Mental Health Team

Shira Skybinskyy serves as the Clinical Services Manager, for Wasco, Hood River and Sherman Counties. She currently oversee the Wraparound Program and facilitates System of Care Committees in the three counties. Shira has the honor of overseeing the magnificent Children’s teams in Wasco and Hood River, as well as the amazing Sherman County Team.

Shira Skybinskyy has worked at Mid Columbia Center for Living for two years, and in her current position for one year. She has co-facilitated two Crisis Intervention Team(CIT) events in her previous position as Crisis Supervisor at MCCFL.

Shira graduated with my Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology from American International College, in Springfield, MA and is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC).

Maria A. Martinez is a bilingual/bicultural Mental Health Specialist and has been working with the Mid-Columbia Center for Living since 2004.

Maria grew-up in a small town in Mexico. She is the middle child of 14 siblings.  She and her husband immigrated to the USA in 1979 and it was in this country where her dream to go to college and became a counselor came true.

She attended the Adult Learning Center in Hood River, OR where she learned English and obtained her GED.  Soon after she attended classes at Columbia Gorge Community College and Portland State University (PSU) during the day and at night she worked at a fruit-packing house, all while she and her husband raised their 3 daughters.

Maria holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master´s degree in Social Work from PSU.  She is licensed as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the State of Oregon and Certified Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) therapist.  Maria specializes in working with children and families in both English and Spanish.

Professional interests include Play/Art therapy, PCIT, Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), TF-CBT and Collaborative Problem Solving.  Maria particularly enjoys working with children and families to assist them to take personal control of their emotional health.

Outside of work, Maria loves to spend time with her family, in particular with her two grandchildren. She also enjoys yoga, spin class and reading.

Lauren Summer believes that every individual is capable of growth through adversity. She holds firmly that her role in the life of her clients is to hold the vision for a more successful future at times when this can feel impossible.

Lauren  attempts to incorporate cultural competence in her practice by maintaining a lens of social justice. By employing  a multifaceted approach, she draws from theories and concepts such as Gestalt, DBT, CBT, ACT, feminist theories, and others.

Lauren Summers holds a Master’s degree from Lewis & Clark College, with a focus on LGBTQIA studies. She has been working as a licensed mental health intern at MCCFL since November of 2017.

In Lauren’s free time, she enjoys film, cooking, and playing with her cats Frankie and Mosey.

Candyce Monteleone is a Mental Health Counselor at the Mid-Columbia Center for Living. She has worked with clients struggling with bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, relationships, hearing voices, the impact of racism, food issues, addiction, trauma, and much more. She also has specific training and experience working with clients on spiritual issues, when this is an interest they introduce to counseling.

Candyce offers empathetic listening to her clients as she works collaboratively with them to utilize their strengths and to assist their change process. She respects her clients as people who are able to make changes for themselves, but in the unique and time-limited context of therapy she is able to join with them as a collaborator in that process.

She has an integrative approach to counseling drawing from a variety of approaches as best fits each individual client. Candyce tends to lean towards Interpersonal Psychotherapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, utilizing techniques from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and others as appropriate.

Her achievements include receiving the Counseling Student of the Year Award from Western Seminary, 2018 and was a conference presenter alongside Dr. Hannah Acquaye on the subject of spirituality in counseling refugees, November 2017 at the Oregon Counseling Association.

Candyce Monteleone received her Master’s in Counseling from Western Seminary, which has a CACREP accredited program. She is  registered with the Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists as a Licensed Professional Counselor Intern as she earns hours towards her licensure.

She enjoys cycling and hiking with her husband, traveling, and dabbling in arts and crafts.

Janette is a marriage and family therapy intern who graduated from Lewis and Clark College. She has diverse experience working with children and families and spent a year as a medical family therapy intern while she earned her graduate degree.

She enjoys working with kids and families with rich and complex backgrounds. Healing trauma is one of her greatest passions and she is a lifelong learner of the healing arts.

Janette is a dancer, musician, and a lover of the outdoors.  She also has her Reiki I, II certification.

Dan Hoffman is a Mental Health Counselor at Mid-Columbia Center for Living. He is currently Sherman County’s sole mental health provider and as such works with both children and adults. He has worked with clients of all ages struggling with trauma, depression, anxiety, existential questions, grief, self-harm behaviors, addiction, ADHD, hearing voices, and relational struggles to name a few reasons why individuals may seek therapeutic services; previously, Dan worked with high-risk, mandated clients. Dan utilizes an “integrative” approach in therapy primarily through an attachment-based blend of cognitive, existential, and psychodynamic theoretical styles as well as mindfulness and other embodied therapies. Ultimately, Dan believes people can walk a path towards healing and counsels towards that end.

Dan graduated in 2015 with his Masters in Professional Mental Health Counseling from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, a CACREP-accredited program. Dan is a National Board Certified Counselor (NCC) and is registered with the Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists as a Licensed Professional Counselor Intern as he earns hours towards his licensure.

Dan enjoys exploring wilderness, thoughtful conversation, sustaining friendships, cooking and reading truly excellent books. Dan and his lovely wife, Allison, live in The Dalles.

Enrique ” Rheggie” Carranza’s focus and role of a Mental Health Therapist at MCCFL boils down to supporting others in their time of need and facilitating growth for a greater sense of self-awareness & self-care. His mission has always been about people; taking care of individuals in our community and ushering self-actualization- in the hope of expanding our inherent potential to evolve as persistent benevolent human beings.

Apart from the many great psychotherapists present in this field, a few attributes that distinguishes his presence of work is Rheggies’s capacity to listen well and with keen eyes, to see others with care despite unfavorable circumstances surrounding the life of his clients. To him, it is of utmost importance that all whom he encounters come to a deep understanding & respect of the true beauty of life that is them; this is the integral part in the continual progress of our humanities. Always here & now, we have power to create good things. Enjoy this fact!

Breana joins the Center for Living as a Jail Diversion Clinician, supporting those with mental illness who are in contact with the justice system in Hood River, Sherman, and Wasco counties. She provides supportive case management services and therapy to help reduce contact with law enforcement and improve overall well-being.

Breana earned her MSW at Boise State University in Idaho. Before coming to MCCFL, her passion for equality lead her to the field of anti-violence, supporting and treating survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault/abuse. Breana was trained in trauma-informed, body-centered care and attempts to harness the healing potential of human relationships in her work with individuals and groups.

Breana is an Oregon transplant, drawn to exploring the wild places and waterways of the Columbia Gorge. She is often outdoors, stargazing or in search of fresh snow, or spending time laughing with loved ones, who help to fuel her soul.

Kristen Fourcade leads the early psychosis team, part of a state-wide safety net called the Early Assessment and Support Alliance (EASA). She is also the in-home therapist for adults who have both intellectual/developmental disabilities and mental health diagnoses.

Kristen has been with Center for Living for just over four years and loves what she does! She get to deliver services in the community and uses lots of creative problem-solving to help her clients live their best lives.

Kristin Fourcade also helps lead the Multi-Family Group and Workshop, present annually for the local Crisis Intervention Team, and helps after-hours with the mobile crisis team. She is  currently a CSWA, but is just one large exam away from getting her clinical license (LCSW)!

In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, gardening, reading sci-fi/fantasy novels, and playing video games.