Dr. Nancy Young has over 25 years experience specializing in therapy with adult individuals, couples, and groups, and, for 20 years, she was an Adjunct Professor at Chapman University, teaching such classes as: Intro to Psychology, Interpersonal Attraction & Romantic Love, Human Sexuality, Sexual Disorders & Treatment, and Chemical Dependency Treatment. Her academic research interests were on romantic love — the differences between intense/compelling and secure/comfortable love experiences, behavioral self-reliance in women, and on the use of videotaped therapy in chemical dependency treatment. Past workshops have included: Romantic Relationships: A Traveler’s Guide, Gottman Method Couples Therapy, Women & Sexuality, Taking Care of Self — How to be Gentle but Assertive, Voice Dialogue, Aware Ego, & Psychology of Selves, Standing at The Crossroads — Psychology of Selves in Transition. She specializes in a variety of therapeutic methods, including cognitive-behavioral, Voice Dialogue, EMDR, and Gottman Method couple's therapy. She is certified in EMDR and in Gottman Couple’s Therapy and is a certified Art & Science of Love (Gottman) Workshop Leader. She uses a holistic/transpersonal approach.

Follow Dr. Young's blog called Notes from Nance.

Dr. Judy Fluor Runels has been working with people living with HIV and AIDS for the last nine years. She has a Psy.D. in Psychology/Marriage and Family Therapy. She works with couples, individuals, children, and adolescents, assisting them to develop better relationship and communications skills, and has extensive experience in working with people living with a chronic or terminal illness. Dr. Runels has run facilitated support groups for adults dealing with substance abuse issues, using a harm reduction model, has presented at HIV/AIDS conferences, assisted with HIV training for the County of Orange, and has done workshops on pain management, maintaining sobriety, and better ways to cope with stress. Her specialty is grief counseling, trauma, bereavement/loss issues, and caregiver burn out. Her theoretical orientation is Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), which is a humanistic, existential and experiential approach to help facilitate change.

Rupa Ward has an M. A. in Psychology with Marriage and Family Therapy emphasis from Chapman University. She has both training and experience in individual, family, children, and group counseling. Having moved from her homeland in India to the United States as a young woman and traveled extensively all over the world, she has been especially interested in the uniqueness and the universality of human experience and the differences in women’s lives across cultures. A trekking trip to the Himalayas at 19, awakened in her a new dimension of spiritual consciousness and, since that time she has maintained a committed spiritual practice under several renowned spiritual masters both in India and the US. She has taught yoga and meditation in the community college system and privately for the last twelve years. Thus with academic training, professional expertise, and broad personal inter-cultural experience, she is passionate about promoting sensitivity in dealing with cultural differences and relates with a compassionate heart to each person’s individual situation. Rupa has completed her licensure hours as an MFT Intern with us, under the supervision of Dr. Young and is currently studying for her state exam for licensing. Her practice combines different therapeutic techniques, including cognitive behavioral (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), with strategies derived from mindfulness practice and body-mind integration. She is a Certified EMDR Therapist, is working toward her certification in Gottman Couples Therapy, and has been working extensively in the addiction recovery and trauma community , doing individual, group, couples, and family therapy, for the past three years.

Terry Maher is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), with a B.A. in Psychology from California State University Long Beach, and an MSW from University of Southern California with an emphasis on mental health services. He has experience providing: individual and group therapy with adults, therapy and behavior modification with at-risk youth and their families, language and skill-building with autistic children and developmentally disabled adults, vocational training with special education students, substance abuse counseling, therapy with the chronic and persistently mentally ill, as well as in-home grief counseling with older adults. He has 12 years of experience working with families and adolescents in crisis. He coordinates an evidence-based program with the County of Orange which teaches families how to modify severe behavior problems in children. Terry has a well rounded background which includes cognitive-behavior therapy, Gestalt therapy, and EMDR training.

Stephenie Champlin is an Associate Clinical Social Worker (ASW) with her Masters in Social Work (MSW) from California State University, Long Beach and a BA in Psychology and Sociology from Chapman University. Her graduate thesis was entitled Moving Toward Connection: A curriculum for Female Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse. She has both training and experience in individual, family, children, couples, and group counseling. She has experience working with domestic violence, the developmentally challenged, adoption, and hospice. She has begun the trainings in Gottman Couples Therapy and Voice Dialogue and the Psychology of Selves. She completed the training for EMDR and is working toward certification. Stephenie is currently completing her licensure hours as an MSW Intern with us, under the supervision of Dr. Runels. Her practice combines different therapeutic techniques, including but not limited to: client-centered, solution-focused, cognitive-behavioral (CBT), with strategies derived from a systems approach utilizing a change-oriented process within a multicultural context to help individuals and social systems achieve improved quality of life and social participation.

Stephenie will maintain her role as Office Manager and Program Administrator for all our workshops here at Pathways to Wellness. She continues to do everything from answering the phone and appointment scheduling to handling all the financial and administrative work; she even sometimes takes care of the fish tanks! Her care and compassion, along with a wonderfully compulsive work ethic, make our office and endeavors run smoothly.

Bailey (left), with over 9 years experience as a canine healer, empathizes with anxious and socially phobic clients as he is very sensitive and shows great concern when anyone is upset. He does his best to help though he is sometimes bashful himself and takes up residence under the business office desk. He is especially appreciated by those who are more introverted, less socially boisterous, and prefer a bit of personal space. Bailey and his little brother Dudley (right) are both non-shedding, allergy-friendly, Australian Labradoodles.

Oliver (middle), having started his early life on the street, has a little over a year’s experience in the office offering support especially to those with early abandonment issues and traumatic childhoods like his own. His understanding is communicated by him standing on your leg, putting one paw on your lap, or sleeping on top of your feet. He is probably a Bichon-Poodle mix (non-shedding and allergy-friendly), though DNA tests claim he is an Irish Setter. He has beautiful compassionate golden eyes, which are only slightly cross-eyed.

Dudley (right) is our dark chocolate boy who is still a puppy. With us since January, he is the sweetest soul in the office and he will always try to entice you into a good game of tug or chase if he can. He is especially good at cheering up those who are sad. For those who knew Watson’s good nature and ability to heal most any discomfort with a waggy tail, a woof(!), and presenting you with one of his favorite toys, Dudley, though still young, appears to be almost a clone. Dudley is Watson’s great nephew and, like his uncle, is highly skilled at playfulness, unconditional love, and the art of not taking anything too seriously.

Watson with Wings had over 9 years experience greeting and soothing dog-friendly clients in our office before he Crossed Over in June, 2011. He was the epitome of unconditional love and light-heartedness and was very popular with everyone. Since he’s been gone, he has been very busy watching over all of us from the Great Beyond where he plays happily all day long with his pals and has taken as his special mission to catch those of us who pass from here and fall through the clouds into his soft cushy catcher’s mitt Over There. He still occasionally gets the urge to check in with us via his blog or the occasional tweet from @watsonwithwings.