Meet the Team

Dr. Allen has been honored to practice across the continuum of care from private practice to IOP and residential treatment. She has expertise in treating addiction, trauma, and mental health issues among adolescents, LGBTQIA+, and BIPOC communities. She has researched veteran causes, adolescents, and overall destigmatizing mental health care among marginalized communities. She teaches at Arizona State University’s School of Social Work.

Carly Bachrach began her career in the behavioral health field in 2010 as a residential counselor at a co-occurring treatment facility in Malibu, California. Quickly realizing her passion for helping others along their journey to recovery, Carly decided to pursue a master’s in psychology from Phillips Graduate University, where she became a school counselor, earning her Pupil Personnel Services and Child Welfare and Attendance credentials.
Over the course of her career, Carly has worked in various levels of care serving a wide variety of individuals. These experiences have ranged from serving at-risk youth as a school counselor in Los Angeles, to working as a Residential Manager at a program for individuals with intellectual and physical differences in Aurora, Colorado. Additionally, Carly has held the role of Director of Operations for dual diagnosis partial hospitalization and outpatient clinics in Los Angeles, as well as Program Director for residential facilities specializing in mental health.
Working from a collaborative and team perspective, Carly cultivates a compassionate and cohesive environment for the team, which in turn supports the highest possible level of personalized care for clients and their families. She finds joy in sharing her knowledge and expertise in the service of mental health and is thrilled to be dedicating herself now to tackling Embark Behavioral Health’s Big Hairy Audacious Goal, to take adolescent and young adult anxiety, depression, and suicide from the all-time highs of today to all-time lows by 2028.

Serenity joined the team in 2021 as a Teen Girls Residential Manager. She has since been promoted to Executive Director of Teen Girls and Transition Homes. Serenity came to Calo with an extensive career in mental health with over 15 years of serving young adults and adolescents from across the spectrum, with a background and thorough training in trauma care. She is a licensed Interstate Foster Crisis Care Provider. Outside of caring for the kids at Calo, Serenity is a dedicated mother of 5 children, one of which is a foster child whose formal adoption became final this year. In her down time, she enjoys crafts, swimming, reading, and spending time with her three grandchildren.

Jessica Breton is the Executive Director at the Optimum Performance Institute and has been with OPI since 2009, holding the positions of licensed therapist and Clinical Program Director.

Jessica’s background and expertise are well suited to serve the young adults at OPI. She holds a BA in psychology from University of California at Santa Barbara and has a Master’s degree from Phillips Graduate Institute in Marriage and Family Therapy.

She received Training in Mentalization-based Treatment Approach in Psychotherapy for Borderline Personality Disorder through UCLA Semel Institute. She also has training in Treating Multiple Severe Disorders with Dialectical Behavioral Therapy with Michael Hollander, Ph.D., from Harvard/McLean Hospital. Additionally, Jessica has participated in Social Skills and Violence Prevention Training from the California Family Counseling Center.

She has served as a Marriage and Family Therapist with the California Family Counseling Center, has worked in several Los Angeles Unified School District elementary, middle and High Schools and has maintained a small private practice.

Ms. Breton is a member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, as well as Evolving Women.

At her heart, She is a passionate clinician. Jessica strongly believes that the relationships we build with clients and staff members helps to create an environment conducive to growth, healing, and change.

When not at work, Jessica loves spending time with her husband and 2 small boys.

Karina Campbell is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from Ursinus College, a Masters Degree in Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania and a Juris Doctor Degree from North Carolina Central University School of Law. Karina started her career assisting adjudicated adolescents in a residential setting. Throughout her career, Karina has gained a variety of work experience with adolescents and adults in not only the residential setting but in outpatient mental health, and non-profit organizations. She later attended law school seeking to help others with her understanding of mental health and the law. Prior to joining Embark Behavioral Health Karina worked in the court system working with families going through divorce and custody proceedings. Karina also worked in private practice providing treatment for anxiety, depression, relationship issues, and family discord. Karina is happiest when she spends time with family and friends because for her those connections are paramount.

MS Experiential Education, Minnesota State University, Mankato, MN BS Outdoor Recreation Leadership, Unity College, Unity, ME David has served in the Behavioral Health Care field for over 25 years. David began his career in wilderness therapy and has worked with hundreds of adolescents, young adults, and their families in a variety of contexts and programming environments. David has served in a variety of roles, including direct-care staff, case management, program design and development, outreach and admissions, and administration. David’s approach is very much boots on the ground as his passion is engaging with clients, families, and staff alike. David has been with Embark since the Spring of 2016. In his free time, David enjoys spending his time with his wife, and two boys and loves to participate in all of the outdoor activities that Montana has to offer.

Helene has extensive experience in the delivery, management, and administration of behavioral health services. Over the span of her 30-year career, she has developed programming in various adult and adolescent treatment settings including inpatient care, partial hospitalization, IOP and outpatient. A Licensed Clinical Social Worker herself, she is passionate about person-centered, quality treatment. Helene seeks to build genuine relationships with the individuals and families she serves. Her training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Trauma-Focused CBT and Multi-Systemic Family Therapy provides a clinical framework that is solution-focused. Prior to joining Embark, Helene operated a Private Practice, had been an adjunct faculty member at Alvernia University and currently serves on several community advisory boards.

Helene is a lifelong resident of Pennsylvania. She received her BSW from Bloomsburg University, MSW from Temple University and attained her MBA from the University of Scranton. Helene and her husband own and manage a local pizzeria. In her free time, Helene enjoys traveling, walking, hiking, spending time with family and loves to relax near the East Coast beaches.

Matthew is the Executive Director of Embark Behavioral Health in the Main Line located in Berwyn, PA. Matthew received his Bachelor’s degree in Rehabilitation Services from the Pennsylvania State University and then went on to receive his Master’s degree in Education from La Salle University. Over the past 20+ years, Matthew has dedicated his life to Behavioral Health field, serving in multiple capacities as a Clinician and an Operational Director in both inpatient and outpatient levels of care.

Matthew is a patient focused leader that believes very strongly in a patient first centered approach. Over the course of his career, he has dedicated himself to improving system processes and access to treatment, to provide quality and accessible care to all populations in need. The development and implementation of Key Performance Indicators has helped him guide his teams to achieve positive clinical outcomes for their patients and families.

Matthew is a lifelong resident of the Philadelphia Metro area and currently resides in Bucks County with his wife and two daughters. In his spare time, he enjoys distance running and cycling and takes frequent trips to the Jersey Shore with his family.

Sharon Dietsche, LISCW, LCSW-C joined Embark in 2021 as Executive Director of the Tysons Corner clinic.
Sharon has dedicated her 30-year career to creating healthier families and communities. Her endeavors started in the child welfare field in Orlando, Florida, as a foster care and adoptions counselor. After receiving her Masters, she began her clinical work at Edgewood Center for Children and Families in San Francisco where she led clinical treatment teams serving children and families with severe trauma histories. Then, as Director, Mental Health, she served as one of the creative forces in the development of Our Second Home, an early childhood family resource center south of the city.
From California, Sharon’s career brought her to the national capital area, where she joined the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) in 2009 as a Senior Practice Associate. Her work focused on school social work, behavioral health, and child, adolescent, and family issues. Among other accomplishments, she led the development of the NASW standards for social work practice with clients with substance use disorders and the NASW policy statement on adolescent and young adult health.
Sharon then served as Director, Prevention & Early Intervention at the DC Department of Behavioral Health. There she oversaw early childhood, school-based mental health, and substance use prevention programs. She transitioned to her next position in 2020 as Director, Program Operations for the Center for Adoption Support and Education where she oversaw all direct services for the organization.
Sharon holds a Bachelors and Masters in Social Work from the University of Central Florida and in 2020 earned certification in Leading Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion from Northwestern University. Since 2004, she has served as a subject matter expert in the development of the professional social work licensing exams in California and with the Association of Social Work Boards.
Sharon and her husband Tom are parents to three children. Their youngest joined their family in 2018 through international adoption. They currently reside in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Nicole is one of the founding members of Calo. She has worked for over 25 years with adolescents and their families as a youth leader, therapist, and Admissions Director. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Northern Colorado, and a Master of Arts degree in Counseling from Denver Seminary. Her graduate focus was in child, adolescent, and family psychotherapy, and course work allowed her to complete all academic requirements for licensure as a Professional Counselor in the State of Missouri. Nicole’s clinical experience includes work in community and crisis counseling centers, national youth service and ministry organizations, long-term residential treatment programs, and short-term behavioral health care facilities. In these environments, she has provided a broad range of mental health and general support services including individual, group, and family psychotherapy, clinical assessments, treatment planning, case management, and referral services. Her areas of clinical expertise include the facilitation of adolescent behavioral interventions, treatment of mood and motivational difficulties, eating disorder treatment and prevention, and family crisis management. Nicole is a Nationally Certified Counselor and a Licensed Professional Counselor. As a trained and experienced clinician, she provides a depth of expertise to families and referral sources. As one of original founders of Calo, she has been with the program since the beginning, serving in many capacities, including admission and business development. Currently, she serves as the program CEO. Nicole and her husband Matt, live in Osage Beach, Missouri with their three children, Jacob, Abigail and Madalyn.

Nikki is the Executive Director of Fulshear Treatment to Transition, a transition program near Houston, Texas, for young adults. Nikki received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Utah; she then went on to receive her Master’s degree in Social Work from Brigham Young University. Throughout the past 12 years, Nikki’s professional responsibilities have included providing treatment for adults facing mental illness at the Utah State Hospital, running an intensive out-patient program at a drug and alcohol treatment center for adults, and supervising both clinicians and residential staff in several residential facilities. Since 2006, Nikki has served as the clinical director for a large residential treatment center for adolescent girls. Additionally she has maintained a private practice for many years.

Nikki is a gifted clinician who is passionate about helping others. She has received training in a variety of mental health techniques including Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), Mindfulness, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), healing attachment, working with eating disorders, and family system approaches.

Nikki is best known for living a life of commitment and compassion. Her energy is contagious, and her enthusiasm has helped to motivate both the clients she serves and the staff she supervises. She is inspired by helping the clients she is working with achieve lasting change.

In her spare time, Nikki enjoys reading and riding her bike. She loves spending time with her family and vacationing anywhere there is a beach.

Dr. Jamie Goldstein is the Executive Director of the San Rafael and Walnut Creek outpatient clinics in the San Francisco Bay Area. She received her doctorate in clinical psychology from the Wright Institute in Berkeley, California. Over the past decade, Dr. Goldstein has supported adolescents and adults through their life experiences and self-explorations. Her work is rooted in the three pillars of connection, authenticity, and language. Time and time again, research shows that our relationships are the most powerful elements of our ability to thrive. Through encouraging authenticity and finding the language to express themselves, Dr. Goldstein helps grow individuals’ capacity for connection to those around them. Like many Californians, she loves spending time out in the sunshine and can be found exploring the natural beauty offered across the Bay Area.

Heather obtained a B.S. degree in both Accounting and in Marketing from Black Hills State University. She has years of professional leadership experience in a variety of private, public, governmental and non-profit industries. She loves helping companies develop, coordinate and expand operations while accomplishing organization-wide goals. Heather is married and has two sons and is very excited to be a part of the amazing team at Doorways.

MacKenzie is originally from St. George, UT where she first began her journey as a youth mentor at a program for teenage girls. She was there for several years and held multiple leadership positions while also learning how to facilitate lasting change in youth and their families. Mackenzie enjoys working with the whole family system and being able to witness the moments when the family shifts towards a life worth living. Prior to joining Lake House Academy, MacKenzie  worked with families at Chrysalils beginning in 2018 as the Program Director.

MacKenzie is eager to explore all that the NC Mountains has to offer and expand upon her love of hiking, kayaking, travel or simply reading a good book.

Michelle Hall is the Executive Director for Dragonfly Transitions, a program with three campuses for young adults in Southern Oregon. She brings over 25 years of leadership, operations, and customer service management experience to her role from a variety of organizations, including Apple, REI, and Target. She received her B.S. in Management from Bellevue University and her M.S. in Management and Leadership from Western Governors University as well as continuing education in hospitality, operations, and human resources. She brings her passion for growth and life-long learning to the Dragonfly team. Michelle loves working with the team, partners, families, and students to strategize ways to grow and improve the program and feels privileged to be a part of such a purpose-driven organization with Embark Behavioral Health. Leveraging her training in project management, customer service, and instructional design, she has a solid track record for creating developmental programs and strategies that help teams deliver their best work. As a parent to two young adults, she brings a personal connection to the work as well as her professional experience. An avid reader, runner, hiker, and traveler, you can find her exploring the outdoors when she is not working, spending quality time with her family, watching baseball (go Cubbies!), or reading a book.

Adam has been supporting adolescents and their families in residential settings for the past 20+ years. His experience ranges across the therapeutic landscape from wilderness programming, therapeutic boarding schools, and transitional living. After earning his degree and teaching credentials at the University of Iowa, Adam spent time traveling and working in the mountain west. He moved to Northwest Montana and currently lives with his family in Whitefish where they love to adventure through the mountains and rivers surrounding them. Adam believes deeply in how strong our community is and the empowerment that grows with positive relationships. This value aligns with the work he is able to do at Milestones Transitions through community involvement and partnerships that exist for students.

Baaba Hawthorne, M.A., LMFT is the Executive Director of our Embark Behavioral Health West LA Outpatient Clinic. She holds a BA in psychology with an emphasis in human sexuality from California State University, Northridge and earned her master’s in clinical psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family therapy from Pepperdine University. She comes from a strong clinical background working with teens, adults and families specializing in addiction, trauma and multi-cultural counseling. In her recent years, Baaba has used her clinical background as a foundation for leadership. Previously inhabiting the roles of Clinical Director and Director of Outreach, Baaba has a passion for building programs and establishing partnerships within the Los Angeles community. Representation matters and Baaba is excited to bring the exceptional services of Embark Behavioral Health to the diverse community of Los Angeles. In her free time Baaba loves to travel internationally, learn about new cultures through food and music and enjoys spending the day at the beach with friends and family.

Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay area, Corey earned his undergraduate degree in therapeutic recreation from Brigham Young University and is a certified therapeutic recreation specialist. After several years of working as a recreation therapist and serving in leadership roles in residential treatment settings, Corey completed a master’s degree in human resources from Utah State University. His desire to study both recreation and organizational leadership came from a deep belief that, in order to help students achieve positive growth, the organizational culture must provide them with an enjoyable, healthy environment conducive to change. Early in 2015, Corey accepted the position of executive director at Chrysalis School in Eureka, Montana. True to his profession as a recreational therapist, Corey lives to recreate! Corey’s hobbies include distance running, golf, snowboarding and wakeboarding, and traveling to new places. He and his wife, Jessica, have four energetic young children, and they love living in an area that has so much in the way of outdoor recreation.

Jeff found his love for working with adolescents while tutoring underprivileged children as an undergraduate, and this experience influenced his decision to major in social work. Jeff earned his bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of South Dakota, and then his Master’s in Social Work at the University of Iowa. For the next decade, Jeff specialized in working with issues related to childhood trauma in a variety of treatment settings, including residential treatment, in-home services, foster care, and outpatient therapy. In 2002, Jeff relocated with his family from Iowa to Georgia, where he worked in administrative roles at a therapeutic boarding school, a therapeutic wilderness program, and a boarding school specializing in learning disabilities. These experiences further honed his expertise in working with adolescents and with complex family systems. His desire to help families find the right treatment options for their children led him to educational and therapeutic consulting, where he helped to facilitate hundreds of therapeutic placements.

Dr. Myra Irani has a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, Master’s in Marriage, and Family Therapy (MFT), and a Master’s in Clinical Psychology. She loves working with people and is a collaborative thinker with over 15 years of healthcare and leadership experience. Dr. Irani is action-oriented and is invested in quality services and business development. A Colorado native, who spent much of her career in California, served as a clinician and senior leader in hospitals, residential, outpatient, community mental health, and nursing facilities. Dr. Irani completed an APA accredited residency at the University of Colorado Hospital, Anschutz where she worked in the school of medicine focusing on neuropsychology and integrative healthcare then completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Gateways Hospital an inpatient psychiatric facility. Although much of her career has been clinically focused, she has also presented and published research at universities such as Columbia, Boston College, UCLA, University of Colorado at Boulder, and has taught as an adjunct professor at the University of Denver in the Graduate School of Psychology. When not focusing on her career, she spends much of her time with her family or outdoors with her paint horse named Chief, trailing the mountains. Myra Irani is determined to make a footprint on driving positive results and enlightenment in the behavioral health industry.

Chris has 22 years of experience working with adolescents in residential treatment, therapeutic and boarding school settings.

Having worked as a Therapist, Administrator and Program Staff, Chris specializes in building appropriate relationships with students and families and the clinical assessment and treatment of a wide variety of therapeutic challenges. Chris has consistently and successfully worked with students, parents and professionals to support families and change lives.

Chris earned his Masters Degree in Social Work at the University of Utah, and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker is several states.

When Chris is not working, he and his wife are busy with their five boys. He is an avid sports fan and is often found enjoying the outdoors and watching soccer.

As the Associate Executive Director at Deschutes Wilderness Therapy, Dan directly oversees the young adult and family services programs in addition to overall risk management, medical, and quality control systems.  He combines his experience in wilderness therapy with his knowledge in organizational psychology to help push DWT in its mission through quality systems, leadership development, and data-driven, human-centered decision-making. Dan has been working in wilderness therapy since 2012 in a variety of field, programming, and operations roles. He received his BS in Physics with a Minor in Mathematics from Penn State University and his MS in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from Sacred Heart University.  Dan is a strong leader, dedicated to service in wilderness therapy for many years now. He volunteers as an AEE accreditation reviewer, traveling to programs around the country helping them to gain and maintain accreditation, serves as the chair of the OBH Best Practices Committee, and regularly presents at conferences to help push cutting-edge treatment throughout the industry.  Dan has a passion for discovering the unknown and spends his free time cycling, skiing, rafting, and fabricating in his metal shop.

“For some students, there is a moment where the lightbulb goes off and they just start to get it. For others, it comes more gradual and you are able to look back and see where they have been and how far they have come. Whatever the case, the opportunity I get to see a young woman come into her own, to begin to heal, to begin to believe in herself, and to see the light return to her eyes, is what makes Sunrise so deeply special to me. It is worth the sacrifice and hard work that is put into every single student.”

Amanda graduated from Dixie State University with a bachelor’s degree in criminology. She became interested in the field of criminal justice after seeing the need for more rehabilitation within the criminal justice world feeling there was the most opportunity to serve adolescents. She started working at Sunrise while finishing up her degree and found just what she was looking for. Amanda left Sunrise and moved to Texas where she worked as a 911 dispatcher and enjoyed working with Police, Sheriff’s, Fire, and EMS departments. After returning to southern Utah, Amanda was happy to come back to Sunrise and continue her growth here. Born and raised in Southern Utah, Amanda left Utah shortly after graduating high school and lived in New Mexico, California, and Texas. The youngest of seven children and she is blessed to say that she has a great relationship with all of her siblings and in-laws. Amanda is happily married and has two you boys. Her greatest joy is spending quality time with her own little family, and all of her extended family. Amanda enjoys camping and being in the mountains, exploring cities, and having shopping and lunch dates with her mom.

“Life is amazing. And then it’s awful. And then it’s amazing again. And in between the amazing and the awful, it’s ordinary and mundane and routine. Breathe in the amazing, hold on through the awful and relax and exhale during the ordinary. That’s just living a heartbreaking, soul healing, amazing ordinary life. And it’s breathtakingly beautiful.”  -L.R. Knost

Dr. Ryan Neal is the Executive Director for Calo Teen Boys. He is a native of the lake and came to Calo after 25 years in public education with experiences in teaching, coaching, building administration, and district-level administration. He has also been an adjunct college professor since 2012. Ryan received his Bachelor’s degree from Central Methodist University and his Masters, Specialist, and Doctorate degrees from William Woods University. He and his wife Michelle live in Camdenton Missouri and have three children, Winton, Aidan, and Aubrey. Ryan is excited to be at Calo where he can put his extensive experience with students and their families to work for, the purpose of healing.

Richard joined the Calo team in October 2021. He has worked in residential settings for over 20 years beginning as an overnight staff and eventually moving into the Regional Director for the State of Nebraska. Richard has also worked for Juvenile Probation and Boys Town, helping to develop programming for youth and families, promoting trauma-informed care. Over the last 5 years, Richard has worked specifically with youth with trauma and trauma-related mental health disorders and strongly endorses a relational approach. He and his wife relocated to the Lake of the Ozarks to join the Calo team.

Amir achieved his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the Roseman School of Pharmacy. He became the director of Pharmacy at medical/surgical hospitals and psychiatric facilities. His passion is to see the bigger picture and solve problems. These skills led him to the administrative and operational aspects of caregiving. He has held positions as a Chief Executive Officer and had experience running and overseeing multiple operations within the behavioral health setting. Amir is currently the Executive Director at Embark at Hobble Creek. His strengths include a rigorous commitment to excellence, leading a culture of proactive change and improvement, and team building. Amir strives to have a positive impact on as many lives as possible.

After graduating from the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, Kaci worked in health care for 15 years in Emergency Medicine and Cardiology. As her two sons entered High School, she began looking for a deeper connection to the service industry. Honored to be part of the development of a new University of Wisconsin collaborative program, Kaci continued her education in Community Health and Wellness. With her extensive knowledge of the medical environment and passion for the outdoors, wilderness therapy became the perfect fit. Finding New Vision Wilderness has allowed her to bring her outdoor adventures to work right here in the north woods.

Andrew brings a wealth of knowledge and energy to New Vision as the Program and Business Specialist. His background in both the outdoors and the business world make him a great fit for this position. Andrew received his BA in Marketing with a Certificate in International Business at The University of Milwaukee before working as a Direct Sales Manager for a large corporation. After that he earned his MA in International Business at The University of Warsaw while completing an internship for the U.S. State Department. Andrew has been exploring the wilderness for years through canoeing, fishing, hunting, and hiking. He is currently a licensed charter captain and fishing guide and has a passion for teaching his skills.

Jeana’s career at New Haven began in 2006 when she joined the team as a therapist. She worked for the next seven years as both a therapist and clinical director. New Haven became Jeana’s second home and her love of the work with families grew each year.

After spending a few years operating an outpatient office and then working at New Haven’s parent company overseeing clinical quality and standards, Jeana returned to New Haven as the executive director in 2019.

The majority of Jeana’s career has been devoted to helping adolescent girls and their families heal from the pain of the past and work together to move confidently into the future. Jeana is passionate about ensuring that the families we work with get the best quality care in the world and that the healing changes they make are lifelong.

Jeana earned a bachelor’s degree in social work from Utah State University and a master’s degree in clinical social work from Brigham Young University. She has a wonderful husband and three darling and active children. She loves to cook new foods, especially appetizers and desserts, and thinks that most meals should consist only of these two “food groups.” Her ideal day would begin with a run and end either in the mountains or on the beach with her family.