24 Hour Helpline: (888) 450-2701
about_splash

ABOUT STAIRWAY RESOURCE CENTER

Your Recovery and Healing is Supported by Caring Staff

The entire team at Stairway Resource Center understands what it feels like to be lost and out of answers. Daily struggles can become so daunting that most people begin using again because it seems to be the only way to dull the pain from life’s daily battles.

We have a mission to support every person who comes to us for help so they can find their personal path through careful guidance, support, rebuilding a foundation, relearning life skills, repairing the pieces of past which have continued to plague us, regaining self-esteem, building confidence, and of course, learning how to remain clean and sober.

Our team of experts is dedicated to the healing and life skills support for adults suffering from substance use disorders, psychiatric and mental health issues.

about_image1
photo_founder

Meet Michael Lynch,Our Founder

Michael Lynch had a difficult life growing up and turned to drugs as a way to cope with his pain.

During this time, he made some poor choices that eventually led to him being incarcerated. After his release, he started an entertainment company that became a tremendous success. However, Michael felt that something was still missing, so he continued to use drugs/alcohol in order to fill the void inside. He could not find the internal love, peace, and happiness that he was desperately seeking, which ultimately led to him losing it all again. Determined to find a solution to his problems, he took the advice of an old friend who told him there was another way… thus beginning his road to recovery in 2008.

As Michael became involved in a twelve-step program and the recovery community, he began to feel differently. His feelings and emotions started to change for the better. As years went by, a wave of inexplicable happiness started to take hold inside him. After completing his twelve-step program, Michael knew he wanted to help others find the inner peace that he’d discovered. He decided to turn his focus outward to the addicts still suffering around him.

It was then that he realized he’d found a calling: to build a solid community of caring individuals who addicts (including himself) could turn to during their struggles and long after their treatment had ended.

Michael’s goal was to create a strong, compassionate community that made addicts feel important, valued, and cared for by a reliable group of trustworthy fellow addicts committed to their recovery and helping others. Michael realized that dream by creating Stairway Resource Center in 2017.

Stairway Resource Center provides compassionate outpatient treatment and our program has one of the largest, most respected alumni communities in recovery. We’ve helped thousands of people with treatment but also by facilitating the opportunity to create new meaningful relationships with others in recovery and lives that they never thought possible.

Michael’s vision has become a reality, manifested by the rebuilt lives and realized dreams of the people he serves.

Our Mission

Our mission is to provide state of the art treatment for substance abuse and mental health disorders that is individualized and successful.

Stairway-Recovery-Mission2

Our program is employed with a distinguished team of mental health professionals, who focus on the whole person using an evidence-based treatment, neuroscience, and holistic healing.

We strive each day to work by our values and foster an environment that is welcoming, comfortable, and impartial to every employee. By applying the principles of growth, recognition, accountability, and commitment, we nurture and maximize talent for the benefit of each individual and the organization.​

We promote a collaborative working culture driven by respect, ethics, and integrity in every aspect of our work, and believe it is essential to empower employees to do their job in order to provide the highest level of services to our clients.

We hope you have a long and successful experience at Stairway and share our commitment to providing excellence throughout the organization!

Caring Recovery Professionals

We are committed to offering personalized care, outstanding support services, and clinical excellence. The goal isto empower each client during their journey throughout their recovery.

Safe and Comfortable Recovery Homes

Our partner, Stairway Recovery Homes, has multiple sober living homes located in Los Angeles, CA. They provide quality recovery homes for both men and women and act as as a home base for many of our clients while in outpatient care with us.

The difference between Stairway Recovery Homes, and other sober livings, is the community. The Stairway sober family is one of the largest in our area. At Stairway, we feel it is imperative for our clients to build a strong support network of peers from the beginning of their recovery process, which is why we encourage individuals who are in our program to seek sober housing with Stairway Recovery Homes.

Together, we strive to stop the vicious cycle of drug and alcohol detox, to rehab, to relapse, then back to detox.

photo_home-2

“You are not alone and this is not the end of your story.”

Ready to Get Started on Your Journey to Long-Term Recovery?

Learn More About Our Admissions Process or Call Now to Speak With a Treatment Expert
1-888-450-2701

Our Accreditations

Medical Disclaimer: Nothing on this Website is intended to be taken in place of medical advice. Before making any decisions regarding your health, please consult your doctor. The staff at Stairway Resource Center develops a custom treatment plan for each of our patients. Specific medical advice will be provided to our patients by our professional providers while in our care.
Matthew Koch, AMFT
Therapist

Matthew been working in substance abuse/recovery treatment and mental health therapy for the past 4 years. He has extensive experience with dual diagnosis and co-occuring disorders. He completed his Masters at Antioch University, Los Angeles with specializations in Addiction & Recovery and Trauma practices. He has worked in PHP, IOP, and private settings and facilitated numerous Process and Support Groups. He believes a integrative and holistic, approach to be highly effective and comforting for those suffering with addiction as well other mental health diagnoses. With individual clients, utilizing a strength-based, trauma-informed method, he practices multiple theories including Humanistic, Attachment, Family Systems (IFS), Object Relations, and Intersubjectivity to help clients work on and process issues, including those that may have been overlooked, with a solution-focused strategy. He has been sober for 5 years. An avid sports and music fan, he loves attending events including concerts and games, especially watching his beloved Los Angeles Dodgers, where he used to be employed.

Guzel Safina, AMFT
Therapist

Guzel received her Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology and Marriage and Family Therapy at the Benedictine University. She utilizes treatment modalities of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical behavior therapy, Psychodynamic processing, with a foundation focus of Attachment Based Therapy. Guzel has experience working with victims of crime, youth in the justice and foster care system, individuals struggling with the aftermath of childhood trauma, addiction, eating disorders and relationship issues.

Latesha Reed, PhD
Nurse Practioner

Dr. LaTesha Reed is a board certified Nurse Practitioner (family and psychiatric-mental health) and completed her Doctorate in Nursing Practice. This is an accomplishment she takes great pride in, knowing her patients will reap the rewards of this higher learning. Additionally, she holds two master’s degrees and a post masters certification.

Dr. Reed’s journey in the world of healthcare has been a thrilling and enlightening adventure, one that has unfolded over the years as she had the privilege of working with diverse patient populations and nurturing the minds of nurse practitioner students. Through it all, her unwavering belief in the paramount importance of physical and mental health has been the guiding light illuminating her path.

Recognizing the importance of passing on the torch of compassionate care, she took on the role of an educator. Teaching nurse practitioner students has been a rewarding experience, allowing her to instill in them the values of empathy, cultural sensitivity, and a commitment to both physical and mental health. Together, they’ve explored the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare, with an emphasis on holistic patient care.

Throughout her journey, the importance of physical and mental health has remained at the forefront of her practice. Dr. Reed has seen firsthand how these two aspects of well-being are inextricably linked and how neglecting one can impact the other. Her dedication to fostering a holistic approach to healthcare has led to improved patient outcomes and a stronger emphasis on preventive care and mental health support.

Lexi Berard, MA, AMFT
Therapist

Lexi graduated with a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University, Los Angeles. She is trained in psychodynamic theories, emotionally-focused therapy, trauma-informed modalities, and LGBTQIA+ affirmative therapies. She believes that therapy gives you the choice to live how you want to live — not how you have learned to survive. Her work treating sobriety reflects this value.

Lexi works as an Associate Marriage & Family Therapist (AMFT) both in private practice and with individual clients at Stairway Resource Center. She is actively involved with the Los Angeles chapter of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT) and a member of the Los Angeles Institute and Society of Psychoanalytic Studies (LAISPS) Student Society. She is supervised by Suzanne Dudley, LMFT #44353.

Michael Lynch
Co-Founder and CEO

Michael has been an avid and successful entrepreneur since 2004, with experience in various industries including; entertainment, production, retail consumer goods, and transitional residential programs and multi-unit housing facilities.

He is highly driven by his commitment and passion to help others who are in need of recovery and has been helping people to achieve their goals for several years with tremendous success. His reputation is well known within the treatment community and amongst people who actively are working on their recovery and want to live a sober life.

Michael oversees the daily operations of Stairway Recovery Homes, the partner of Stairway Resource Center, which is located in Southern California. Stairway Recovery has nine residential homes and houses over 100 people in the sober community. Not only do the people in the Stairway Recovery community stay sober, but they are also able to create new meaningful relationships and lives that they never thought possible.

Michael’s vision has become a reality, manifested by the rebuilt lives and realized dreams of the people he serves.

Travis Grant
Co-Founder and CCO

As an experienced business leader and Co-Founder, Travis leveraged his leadership skills and personal family experience with addiction to inspire and create an innovative and patient-first culture at Stairway Resource Center.

Travis oversees the facilities’ Performance Improvement process, which ensures that SRC holds itself to the highest standards so that our clients receive the best quality of care. Additionally, he ensures compliance with all federal and state regulations, licensure, and Joint Commission Accreditation.

Travis is passionate about his work because it provides the opportunity to assist those with similar experiences to his. The virulent problem of addiction is very personal for Travis. He saw first-hand the tragic consequences of addiction in his own family as a young boy, and from that experience made a commitment to someday help others battle this devastating disease.

Travis and his wife, Elyssa, are longtime residents of Southern California. They split their time between their homes in Woodland Hills and Mammoth Lakes.

Jessi Brown
Admissions Director

Jessi Brown, Senior Director of Admission and Client Experience, is more than just a member of the Stairways Resource Center team, she is an example of what this community can achieve and an example to all of our clients, especially the women.

Jessi has been working in the field of recovery since 2007 and joined this team as manager of the first female sober living at Stairway Recovery Homes and went on to design and implement the woman’s program at SRC. She continues to take on additional responsibilities within operations, to ensure our clients are receiving the highest level of support possible, but more importantly, Jessi continues to inspire and change the lives of young women, who can relate to her experiences, each and everyday.

Max Bird-Ridnell, LMFT
Clinical Director

Max has been working in substance abuse treatment for the past 10 years. He completed his Masters at Pacifica Graduate Institue and wrote his thesis on group therapy for addicted populations. He has run over 3000 groups and currently runs the family group at Stairways on Tuesday nights. With individual clients, he practices Habib Davanloo’s Intensve Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) and believes it to be the most powerful approach in individual counseling for those suffering with addiction, helping clients quickly resolve core issues that had often previously been ignored. He has been sober for almost 2 decades. He opens the batting for Pickwick Cricket Club.

Tyson Sullivan
Director of Business Development

Tyson has worked in the treatment field since 2015 he has influenced a culture shift for individuals struggling with Substance Use Disorders and seemingly hopeless circumstances in his community.

Through his professional life as a licensed interventionist and serving the recovery community with a large fellowship of resources Tyson is literally in the business of saving lives. Recovery also lives and breathes in his personal life, he has an altruistic spirit wrapped around a grateful heart. Tyson enjoys surfing, raising his children (Seamus and Liv), volunteering at Charle Street in Costa Mesa, and leading by example for his two younger brothers and Family. Tyson uses critical thinking, unconditional positive regard, and years of experience as an addict himself to help alcoholics and addicts find a better quality of life.

Tyson has seven years clean and sober and claims to be living in the “fourth dimension”. Allegedly that is where you dwell when you have been “delivered from a hopeless state of mind and body”. Tyson lets his actions speak for who he is.

He serves as a board of director for Yellowstone Recovery in Costa Mesa as well as a board of director for The Nowell Family Foundation helping musicians struggling with addiction

Heidi Marcz
Director of Alumni and Case Management

Heidi has been working in the field of addiction for the past 5 years, has a RADT and moonlights as a recovery blogger. If asked, there is nothing in the recovery field that Heidi won’t do to learn more or to be of service to the newcomers.

As Director of Alumni and Case Management, Heidi feels she has the unique opportunity to help with the day to day needs of the clients and maintaining continuity in the community-even after people have finished their initial SUD programming.

Michael D. Stone, MD
Medical Director

Michael D. Stone, MD has been in practice for over 30 years. He graduated from Medical School in 1986 and attended LA County/USC Medical Center Residency in the field of Emergency Medicine. He is a practicing E.R. doctor at 2 hospitals in the Southern California area. Dr. Stone also has a Specialty in Chemical Dependency and Addiction Medicine for 22 years. He is the Medical Director of numerous Residential and Outpatient Facilities in the Los Angeles area. Dr. Stone’s interests outside of medicine include a commercial pilot, all outdoor activities including skiing, fishing and boating.

Kenneth Howard Clark, MD
Director of Medical Services

Kenny is a Pennsylvania native who came to southern California in 2022 for treatment of his own addiction. Following an intensive 60-day residential program he came to Stairway Resource Center to continue his own care and establish a personal recovery program. Following his outpatient therapy at Stairway he felt drawn to work in the field of addiction, recently becoming staff at the facility that both saved and changed his life. Kenny now works as the Director of Medical Services at Stairway, where he serves more than 60 clients trying to manage the same disease that nearly cost him his life. He is a devoted member of Narcotics Anonymous and committed to the men and women of the Stairway Community.

Prior to his relapse in 2017 he worked as a medical examiner in both Allegheny and Onondaga Counties, and also held faculty appointments at Syracuse University (Adjunct Professor of Forensic Science) and Upstate Medical University (Assistant Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine). He formerly held 4 certifications from the American Board of Medical Specialties (anatomic pathology, clinical pathology, neuropathology, forensic pathology), as well as licenses in Pennsylvania, New York, and Mississippi. He also has a degree in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University. Dr. Clark currently has an application for California medical licensure under review.

Christy Zeegen, PMHNP-BC
Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner

Christy Zeegen is a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner based in Los Angeles, California. With a rich background serving both pediatric and adult patients, Christy’s expertise spans developmental and intellectual differences as well as broader mental health challenges. She firmly believes in the intertwined relationship between holistic health and achieving balance in one’s life.

Christy is steadfast in her belief that holistic well-being encompasses mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual dimensions. Emphasizing a personalized approach in healthcare, she ensures that each patient’s unique needs are at the forefront of her practice. This patient-centric philosophy is the bedrock of her role as a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner.

Rosa Blasi, LMFT
Therapist

Rosa graduated with a Masters degree in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in ‘Addiction & Recovery’ from Antioch University, which was one of the first in the country to offer this specialization. Since 2018, she has had the pleasure of working at several dual diagnosis outpatient treatment centers for people struggling with mental health and/or addiction.

Rosa is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in private practice, teaching groups (and with individual clients) at Stairway Resource Center, as well as pro-bono work with Miriam’s House, a non-profit residential sober living home where women can live with their children while in recovery.

Cristina Bonilla, LCSW
Therapist

Cristina is a bilingual clinical social worker with over 10 years experience working in the field of mental health and addiction, both in the non profit and private sectors. Cristina received a diploma as a certified substance abuse counselor before returning to school to receive a Masters Degree in Social work at USC. Cristina uses a client-centered trauma focused approach in her treatment modalities, blending evidenced based practices such as CBT and EMDR to create an individualized treatment plan to support each client’s unique needs.

Cristina spent several years serving the dually diagnosed homeless populations by working with homeowners to create sustainable housing models for our Los Angeles county homeless. Recent work in the non-profit sector with the hispanic LQBTQ-IA+ community and children and families has afforded the opportunity to hone a trauma focused clinical practice, where she developed a penchant for addressing intergenerational trauma. She has worked at every level of substance abuse treatment from residential facilities, intensive outpatient programs, and as a sober living manager.

Bruno Burghard, CADC II
Relapse Prevention Specialist

Bruno Burghard is a Case Manager, NAMA Anger Management and Relapse Prevention Specialist at Stairway Resource Center with 22 years of giving back to the community, one newcomer at a time.

Jon Reece
Group Facilitator

Jon began his journey working in substance abuse treatment in 2019. He has experience working with co-occurring disorders, anger management, and depressive disorders. He is active in his own recovery, passionate about his position, and is able to serve as a brand ambassador to Stairway Resource Center. As a psychiatric technician he is committed to helping others seek treatment and getting the appropriate care they deserve.

In 2021, Jon was certified in the delivery of TMS. Due to his varied experience working in mental health, Jon finds TMS exciting due to the possibility of offering real hope to individuals for whom many other treatments failed to produce a genuine change in their internal experience of depression. An avid learner, Jon is currently studying to become a CDAC.

Raymond Sipos
TMS Technician

Raymond has been working in the addiction and behavioral health field for the past 5 years. A member of a 12 step program, Raymond has been clean and sober for over 7 years. With a special interest in medication resistant depressive disorders, Ray returned to school and obtained his certification in Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation.

Through his work with patients, Raymond has found that he is at his best when he is helping others connect with mental health resources and he is excited to help more patients find TMS.

In his free time, Raymond enjoys travel, theatrical events, and exploring Southern California.