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Our Team

Dean Moses, CADC

Co-Founder
Ryan Gartrell, CADC, CIP

Co-Founder
Dr. Raskin, MD

Consulting Physician
Joe Stein

Client Care Services Manager
Lisa Smith, M.Ed.

Family Coach
Dr. Josh Mirmelli, PsyD

Clinical Consultant
Michelle Hossinei, LMFT, LCAS

Family Consultant
Peter Schafer, MSW

Family Coach
Jackson Dillon

Care Manager
Daniel Patterson, M. Ed

Educational Advisor
Jaymee Carpenter

Spiritual Counselor
Ken Gootnick

Executive Coach
Chris Love

Therapeutic Mentor/Coach
Nicole Cremmen

Therapeutic Mentor/Coach
Quiara Bay

Therapeutic Mentor/Coach
Elizabeth Kirkpatrick

Administrative Manager
Kevin Reilly

Care Manager
Otis

Director of Joy

Recovery Blog

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Dean Moses, CADC

Co-Founder

Dean Moses has dedicated the past 10 years to supporting individuals and families navigating complex behavioral health challenges, with a particular emphasis on mental health and sustainable recovery. His expertise lies in developing personalized care strategies tailored specifically to individuals experiencing anxiety, substance use disorders, mood disorders, and related mental health conditions.

Throughout his career, Dean has cultivated a compassionate, collaborative approach that empowers his clients to regain control of their lives through targeted interventions and consistent support. Recognizing that everyone’s journey to wellness and health is unique, he prioritizes flexibility, creativity, and empathy in his care strategies.

Dean is deeply committed to fostering authentic connections with clients, believing strongly in the power of community and genuine human connection as foundational elements of healing. His extensive experience enables him to skillfully advocate for clients, facilitating access to comprehensive resources, therapeutic support, and personalized mental health care.

His professional philosophy centers around resilience, empowerment, community integration, and holistic well-being, guiding individuals and families toward lasting mental and emotional health.

Outside of his professional work, Dean is passionate about sports and competition, spirituality, music, travel, and leadership. He also dedicates his time to coaching youth basketball, emphasizing teamwork, discipline, and personal growth. He is an active member of the Jewish community in Los Angeles and gives his time freely and openly to those in need.

Ryan Gartrell, CADC, CIP

Co-Founder

Ryan Gartrell is Co-Founder of Spearhead Health and a Certified Alcohol & Drug Counselor and Certified Intervention Professional. He has worked in behavioral health since 2015, helping individuals and families navigate complex substance use and mental health situations, particularly when the path forward is unclear or previous efforts have not produced meaningful or lasting change.

Much of Ryan’s work centers on helping families make sense of complicated circumstances, understand the options in front of them, and determine what is most appropriate for the individual involved. His approach is personal, collaborative, and grounded in the belief that there is rarely a single solution that works for every person or family. He places a strong emphasis on understanding the full picture and helping families move forward with greater clarity during situations that can otherwise feel overwhelming.

Before co-founding Spearhead Health in 2019, Ryan worked in both primary mental health and dual diagnosis residential treatment settings and managed sober living environments in Los Angeles. Those experiences gave him exposure to a wide range of clinical presentations, treatment environments, and levels of care, as well as an understanding of the challenges that can arise as individuals move between crisis, treatment, recovery, and everyday life.

Today, Ryan’s work often involves coordinating among families, clinicians, treatment providers, and other professionals to help create a thoughtful and individualized plan. He believes effective care requires more than simply identifying a program or level of treatment. It requires understanding the person, the family system, what has already been tried, and what is most likely to create meaningful progress.

Ryan’s professional perspective is also informed by his own experience with addiction and recovery. After struggling with severe heroin addiction beginning in adolescence and experiencing numerous forms of treatment, Ryan entered long term recovery in 2015. That experience continues to shape the empathy and perspective he brings to his work, while his years in the field have given him a broader understanding of how different recovery and mental health journeys can look.

Originally from Greensboro, North Carolina, Ryan spent several years in Southern California before returning home to Greensboro. He remains closely connected to behavioral health professionals and resources across the country. Outside of work, Ryan enjoys golf, being outdoors, and spending time with his wife, Maggie, their daughter, Grace, and their golden retriever, Otis.

Dr. Raskin, MD

Consulting Physician

Dr. Raskin is a leading board certified internist and Diplomate of the American Board of Addiction Medicine in Pacific Palisades, California. Treating patients in his private practice since 1996, Dr. Raskin has earned a reputation for exceptional patient care and effective individualized treatment.

He received his Bachelors of Arts degree in human biology from Stanford University, and graduated with honors. He then went on to medical school at George Washington University and graduated with distinction. After medical school, he came to Los Angeles and completed his residency at UCLA.

Today, through cutting edge and compassionate techniques, Dr. Raskin helps his patients maintain and regain their health. Dr. Raskin contributes regularly to local and national television broadcasts. Most recently he has appeared as a medical expert on Good Morning America and Nightline.

Joe Stein

Client Care Services Manager

After graduating from the University of Oregon with a Bachelor of Science, Joe spent seven years working in Real Estate Finance before embarking on a transformative personal health journey. Through that experience, he discovered a passion for supporting individuals and families as they navigate periods of transition, growth, and recovery.

Joe has worked as a Companion and Therapeutic Mentor, and most recently managed a structured residential setting where he developed a reputation for providing grounded, compassionate care. His work is rooted in empathy, consistency, and a deep understanding of the complexities individuals face when making meaningful life changes.

Outside of work, Joe emphasizes the importance of balance through healthy eating and regular exercise. He is passionate about weightlifting and playing sports, both of which play a critical role in supporting his physical and mental health.

Lisa Smith, M.Ed.

Family Coach

Lisa Smith is a nationally recognized TEDx speaker and author of Parallel Recovery. With a background as a certified Peer Recovery Specialist and over 20 years as a master’s-level educator, Lisa brings both professional expertise and lived experience to her work with families navigating substance use and mental health challenges.

She is the creator of the ParallelRecovery™ process — a structured, compassionate approach that helps the entire family system shift patterns of behavior, communication, and engagement. Rather than focusing solely on the individual in crisis, ParallelRecovery™ empowers family members to create meaningful change within themselves, sharing the burden of change and opening the door for their loved one to engage.

Through tools for effective communication, healthy boundaries, and mindset shifts, families learn to reduce their own distress in response to dysregulated behaviors and foster deeper, more authentic connection. The process not only supports personal growth, but also creates an environment that encourages openness, accountability, and the possibility of professional support or healing for the person struggling.

Lisa’s work centers on meeting families where they are, honoring their unique path, and equipping them with sustainable tools for long-term resilience and relational wellness.

Dr. Josh Mirmelli, PsyD

Clinical Consultant

Josh Mirmelli is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and has been working in the fields of mental health and addiction for over a decade. Dr. Josh’s expertise spans a range of clinical presentations, including substance use disorders, mood disorders, trauma (single-incident and complex), disordered eating and personality disorders. He also has an affinity for and working with members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Michelle Hossinei, LMFT, LCAS

Family Consultant

Michelle Hossinei, LMFT, LCAS, received her degree from Appalachian State University in 2012. During her time there she focused on marriage and family therapy and addiction studies. After completing her internship at a local non-profit mental health/substance use facility she was offered a full time job as an outpatient therapist at that location. Given the nature of agency work, Michelle gained experience in conducting assessments and providing therapy to individuals, couples, and families with disorders ranging from depression to schizophrenia. In this role, Michelle also created a twelve week group focused on teaching parenting skills, sobriety, relapse prevention, and life skills to parents temporarily separated from their children by the Department of Social Services. At this time she also assisted DSS with training classes for foster parents focused on understanding addiction and how to support children with parents who are addicts.

She was then promoted to Intensive In Home Team Lead as the Masters level clinician. In this role Michelle worked with juvenile justice, child protective services, schools, and families in order to create healthier family dynamics. She then moved to Jacksonville, NC to work at the Naval Medical Center of Camp LeJeune. There she worked with active service members, coordinated care and needs with psychiatrists, linking members to appropriate groups, and communicating needs to Commands. Michelle also curated a 12 week Dialectical Behavioral Informed women’s group to help with mood stabilization and reduction of emotional reactivity.

Michelle utilizes an integrated family systems approach with Rogerian theories applied, meaning that she allows the individual seeking services to guide their journey and supports them along the way. She is also trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing.

Michelle now lives in the beautiful Outer Banks of North Carolina where she works at a private practice. This work entails seeing individuals, couples, and families treating a variety of mental health and substance use issues. Michelle also spends her time providing therapy to individuals incarcerated at the Dare County Detention Center. In this role she often works with Recovery Court linking individuals to rehabilitation treatment as well as continuation of care following release from jail.

When Michelle isn’t working, she is spending time with her partner fishing, gardening, and her animals- Ryder (golden retriever) and Harry and Lloyd (extra large tabbies). She enjoys searching for sea glass and crafting with beach finds.

Peter Schafer, MSW

Family Coach

Peter Schafer holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Southern California. He has a passion for serving individuals and families that are currently experiencing substance abuse and mental health issues. During his studies at USC, Peter worked as a therapist at an acclaimed treatment center in Malibu, California. Prior to that he spent three years as a board member of a non-profit organization that served addicted mothers and their children in helping them to gain access to housing and recovery. Compassion is the driving force in Peter’s approach to treatment. He has witnessed first-hand that there is a way out of addiction and that recovery from the disease of addiction is possible.

Jackson Dillon

Care Manager

Jackson Dillon is a care manager and recovery coach based in Los Angeles, working in case management, interventions, and sober companioning. He specializes in supporting clients through substance use and co-occurring mental health conditions.

Originally from rural Pennsylvania, Jackson was drawn to this work through his own experiences and history. He is in long term recovery himself, and the dynamics of his family growing up are part of what draws him to helping families navigate their own complex situations.

He helps clients bridge the gap between residential or clinical care and independent living, remaining closely connected with clinicians and families throughout the process.

Jackson is currently finishing his B.A. in Economics online at Colorado State University. He currently lives in West L.A. with his partner and their dog, Chester, and outside of work he is a longtime musician who enjoys playing regularly.

Daniel Patterson, M. Ed

Educational Advisor

Daniel Patterson has over seventeen years of experience in the field of secondary education. Holding a Master’s Degree in Teaching from Willamette University and an Administrative Services Credential from the University of California, Irvine, Daniel has served as a classroom English teacher, a student council director, a varsity tennis coach, an assistant principal, and the director of a therapeutic high school. During his tenure, Daniel has earned recognitions such as Teacher of the Year (2012), Administrator of the Year (2016), as well as the PTA Honorary Service Award (2012, 2016), and City of Newport Beach Mayor’s Proclamation (2017) for his work in education. Additionally, since launching his private consulting practice, Daniel also has performed extensive post-secondary and college counseling with a vast array of students ranging from vocational training to Ivy League schools.

Daniel’s areas of expertise include course planning, graduation requirements, transfer protocol, credit recovery, alternative schools, boarding schools, private and prep day schools, and public education. He holds a versatile skill set that produces tangible and specific educational plans for the unique goals of his clients. In addition to education, Daniel is the author of The Assertive Parent (2018) and RECOVER[edu] (2020) and has contributed to publications such as The HuffPost, Thrive Global, MSNBC, NBC News, The LA Times, among others.

Jaymee Carpenter

Spiritual Counselor

Jaymee Carpenter is a highly revered spiritual teacher and psychospiritual counselor based in Ojai, CA, with a background of 13 years of multi-faceted professional experience in the field of addiction and mental health treatment.

Homeless and addicted on Los Angeles’s skid row district at the age of 26, Jaymee was gifted an opportunity in 2003 to enter state funded addiction treatment, and utilized the time to reassess and repurpose himself for the benefit of humanity. The result is a man who has since risen from the ashes of his former ignorance into a life and career of unique service, while simultaneously and ceaselessly engaging in comprehensive spiritual exploration.

Jaymee is the former the Spiritual Director of a prominent dual diagnosis treatment center in Malibu (a position created within the company specifically for him), and was not only highly influential in co- creating the culture and curriculum of their program, but left the center’s clients with an indelible treatment experience that helped shape the future of their lives, while building the brand and reputation of the center for it’s ingenuity of approach. The years spent working there eventually led to an opportunity for Jaymee to co-found his own spiritually-based addiction and mental health center in Santa Barbara, of which he co-created it’s daily curriculum, while managing and operating as the centers Spiritual Director. Jaymee’s lasting influence can be felt in each of these centers culture and curriculum to this day, and within every client and staff member he has mentored throughout the years.

Jaymee’s spiritual study and practice has been culturally diverse and impossible to categorize. He defines spirituality as “the space in between self and impulse”. He is a 16 year meditation practitioner and teacher within the oldest lineage of Tibetan Buddhism (Nyingma), which is his primary source of his own recovery and mental clarity. Jaymee spent 3 years recently as an apprentice to a Lakota shaman, co-facilitating sweat lodge ceremonies for hundreds of participants on sacred land blessed by His Holiness The Dalai Lama. He is additionally a master level communicator and storyteller, and one of the world’s great listeners.

Jaymee is also a talented musician who wrote original music for multi Oscar winning film The Fighter, has been a composer for The Simpsons, That 70’s Show, Top Chef, and Real Housewives, and had an album of his music recorded by the world famous London Symphony Orchestra at Sir George Martin’s Air Studios London.

Jaymee is a firm believer that every form of addiction and mental health has a corresponding emotional root of origin. He does not see individuals as “sick” or “diseased” people, rather as future helpers or healers themselves, awaiting their own life’s repurposing. He believes the old archaic model of treatment is in drastic need of reappraisal and reconfiguration, and is outspoken about how to revolutionize the industry through compassion based practices. Jaymee believes all human beings are not the content of their minds, nor their many experiences in life. He believes each individual is far more than the collective cultural and familial conditioning they’ve accumulated, and teaches his clients how to find who they truly are through the daily practice of mindfulness meditation.

Ken Gootnick

Executive Coach

Ken Gootnick, a serial entrepreneur and coach, started his first business at the age of 19, built it from an idea to successfully selling it. Since that time he founded five companies in many different industries, some of which he continues to operate. In addition to his entrepreneurial ventures, he has utilized his vast experience in CEO roles and has served as a senior management consultant for a large sales organization the last 12 years.

With more than 30 years of experience building, growing and selling companies, Ken’s real passion is to give back through his Sounding Board Consulting practice as a professional coach and advisor. His personal vision is to be an Angel in Disguise and to serve others through mentoring. He helps individuals choose growth over fear, transition back into their vocation or pursue their own dreams as entrepreneurs to make their own difference in the world.

For more than 15 years, Ken has held leadership positions with the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) and Young Entrepreneurs’ Organization (YEO). Ken also holds a B.A. in international relations from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Chris Love

Therapeutic Mentor/Coach

Welcome! Chris strives to implement counseling services that support a holistic approach to wellness. He is a North Carolina board-certified addictions counselor with a broad range of clinical experience, providing support to individuals and families across various levels of mental health treatment. Chris began his journey in Intensive Outpatient care and led to the creation of North Carolina’s first Recovery High School in 2019. He connects best with individuals aged 14-30 and aims to make a lasting impact in his hometown, as well as in the lives of each client and their families. Chris looks forward to meeting you!

Nicole Cremmen

Therapeutic Mentor/Coach

Niki Cremmen is currently studying to obtain a Master’s in Clinical Psychology from from Antioch University with a specialization in spiritual and depth psychology. She has been working as a mentor for the past two years and has coached countless individuals on their journey to recovery for over six years. Her passion for helping others stems from her personal battle with addiction and self-destructive habits.

At 18 years old Niki went to treatment for an eating disorder where she came to terms with her relationship with drugs and alcohol and has been sober since. There, she realized the true problem wasn’t actually outside of her but inside of her and grew fascinated by personal growth, healing and developing her relationship with herself.

Today, Niki’s greatest passion is helping others along their own journey of healing and growing. As a mentor, Niki hopes to act as a guiding light, creating a loving and supportive relationship and allowing others to relate and share openly about themselves. Her experience taught her that when you change the inside, the outside follows and she only hopes to see others experience this for themselves.

Quiara Bay

Therapeutic Mentor/Coach

Quiara has been working as a helping professional since 2014. While receiving her degree in Diagnostic Medical Sonography, with an emphasis in women’s health and IVF, Quiara began coaching her patients to stay grounded during challenging times. Quiara has a natural ability to support, encourage, and empower each one of her clients to move forward with their goals and intentions. She utilizes a variety of skills she has learned throughout the years to keep clients motivated and inspired.

Quiara works best with people who have high levels of anxiety, are emotionally distressed, and dealing with crisis. Quiara’s ability to truly meet clients where they are at allows her the ability to guide them through difficult situations while preserving their feelings of control and having agency in their lives. Quiara also specializes in working with teens and adults with mental health or addiction issues.

Quiara has a robust variety of quality clinical experiences, working with a broad range of populations. She has the benefit of utilizing multiple skill sets to creatively and compassionately address the needs and concerns of her clients. Quiara is also a reiki practitioner who enjoys intuitive crystal work and has assisted a multitude of clients to create mindfulness practices to reduce anxiety and increase their moods. Quiara has creative solutions for people that don’t typically like to meditate and finds ways to guide them to calmness. Quiara also has a history of elite competitive horseback riding, which is a big reason why she also trains in the area of equine therapy.

Elizabeth Kirkpatrick

Administrative Manager

Elizabeth, “Lizzie”, is a dedicated professional with over 15 years of experience in administrative roles across executive and financial assisting, hospitality and retail operations management, event planning, and customer relations. At Spearhead, she brings strong communication, efficient processes, and genuine compassion to support clients in their mental health and recovery journeys.

Along with her husband, Lizzie lives in the Eastern Sierra Nevadas. She is a mom to two kids, and when she’s not supporting clients, she enjoys spending as much time with them as possible. She loves Lake Tahoe beach days, snowboarding, gardening and raising chickens.

Having witnessed firsthand the impact of mental health disorders and their close relationship with substance use disorder within herself and her own family, Lizzie has been on her own healing journey for some time now, and has added sobriety from alcohol to that mix for two years and counting.

Kevin Reilly

Care Manager

Kevin holds a Bachelor’s degree in Conflict Resolution and is a certified Recovery Coach Professional (RCP). He specializes in recovery support and personalized wellness planning, helping individuals and families develop sustainable strategies for long-term well-being.

Before joining Spearhead Health, Kevin spent several years working closely with people facing addiction and mental health challenges, providing mentorship, recovery planning, and hands-on support through difficult transitions.

As part of the Spearhead Health team, he helps coordinate care, support treatment planning, and ensures that individuals and families feel supported and understood throughout their recovery journey. Kevin is known for his grounded presence, thoughtful listening, and his ability to help people break overwhelming challenges into manageable next steps.

Kevin’s passion for this work is deeply rooted in his own recovery journey, which began in 2014 and continues to shape his belief that healing and growth are possible for anyone. He approaches his work with humility, empathy, and a deep respect for each individual’s unique path.

Outside of his professional work, Kevin enjoys CrossFit, traveling, and going on outdoor adventures with his family. He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Otis

Director of Joy

Recovery Blog

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