapp & Associates |
| Amanda Long | Walk With Sally |
| Angela Wilson, LMFT | South Bay Children's Health Center - South Bay Youth Project |
| Anna Pirkl, LMFT, LAADAC, ATR | One Heart Counseling Center |
| Avigal Harrow | 1736 Family Crisis Center |
| Brittany Dafesh, PsyD | Dr. Brittany Dafresh, Clinical Psychologist |
| Ericka Sazo-Gonzalez | Redondo Beach Police Department Domestic Violence Victim Advocacy Program |
| Erin Rieger, LMFT, LEP | Private Practice |
| Eugenie Lewis, LCSW | Creative Life Mapping |
| Evelyn Jacobson, LMFT, PMH-C | Private Practice |
| Gayle Dargel, LMFT | Clear Recovery |
| Howard Mationg | Evolve Treatment Centers |
| Iris Knell, LCSW | South Bay Children's Center |
| Jessica Vara, EMDR, LMFT | Private Practice |
| John Webber, LMFT | Private Practice |
| Kathleen Ballue | Center for Discovery |
| Kevin Sousa, LMFT | Private Practice/Jimmy Miller Foundation |
| LaToya Harris | Redondo Beach Police Department Domestic Violence Victim Advocacy Program |
| Leah Niehaus, LCSW | Private Practice |
| Linda Reeves, LMFT | Beach Cities LGBT Therapy |
| Maria Nazarian, PhD | Beach Therapy |
| Michelle Carlson | Teenline |
| Monica Fyfe, LMFT | Our Village |
| Paul Stansbury | National Alliance on Mental Illness |
| Rebecca Stewart, LMFT, LPCC | Private Practice |
| Robin Kusilka, LMFT | Private Practice |
| Shauna Letvin, LCSW | Private Practice |
| Susan Swanson, PhD, LCSW | The StepFamily Center |
| Tracie Andrews, LCSW | Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health Prevention Services Administration - Family & Communiy Partnerships |
| Virginia Green, PhD | Stillwater Group, Inc. |
| Vivian Credido | Psychological Wellness |
| Whitney Boole, LMFT | Beach Cities Psychotherapy |
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| Mindfulness/Social-emotional Learning | |
| Diana Lipson-Burge, RDN, CEDRD | Private Practice Registered Dietician Nutritionist |
| Ellen Robbins | Positive Coaching Alliance |
| Felipe Ramirez | Fusion Academy South Bay |
| Jennifer Wildenberg | Mira Costa High School Guidance Counselor |
| Joanie Plake | Breathe & Learn |
| Jody Cajudo | Volunteer Center |
| Laurie Angress | Mindful Yoga Therapy |
| Lucia Galante Johnson | The SMART Drum |
| Nina Patel | The Friendship Foundation |
| Patricia Jones | PS I Love You Foundation |
| Sarah Myers | Volunteer Center |
Last updated May 2022
