Our clinical care team is comprised of some of the very best professionals in the fields of addiction, neurology, cardiology, stem cell regenerative medicine, pain management, sports medicine, sleep, general medicine, psychiatry, clinical psychology, nutrition, culinary arts, holistic and eastern exercises.
The Clinical Team are all fully licensed and certified. Each staff member has chosen Pure Recovery California because of our commitment to the highest possible quality of care, our broad range of treatments, our holistic approach and our passion about healing. The PRCA Advisory Board, which is affiliated with major teaching institutions allows us access to the latest and most innovative treatments.
Our intensive diagnostic evaluations identify specific diagnoses and cover a broad range of complexities and problems. Staff Ratio (Residential): Therapists to clients: 3:6 Day/Evening Counselors to clients: 1:3 Overnight Counselors to clients: 1:6 Number of days per week when program is fully staffed: 7 Professional Staffing: 24/7
Dr. Vernon B. Williams graduated from the Inteflex Accelerated Pre-Medical/Medical program at the University of Michigan in 1992. He then completed neurology residency at The University of Maryland in Baltimore. After residency he completed a multidisciplinary, interventional pain fellowship in the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care (Division of Pain Medicine) at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He is board certified by the American Association of Psychiatry and Neurology. Dr. Williams joined the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles in 1997. At Kerlan-Jobe, he is a consulting Team Neurologist for the Los Angeles Rams, Dodgers, Kings, Sparks, Anaheim Ducks, and several southern California collegiate, high- school, and elite club athletic programs. He is the Founding Director of The Center for Sports Neurology and Pain Medicine at Kerlan-Jobe and Founding Director of its Sports Neurology Fellowship. Dr. Williams is an active educator on issues related to Sports Neurology and Concussion. He is the current Chair of the American Academy of Neurology Sports Neurology Section and in 2015 was appointed by Governor Brown to the California State Athletic Commission. Dr. Williams was the Medical Director for Concussion at the 2015 Special Olympics Games. He often serves as an expert consultant on Pain and Sports Neurologic Disorders to major television networks, radio, satellite, and print media.
Her passion is bringing new research and modalities to Addiction and healing and making sure patients have access to the best health care providers in the country, After years of serving in healthcare in various roles, she understands the challenges of life and operates with the understanding that the whole person must be treated, not just the substance misuse or mental health problem.
Deborah Whitney has dedicated the last 30 years of her life to working in healthcare. She has led organizations of all sizes in Europe and the USA and has organized some of the top translational research societies with Nobel Prize winners.
Mr. Rayford has over 25 years of experience in addiction and behavioral health. Maurice has a Masters of Arts in Organizational Behavior.As Assistant Vice President of Network Operations at Beacon Health Options he was in charge of Credentialing and Network Operations nationally. Mr. Rayford’s prior experience also includes Director of Quality for Acadia Healthcare/ CRC Health Group, where he was responsible for Compliance, Regulatory and Accreditation readiness for all lines of business and levels of care.
Mr. Rayford also is an experienced Compliance Officer, Privacy Officer and Risk Manager for a Nationally recognized Healthcare Company. M. Rayford is a subject matter expert in the areas of Accreditation, Licensing and Regulatory Compliance.
Mr. Rayford is Board Member at North County Lifeline a Non Profit organization serving youth in San Diego County. Mr. Rayford is also a CARF Surveyor.
Dr. Reyes completed his residency training and fellowship at USC. He is board certified in General Psychiatry. Dr. Reyes was chief resident at USC in the Fellowship Program. He started his private practice in West Hills in 2001. Dr. Reyes was the Service Director at Aurora Vista del Mar Hospital where he has been working since 2001. Prior to this he worked at Anacapa Hospital.
Dr. Pifer is a board certified Orthopaedic Surgeon fellowship trained in Sports Medicine and minimally invasive arthroscopic surgical techniques. His practice provides care to recreational, high school, college, and professional athletes in the greater Santa Barbara area.
He attended university on an NCAA Football scholarship at Ashland University in Ashland, OH. He was a 4 year starter and one of the top highest scorers in the school’s history as he doubled majored in Chemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology. Along with his Medical Degree, Dr. Pifer also has a Masters in surgical anatomy at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH. He completed Orthopedic Residency at William Beaumont Hospital System in Royal Oak MI, and his Sports and Arthroscopy fellowship at Kaiser Permanente in San Diego, CA.
Dr. Pifer has authored articles, scientific papers, and book chapters on sports- related injuries and general orthopaedic topics. Throughout his career Dr. Pifer has received numerous awards and most recently selected by his physician peers as a Super Doctors Magazine “Rising Star” in California.
His practice not only includes the use of cutting edge surgical treatment, but also non-operative use of biologics (such as PRP injection) and cellular therapies to treat injuries.
Dr. Mescher-Cox’s Care Philosophy describes her practice style as caring and thinks of herself as a health coach and a partner with her patients in their health care. As in internist, she treats diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, cardiovascular disease, anxiety, depression, stress management, insomnia, and many other conditions. …
She is especially interested in preventative health care, working to get her patients healthier and to treat medical conditions with lifestyle changes, weight management, exercise, and nutrition. In some instances her methods have allowed patients to improve their health to the point where prescription medications are no longer needed. You can see Dr. Megan Mescher-Cox’s Bio on Health Grades
Dr. Arash Vahdat is board certified in all of his specialties, including Internal Medicine, Cardiology, and Interventional Cardiology. He is also certified as a Cardiac Device Specialist by IBHRE. His expertise includes clinical cardiology, including coronary artery disease, arrhythmias, heart failure, dyslipidemia, …
valvular heart disease and preventive cardiology. He also has expertise in cardiac imaging, including nuclear imaging and echocardiography. He has multiple peer reviewed publications in different reputable journals. Dr. Vahdat is currently an active member of American College of Cardiology, and American Medical Association.
See more on Arash Vahdat, MD.
Dr Powell is a board-certified neurophysiologist specializing in diagnosing and treating brain trauma and neuronal disorders utilizing holistic non-invasive therapies. His practices provide care to patient where pharmacological intervention has been unsuccessful.
Dr Powell graduated from Central States College of Health Sciences with a doctorate in naturopathic medicine and mechanical therapies. Dr Powell has completed a doctoral degree in naturopath, oriental medicine and mechanotherapy and a PhD in Jungian psychology and a second PhD in nutrition. Dr Powell holds certifications in personal fitness training, health/ wellness and life coaching and neurobiofeedback. Dr Powell serves as an adjunct professor and a global neurophysiology instructor. Dr Powell is fellowship trained in medical acupuncture, bioenergetic medicine and functional medicine.
Dr Powell is a published writer (Press the Fix Me Button), health/wellness and life coach. Over the past five years Dr Powell has been working with a team of professors, engineers and specialist in the field of neurophysiology and signal processing to develop a EEG artifacting software to be utilized by neurologist, neurotherapist and other physicians who utilize Electroencephalography to diagnose neuronal disorders.
Audrey is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who enjoys working with athletes, adults, couples, and families in their journey through life’s challenges. Understanding that seeking therapy is sometimes very difficult, her aim is to make your experience a rewarding one.
Having the ability to accept your narrative as your own, utilizing curiosity to search for deeper connection and meaning in your life, while utilizing empathy and support, she is focused on a client’s ability to increase interpersonal clarity in their social, spiritual, physical, psychological, and intellectual capacity to create a sense of balance in their life.
Audrey graduated from Antioch University, Santa Barbara, earning a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy. Her work in the mental health field began 20 years ago with the treatment of children and adolescents suffering from abuse, depression, anxiety, substance abuse and other self-injurious behaviors living in a residential treatment program. Continuing her work with in-patient and outpatient programs, school based programs, in-home based programs and private practice settings Audrey demonstrates a passionate devotion to the field of healing mind, body, and spirit.
Specializing in the treatment of PTSD, active duty and veteran mental health and wellness. Trained in Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and certified in Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE). Director of Vista del Mar Hospital’s Military Support Program and private practitioner.
Gina was licensed as an MFT after receiving her master’s degree from California State University, Northridge and her bachelor’s degree from University of California, Santa Barbara. She is the Founder/Clinical Director of Family Resiliency Counseling Center, providing individual and group counseling for children, adolescents, adults and families. She has enjoyed her past work with Cancer Support Centers and Camarillo Hospice and Bereavement Center.
(Ph.D, in progress in progress, supervised under Pilar Sumalpong, Ph.D. PSY27891, Pacifica Graduate Institute) Dana L. Kline is completing her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Depth Psychology, and holds her M.A. in Counseling Psychology both from Pacifica Graduate Institute. Dana has clinical training in community mental health and residential centers treating addiction, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, mood and personality disorders, and attachment styles. She works from both Jungian and psychoanalytic models with a relational approach, with a focused interest on dream analysis and creativity.
George Calasa, received his master’s in Professional Counseling from Liberty University in December, 2015 and a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Liberty University (2012). He is registered with the CA BBS as an Associate Professional Clinical Counselor. His previous mental health experience ranges from providing individual, couples, family and group therapy in an intensive care/acute behavioral health care hospital setting.
MJ McFarland is a University of Texas at Austin graduate and is currently working to finish his Master’s degree in Leadership Studies. MJ is a former professional athlete. MJ spent 3 years in the National Football League playing for the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets, and the Dallas Cowboys. Prior to joining the Pure Sports Recovery team, he was a client of Pure Sports Recovery. Now, MJ is extremely passionate about helping other athlete’s transition holistically from their athletic career. MJ is also a Co-Founder in a 501(c) (3) nonprofit company called 4est. 4est serves as a social enterprise transforming athletes into entrepreneurs through growth curriculum, mentor matching, and business integration.
Judy Ho, Ph. D., ABPP is a licensed and board certified Clinical Psychologist based in Los Angeles. Dr. Judy provides professional services in Psychological Testing and Forensic Expert work. She is a tenured Associate Professor of Psychology at Pepperdine University and can currently be seen as a guest co-host on The Doctors, in addition to providing psychological expertise and analysis as a co-host, panelist and expert advisor on a variety of national television & radio programs.
Dr. J. Lucas Koberda is a board certified neurologist and an internationally trained physician who completed his residency in Neurology at the Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, Oregon. Prior to his neurological training, he received his Ph.D. based on his research in the area of tumor immunology. Dr. Koberda is currently affiliated with The Florida State University College of Medicine.
His main interest is in neuro-psychiatry and cognitive enhancement. He uses the newest technology of QEEG and Neurofeedback to successfully diagnose and treat many medical conditions including seizures, headaches, fibromyalgia chronic pain, anxiety, depression, and prior stroke. Dr. Koberda has also effectively introduced neurofeedback protocols for a cognitive enhancement for professionals to improve their memory, concentration, verbal function or information processing speed.
Dr. Koberda also has been appointed in August, 2010 by Governor Charlie Christ as a member of the Alzheimer’s Disease Advisory Committee for a 4 years term (The Committee serves as an advising body to the Florida State Government). Dr. Koberda has published multiple publications in different scientific journals and serves as international neuroscience speaker and consultant.
Dr. Koberda has been appointed to the Editorial Board of the “Journal of Neurology and Stroke”, “International Journal of Emergency Mental Health and Human Resilience”, “Journal of Neurology and Neurobiology” and “Journal of Psychology and Clinical Psychiatry”. He also server as a reviewer-“Clinical EEG and Neuroscience” and the above journals.
Behzad Ourmazdi, M.D, M.Sc., is a Diplomate American Board of Neurology and Psychiatry and a Neuromuscular Disorder Specialist. He has 21 years of experience. His specialties include Neurology.
He education includes , Rosalind Franklin University Of Medicine Science/The Chicago Medical School 1997, UCSF Fresno 1998, UCSF Fresno Med Education Program, USC at Good Samaritan Hospital 2002, USC at La County Hospital 2001
Pure Sports Recovery California is the first Joint Commission Accredited Neuroscience Driven Recovery Treatment Center in the USA. We specialize in treatment of professional and amateur athletes providing personalized programs for the scientific treatment of sports brain injuries, addiction, chronic pain, mood disorders, depression, anxiety and much more .
