LAKEWOOD EATING DISORDER PROGRAM

Carmen Retana

Matt Hagins-Perry, MS, PSB, Body Positive Certified

Matt currently holds two positions with Center for Discovery; National Clinical and Operational Specialist and Program Director at the Lakewood adolescent residential facility. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from University of California, Merced, his Master of Science degree in Psychology from Walden University and is currently in his 4th year as a PhD student studying Clinical Psychology. Matt’s practicum and internships have been working with acute mental health and eating disorder populations.

Matt has had the pleasure of working with adolescents and adults for several years before joining the Discovery team as a counselor. Over the past five years with the organization, Matt has held a variety of roles. His principal ambition is to interface creative clinical techniques with a company-wide philosophy. Matt seeks to meet families and clients alike with overall positive regard and a therapeutic and charismatic attitude. His goal is to create a transformative treatment environment for Center for Discovery staff, clients and their loved ones. Matt was born and raised in Northern California and currently resides in Southern California.

Ziv Elgar

Ziv is a graduate of Antioch University Los Angeles, where she earned a Masters of Arts in Clinical Psychology. Ziv was trained in Crisis Management and the Trauma Resiliency Model. Ziv also holds a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis on movement, nutrition, and wellness.  Ziv has experience working with a wide range of mental health disorders, as well as working in various socio-economic and culturally diverse communities. Ziv works to meet the clients and their families with empathy, variety of therapeutic approaches, and individualized client centered care.

Dr. Sheena Malik, M.D.

Dr. Malik is a board-certified family medicine physician at Center for Discovery. She completed residency training at Kaiser Permanente Fontana Medical Center and served as chief resident during her final year of training. Dr. Malik has published a number of scientific papers and has received awards for her clinical research. Believing that communication is a key part of medicine, Dr. Malik enjoys getting to know each patient and building long lasting relationships with them. She values advocating for her patients’ health.

Citlalli Gonzales

Citlalli earned her Bachelor of Science in Nutrition & Dietetics and her Master of Science in Nutritional Science at California State University, Long Beach. Citlalli has worked in the nutrition recovery process for multiple mental health and eating disorder houses. Her focuses are creating positive experiences with food and helping clients learn to trust their bodies and nourish themselves again. She is passionate about promoting non-restrictive food philosophies. Citlalli believes eating disorder recovery requires patience, self-compassion, small steps, kindness, and support. She loves guiding and positively challenging clients and seeing the transformation that happens during the healing process.

Jennifer Saenz

Jennifer Saenz is a registered nurse with over 25 years of healthcare experience. She has held various positions in both the acute and ambulatory care settings, health education, and case management. Jennifer also has extensive experience with not-for-profit organizations and community health. Jennifer has dedicated her career to a lifelong commitment of providing individualized, personalized, comprehensive care for patients. She also serves on a board of directors for a local not-for-profit agency whose mission is to reduce social inequality and disparities within their community. This role aligns with her goals of working towards the advancement of health equity among vulnerable, marginalized, stigmatized, and under-served populations. 

Jennifer’s passion for mental health enables her to help patients understand the interconnectivity of all body systems and the concept of a holistic approach to healthcare. Jennifer is dedicated to instilling individualized, personalized, and comprehensive care for patients. She is also passionate about creating reliable healthcare tracking systems and developing the next generation of nurses.