Helping Families Find Direction, Encouragement and Hope.
Discovery utilizes highly skilled healthcare professionals who are carefully screened for appropriate education, training, experience, practical skills, certification, and licensure. Each member of our team demonstrates a deep commitment to the healing and well being of adolescents and their families.
Dr. Brown has been the Chief Psychologist and co-founder of multiple inpatient programs for substance abuse and emotional disorders. He has been involved in the treatment of eating disorders for over 20 years and has specialized in the residential treatment of adolescent disorders for the past eleven years.
Jerry Carminio is a co-founder of Center for Discovery and in a career change has dedicated himself to the creation of treatment centers which offer teens the opportunity to make profound life changes. Jerry is the organization contact to discuss fees and financial arrangements.
Treating eating disorders since 1994, Buck joined the Center for Discovery in 2006. His experience includes Out Patient services, Intensive Out-Patient and Residential care settings for adults and adolescents. Buck’s treatment specialties include eating disorders, self injurious behavior and Bariatric Surgery assessment and counseling programs. He is a board member for the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals and founding President of the California chapters division. Buck was founding Program Director of the Remuda Ranch Adolescent Center , and Program Administrator for the San Bernardino County Mental Health Court dual diagnosis day treatment programs. He retains credentials as a California Marriage and Family Therapist, an Arizona Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Eating Disorder Specialist.
Barbie Lucas, M.D., is a pediatrician with special interests in eating disorders and clinical genetics. She completed her undergraduate training at Brigham Young University, her medical school training at the University of Arkansas, and her residency at the University of California at Irvine, Long Beach Memorial and Children's Hospital Orange County (CHOC). Follwing a chief residency at CHOC, Dr. Lucas completed a fellowship in clinical genetics at Cedar-Sinai Medical Center. Dr. Lucas has been a member of Center for Discovery's treatment team since 2001.
Brian Holt M.D., M.P.H., began working with Discovery in 2004. He is a child and adolescent Psychiatrist with special interests in eating disorders. He did his undergraduate training at Maimi University of Ohio and has a graduate degree in public health from the University of Michigan. His medical school training was at St. Louis University and his residency was at University of California at Los Angeles including specialized training in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Harbor UCLA Medical Center.
Jacqueline Henschke, M.D. is the psychiatrist at our Menlo Park facility. She is a Fellow in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry program at Stanford Hospital. She received her medical degree from Tulane University and was a Pediatric resident at Miami Children's Hospital and an adult psychiatric resident at George Washington University. She is a member of the American Psychiatric Association and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Dr. Henschke was awarded the Astra Zeneca Minority Fellowship Award by the American Psychiatric Association in 2006 and is fluent in Spanish.
Rachel Liger is a registered dietician and has served as the Director of Nutrition Services at Center for Discovery for over the past eight years. At the Center, Rachel is credited with the development of the nutrition program that now extends to Discoverys four residential facilities. Rachel utilizes innovative approaches and paradoxical methods for nutrition education and re-feeding of malnourished individuals. Additionally, she lectures extensively in the community and serves as an adjunct professor at California State University Long Beach. Rachel has developed a dietary mentoring program that has served to educate students and RD interns about the sensitive nature of the dietary management of eating disorders. She received her masters from California State University Long Beach and while there designed and implemented an original clinical trial study on the effectiveness of the dietician for weight loss management when medications are used.
Ron earned his Culinary Degree in 2002 from the Le Cordon Bleu Culinary program at the California School of Culinary Arts in Pasadena, California. Since graduating Ron gained experience as the lead cook at the Doubletree Hotel in Pasadena, California. Ron then moved on to accept a Sous Chef position at the Radisson Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles, California. Ron also had experience as the Executive Chef at St. Monicas School in Santa Monica, California, preparing meals for the entire staff and student body. Ron brings with him the life experience of raising six children, three of his own and three step children. Five of the children are between the ages of twenty and twenty five, the youngest daughter is six years old.
Juli Crownover, MFT, Program Director
Taryn Kaminski, MFTI, Primary Therapist
Julia Cassidy, RD, Dietician
Dr. Jackie Gattis, Program Director
Dr. Cay Crosby, Primary Therapist
Rachael Liger, RD, Director of Nutrition Services
Dr. Jennifer Penney, Program Director
Dr. Golee Abrishami Castleberry, Primary Therapist
Katherine Dittmann, RD, Dietician
Mina Fisher, M.D. is the child and adolescent psychiatrist at our Menlo Park facility. She is also one of the attendings at the Lucile Packard Children's Comprehensive Care Program for Eating Disorder patients and a clinical educator faculty at Stanford School of Medicine. She received her undergraduate degree from Stanford University and her medical degree from UCLA School of Medicine. She completed her residency training at San Mateo County Mental Health Services, and her child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at Stanford University . She is a member of the American Psychiatric Association and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, where she received an outstanding Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Resident Award in 2007. Dr. Fisher was also awarded the American Psychiatric Association SAMHSA award in 2006. She is fluent in Korean and has conversational Spanish skills. She has particular specialization in family based treatment of eating disorders.
Perla Vilhjalmsdottir, MFT, Program Director
Lisa Arndt, MFT, Primary Therapist
Andrea Ontiveros, LCSW, Primary Therapist
Julia Cassidy, RD, Dietician
Dr. Adrianne Altman, Program Director
Caleb Mitchell, LPC, Primary Therapist
Meaghan Schillinger Ormsby, RD, Dietitian