Courtesy of Catalina Island Health
Catalina Island Health has announced the second year of its Marriage and Family Therapy and Social Services Training Program.
This program was designed for two specific reasons: First to expand behavioral health services for Catalina Island residents and second to support master’s-level students as they complete the supervised clinical hours required for licensure.
About the program
CIH has welcomed three new students training in Marriage and Family Therapy and proudly brings back one student training in Social Services. These students are available to see clients via tele-therapy, making behavioral health services more flexible and accessible to the community. They will also gain valuable experience and log supervised professional experience hours along the way.
This program is supervised by Dr. Leticia Gonzalez Pileski, a doctor of psychology, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and Certified Approved Clinical Supervisor, Trainer, and Mentor through the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. Dr. Pileski regularly sees patients on the island and via tele-therapy. She brings more than two decades of experience working with families, couples, children, and adolescents in diverse community-based programs.
As a bilingual Spanish-English therapist, Dr. Pileski has a long history of developing therapeutic camps for children and families both in Southern California and internationally. She also serves as a Professor of Equity, Lecturer, and Clinical Supervisor at San Diego State University.
Additional social services supervision is led by Diego Fuentes, LCSW. He has worked with at-risk adolescents, incarcerated women, individuals on probation and most recently with the community as a supervisor of the mental health department at a Federally Qualified Health Center in Los Angeles. His niche is working with individuals to recover from alcohol and other substances and Axis I mood disorders such as bipolar, anxiety and depression. His goal is to evoke the individuals’ known strengths and use them as a foundation for healing and persevering.
“Through this program, we are investing in both the future of mental health care and the well-being of our island community,” said Dr. Pileski, Psy.D., LMFT, at Catalina Island Health. “By training the next generation of compassionate mental health professionals right here on Catalina, we are expanding access to care and creating greater opportunities for our residents to receive the support they need.”
The students
- Hannah-Kate Coultas – Marriage and Family Therapy
Coultas (she/her) is currently completing her traineeship toward becoming a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist at Alliant International University. Her work is rooted in a trauma-informed, relational, and justice-centered approach that honors the complexity of each person’s lived experience.
Having been in her own recovery journey for over 13 years, Coultas brings both personal insight and professional experience into the therapy space. Since 2014, she has worked within eating disorder treatment settings across the country in client care, outreach, psychoeducation, and public speaking roles. These experiences have deepened her commitment to supporting individuals in cultivating lives that feel authentic, connected, and meaningful.
- Alejandro (Alex) Sanchez – Marriage and Family Therapy
Sanchez is currently pursuing a master’s degree in counseling psychology and holds a master’s degree in industrial-organizational psychology from Golden Gate University in San Francisco. He is bilingual and proficient in both English and Spanish. He has experience working with at-risk youth ages 12 to 17 years at the Department of Health and Human Services.
Sanchez is also a U.S. Navy veteran who has worked and volunteered at the Department of Veterans Affairs. He is committed to promoting a safe therapeutic environment and emphasizing the positive effects that therapy can have on individuals by helping them explore their emotions, gain insights, and achieve actionable change.
- Michelle Vrakelos – Marriage and Family Therapy
Vrakelos is currently studying at Alliant International University to become a Marriage and Family Therapist. She believes the relationships we build, the stories we carry, and the way we see ourselves can have a powerful impact on how we move through the world.
The Narrative Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and Emotionally Focused Therapy approaches embody her core beliefs: that individuals are not defined by their struggles, that new patterns can be learned, and that meaningful change often begins with understanding ourselves and our relationships. Her background as a fitness professional and dance choreographer continues to influence the way she thinks about relationships. Much like a dance, people often fall into familiar patterns without realizing it. Sometimes, a slight change in movement or mindset can lead to a completely new experience.
Her goal is to create a space that is warm, collaborative, and free of judgment.
- Taylor Keeline – Social Services
Keeline graduated from UCLA in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and is currently pursuing a master’s in social work with the goal of becoming a LCSW. She previously worked as an admitting clerk at CIH, where she supported patients and staff through administrative duties. That experience gave her valuable insight into patient care and the importance of accessible health services in rural communities.
As a resident of Avalon, Keeline is passionate about contributing to the well-being of the community. Through this program, she hopes to gain hands-on experience working alongside experienced providers in the Social Services Department/Behavioral Health, while continuing to grow the skills and knowledge needed to become an LCSW in a clinical and medical setting. Finding the program extremely valuable, Keeline has returned for a second year.
To become a Board of Behavioral Sciences Licensed Clinical Social Worker or Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California, each student will need to complete 3,000 hours of supervised professional experience. This process takes about two years.
The students are currently taking on new clients. To make an appointment, contact CIH’s primary care clinic by calling 310-510-0096 ext. 290. These services are covered by most insurance plans. If you have specific questions about coverage, copays, etc. please ask for Patty.
About Catalina Island Health
CI Health’s primary care physicians and family nurse practitioners provide the island community with a solid foundation of care. The medical clinic is located at 100 Falls Canyon Rd., Avalon, up the street from Avalon’s City Hall on the bottom level of the hospital. Its hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Visit CatalinaIslandHealth.org or call 310-510-0096 for more information or to make an appointment. The hospital’s main number is 310-510-0700.
For more information, visit CatalinaIslandHealth.org.