Matthew Duggan, Ph.D.
Dr. Duggan is the Director of Dr. Duggan & Associates. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1981. Following graduation, he attended the State University of New York at Buffalo where he received his Masters degree in 1984 and his Doctorate in Psychology in 1987. He completed his internship at the Los Angles County/University of Southern California Medical Center. Upon completion of his internship he was offered a position as part of the Medical Psychology team at Memorial Medical Center of Long Beach.
From 1987–1991 Dr. Duggan was steadily promoted until he became the Clinical Supervisor over all the Adolescent and Adult Chemical Dependency and Psychiatric Units at Memorial Medical Center. In the Summer of 1991, he opened Dr. Duggan & Associates. The group has grown from three therapists to it current staff of 16 therapists with four locations.
Dr. Duggan has also been involved in politics over the years. In 1994 he was elected to the Los Alamitos Board of Education and was selected to be President of the Board in 1997. In 1998 he was honored to have been chosen Man of the Year in Seal Beach, California.
Dr. Duggan is a public speaker who has written numerous articles for local papers and has appeared on both local and national television shows. He has been a frequent guest of radio host Bill Carroll on KFI and is the author of Breaking the Adolescent Code.
Throughout his career Dr. Duggan has maintained that one aspect of a healthy life is to maintain balance through involvement with community, hobbies, athletics, etc. To this end, Dr. Duggan has played ice hockey since the age of 5, skating for the Los Angeles Jets from 1988 - 1990. He still plays at the amateur level two times per week and continues to coach his son who also plays hockey.
Dr. Duggan is very proud of the team of professionals he has developed. He believes they are the best team of therapists he has ever worked with and invites you to peruse their bios on this website.
Daniel Zehler, Psy.D., ABPP-cn
Dr. Zehler is a board certified clinical Neuropsychologist and licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in diagnosis and treatment of the full range of neurological conditions in pediatric, adolescent and adult clients. Dr. Zehler received his training in neuropsychology at Hahnemann Graduate School in Philadelphia and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Hahnemann University Hospital. He is board certified through the American Board of Professional Psychology and is also a Qualified Medical Examiner for the State of California. He was previously the Director of Medical Psychology at Memorial Medical Center and currently serves as consulting Neuropsychologist for the Neuro-Rehabilitation unit at Memorial. Dr. Zehler maintains a full time practice with Dr. Duggan and Associates.
Rodric Rhodes, Ph.d., lcsw
Rodric Rhodes, Ph.D., LCSW received his Master of Social Work degree with an emphasis in children, youth, and families, from California State University, Long Beach. Dr. Rhodes received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from California Graduate Institute (currently The Chicago School of Professional Psychology). Dr. Rhodes is dually licensed within California as a clinical psychologist and clinical social worker. The majority of Dr. Rhodes' clinical training and post-graduate experience has focused on working with children, adolescents, and families.
Dr. Rhodes has particular expertise in the evaluation and treatment of children and adolescents. He works collaboratively with families, schools, physicians, and other resource providers in providing comprehensive support to children and adolescents. He is experienced in evaluating and treating a variety of childhood behavioral, emotional, and neurological disorders, such as ADHD, depression and other mood disorders, anxiety disorders, adjustment to life changes (divorce, death, traumatic experiences), substance abuse, and Autistic Spectrum Disorders. Dr. Rhodes also enjoys working with adults. Dr. Rhodes is in independent private practice in Whittier, CA, is the Director of the A.D.D. Center also in Whittier, and is a partner within our group private practice, Dr. Duggan and Associates, in Long Beach, CA.
In addition to his general practice, Dr. Rhodes specializes in the evaluation and treatment of children, adolescents, and adults with Autistic Spectrum Disorders, including Asperger's and Autistic Disorders, and other developmental disabilities. Following diagnosis, Dr. Rhodes utilizes a combination of non-directive play therapy and behavioral strategies with younger children and cognitive-behavioral, social skills, and humanistic strategies with adolescents and adults. He has extensive experience interfacing with, and assisting people to access, various generic resources such as school districts, Regional Centers, Social Security, In-Home Supportive Services, and other treatment providers (such as social skills groups, residential, and vocational services).
The research Dr. Rhodes completed in his graduate training focused on the needs and support of parents and caregivers of children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders. In addition to his work with the individual with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Dr. Rhodes specializes in the support of all family members. He frequently provides consultation to other treatment and educational providers regarding the diagnosis, treatment intervention, and possible referrals for such disorders, and has presented at conferences, to various groups (Autism Society of America), and mental health and other treatment agencies.
Linda King, MFT
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” Marcel Proust
Linda believes that finding new ways to look at and think about ourselves, our lives and the world is an integral part of the therapeutic process. Often the concerns which bring us into therapy reflect our attempts to adapt to and deal with the painful challenges and transitions of life. Building awareness of our characteristic ways of being in the world results in the freedom to choose a new way to be.
Linda received a Bachelor’s Degree in Academic Psychology from the University of Tennessee and has also received Master’s degrees in both Counseling and in Marriage and Family therapy. She is a licensed Marriage and Family therapist in the state of California. She has also worked in the corporate sector and was Vice President of an international sports entertainment and marketing organization. In addition to her work as a therapist, Linda is also currently writing and consulting for an educational toy company on a product to promote character development in the schools.
Linda is experienced in working with children, adolescents, adults and families and has worked extensively with a broad range of clinical issues including depression, relationship issues, stress and anger management, grief and loss, anxiety, trauma and ADHD. She has received training in play therapy and utilizes these techniques with children to develop their abilities to self regulate their emotions and behavior, increase their feelings of self efficacy, and to build coping skills. She also enjoys working with parents to assist them in responding to challenging behaviors and improving family communication skills.
Transitions and changes can be both stressful and exciting. With adolescents and adults, Linda enjoys assisting clients in developing a vision of who they are and who they want to be in the world and using that framework to evaluate choices, plans and relationships. She believes that each person already possesses the capacity to cope with life and that the role of therapy is to help them seek out and utilize their own strengths.
Anne Smith, LCSW
Anne Smith, LCSW, strives to bring an effective blend of experience, empathy, clarity, concern and action to the counseling process in order to maximize outcomes and provide genuine healing and wholeness to children, adolescents, adults and families. Anne received her Master of Social Work degree from USC and attended the University of Colorado-Boulder for her undergraduate degree in English Literature. Anne is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the State of California. She also serves as Adjunct Faculty for field education at the USC School of Social Work.
Areas of emphasis include mood disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder, various anxiety disorders, disordered eating, addiction, women’s issues and life transition issues. Anne also has significant experience working with children, adolescents and families who have experienced varying degrees of trauma, various types of physical, emotional and/or sexual abuse, abandonment and/or neglect, divorcing parents and dysfunctional family systems.
Anne has over fifteen years of counseling experience and has enjoyed working with a wide range of patients in a variety of treatment settings. These have included providing counseling in a city EAP program, an HIV clinic, school-based therapy for children and families; as well as the private practice setting. Anne also has extensive knowledge of workplace issues and corporate settings; having worked in finance, business development, internet startups, as well as journalism; writing for Forbes Magazine.
Michael Dempsey, MFT
Michael provides a safe atmosphere and brings compassionate attention to life's challenges, just as he does to the highly unique qualities of each person who works with him. Michael helps people discover for themselves their own truths and aids them in picking up the best tools to tackle their distress.
Michael received his Bachelor of Science in Applied Psychology in 1989, and received his Master of Science in Counseling with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy in 2011, which included a particular focus in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. After licensure, Michael obtained additional post-graduate clinical certificates in psychodynamic psychotherapy, psychoanalytic psychotherapy, and child psychoanalytic psychotherapy, to broaden the foundation with which to support his patients. Michael thoughtfully collaborates with his patients to integrate the most effective clinical approaches to support their progress and to best address exactly what is challenging them.
Michael also puts to use more than 30 years of related experience, including more than 20 years of professional experience in the federal courts, where he provided recommendations to federal judges, and consulted with prosecutors, defense attorneys and law enforcement officials, as well as additional educational experiences in creative writing and motion picture production to help everyone from creative professionals to everyday adults and kids unfasten their creative potential for a full life.
Michael works effectively with people from diverse racial, ethnic, religious, age, lifestyle, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Lisa Matthews, Psy.d.
Lisa Matthews, Psy.D.
Dr. Lisa Matthews is a Licensed Psychologist with over 25 years of experience in the field of clinical, forensic, and neuropsychology. She received her Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Lewis and Clark College, in Portland, Oregon (1996) and her doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology from Pacific University, in Forest Grove, Oregon (2000).
In addition to conducting evaluations and providing therapeutic treatment, Dr. Matthews has developed and implemented programs related to suicide prevention/treatment of serious suicide risk, identification and treatment of severe mental illness, crisis management, risk assessment, and catastrophic event de-briefing. She spent many years conducting comprehensive evaluations for Federal Courts nationwide, including providing expert testimony as needed. In addition, she supervised Psychologists and Doctoral Interns from Nationally Accredited schools.
Dr. Matthews currently provides individual therapy to adolescents and individual and couples therapy to adults. Dr. Matthews approaches all she interacts with in a balanced and open manner. She quickly develops a warm rapport and provides a safe environment for her clients. Treatment specialty areas include anxiety, depression, trauma, life changes, grief, social/communication skills, gender/self-identity development, and relationship issues.
In addition to providing therapy, Dr. Matthews conducts evaluations with children, adolescents and adults. Examples of the types of assessment she provides include comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations, diagnostic clarification, evaluation of changes in cognitive functioning, memory decline, traumatic brain injury changes (TBI), Long COVID neurological symptoms, Learning Disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)/Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD).
Joanna Rogers, MFT
“Yesterday I was clever so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” Rumi
Joanna Rogers is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Her style is warm, down-to-earth, and creative. She provides a welcoming and safe environment for her patients to express themselves. Joanna has a passion for working with patients who are seeking a meaningful life and see value in deepening their self-awareness. She has experience helping children, adolescents, and adults overcome obstacles such as substance abuse, anxiety, trauma, depression, grief and loss, difficult life transitions, relationship dysfunction, parent-child issues, and ADHD. Joanna takes an integrative approach to treating clients, recognizing the individual needs of each person. She has been trained in a variety of treatment modalities, including cognitive behavioral, dialectical behavioral, psychodynamic, guided imagery, expressive arts, and solution focused therapy.
Joanna received her Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of San Francisco. Shortly after earning her Master’s Degree she completed an Integrative Medicine Education program, with specialization in Guided Imagery and Expressive Arts Therapy, at the Institute for Health and Healing in San Francisco. She also has earned a Bachelor’s Degree in both Cultural Anthropology and Art History from the University of California at Santa Barbara. Joanna began her career as a therapist in the acute care setting in a hospital in Northern California, where she worked with both individuals and families. After relocating to Southern California, Joanna has been working as both a therapist and case manager in a residential addiction treatment center for adults, as well as seeing both children and adults for individual therapy in the community mental health setting. She is currently a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.
Veronica martinez, MFT
Born and raised in Southern California, Veronica graduated from Cal State University, Long Beach in 2000 with a Bachelor or Arts in Liberal Studies and an emphasis in Health, Physical Education and Life Management. She immediately started her career as a teacher in a local private school. Working with adolescents quickly became her passion and motivated her to pursue a career that would allow her to care for children and their families on a more personal level. After beginning her graduate studies, Veronica transitioned from teacher to school counselor in a junior high setting and graduated in 2006 with a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology. Veronica then landed a position in a clinical setting where she could earn her hours toward licensure. Working in an intensive outpatient setting in Los Angeles County helped Veronica develop the skills necessary to treat families with intense trauma, and a multitude of environmental stressors such as poor living conditions and limited access to basic needs. Working her way up to lead clinician, Veronica also began mentoring other mental health professionals.
After earning her license as a Marriage and Family Therapist in 2014, Veronica started her career in private practice working one day a week while also starting a new position as the Program Coordinator for community service programs who serves the mental health needs of all of Orange County. Veronica coordinated mental health treatment for 4-21 year old clients, while also taking on a small caseload herself. She supervised Bachelor level Mental Health Professionals and Marriage and Family Therapist Interns and did extensive community outreach in schools on Mental Health Awareness.
Veronica added to her family in 2017, and with the addition of her first child she decided to only work Private Practice. Currently, Veronica is utilizing her background in both Education and Psychology, to continue providing therapy to children, adolescents and families. Her personal experience of being a parent for the first time, is also beneficial to assisting individuals who are trying to adjust to the work/life balance, or who are struggling raising their children in today’s society.
Sonia Tapia, Office Manager
Sonia took over as Office Manager in the summer of 2014. As Office Manager, it is Sonia’s responsibility to make initial contact with prospective clients. She will ask you some general questions, gather insurance information, and will check benefits for in-network insurance coverage. Sonia’s role is to make your involvement with our office easy and comfortable. She has extensive knowledge and can answer most of your questions about the office. Please feel free to contact her with any questions or concerns.