Staff
Drew Paxton, MBA
CEO
B.A. in Economics and French from Stanford University
M.B.A. in International Business from Harvard University
Drew Paxton takes his place as CEO of Alta Mira after working in many different avenues at the Betty Ford Center.
Paxton's experience running the Business Development and Admissions team along with being Executive Director of the Residential and Outpatient programs at Betty Ford prepared him well for the responsibilities he would encounter at Alta Mira.
Through his own experience, Paxton has come to believe that most people struggling with addiction are also struggling with co-occurring disorders. By providing an open door to all, there is an opportunity to participate in the healing process of a greater number of people.
Paxton is a team player who loves solving complicated problems with others and helping his team grow and develop. In his spare time, he loves to travel, play tennis and go to the beach with his dog, Zoe.
Advice:
Don't be afraid to ask for help. You don't have to do it alone.
Ilene Connelly, BA, CMT
Cranial Sacral Therapist
Ilene started her journey as a healing practitioner in 1994 at the Esalen Institute and has had extensive training in many aspects of massage therapy including Lymphatic Drainage, Reiki, Thai Massage and various others.
Connelly's main focus of practice for the last 13 years has been as a Cranial Sacral Specialist, having done years of advanced training and working for Esalen Institute. Ilene has had a profound effect on all she connects with.
In 2006 Connelly was listed in Spa magazine as one of the top Cranial Sacral therapists in the country.
Krista Gilbert, Ph.D., LMFT
Clinical Director
Ph.D. in Depth Psychology
M.A. in Counseling
B.S. in Psychology
Certified Marriage and Family Therapist
After gathering experience as a Therapist, Program Coordinator and Director of Outpatient Services throughout her career, Krista Gilbert joins Alta Mira as Clinical Director, dealing with all aspects of clinical functionality at the facility.
Gilbert's familiarity with issues of grief and loss and focus on trauma and eating disorders has given her ample knowledge of the unique needs and necessities of those suffering from co-occurring disorders.
She equates working with addiction/recovery and grief/loss as two of the pivotal moments in life that are ripe with potential for transformation. It was the integration of treatment for these issues that are client-centered and client driven that brought Gilbert to Alta Mira Treatment Center.
In her spare time, Gilbert enjoys yoga, kayaking, knitting, gardening and walking her dog on the beach.
Quote:
This is an extremely vibrant population of people who are in an amazing process of discovery. Working with this population from a holistic perspective supports each individual in integrating not only their values and actions, but their somatic experiences, their community and their way of making meaning in their lives.
Bob Granger
Facility Manager/Adventure Director/Personal Trainer
Certifications: WFR, CFR, SRT
Serving as Facility Manager, Adventure Director and Personal Trainer at Alta Mira, Bob Granger keeps his days rewardingly full.
Before coming to Alta Mira, Granger implemented and directed an adventure program at another treatment center in Arizona while also carrying the titles of Admissions Director and Client Advocate. In the past he also owned and managed successful businesses.
Being in years of recovery himself, Granger enjoys watching people heal and assisting them along the way. He finds it interesting how many different roads exist to healing and how each individual must find the one that's right for them.
While not diligently working, you can find Bob rock climbing, hiking, reading or cooking.
Favorite Part:
Getting the clients out into nature and watching the peace settle over them as they allow nature to begin healing.
Victoria Green, N.C., MFT
Primary Therapist
Certifications and Licenses:
Nutritional Consultant
Psychotherapist
Victoria Green has specialized in the fields of eating disorders and chemical dependency for over 25 years as a psychotherapist and nutritional consultant.
Her past experience includes working as a nutritional consultant of an intensive outpatient program in San Francisco, working with eating disorders and chemical dependency. She later became a psychotherapist which allowed her to broaden her work helping change client's food, weight and body-image issues.
Since 2000, Green had been Clinical Supervisor in the eating disorders program and Coordinator of Nutritional Services of an intensive outpatient program. She developed a program that was highly regarded in the community and by clients whose lives have been touched by the recovery work they began in treatment.
Green has recently joined Alta Mira as Program Director of the Disordered Eating Program and is very excited to be part of such an innovative, integrative approach to recovery.
Quote:
"This is truly, in every sense of the word, a healing environment."
Kevin Griffin, BA, MFA
Author/Speaker
Kevin Griffin is the author of One Breath at a Time: Buddhism and the Twelve Steps and is a leader in the mindful recovery movement. He teaches at treatment centers, spiritual centers, professional conferences and colleges across the U.S.
Trained as a Community Dharma Leader at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Griffin takes a spontaneous and intimate approach to teaching mindfulness, drawing from a depth of experience in recovery, meditation and group facilitation. His many years as a professional musician and writer help inform his creative approach to healing.
Soll Hutchings
Director of Admissions
B.A. from New College of California
Armed with experience as an Admissions Counselor at The Betty Ford Center, Soll Hutchings joins the Alta Mira team as the Director of Admissions.
Hutchings' day to day is filled with coordinating admissions and alumni activities and assisting with financial reporting.
As someone who has personally gone through recovery himself, Hutchings brings a good deal of empathy and compassion to his job. This comes in handy with his one-on-one contact with clients and families.
Aside from his work at Alta Mira, Hutchings has worked at a Shiatsu therapist since the early ‘90s and as a detox counselor for the Salvation Army.
Advice:
Never give up. There is truly only one way to a happier life and that is to keep seeking it.
Sylvia Israel, MFT, RDT/BCT, TEP
Psychodrama Therapist
Certifications and Licenses:
Marriage Family Therapist
Registered Drama Therapist/Board Certified Trainer
Certified Psychodramatist- Trainer Educator and Practitioner
With graduate training in clinical psychology and drama therapy and a master's degree in Theater Arts, Sylvia Israel joins the Alta Mira team as a Psychodrama Therapist.
Israel has advanced training in using action methods with trauma survivors. Her work is greatly influenced by family systems, cognitive therapy, object relations and Jungian psychology.
In addition to theater, Israel has experience in dance/movement, art and voice. With this, her clients have the opportunity to explore themselves and their relationships in ways traditional therapy cannot uncover. This exploration often leads to impactful realizations about damaged and sabotaging relationship dynamics while still keeping each client in a safe and sacred space that allows them to acknowledge these relationships and begin healing.
Along with her work at Alta Mira, Israel teaches at California Institute of Integral Studies and Sonoma State University, while also providing professional training to therapists and presenting at numerous community agencies and professional conferences.
Chris Miller
Corporate Executive Chef
A.O.S. California Culinary Academy '95
University of Redlands
Shandong New School, Jinan China
University of San Diego
With an intense commitment to quality combined with a job history of working for the finest operations like The Ritz Carlton, Chris Miller holds the title of Corporate Executive Chef at Alta Mira Treatment Center.
Miller began his foray into the culinary world because of his concern with America's eating habits. By seeing the correlation between diet, addiction and self-medicating behavior he is able to develop dietary programs based on the latest research done by cutting-edge physicians. Now, Miller devotes his career to changing self-destructive dietary habits by focus on a healthy diet.
Chef Miller keeps himself busy with extra-curricular projects like take home cook books for clients, cooking classes, guided tours of local farms and farmers markets, and educational classes on food choices.
When not teaching others about the importance of a healthy diet, Miller keeps himself healthy by hiking or kayaking and also enjoys trying out the eclectic restaurants in the Bay area that make San Francisco so culturally diverse.
Quote:
Our facilities offer hope, results and yet- people actually have fun during the process.
Patricia Ross, MFT, ATR, B.C.
Art Therapist
M.A. in Art
M.A. in Clinical Psychology/Art Therapy
Patricia Ross first experienced the healing power of art as a teenager in response to a significant loss. Since then, she has seen the positive effects of non-judgmental art expression in a group setting, the art work becoming a window into the core of the individual and a mirror for the art maker to come to personal insights. With these experiences in tow, Ross joins Alta Mira as an Art Therapist.
In the past, Ross has used art therapy with individuals in hospitals and jails and has developed programs for agencies treating disturbed children, psychiatric adults and those in recovery. She has also taught art therapy at the University of California, Berkeley and Sonoma State University.
Ross has also served many years on the board of the Northern California Art Therapy Association and maintains a private practice in Sonoma County.
Even though she has been working in recovery for 20 years, Ross continues to find her work exciting and valuable.
Dr. Brian Steber, M.D.
Addictionologist
M.D. from the University of Texas
As an acknowledged expert in the field of addiction, Brian Steber joins the Alta Mira team as an addictionologist.
In the past, Steber has served as the Medical Director for the St. Helena Hospital Alcohol and Chemical Recovery Program. He has also worked closely with the government, businesses and other organizations to educate people on the dangers, symptoms and the recovery from substance abuse.
He has been board-certified in Family Medicine as well as being certified by the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM).
When working with clients, Steber takes a holistic approach to treatment and supports calling on the body's natural inherent properties for healing in addition to traditional medical practices.
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Alta Mira Staff Bios
» Drew Paxton
» Ilene Connelly
» Krista Gilbert
» Bob Granger
» Victoria Green
» Kevin Griffin
» Soll Hutchings
» Sylvia Israel
» Chris Miller
» Patricia Ross
» Dr. Brian Steber
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