Meet Our Staff

As co-founder of NOVUS Mindful Life Institute, Duane Osterlind’s vision is to provide comprehensive care for individuals struggling with process addictions in the utmost confidential, comprehensive and caring environment to ensure clients feel safe and accepted with anticipation that recovery is possible.

Duane has over eight years of experience as a therapist helping individuals find hope and healing. He received his Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from California State University, Long Beach. He has also trained with Patrick Carnes, P.hD., a leading expert in the treatment of sexual addiction issues and author of “Out of the Shadows”. He is a member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT), and the Society of Sexual Health (SASH). MFT#44567

Duane’s clinical focus is on treating individuals and couples struggling with process addictions using a mindfulness and task centered approach. He facilitates the Men’s Sexual Addiction Process Group and well as a DBT group for individuals struggling with anxiety and depression.

Dr. John Sealy is the chief psychiatric advisor for Novus Mindful Life Institute.
He was also the Medical Director of the former Sexual Addiction Recovery Program at Del Amo Hospital in Torrance, California.
Dr. Sealy is a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, and an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
Dr. Sealy appeared in the 2009 season of Celebrity Sex Rehab With Dr. Drew, providing psychiatric sessions for clients on the program.
Dr. Sealy’s compassion and experience are unparalleled, enabling Novus to provide comprehensive mental health care to clients who need it.

As Co-Founder of Novus, I am working hard to build a practice that brings Mental Health resources to the people of our community! Novus Mindful Life Institute offers treatment toward healing from addictions, compulsive behaviors and childhood traumas. Using a task-centered method, combined with the healing qualities of mindfulness, we help people overcome sex and pornography addictions, build healthier behaviors and stronger relationships. In my role as Executive Director, I help ensure that all aspects of our business function successfully including, individual and family therapy, group therapy, intensive workshops, and insurance billing.

Julia Breyer completed her Bachelor of Arts degree at Chapman University in Sociology with a Social Work emphasis and her Master of Social Work (MSW) degree in Mental Health at the University of Southern California.

Julia has worked in mental health and addiction recovery venues for over six years. She has experience in a wide variety of  settings–both inpatient and outpatient–and with both adults and adolescents Her responsibilities have included case management, individual therapy, and group therapy.

Julia believes that an effective addiction recovery process involves multiple different, but complementary, focuses, including, but not limited to, attachment theory, motivational interviewing and mediation. Her goal is to help her clients discover their own recovery within themselves.

Barbara Christian, Psy.D. MFTi recently earned her Doctorate of Psychology degree with a specialization in Marriage and Family Therapy from Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She also hold a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Antioch in California. She is a Marriage Family Therapist intern with license pending and is currently a candidate for certification with The Association of Partners of Sex Addicts Trauma Specialist (APSATS).

Barbara is an Associate Sex Addiction Therapist and has trained with Patrick Carnes, PhD., a leading expert in the treatment of sexual addiction issues. She has practiced in the field of addiction and mental health for 28 years in various settings, and has extensive experience with treating emotional and physical trauma. Barbara has provided trainings to a variety of populations for a deeper understanding of human sexuality, addiction, mental health and healthy attachments. Her range of training and experience help her understand and connect with her clients to engage in the treatment process.

Barbara serves individuals, couples, family, and groups. She works with a variety of clients including individuals establishing and sustaining recovery from addictions, partners of addicts, grief and loss, and goal setting. Therapy methods include but are not limited to: Mindfulness, Meditation, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and Emotion Regulation.

Barbara is a member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT) and Society for Advancement of Sexual Health (SASH).

Supervised by: Duane Osterlind, LMFT, CSAT

Kevin Klebe earned his Master’s Degree in Social work in 2010 from the University of Maryland School of Social Work. He is a licensed clinician (LCSW) in the state of Maryland and California. He is currently aCertified Sexual Addiction Therapist (CSAT).

Kevin has been working in the substance abuse field for 10 years and has extensive experience treating addictions in a variety of settings.

He has worked in both inpatient and outpatient environments, as well as various state hospitals. In 2013 he began a small private practice in Maryland and grew it to over 50 clients by 2015. He is also passionate about teaching and has been teaching classes in human services at the college level for the past 5 years.

Karen R. Corey is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (L.C.S.W.). She received her Master’s Degree in Social Work (M.S.W.) from University of Southern California (USC) specializing in Mental Health Services. She is a member of California Society of Clinical Social Workers (CSCSW) and EMDRIA (EMDR International Association).

Karen has more than 12 years of experience working with individuals helping them overcome barriers to achieving the life they want to live. In 2002, Karen became interested in working with addicts and their partners. After realizing that childhood trauma is at the root of most addictions, Karen focused on receiving trainings and certifications in trauma-based treatment. She became a Certified EMDR (Eye Movement Desentization Reprocessing) therapist and was specially trained in Somatic therapy. She completed Pia Melody’s trainings (author “Facing Love Addiction”, “Facing Codependence”, “The Intimacy Factor” and many more). Karen uses Pia’s model of “developmental immaturity” and her premise “that childhood trauma is the origin of developmental immaturity”. Karen is recognized as a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist under the auspices of Patrick Carnes, PhD.

After years of working with individuals and their partners struggling with Sex Addiction and Sex and Love Addiction, Karen has come to learn that there is a lot of shame and condemnation associated with this addiction. Understanding this has fueled her passion and desire to help these individuals move through their recovery.

I am excited to share some information about myself and to walk this path of health and healing with you.  I have been a Licensed Clinical Social Worker for many years.  I worked as a counselor and then as a school social worker providing services for children, youth, and families.  I have worked in clinics and for a short time as a mental health social worker in a hospital emergency room.  Prior to becoming a social worker, I was a teacher both in high school and in local colleges.

I have always pursued paths that interested me. I loved English Literature as an undergrad and then focused on Linguistics in grad school which led to teaching English as a Second Language both here and overseas.  After some significant life changes, which included marriage, the birth of a beautiful son, and a divorce, I shifted my focus to social work to create more joy, peace, and acceptance in my own life.

My personal and professional interests have always complemented each other and have focused primarily on learning subjects that challenged me intellectually and provided ways for me to develop self-understanding and more skillful means to interact with self and others.

Particular areas of interest are the study and practice of spiritual disciplines such as Buddhism and Christianity, and fields of psychology including psychodynamic, Jungian, and transpersonal. Other complementary explorations and training include non-violent communication, skillful parenting, and recovery from the impact of addiction.

My post-graduate training has focused on Guided Imagery and Music (GIM). GIM derives from Music Therapy and combines music, imagery and creative expression as a means of enhancing self-knowledge, dealing with loss and trauma, and creating a purposeful and enriching life.

I look forward to working with others who are exploring what it means to be a human being in all its dimensions.

Stephanie Whittaker is originally from Maryland and received a B.A degree in Sociology from the California State University of Fullerton. She is a passionate advocate for abused and neglected children and very passionate in directing people towards a healthy and positive lifestyle. She was a lead Kindergarten Teacher for 10 years and organized and conducted presentations at various Elementary Schools, topics consisted of nutrition and the importance of physical activity for children and adults. In her spare time, she effectively designs programs for personal training, works on her poetry blog and listens to inspiring music.

Stephanie is dedicated to helping you find the right counselor at Novus Mindful Life Institute.