STORY WELLNESS - Key Persons
Jake Regan is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist at Story Wellness Outpatient Program. Jake began working in mental health treatment in 2018, as an undergraduate intern he worked as a group facilitator and administered neurocognitive assessments for individuals with (Then) Dementia and Alzheimer's (now Major/Mild Neurocognitive Disorder) in an adult day care setting, then as an MFT/PCC trainee he facilitated individual, group, adolescent, child, and family therapist/counselor at a community mental health setting, as an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist he was an individual, child, and family therapist in a nonprofit setting.
Jake joined the team at Story Wellness, Mental Health Outpatient Program in 2022, his current role includes group facilitation, group curriculum development and providing individual therapy in an outpatient treatment setting. Jake has received his Bachelor of Art in Psychology and Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling; he is currently licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist. Jake has been trained in Narrative Group Therapy, Functional Family Therapy, Parent-Child Interaction Therapy and Individual Narrative Therapy. Jake is uniquely exceptional at identifying and breaking through the barriers, variables, and false narratives which often inhibit progress and growth to get to the real work that brings clients to treatment.
What matters most to Jake in his work with clients is deconstructing previously held beliefs and helping clients move from a thin description of their experiences to a more enriched story, thus allowing clients to re-write the narrative of their story, allowing new perspectives to come in and promote healing and recovery.
Joseph "Joey" Price born and raised in Southeast, Texas. Joey attended Sam Houston State University in Texas on a football scholarship, receiving "all-conference" status and leadership accolades. After earning his Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Joey embarked on a successful 8-year career in the financial industry. Representing prestigious firms such as; JP Morgan, BNY Melon, United Capital and Sageview Advisory group.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Admissions Role at Saddleback Recovery
Katy Alexander holds the Vice President of Admissions role at Saddleback Recovery and Story Wellness. Bringing with her over 25 years of leadership experience. Katy began working in addiction treatment in 2005. Her passion and dedication to helping others comes from her own personal battles with overcoming addiction.
Katy believes her personal experience has given her the unique ability to understand what those struggling with addiction or mental health are going through as well as connecting with the families that love them. Katy is a true advocate for family healing and recovery. Katy has held various positions over the years in admissions, utilization review, billing, outreach, and executive leadership, which has equipped her with the knowledge and ability to fully understand the inner workings of a successful treatment program.
Katy has built lasting relationships with partners in the community and strives to maintain those relationships. She understands the value of our community working together to fully help an individual and families in their recovery journey. Katy is a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor; in addition to this, she has received additional training in clinical intervention, crisis management, leadership, and has attended several self-empowerment workshops for personal and professional growth.
This has prepared Katy to successfully lead a team with integrity, ethics, and mission-based goals by providing support, identifying strengths, and creating strategic plans for the overall succession of the team. A Southern California native, Katy values time with her family and enjoys spending time outdoors with them. She believes she has been gifted a second chance at life through her recovery and is called to help other families receive that same gift.
Kristen is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Kristen has over nine years of experience working in the mental health and chemical dependency field walking along side individuals who struggle with mental health as well as alcohol and substance abuse. It is her belief everyone is worthy of love, belonging, and compassion. Working with individuals as a therapist is Kristen's soul work.
She is deeply passionate about mental health and cares deeply about the people she has the privilege to work with. She works with individuals, couples, families, teens, and children. Kristen's style is friendly, non-pathologizing and nonjudgmental. Kristen works from a Narrative therapy lens. Narrative Therapy is first and foremost a respectful, non-blaming model which presupposes that clients, not their therapists, are the experts in their own lives.
Job Titles:
- Psychiatric Physician Assistant
Megan obtained her bachelor's degree from Michigan State University where she worked in a lab focusing on aerobic activity's effect on mental health disorders. This inspired her to pursue her master's degree in Physician Assistant Studies at Arcadia University and work towards breaking the stigma surrounding mental health care. Prior to joining the BOLD team, Megan worked in an outpatient psychiatry clinic in Chicago treating patients of multiple different socioeconomic, religious, and cultural backgrounds.
Megan's goal is to act as a patient advocate and ensure her patients receive the best care possible. She strives to create relationships based on mutual respect and trust by providing an environment that is free of judgment. Megan believes in holistic medicine and treating the entire person through lifestyle changes, psychotherapy, and pharmacologic treatment. She is committed to utilizing evidence-based medicine and empathetic listening while working with her patients to determine the ideal treatment plan.
When she is not practicing medicine, Megan can be found attending a hot yoga class, reading a new book, or at the dog beach with her beloved Samoyed, Augusta. She is known for being an avid MSU Spartan sport's fan and will be cheering her teams on from afar each season.
Job Titles:
- Psychiatric Physician Assistant
A proud native of Detroit, Michigan, Neethu Jacob joined the team at BOLD Health with two years of experience as a Physician Assistant specializing in the field of Psychiatry.
Her interest in mental health grew from a very young age when she was introduced to the field by her mother, a renowned social worker. Upon graduating from PA School at Barry University, Neethu moved to Chicago and gained proficiency working in the community clinic, private practice, long-term care and rehabilitation settings. She has served a wide range of populations, ranging from children in the foster care system to adults with challenging and complex mood disorders.
Neethu's primary goal is to help her patients feel at ease when discussing, exploring and managing their mental health. She encourages her patients to understand that treating our brain is really no different than treating high cholesterol or a broken bone.
She employs a holistic approach with treatment, focusing on whole-body wellness in tandem with mental well-being.
In her free time, Neethu loves exploring her beautiful new home base of San Diego. She is thrilled to experience all that California has to offer with her husband, Kevin and their cherished dog, Rylee. She also enjoys reading, live music and trying out new and delicious restaurants.
Job Titles:
- Admissions and Outreach Coordinator
- Outreach Admissions Coordinator
As outreach admissions coordinator, Tayler serves as the bridge between our community, outreach and admissions team. She has worked in a myriad of roles in addiction and mental health treatment since 2017 including project management, utilization review, admissions, and case management.
Beyond that, she has experience working in hospitals and for various insurance providers. Working in the mental health and substance abuse field has enabled Tayler to cultivate a skill set that makes her as adaptable as possible, she has learned that working in this field requires one to be able to work quickly and efficiently to ensure clients and families are receiving the care they need. Tayler currently holds a bachelor's degree in Healthcare Administration from Concordia University Irvine and a master's degree in Healthcare Administration as of 2022.
Tayler understands that addiction is a family disease, her ability to support those struggling with addiction or mental health in early recovery, but also to support the family to better understand their loved one and find their own recovery path, is such a unique gift and makes Tayler such an integral part of the Story Wellness team.