About Us

Sam Dekin combines his years of experience in behavioral health with a mission to innovate treatment methods and processes for mental health and substance abuse. Sam not only brings to the table his successful career owning and managing successful treatment facilities around the country, but his dedication to creating an environment for healing. Sam obtained his Masters in Psychology and Marriage and Family Therapy from Pepperdine University.

Melissa Flanigan, PsyD offers extensive experience as a clinician treating issues related to mental health. Dr. Flanigan received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Southern California and her Master’s degree in Psychology from Pepperdine University. She later obtained her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Dr. Flanigan is a member of the American Psychological Association and earned an academic membership in Psi Chi, The International Honor Society in Psychology.

Amanda has a background in nursing and a degree in Healthcare Policy. She has worked in substance abuse treatment and mental health for many years. She has a passion for helping individuals receive the treatment they seek.

Ali Fleming, Psy.D. brings to the team a specialization in psychological assessment and psychotherapy with adolescents and young adults. She works collaboratively with clients and families, using psychological tests as tools to understand clients through a new lens and effectively plan treatment. Her approach is relational and she integrates a variety of evidence-based treatment modalities into her psychotherapy practice including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

In addition to her role at Mission Harbor, she has a psychological assessment and therapy practice at OpenMinds in Santa Barbara. She earned her doctorate in clinical psychology from the APA-accredited Wright Institute in Berkeley, CA, and her bachelor’s degree in both psychology and economics from the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Fleming completed her predoctoral internship at Casa Pacifica Center for Children and Families and her postdoctoral internship as the Adolescent Program Manager at Mission Harbor Behavioral Health.

Stephanie manages the finances, billing, and marketing. She has a background in real estate and finance. She obtained her Bachelors from Washington University in St. Louis. Her own recovery inspired her decision to apply her skills to a cause that carries great purpose and hope.

The biography of Dr. Rodney Collins, MD reads like a fairy tale - from the tough streets of South Central Los Angeles, to Stanford University and beyond. Dr. Collins became the valedictorian of his class at Dorsey High School and later received his Bachelor's degree in Human Biology at Stanford, and then matriculated Howard University's College of Medicine in Washington D.C. He finished his medical training at UCLA/Olive View Medical Center in Sylmar, CA in 1999.
Dr. Rodney Collins has a Board-Certified Addiction Medicine/ Psychiatrist in Beverly Hills for the past 15 years. Prior to, Dr. Collins practiced psychiatry at Kaiser Permanente, Bellflower and Exodus Medical Groups, and Brotman Hospital in Culver City, California. At the start of his medical career, Dr. Collins served four years as a primary care physician in the US Army as a Captain in the 1980's.
As an addiction specialist, Dr. Collins also evaluates nurses and other professionals currently monitored by the California Nursing Board and other state licensing agencies. With such an extensive background, it was only destined that Dr. Rodney Collins would eventually create his own medical practice.

David provides individual, family, and group therapy. He has an extensive background in attachment, spirituality, and addictions. He obtained his Master's in social work from Virginia Commonwealth University, and his doctorate from The Catholic University of America. His clients' courage and willingness to address their most difficult problems is a constant source of inspiration for him.

Kathy received her bachelor's degree from Arizona State University and her master's degree from Pacifica Graduate Institute. She is certified in EMDR, Gestalt and Embodied Imagination treatment therapies. Attending to the underlying trauma that fuels addictive behavior is central to her treatment philosophy. Kathy's academic research focused on the transformative quality of the creative impulse, while developing methods to inspire creativity in the individual lives of her clients.

Shaina McPhetridge, MA, LMFT specializes in an integrative approach to psychotherapy combining relational, EMDR and mindfulness-based therapies. She brings a unique blend of compassion, intuition, and humor to the sometimes challenging journey of self-work, providing a fresh perspective to the experience of therapy. Working from a holistic perspective, she strives to understand and help to heal the whole person rather than just symptoms. She has many years of experience working in private practice and a variety of agency settings around Los Angeles, where she mentored under renowned trauma therapists and experts in the cutting-edge modalities of EMDR and Somatic therapy.

Rob helps coordinate intake and care for incoming clients. He has a background in addiction disorders counseling. He obtained his Certified Addiction Treatment Certificate in 2019. His passion for helping others overcome their adversities is what drives him to work in the field of mental health.

Jeff Mailes has been licensed as a marriage and family therapist since 2003. He has a background in trauma exposure, PTSD, addictions, and adolescent and family work. Born and raised in Santa Barbara, he obtained a BA in Communications from UC Santa Barbara and an MA in Counseling Psychology from Loyola Marymount University in Los
Angeles.
In addition to his therapeutic background, Jeff had a successful career at CBS News in Los Angeles, both in the field covering news stories and in management.
Jeff is passionate about working with clients and assisting them through life transitions and recovery. “Working with people who are experiencing roadblocks to happiness and productivity, for whatever reason, is very rewarding for me. Everything is possible.”

Crystal is a clinician specialized in the treatment of anxiety, OCD, PTSD, and eating disorders through modalities such as ERP, ACT, and PE. She earned her B.S. from North Carolina State University and her M.A. in Counseling Psychology from Sofia University in Palo Alto, where she trained under Stanford Professor and Enneagram expert Dr. David Daniels. She also holds a certificate in High-Performance Leadership from Cornell University.

Prior to Mission Harbor, Crystal applied her entrepreneurial and psychology skills to the business world as Director of Operations at ImpactHub and by coaching executives, doctors, lawyers, and entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley and Vienna, Austria. With mindfulness and awareness at the center of all her work, Crystal is a contributor to UCSB's Center for Mindfulness and Human Performance research.

Marianna is a new resident to California having moved here in 2019 from Louisiana. Marianna graduated from Nicholls State University with a Bachelor of Science, concentrated on family services and addictive behaviors. She went on to earn her master’s degree from Tulane University School of Social Work. While there, she worked with children and their families who were impacted by Hurricane Katrina and focused her training on trauma treatment. Marianna has work experience with the severely mentally disabled, chemically dependent, and recovering individuals with co-occurring disorders. She has treated addiction and trauma in hospital settings, adolescent residential, and intensive outpatient facilities. Marianna has dual licensure in clinical social work in Louisiana and California. Marianna is trained in EMDR and currently receiving consultation towards EMDRIA certification. Marianna brings compassion and experience to her work, encouraging individuals and families to heal in the manner that best fits their unique qualities and aspirations.

Chelsea is a New England native, growing up in West Hartford, Connecticut. She received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Connecticut before departing for the West Coast and going on to receive her Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Southern California. As a therapist at Mission Harbor Behavioral Health, Chelsea provides individual, group and family therapy to adolescents and adults.
Chelsea has worked in a variety of mental health settings, including case management positions wherein she was conducting home visits to families who were providing kinship care, to group therapy and psychoeducation within the dual diagnosis program at Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital while she resided in San Diego, California. She then went on to accept a position in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where she was a founding member of the Philadelphia Children's Crisis Response Center, which consisted of a psychiatric evaluation unit as well as a short-term stabilization unit.
Within these behavioral health capacities, Chelsea has engaged in biopsychosocial assessments, crisis management, individual, family and group therapy with demographics ranging from children to adults.
Chelsea strives to enrich and better the lives of her clients, appreciating each individual person she works with. In her free time, she enjoys film photography as a hobby, and just as she can see the beauty and potential of an object through her camera lens, she sees the beauty and potential of each individual she works with.

Tina Brandt is a licensed practitioner of acupuncture and herbal medicine and a certified instructor of therapeutic yoga and meditation. Tina received her Master’s Degree in Chinese acupuncture and herbal medicine in 2000 and since has had a private practice in Santa Barbara, California. She has trained in yoga and meditation disciplines since 1990, and has been an instructor for over 20 years. Tina offers her clients an integrated model of health, offering a variety of therapeutic modalities, which encourage the body, mind and spirit to flourish. At Changes Tina offers wellness consultations, acupuncture and acupressure treatments, herbal medicine support, nutritional rcommendations, yoga instruction, and meditation instruction. As a whole, her services are designed to compliment, fine tune, or completely transform a person’s approach to health.

Gina has been active in the recovery community for over ten years which has given her deep insight and a tremendous amount of empathy for those afflicted with addiction and mental illness. Having previously attended UCSB, she is currently completing her certification to become a licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor through the Addictive Disorders Counseling program at Santa Barbara City College. Gina leads process groups and provides case management for those working on addiction, anxiety and other mental health challenges at Mission Harbor. Born in Santa Barbara and raised in Los Angeles, Gina is glad to be back among friends and raising a family in this beautiful city.

Jean has been a part of the recovery community for forty-four years and recently graduated from Santa Barbara City College completing a three-year program to become an addiction counselor.
She has been a resident of Santa Barbara since 1960 and raised her five children here. Along with her involvement in recovery over the years, she has also been a business woman. Even though her former professions served her well, she is most happy being part of the miracle in the recovery process witnessed every day at Mission Harbor.

Silla Siebert earned her BSc. of Psychology at Middlesex University in London, UK. She intended to complete her MA, after backpack-travels in Central America. Life happened, and she immigrated to California in 2001. She trained and worked in LA/Malibu, as a yoga & mindfulness teacher with adults, and children through local schools as a mentor. In 2017 she earned an MA in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University in Santa Barbara in June 2017. She has experience in supporting clients with substance misuse, opioid replacement therapy, social anxiety, phobias, OCD, severe mental illness and medication, crisis management, adjustment disorders, and generalized anxiety disorders, parenting coaching, and anger management. Silla brings a broad and multi-cultural perspective, and an existential/gestalt foundation, to her therapeutic work with a wide variety of clients.

Kealakahi Spain (Kay) is a technician at Mission Harbor Behavior Health. At the age of 19 Kay began his journey of recovery. On discovering a new way of life, he became inspired to share it with others. Kay works extensively with people who suffer from alcoholism and addiction in his personal life, and is currently an active member of multiple non profit service committees that help those suffering from alcoholism.

Brian Tibbetts is the daytime technician at Mission Harbor Behavioral Health. His journey through recovery has been deeply inspired by 12-step groups as well as meditation and he hosts a Buddhist-based Refuge Recovery meeting weekly at Mission Harbor. Since getting sober Brian has decided to redirect his career as to be of service and is attaining his Masters in Somatic Psychotherapy at Antioch University here in Santa Barbara.

Traci is a client support technician and admissions support at Mission Harbor. She obtained her certification for addiction treatment in 2018. She has a background in working with women in residential treatment for alcoholism and substance abuse. Traci has a passion for working with people in recovery and is inspired by each individual journey. She has a love for education and is continuing her own to obtain her graduate degree. Traci has a desire to eventually teach in order to create new counselors in the field of addiction counseling.

Ashley graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with her bachelor’s degree in psychology. She has a background mentoring school-aged children in the field of mental health. At Mission Harbor, Ashley assists the admissions team with intaking and orienting new clients to our program and guiding the adolescents during their independent study hall period. She has a passion for helping people and believes in the potential of others to find their road to wellness. Ashley plans to continue her education in gaining her professional degree.

Gary conducts the “Interpersonal Neurobiology” group meetings. With extensive experience in the sciences, he is sometimes referred to as the “Spiritual Scientist”. Gary’s groups are packed with experiential/educational activities that are designed to impart the knowledge and tools necessary for improved mental health and recovery. Gary’s academic achievements include an AA (with honors), a BS (with honors) and a Master’s degree from California State University at Northridge. He is a licensed Certified Addiction Treatment Counselor Intern. “Helping people is my passion and being of service my fulfillment of this passion”

Nicole Marie Ramirez is a certified breathwork practitioner, certified Reiki (Master/Teacher level) practitioner, sound healer and mindfulness teacher. She has been utilizing mindfulness techniques for healing for over a decade and considers her training her life’s work. She now teaches mindfulness in both private and clinical settings in Santa Barbara as well as participating in research and study at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Nicole also works in cooperation with Transformation Medicine, a global collective of healers, doctors, and educators dedicated to re-envisioning healthcare and shifting wellness paradigms from a wholeness learning perspective. Utilizing mindfulness as a framework and practice, Nicole’s mission is to empower individuals to remember the self as healer.

Feli provides person-centered support with clients navigating their physical and mental health needs. She is currently working on obtaining her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute. She has a background in behavioral therapy working with families and people with all developmental abilities and disabilities. Her background in behavioral therapy, along with her desire to facilitate healing with compassion and kindness to all abilities has inspired her to follow the path of becoming a clinician to support people with finding comfort in the discomfort of going into the depths of self.

``The ego says, 'I shouldn't have to suffer,' and that thought makes you suffer so much more. It is a distortion of the truth, which is always paradoxical. The truth is that you need to say yes to suffering before you can transcend it.``
Eckhart Tolle

Dr. Rachel Alioto is a Licensed Naturopathic Medical Doctor (NMD) who specializes in Gastrointestinal and Skin Health, Pediatrics, Mood and Anxiety Disorders, Adjunctive Oncology and Hormone Imbalances. She earned her 4-year doctorate degree in Naturopathic Medicine at National University of Health Sciences in Illinois, one of seven accredited naturopathic medical schools in North America. Her philosophy in healing is to address the root cause of symptoms and illness and heal that naturally using mainly diet, lifestyle changes and nutritional supplements. Her goal is to heal, teach and inspire each person to be an advocate for his or her own health. Outside of her passion for naturopathic medicine, Dr. Alioto loves staying active outside and in the gym practicing what she preaches.