About Healthy Minds Counseling Center

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We are a passionate group of mental health professionals, led by an Air Force Veteran and Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a specialization in trauma-related disorders. Our commitment to serving our community and fellow Veterans is at the core of everything we do.

Our Founder, Kira Monterrey, brings a wealth of experience from providing trauma-focused psychotherapy services for combat Veterans, military sexual trauma Veterans, and their families during her tenure with the Department of Veteran's Affairs Vet Center program. Having deployed to the Middle East in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom during her time in the Air Force, Kira has a profound understanding of the challenges faced by Veterans and their families.

Driven by a strong desire to make a difference, Kira pursued a Masters in Social Work with a focus on Mental Health and a Sub-concentration in Military and Veterans Social Work from the University of Southern California. Her journey to become a therapist was rooted in her determination to serve her fellow Veterans in the VA Healthcare system.

Having worked for the VA's Vet Center Program and the Northern California Department of Veterans Affairs as a Transition and Care Management Coordinator, Kira has gained invaluable experience in supporting and empowering Veterans on their paths to healing and well-being.

Now, as a licensed and experienced therapist, Kira devotes her full-time efforts to Healthy Minds Counseling Center, a private practice where she has successfully guided numerous individuals in overcoming posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, anger, OCD, low self-esteem, and more. Her expertise extends to working extensively with clients facing traumatic brain injury and chronic pain issues, helping them achieve their therapeutic goals and improve their quality of life.

Beyond her private practice, Kira and the Healthy Minds team is deeply rooted in the local community, actively making an impact through various pro bono services, offering free self-esteem workshops for teens, and advocating for mental health and Veterans' issues. She served as a Commissioner for District 3 on the Contra Costa County Mental Health Commission, and she also volunteers at local Veteran's Stand Downs, ensuring that her commitment to helping others extends far beyond the walls of her practice.

At Healthy Minds Counseling Center, we believe in the power of community, and we are here to support you on your journey towards wellness and a fulfilled life. Join us and experience compassionate care, dedicated expertise, and a commitment to making a meaningful difference in your life and the lives of others. Together, let's embark on a transformative path towards healing and empowerment.

Kira and the Healthy Minds team is deeply committed to helping organizations improve functioning and helping professionals grow in their career through consultation, education and development. 

 Kira has consulted for various companies and organizations on mental health issues and Veteran and military-specific issues. I offer a wide-range of experience in speaking and conducting training seminars for professional development for companies, universities, non-profit organizations, and government organizations. I have provided trainings for local law enforcement agencies, educational institutions, and companies such as PG&E. 

“Mental Health...is not a destination, but a process. It's about how you drive, not where you're going.”

Noam Shpancer, PHD

I am a licensed clinical therapist/licensed clinical social worker seeing clients via Telehealth located anywhere in California. I specialize in working with people who have experienced, or who are currently experiencing trauma. 

The majority of my clients work with me to heal from family/relationship trauma and abuse, divorce, sexual trauma, medical trauma, substance use, vicarious work trauma, combat trauma, and other trauma connected to the military. Often my clients are navigating co-occuring disorders, ADHD, a recent life altering traumatic event, or are balancing day to day life in high stress work environments including the medical field, law enforcement/first responders. I prioritize a very client centered, warm, and no BS approach to therapy built on a strong client-therapist relationship.

In addition to working for the military/DoD at Walter Reed Military Medical Center, I have worked in all levels of substance use treatment and various trauma focused programs. I use trauma focused, evidence-based treatment modalities, including EMDR, to help clients process past/recent events, explore a deeper understanding of how you want your life to look like moving forward, and how to get there. I love how creative and individualized therapy can be, I am committed to individualizing treatment around you. 

See more at:  Charlotte Molali, Clinical Social Work/Therapist, Brentwood, CA, 94513 | Psychology Today 

Josephine is a Certified Family Nurse Practitioner with a full range of primary mental health care services. Treatment modalities include both medication and psychotherapeutic management. To increase her professional investment, Josephine is pursuing her Psychiatric Mental Health post-masters certification. 

Josephine is experienced in both large metropolitan and rural areas with different age group setting especially for those with limited access to health care. She ignited a passion to provide access to affordable, quality mental health care no matter where a patient may be located. She strongly supports telemedicine for the patient's comfort and quick access to mental healthcare. 

“You can never solve a problem with the same kind of thinking that created the problem in the first place” ~ Albert Einstein

There are times in our lives when we all struggle with fear, distress, sadness, and pain of one kind or another. Often, one feels helpless with a feeling of nowhere to turn but contacting a therapist, while maybe difficult, can bring some peace to a troubled soul. Whether you are struggling with acute trauma or simply feeling challenged by facets of everyday life, we all occasionally long for empathy and guidance. Loss, depression/anxiety, addiction, even normal life transitional issues can leave us feeling powerless, frightened, and lonely. Often, we hesitate to share these feelings with friends or loved ones for fear of being a burden or worse, being judged.
 

Therapy can provide a safe and nurturing environment where one can share fears and struggles without judgment, a supportive place to resolve and cope with life’s challenges. Having the courage to take on this challenge has the potential for healing, growth, inner peace, and happiness. Give yourself that gift. It is my goal to provide a respectful, empathic, and nurturing environment in which my clients gain an understanding and appreciation of their strengths, abilities, and discover their potential for self-fulfillment.

Supervised by Kira Monterrey, LCSW, MPA, CA 

License # LCSW81553 

Leslie D. May was born in Bronx, New York and raised in the Bay Area cities of Berkeley and Oakland, CA. She’s worked in various genres of the government; enjoyed teaching primary school; has worked as a case manager, advocate, counselor, and clinician. As a lifelong member of the Bay Area, she has amassed knowledge of the needs of the communities and have witnessed the devastation mental illness has on adults and children. She made a promise to give back to the communities that nurtured her growing up and as an adult. 

She is a graduate of John F. Kennedy University in Pleasant Hill, Ca. with a master’s degree in counseling psychology, with emphasis on transpersonal psychology. She also holds a master’s degree in health care administration and a master’s degree in public administration. Additionally, she has completed the 40-hour training as a Domestic Violence Advocate; training with CASVSP as a Supervised Visitation and Exchange agent; and interviewing children in crisis for legal cases.

Supervised by Kira Monterrey, LCSW, MPA, CA 

License # LCSW81553