Meet Our Therapists

Post-Doctoral Associate

Dr. Alexis Moreno is a Registered Psychological Associate (94029593) supervised by Dr. Angela Klein (PSY 25219), in accordance with California Board of Psychology requirements. Dr. Moreno holds a doctorate in Clinical Community Psychology and a Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. Dr. Moreno is trained and experienced in assisting individuals and couples through stress, overwhelming emotion, relationship challenges, and the complexities of modern life across the lifespan. Her approach to therapy is grounded, collaborative, and practical, integrating mindfulness, trauma-informed care, relational awareness, and evidence-based behavioral strategies to support meaningful and sustainable change.

Dr. Moreno values helping clients better understand the emotional, relational, and behavioral patterns that may contribute to suffering, disconnection, and feeling stuck. Her work emphasizes emotion regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, distress tolerance, self-understanding, and the development of coping strategies that can be applied in everyday life. She has particular interest in supporting individuals navigating high-pressure environments, relationship stress, perfectionism, and the emotional demands of modern life. Her clinical perspective is informed by training in clinical-community psychology, marriage and family therapy, and evidence-based behavioral approaches, as well as experience working across multidisciplinary settings. Dr. Moreno draws from DBT, CBT, mindfulness-based practices, relational and systems-oriented perspectives, and acceptance-based approaches.

Dr. Moreno has also developed and facilitated trainings related to mental health, communication, psychological safety, and wellness for organizations and professional communities. Her background in media and communication informs her understanding of visibility, stress, interpersonal dynamics, and the emotional impact of fast-paced or high-pressure environments.

Outside of work, Dr. Moreno enjoys gardening, the coast, creative projects, and time with her family and friends.

Student Therapist

Marina is a counseling intern under the supervision of Dr. Klein. As a member of the Centered Ground team Marina assists with skills training, individual therapy sessions, and coaching focused on DBT.. Marina is currently completing her Master’s in clinical mental health counseling at Concordia University Irvine, Marina holds a strong commitment to providing compassionate and client-centered care. She brings a thoughtful and empathetic approach to her work. While early in her clinical journey, Marina is grounded in evidence-based practices and focused on creating a safe, welcoming environment for each client. She is especially interested in life transitions and values building genuine, trusting connections with clients as they navigate life's challenges and work toward meaningful change.

Staff Therapist

Deborah Bothun, MA, APCC, is an experienced coach with over 25 years of experience supporting the health and well-being of corporate professionals and private clients. At Centered Ground Deborah is currently supervised by Dr. Klein as she completes her licensure requirements for professional counseling. Deborah’s philosophy is around what she calls “Whole Life Development”. She has a Masters in finance, a Masters in accounting (from Northwestern University), and a Masters in Clinical Psychology (from New York University). She provides a combination of corporate “warrior experience” with education and experience around depression, anxiety, addiction, trauma, and related issues to support growth in individuals seeking a better way of life.

Deborah’s experience includes working with adults, teens, and families across a wide variety of socioeconomic categories and genders. She also has extensive training in modalities that support growth relative to trauma including EMDR, brain spotting, and Psychodrama..

When she is not working with clients, she plays the piano, works on complex jigsaw puzzles, and spends time walking on the beach with her therapy dog, Myrtle Ann.

This is your journey and it will be explored as a team to support your “whole life”goals. Deborah will help you fight back against the challenges in your life with empathy and integrated therapeutic approaches customized to your specific situation and goals.

Independent Contractor

CHRIS MCDUFFIE COUNSELING, A LICENSED CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKER CORPORATION, A CALIFORNIA PROFESSIONAL CORPORATION

Offering Teletherapy across CA and In-Person at Centered Ground

Chris McDuffie is a licensed psychotherapist and a retired high school principal. He has worked extensively in the field of co-occurring disorders at residential treatment centers and in private practice.  Chris is proficient in applying secular, spiritual, and Buddhist psychology to enhance DBT, ACT, CBT and MBRP to help those suffering from substance abuse and/or mental health issues.

Chris has lectured for the following national and international programs to coach therapists and medical professionals on how to offer Mindfulness and Buddhist psychology: Behavioral Health Association of Providers, the University of Illinois Common Ground Research Network, the California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals, NACCME’s Rx Drug Abuse and Heroin Summit, and APA Approved CEU trainings held at the AToN Center. You may also be interested in following Chris’ Insight Timer App podcast show, “Spiritual Sobriety” to learn more about how to incorporate Buddhist psychology with the 12 Steps.

Chris holds a Masters of Social Work from Fordham University and has completed training in Compassion-Based Psychotherapy and Embodied Transformation at Nalanda Institute's Contemplative Psychotherapy Program. Chris also holds a CADC-II for Chemical Dependency Counseling, is a SMART trained facilitator, and works with clients who may be struggling with depression or trauma related to their relationships or family.

Chris offers highly personalized and individualized, concierge counseling for individuals, couples, and corporate teams. During initial sessions, Chris invites his clients to begin looking at difficult situations and collaborate to create a plan for addressing them in ways that helps clients feel empowered. Chris offers a free 15-minute consultation and may be reached at - (858) 461-6921.