The Owners

Pronouns - She/Her

With a varied background in film and television production, fundraising, entrepreneurship, sales, marketing and psychology, Kathy brings a wealth of experience to SCCI Counseling Center. As a therapist, she specializes in stress reduction practices working extensively with adult and child survivors of sexual assault, assisting those in crisis and with trauma, as well as treating patients with perinatal mood disorders.  She has spent years investigating the mind-body-spirit connection and uses a holistic therapeutic approach that draws from several practitioners and theorists, especially Carl Jung, Carl Rogers and Jon Kabat-Zinn.  Kathy is also a certified mediator and has worked with the Los Angeles City Attorney's Alternative Dispute Resolution Program. She holds degrees with honors from both The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and California State University Northridge. 

Pronouns - She/Her 

Samantha is passionate when it comes to her work with  her clients.  She earned her Bachelors of Arts degree in Psychology and Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from California State University, Northridge, graduating with honors. She is a practicing Marriage and Family Therapist, possessing expertise in women's reproductive mental health and  in trauma work with survivors of sexual assault.  Additionally, she has extensive experience working with childhood and teen behavioral issues.   Her professional and personal life experiences have drawn her to to specializing in reproductive mental health as she is passionate about helping women navigate the high levels of stress and anxiety that these issues can generate in their lives.  Samantha has supported clients through various issues such as infertility, pregnancy and early infant loss, birth trauma, postpartum and preparing for pregnancy after loss.

Pronouns - She/Her

Bahareh Shayegan is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and received her master's degree in MFT from California Lutheran University. She specializes in working with children, adolescents, young adults and women. Over the past 8 years she has helped her clients with wide variety of issues such as depression, anxiety, relationship problems, trauma, parenting difficulties, and grief. She has a warm creative approach to therapy and can incorporate a number of modalities such as Floortime, experiential, CBT, DBT, and humanistic. 

Pronouns - She/Her

Chris Castro is a Certified Medical Coder with over 15 years experience. When she  isn't billing for SCC she is running the billing department for a well  known Dermatology practice in Bakersfield, CA. 

She  is captain of her Relay for Life team, Mole Patrol. She enjoys spending  time with her family(and her 5 grandpups) listening to Stephen King  Audible books, watching 49er games and everything true crime. 

Pronouns - She/Her

Heather is an accomplished sales, business development and marketing specialist with over 18 years of experience.  She has a background in multiple industries including hospitality, finance and healthcare.  Her goal is to bring awareness of SCC and SCCI to our local community.  Heather is a California native and holds a B.A. from the Ohio State University.

She began her career working for a restaurant company and traveled the country promoting each new restaurant and hiring their sales and marketing teams. She then joined Jamba Juice and became their national sales manager, helping to develop their catering and fundraising programs.  She then worked in marketing at Green Dot Corporation and then in business development at InSource Diagnostics.   Heather joined our team because she felt passionate about our mission to bring quality mental health care to women suffering with postpartum depression, infertility and early parenting issues.

In her free time, Heather enjoys trying new restaurants, cycling, travel, and spending time with her family and friends.

Pronouns - She/Her

Julia holds a Masters in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University 2004 and has been a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapy since 2008. She believes in and values education; and also holds a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) and a Master Personal and Executive Coaching (MPEC) credential.   

She has over 18 years of experience working with adolescents, individuals, and families in crisis.  Julia works with addiction and those in recovery.  She works with her clients on relationship issues including coping with breakups, divorce, and improving communication to improve coparenting.  Julia works with individuals dealing with trauma, grief, and loss. She is passionate about guiding her clients to navigate through life's challenges and uncover unhealthy or self-destructive patterns so that they can practice positive coping strategies and thrive. She utilizes cognitive behavioral, attachment theory,  as well as narrative therapy.  Julia believes in empowering parents to recognize their strengths and raise well adjusted and mentally healthy kids. LGBTQ + friendly.

Pronouns - She/Her

Marcy Ceballos earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Master of Science degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from California State University, Dominguez Hills. Marcy is a well-rounded therapist and leader with 20 years of experience from working in non-profit organizations in different roles. Marcy’s passion, despite all her talents, is the core work with clients. She has exponential experience working with children of all ages, adults, and provides individual and family therapy. She also specializes in birth trauma, as well as parenting concerns and struggles during infancy through young childhood. With so much experience, Marcy has the adaptability to provide individualized and effective treatment to clients with a varied approach from client-centered to systems based. Overall, Marcy can develop concise treatment plans in collaboration with clients in order to reach goals that are attainable to improve quality of life.  She is a compassionate and enthusiastic mental health professional with a passion for fostering the healthy development of those she works with. Marcy’s primary goal is to provide a safe and open space to inspire others to achieve their utmost potential.

Pronouns - She/Her 

 Molly Gaines earned her Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at Phillips Graduate University in Los Angeles. In addition, she holds a Master’s degree in Public Health at the University of Illinois. Molly brings a unique background of education and experience to provide individual and family therapy sessions for children, adolescents, teens and adults. As a former health educator, swim coach and classroom teacher, Molly focuses on client strengths and abilities to motivate change in behavior. Molly has experience working with a diverse population of at-risk youth, specializing in trauma recovery, foster care, adoptive placement, and grief counseling. With certifications in parenting instruction and social skills training, Molly uses creative strategies to meet the needs of both parents and youth in addressing behavioral challenges.  Molly also specializes in perimenopause and menopause to help clients adjust to this new stage of life.

Pronouns - She/Her 

Rachel has received her Master of Science in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis of Marriage and Family Therapy from California Lutheran University where she found her passion of helping clients struggling with their mental health while using an attachment theory-based approach. She has experience working with individuals, children, families, and couples of all ages with issues such as anxiety, depression, addiction, trauma, relationship conflict, and grief. 

Rachel has experience working with adolescents after working in a school-setting where she was able to provide support and guidance. She enjoys including families in her individual adolescent work to gain the full picture of the issues within the family system. Additionally, Rachel has worked with clients who struggle with dual diagnoses such as addiction and mental health disorders. She will carry her previous experience to help new clients while providing a safe and warm environment.

Pronouns - She/Her 

 Shelley brings over 25 years of professional experience in Business Administration with a background in Purchasing. Shelley is a passionate, goal-orientated individual who has the talent to multitask. She makes sure the clients' first encounter is positive. She ensures that all feel valued and receive personal attentiveness each and every time. Shelley has a helpful attitude and goes all-out to deliver exceptional customer service. She follows through on requests, questions or needs in a timely manner; even if it means going above and beyond. She is responsible for most of the office functions, assists with scheduling appointments for therapists, and uses her organizational skills to ensure efficient operations. In her spare time, Shelley enjoys shopping, spending time with family & friends, traveling, attending concerts, and arts & crafts.

Pronouns - She/Her 

Shirley Del Aguila has over ten years of experience in the mental health field and enjoys witnessing clients thrive. Shirley was an undergraduate at University of California, Riverside and worked community mental health where she found a passion for therapeutic work. She then pursed a Master’s in Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy from Phillips Graduate Institute. Since then, Shirley has worked in a variety of settings as a clinician, earned her licensure five years ago, and supervised community mental health clinicians. 

Shirley is adaptive and works with all age groups, including infants and toddlers. She holds strong clinical skills and believes in meeting clients where they are. Shirley utilizes strength-based approaches, Systems Theory, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and play therapy amongst others. Shirley looks for the strengths in each client while creating new narratives and patterns for a healthier lifestyle. She also uses a compassionate approach while still gently holding clients accountable in a safe space to reach goals developed in therapy. Overall, Shirley upholds her ethics in the utmost regard that ultimately provides a model for positive relationships whether it be for children, families, couples, and for individuals. 

Pronouns - She/Her

Tiffany Sarris is dedicated to supporting healthy relationships and overall wellness with individuals, families, adolescents and children of all ages. She enjoys working with teens and children and specializes in those with autism, developmental delays and intellectual disabilities.

She focuses on strengthening the parent-child relationship to promote a healthy dynamics and communication within the family system, helping clients find coping strategies for life’s major transitions and challenges, improving communication within interpersonal relationships and practicing introspection to gain personal awareness. Tiffany believes in utilizing a strength-based and client-centered approach that is tailored around each individual’s unique experience. 

 Tiffany earned her Master's degree in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy from Pepperdine University and currently serves as an adjunct professor for the Pepperdine University Graduate School of Psychology.