Pacific Clinics Training Institute

Roy Ambrose has worked in mental health for more than 16 years, advocating for and empowering members to achieve their dreams and goals. He has worked at both inpatient and outpatient mental health facilities, and currently is an Office Manager for Pacific Clinics’ Portals. He has experience and training in the areas of health and safety, HIPAA, security, counseling, member rights, documentation, front office operations and project management.

Faye Ashby, MSW, holds a master’s degree in social work and has 30 years experience in providing, developing and managing services for older adults. She manages outpatient and field-based mental health services for older adults with serious mental health disorders as Corporate Director of Pacific Clinics Older Adult Program, and is leading the development of Pacific Clinics’ Older Adult Full Service Partnerships and Field Capable Clinical Services.

Michael Corcoran, Ph.D., was in law enforcement for more than 34 years beginning in 1968 and entered the threat assessment field when he joined the United States Secret Service in 1970. He completed post-doctoral work in Stress Management through UCLA’s School of Medicine in 1979 and, also utilizing his law enforcement experience, specializes in identifying and handling potentially violent persons as well as the stressors involved. He does threat assessments and determination of violence risk, identifying behavioral clues to determine stressors in environments that may contribute to these problems for governmental agencies, law enforcement, Fortune 500 companies, school districts and healthcare providers around the world. He has spoken internationally on all these topics, co-authored the text: “Violence Assessment & Intervention, The Practitioners Guide,” and has been called to court as an expert witness on identifying violent individuals. Dr. Corcoran was appointed as President of Henley-Putnam University in 2004, the only accredited school of its kind in the world granting degrees in Protection Management, Intelligence Management and Terrorism/Counterterrorism Studies.

Elaine Der, Pharm.D., is a clinical and consultant pharmacist applying pharmacy practice research into community practice through its various medications management projects. She continues to work in other arenas of pharmacy, including clinics, hospitals, managed care, and retail. Dr. Der trained in geriatric pharmacotherapy and currently serves as a consultant pharmacist for the Partners In Care Foundation, Senior Care Network, and Pacific Clinics. She is actively involved with community education programs concerning older adults and pharmaceuticals.

Michael DiPaolo, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist in private practice in West Los Angeles. He has consulted with several organizations including Step-Up on Second, Didi Hirsch, Pacific Clinics, UCLA, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and St. Monica’s Church. Dr. DiPaolo received his education from the University of Notre Dame, Columbia University, and the California School of Professional Psychology. His publications include The Impact of Multiple Traumas on Homeless & Runaway Adolescents. For the past 10 years Dr. DiPaolo, who served a psychology internship at Pacific Clinics, has facilitated the annual lecture series originated by Dr. Chris Amenson, “How to Survive & Thrive with a Mentally Ill Relative”, which is available on video through NAMI San Gabriel Valley.

Pamela Harmell, Ph.D., is a national lecturer specializing in legal and ethical issues in clinical practice. She is a Professor at the Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology and has written extensively in professional publications on ethical practice. A past President of the Board of Psychology, Dr. Harmell is Vice-Chair of the California State Ethics Committee, and is currently President of the Los Angeles County Psychological Association.

Matt Harwood, LCSW, has been working with HIV/AIDS care in various settings for 20 years. He currently is the training coordinator for mental health services at AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA). He has been training licensed clinicians for more than 10 years on the topics of HIV/AIDS, Human Sexuality and Intimate Partner Violence.

Rose Lopez, Ph.D., has more than 15 years experience working with adults with psychiatric disorders in outpatient and day rehabilitation programs. She received her doctorate in multicultural community psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology, Los Angeles, and has received extensive training from the California Institute of Mental Health (CIMH) on the person-centered, recovery-oriented model of treatment. Dr. Lopez previously held the position of Assistant Director of Pacific Clinics’ Quality Improvement & Compliance Department (QIC), training staff on Medi-Cal documentation and preparing for state/county audits. She is currently the Director of Wellness & Recovery for the Pacific Clinics Institute. She also serves as the staff liaison to the Pacific Clinics Anti-Stigma group, training consumers in public speaking skills and coordinating community presentations with consumers to educate the public about recovery from mental illness.

Laura Pancake, LCSW, has more than 17 years of experience in psychosocial rehabilitation, working with adults with psychiatric disorders primarily in the areas of employment and community integration. She earned her Master of Social Work degree at California State University Long Beach. Laura has served progressively as a site supervisor for employment services, a Program Director of Clubhouse programs, Director of Programs, and is now Corporate Director of Employment Services at Pacifi c Clinics.

Greg Swift, LMFT, is the Associate Division Director for Portals and manages staff hiring and training, quality assurance and Unit of Service delivery/monitoring across all Portals programs. He has a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology and more than 15 years of experience in the mental health field including direct service delivery, clinical supervision, program administration and Pro-ACT training.

Victoria White, LMFT, is a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary and has worked in the field of community mental health since 1984. She has been with Pacific Clinics since 1989 when she joined the Children’s Intensive Day Treatment Program. Ms. White is currently the Program Director at Pacific Clinics’ SELPA/Cortez School program in West Covina.