Team

Dr. Charles Benjamin Warter is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Protected Roots Integrative Treatment Center (PRI). Guided by a belief that quality mental healthcare should be both accessible and deeply human, he has dedicated his career to creating meaningful opportunities for adolescents, young adults, and families to receive compassionate, individualized care.

Drawing on his background in clinical psychology and healthcare leadership, Dr. Warter has built and expanded multidisciplinary treatment programs across multiple levels of care and locations. His leadership emphasizes empowering teams, fostering collaboration, and building sustainable organizations that remain grounded in the needs of the individuals and communities they serve.

Dr. Warter earned his Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) from The Wright Institute in Berkeley, California, with clinical training at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, USC, UCSF, and Kaiser Permanente.

While Dr. Warter does not provide direct clinical services through PRI, he remains closely connected to the organization’s mission, working alongside its leadership and clinical teams to ensure that compassion, meaningful relationships, and clinical excellence remain at the heart of its continued growth.

Adrianna Budyach brings over a decade of accounting and bookkeeping experience supporting small businesses across a wide range of industries, including healthcare, construction, real estate, legal, and professional services. With a strong foundation in public accounting and corporate finance, Adrianna provides thoughtful, detail-oriented bookkeeping support tailored to each client’s operational needs.

Dr. Troy Kurz, MD, MS, is a board-certified child & adolescent psychiatrist specializing in psychopharmacology, integrative psychiatry, and psychotherapy. He sees patients of all ages but is keenly interested in children and adolescents. He cares for patients with a wide range of mental disorders, including depression, anxiety, bipolar, PTSD, and personality disorders. Pertaining to pediatrics and adolescents—he concentrates on autism spectrum disorders, ADHD, LGBTQIA+ health, trauma, and mood disorders. Dr. Kurz received his medical degree from Creighton University School of Medicine. He completed his general psychiatry training and child and adolescent psychiatry specialty training at the University of California Riverside. He is certified in the Standards of Care 8 with the World Professional Association for Transgender Health.

Lauren Kurz PMHNP, MSN, RN graduated from San Diego State University with her BSN and then from Azusa Pacific University with her MSN as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP). She cares for a wide range of patients with mental disorders, including psychotic disorders, mood disorders, PTSD and personality disorders. As a psychiatric nurse she worked inpatient and outpatient settings at Sharp Hospital, Kaiser, mental health urgent cares, and the VA Healthcare System. Lauren brings a holistic approach to the diagnosing and treatment of patients, and applies up-to-date, evidence-based treatments, which focus on each patient’s unique life experiences.

Nathan Lindborg is PRI’s Assistant Clinical Director. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and his master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Phillips Graduate Institute at Campbellsville University in Los Angeles, California where he conducted literature reviews on the effects of sexual trauma on heterosexual males. Nathan’s clinical experience includes working in outpatient community clinics family therapy, individual, court-ordered group therapy, and adolescent in-patient settings focused on rapid stabilization, trauma, suicidality, dual diagnoses, and substance use. Prior to joining PRI, he held the role of Program Director at an adolescent residential treatment center where he was responsible for the leading of the facility’s day-to-day clinical program and operations. He has experience working from multiple theoretical orientations including CBT, TF-CBT, DBT, Solution-Focused, Narrative, Humanistic-Existential, and Attachment-Based Family Therapy

Shayna Kaler received her bachelor’s degree in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience from the University of California, San Diego, where she worked in the Cognitive Development Lab and served as an Instructional Assistant for Foundations of Neuroscience. She has a background working with individuals on the Autism Spectrum teaching emotional regulation, communication, and cognitive development skills, as well as a background working in operations for UCSD’s transit system. Shayna is passionate about program development, and works closely with clinical staff to engage clients in artistic and recreational activities that foster a sense of community, creativity, and self-discovery in concert with PRI’s therapeutic programs. From admissions to graduation, Shayna’s favorite thing is seeing PRI’s clients grow into the most confident versions of themselves! 

Dr. Amir Ahmed is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist practicing in both California and Colorado. Before his career in mental health, he completed his graduate education in Biomedical Sciences with a focus on Neurobiology. Dr. Ahmed has worked in non-profit and hospital settings and currently operates a private practice and group practice in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has received extensive training and developed an expertise in evidence-based therapies, child trauma, and currently specializes in South Asian mental health. In his free time, he plays bass, enjoys the outdoors with his cats, and bakes for friends.

Luiza is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist from the state of California. She received her master’s degree in clinical counseling from The Wright Institute and has been working with patients for more than ten years both in Brazil and the United States. Luiza has worked in a variety of settings such as in elementary school, primary care setting and residential treatment centers and currently works in private practice. She has experience in treating anxiety, depression, stress, and addiction disorders and likes to integrate different approaches into her practice, such as CBT, DBT, attachment theory, and mindfulness practices.

Jose Barcelona is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (AMFT) at PRI. He earned his master’s degree in School-Based Family Counseling from Cal State LA, completing a triple-track program in Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT), Professional Clinical Counselor (PCC) and Pupil Personnel Services (PPS) with a Child Welfare and Attendance (CWA) specialization. Jose brings an extensive background in secondary education, including classroom instruction and counseling, as well as experience working in a community college setting providing therapy to diverse student populations. He works with adolescents, transitional-aged youth, adults, and families, including first- and second-generation immigrant families, focusing on developmental and attachment-focused therapy, family systems approaches, and incorporating elements of CBT, ACT, and IFS. Jose is passionate about helping clients navigate life transitions, build resilience, and strengthen relationships, and he integrates his experience in education with his clinical practice to support growth across multiple contexts.

Bella Walko is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (AMFT) at PRI. She earned her undergraduate degree in Psychology from Lafayette College and her master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Alliant International University. Bella brings a strong background working with adolescents and teens, including extensive mentorship experience with younger populations, and works clinically with adolescents, teens, young adults, couples, and families. Her therapeutic approach is collaborative and strengths-based, drawing from Motivational Interviewing, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Bella is particularly passionate about the heart–mind connection and incorporates grounding and regulation techniques to support emotional awareness, resilience, and nervous system balance. She also brings experience working with athletes and high-performing individuals, informed by her background as a former Division I athlete and her professional experience in corporate environments. Bella is committed to helping clients build resilience, strengthen relationships, and foster meaningful, lasting change.

Dr. West is a Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Psychology, and Psychiatry & the Behavioral Sciences, Director of the CHLA Child Clinical and Pediatric Psychology Internship, and Associate Training Director for Psychology in the Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, and the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. Dr. West is a Board-Certified Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychologist with clinical and research interests in psychosocial interventions for the treatment of pediatric mood and anxiety disorders, including studying predictors and mechanisms of treatment response, and the application of psychosocial interventions to underserved, ethnic minority populations. She was funded by the National Institutes of Mental Health to develop and study a family-based intervention for children with bipolar spectrum disorders. This treatment, called child- and family-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (CFF-CBT), or the RAINBOW program, was determined to be highly efficacious through a randomized clinical trial and published as part of Oxford University Press’s prestigious “Treatments that Work” series. Dr. West has trained over 350 clinicians in this model and delivered workshops nationally and internationally. Currently, the model has been adopted in Sweden, Portugal, and Japan and is established as an effective science-based psychosocial intervention for youth with PBD. Dr. West also has research interests in the developmental psychopathology of mood and anxiety disorders in children, preventing suicidal behavior in youth, perinatal mental health, and American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) mental health and substance use disparities. She has been funded by NIMH, PCORI, SAMHSA, CA DHHS, and multiple private foundations for her research in these areas. She is currently a Co-I and the Director of CBT implementation on a large clinical trial studying medication and CBT treatment sequencing for pediatric anxiety disorders in a predominantly underserved, ethnic minority population. Dr. West received a B.A. in Psychology from Stanford University, her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Virginia, and completed her pre-doctoral internship in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School/Children's Hospital Boston. She then went on to complete a post-doctoral fellowship as a Leadership Education in Adolescent Health (LEAH) fellow in the Division of Adolescent Medicine at Harvard Medical School/Children's Hospital Boston. She spent 12 years on the faculty in the Pediatric Mood Disorders Program in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Illinois in Chicago before coming to CHLA and USC in 2017.

Dr. Lamia has authored six books reflecting her scholarly interests, including: Emotions! Making Sense of Your Feelings; What Motivates Getting Things Done: Procrastination, Emotions, and Success; The Upside of Shame: Therapeutic Interventions Using the Positive Aspects of a “Negative” Emotion; Understanding Myself: A Kid’s Guide to Intense Emotions and Strong Feelings; The White Knight Syndrome: Rescuing Yourself from Your Need to Rescue Others; and, forthcoming, Grief Isn’t Something to Get Over. In addition to her role as a professor at the Wright Institute, Dr. Lamia works with adults, adolescents, preteens, and couples in her Marin County private practice. Her blogs on Psychology Today, Thrive Global, and PsychWire, along with extensive media interviews and commentaries, exemplify her endeavor to convey an understanding of emotion and its significant role in who we become. With that same goal in mind, for nearly a decade she hosted a weekly call-in talk show, “KidTalk with Dr. Mary,” on Radio Disney stations.

Dr. David G. Zelaya (he/him/él) is an Assistant Professor (Research) at Brown University School of Public Health (SPH) within the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies (CAAS), Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences and a research fellow at Harvard Medical School within the Department of Psychiatry. His program of research focuses on examining health disparities, from an intersectionality and minority stress lens, among Black, Indigenous, and People of Color and sexual and gender minority communities and links to HIV risk, mental health, and substance use. Clinically, he is interested in providing culturally competent behavioral health services to historically underserved communities (e.g., Spanish-speaking Latinx people; sexual and gender diverse people). Dr. Zelaya received his Ph.D. from Georgia State University in counseling psychology, he was a psychology resident at Harvard Medical School’s Cambridge Hospital (part of the Latinx Mental Health Program, the Gender and Sexuality Clinic, and the Psychiatric Emergency Service), and he completed his fellowship within the Alcohol Research Center on HIV (ARCH) and CAAS at Brown SPH. Dr. Zelaya is actively involved in service at the national and local level. For example, he is an appointed member of the APA workgroup on Journal Reporting Guidelines for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, & Justice in Psychological Science, co-chair of the Early Career Psychologists Committee for the Massachusetts Psychological Association, he was a board member of the Massachusetts Psychological Association, and an APA Minority Fellow alumnus. Additionally, he serves as the Director for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion for the SAMHSA-funded New England Addiction Technology Transfer Center. He has been the recipient of numerous social justice awards, his research has been published in the flagship journals of his field, and he serves on the editorial board for the Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity journal. At Brown, Dr. Zelaya teaches Introduction to Health Disparities.

Dr. Moorea Blythe is the Project Manager for the UCSF Center for Advancing Dyadic Care in Pediatrics. Prior to this role, Dr. Blythe completed her postdoctoral fellowship in the Early Childhood Integrated Primary Care Behavioral Health program at UCSF, working with the HealthySteps team at the Children’s Health Center at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. Her clinical experiences and training have focused on providing culturally responsive, strengths-based, trauma-informed treatment across the lifespan, with a particular interest in primary care consultation and dyadic infant, early childhood, and perinatal mental health. In addition to Dr. Blythe’s clinical interests, she is passionate about understanding systems of care and has engaged in quality improvement and program evaluation projects, training of pediatric residents, as well as research, to better understand billing practices and equitable access to care.

Kiefer Cowie received his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from The Wright Institute in Berkeley, California and completed his predoctoral internship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital / Harvard Medical School. During graduate school, he completed clinical and research training focused on supporting youth as well as adults with substance use, mood, and anxiety disorders through UCLA’s Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, the Recovery Research Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital, Kaiser Permanente, as well as community clinics and juvenile justice facilities in northern California. Dr. Cowie completed his postdoctoral fellowship focused on measurement-based treatment of addictions at McMaster University and is currently a staff psychologist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. 

Dr. Vidhi Thakkar, Psy.D., earned her doctorate in school psychology at Nova Southeastern University with a specialization in pediatric health psychology. She completed her internship at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles in pediatric psychology and her fellowship at Dell Children’s Medical Center in pediatric health consultation-liaison psychology. Thakkar is currently a licensed psychologist and a doctorate in school psychology. Currently, Dr. Thakkar is a Clinical Adjunct Faculty member in the Department of Pediatrics at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist where she is engaged in program development in creating a consultation-liaison program for pediatric psychology within the hospital. She is also creating a clinic to provide short-term services to patients discharged from the hospital until they are connected to long-term care. Additionally, she is engaged in creating an inpatient pain program for pediatric patients. Dr. Thakkar has a special interest in working with kids diagnosed with FNSD/PNES and acute and chronic pain. Additional interests include addressing institutional and individual levels of resident wellness and providing lectures and discussions to medical interns, residents, and fellows about wellness interventions.

Dr Patricia Cantrell graduated from University of Southern California Medical School in 1994 and completed her pediatric internship and residency at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in 1997. She has been practicing general pediatrics at Kaiser Permanente San Diego since then and has developed a special interest in childhood obesity. She created and runs a multidisciplinary childhood obesity clinic at Kaiser Permanente. She was on the executive committee at the AAP Chapter 3, San Diego for 10 years and recently finished her tenure as president. Currently, she is on the planning committee for the AAP California Las Vegas Seminars and a member of the AAP’s National committee, COPAM and the AAP’s Bright Futures Periodicity Schedule working group. Dr. Cantrell loves to spend time with her husband and two grown sons along with their family pets. She continues to stay active by hiking, playing tennis and riding horses.

Dr. Lori Rappaport received her Masters and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Southern California. She did a Child and Pediatric Fellowship at Harvard Medical School, where she developed the Growing Up Great! Parenting Program. Dr. Rappaport also completed a Family Medicine Fellowship at Harbor-UCLA Hospital in Los Angeles. Dr. Rappaport has worked at several Children’s Hospitals, including Boston, Los Angeles, Long Beach, and San Diego. She is the Co-Founder and current Director of the San Diego ADHD Center for Success.