About Us
Alter Mental Health San Diego provides a short-term crisis stabilization program developed as an alternative to inpatient hospitalization where individuals struggling with an acute mental health crisis can come to stabilize either in lieu of being hospitalized or other levels of care. We provide around-the-clock intensive psychiatric/medical care, and onsite 24-hour nursing care including continuous observation, monitoring, and intervention as well as administration of medications. Our mission is to provide a sustainable impact on the individual and family system as a whole.
Evidence-Based Treatment
Every behavioral health clinic that deals in common mental illnesses, including addiction, tout their adherence to evidence-based treatment. However, they do not often delve into details on what these treatments are. At Alter Health Group, the treatments that we employ are as diverse and unique as the clientele who trust us with their recovery. However, you can broadly categorize the treatments as either being a form of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or pharmaceutical therapies.
Mission & Approach
Our treatment team is made up of licensed, experienced, mental health professionals dedicated to working together to create immediate and sustainable change in each patient we serve.
We combine the latest science and evidence-based treatment with compassion and understanding to help our clients recover, grow, and build a better life than they had before. To that end, we provide a diverse array of treatments and services by which we aim to promote holistic healing.
Meet Our Team
About Dr. Araz
Dr. Araz Tawfique, M.D. is an award-winning, Board-Certified psychiatrist with over ten years of experience working with people of diverse needs. He pursued his true passion for psychiatry and completed his psychiatric residency training at the University of Reno, Las Vegas. A San Diego native, he returned to Southern California to receive additional training in mental health. His specialties are psychiatry and psychotherapy, which are techniques that facilitate a better understanding of thoughts, feelings, and motivations. His approach explores the interplay of biology, psychology, and sociology in shaping individuals and their relationships.
Dr. Araz Tawfique, M.D.
Medical Director/Psychiatrist
About Stacy
Stacy is compassionate, patient-centered, and a highly dedicated professional with extensive experience as a Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP). She graduated from Saddleback College with an Associate Degree in Nursing and went on to gain a Masters of Science at Walden University. Stacy brings to Mindfuli the ability to assess complex medical cases, improving quality care, and develop consultative strategies for superior patient outcomes and case efficacy. She provides health education and essential emotional support to patients' families.
Stacy Dawish, PMHNP
Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
About Dr. Martin
Dr. Martin is the lead data scientist in Alter Health Group’s new initiative in mental health research and treatment analysis. While research into treatment for individual mental and behavioral health disorders is constantly advancing, there exists a gap in providers application of this research. There remains a particular need for further analysis of best practices for treating chronic and co-occurring conditions through long-term care. Alter’s position as both a mental health care provider and research institution position it to study this relationship between neuroscience and on-the-ground implementation. Dr. Martin’s research will support a new artificial intelligence model designed to continuously improve patient care and outcomes by leveraging the intelligence shared between cutting-edge psychological research and customized treatment protocols.
Dr. Loren Martin, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer
About Cole
Cole Dyar holds a degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz in Sociology, and is a Licensed Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LAADC) as recognized by the California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals. He has a Master of Science degree from Northcentral University in Industrial-Organizational Psychology with an emphasis on Organizational Leadership and Design. Cole continued on at NCU where he received a postgraduate degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. He is currently in the Doctorate of Marriage and Family Therapy program there, where his focus is Systemic Administration and Entrepreneurship.
Cole has nearly a decade of experience in all facets of the behavioral health and substance abuse fields, including operational, clinical, organizational, and managerial abilities. Cole has a sharp intuition and tremendous acumen when it comes to company culture and what builds and drives an outstanding clinical environment and staff. His initiatives have deeply impacted many of the companies he has worked for within the behavioral health realm.
Cole’s mission is to utilize his extensive experience in the behavioral health field to create innovative mental health and substance abuse programs that serve their clients in unique and lasting ways. Using empathy, procedural prowess, and a true passion for improving the mental health industry, Dyar aims to enrich the fabric of any organizations he serves.
Cole Dyar, MS, LAADC, ICAADC
Executive Director of Operations
About Niloufar
Niloufar Nekou is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California with several years of experience providing psychotherapy to adults. Niloufar believes every individual is unique and it takes a very hands-on approach to work with each individual. Her specialties include working with depression, anxiety, all types of trauma, substance and alcohol abuse, cultural diversity, and handling life’s transitions. She has completed training in EMDR and uses this technique to supplement the talk therapy, as needed.
Modalities that guide her treatment are Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, and solution-focused therapy. Niloufar received her Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Charleston. Niloufar’s therapeutic approach is to create a compassionate and non-judgmental space to address the difficulties that bring clients to therapy.
Niloufar Nekou, LMFT
VP - Executive Clinical Director
About Katarena
Katarena Arger, AMFT
Clinical Manager
About Dr. Michael
Dr. Michael Majeski is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in the State of California. He has extensive experience with the clinical and administrative supervision of a variety of programs for mental health and substance abuse treatment. This includes programs that treat adolescents, transitional age youth, and adults. In addition to his experience with mental health and substance abuse, Dr. Majeski has worked extensively with the Intellectually Disabled population, including Autism, as a behavior consultant and direct service therapist. He is passionate about working with the LGBTQ community, HIV/ AIDS communities, and Communities of Color. Over the past 30 years, he has had the opportunity to work with diverse populations in Residential Treatment, Crisis Intervention, Day Programming, Long term Care and Transitional Housing. He has been involved in educating the public and the profession since 1989 on diversity, LGBTQ issues, HIV/AIDS and Developmental Disabilities.
Since he began working in the field of psychology, he has been dedicated to the integration of physical health, mental health and spirituality. Recently, he has dedicated his professional career to supervising and training Interns from the Behavioral Health Specialties and related professions.
Dr. Michael Majeski
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
