Meet Our Orange County Mental Health Care Team

Medical Director

​Dr. Randall Turner is our Medical Director here at SoCal Empowered™. He earned his medical degree from Touro University Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine (TUNCOM) and completed his psychiatry residency training at Loma Linda University in California.

He’s board-certified in Psychiatry by the American Board of Preventive Medicine. Dr. Turner has provided services through his practice to several hospitals and institutions across California.

Each day he aims to understand human psychology and psychopathology more thoroughly, in hopes of relieving suffering for those he treats, while fostering healing and personal development. Residing in Southern California with his wife and four children, Dr. Turner is a talented musician who also enjoys bird watching, reading, and traveling.

Clinical Director

Lisa is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who completed her Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at Chapman University and her Bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Sociology from Concordia University. Lisa’s professional experience includes working in residential, partial hospitalization, and intensive outpatient settings with clients struggling with depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, personality disorders, eating disorders, psychosis, and substance use disorders. She is committed to helping her clients understand their core emotional issues, identify their strengths, and move forward in their recovery through growth, insight, and self-compassion.

Operations Supervisor

After graduating Nursing School in 2014, Arleen knew her purpose in life was to help others. After working in geriatrics for 5 years, she decided to shift her focus into addiction/mental health and joined the Care Team in 2019. She has been in the healthcare field for over 10 years and works hard to assure everyone’s needs are met in our program. As an Operations Supervisor she truly works hard to complete our company’s mission which is to change the lives of others.

Charge Nurse

Sue is a Licensed Vocational Nurse. She joined the Socal Empowered team in 2019. Her nursing experience has extensively focused on mental health and substance abuse, but she also has experience in skilled nursing, geriatrics, and home health, all of which can come in handy with her current duties.

Sue is passionate about delivering the best possible support and care to all her clients. Sue’s strong sense of duty and dedication to serve the community is what drives her toward medical excellence. Those who spend time at Socal Empowered will soon realize that they have a tireless support resource in Sue.

Case Manager

Jon has worked in the mental health field for 7 years in roles including Substance Abuse Technician, Behavioral Health Technician, Admissions Coordinator, and Mental Health Case Manager. Jon is completing his Master’s degree in Psychology with a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor Track (LPCC) and will pursue his doctorate in Clinical Psychology (PsyD).

He has gained extensive knowledge of clinical practice, in-depth documentation and group facilitation and has built healthy therapeutic relationships with clients. He is committed to assisting clients in reaching their potential and assisting them in personal growth, self-advocation, and life skills development.

FNP-C, PMHNP-BC

Lynda Totah received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Phoenix in 1994, family nurse practitioner degree from California State University Long Beach in 2013 and her psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner post-masters degree from California State University Long Beach in 2017. She is nationally board certified as both a family and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner.

She has worked for over 35 years as a nurse, many in critical care but has focused the last 5 years in addiction medicine and mental health. She obtained her medication-assisted treatment (MAT) and recovery support training with privileges of prescribing buprenorphine in office and outpatient settings in early 2017. Since that time she has been working primarily in detox, residential IOP and PHP settings. Lynda also works as a school nurse and participates in Special Camp for Special Kids during the summer months.

Lynda currently resides in Dana Point with her husband and three children. In her spare time, she enjoys riding horses, reading, hiking and caring for her menagerie of animals including an Australian Shepherd, horse, 2 cats and 4 chickens.

Therapist/AMFT

Patrick has over 5 years of complementary experience working in the criminal justice system, high acuity psychiatric units, applied behavioral analysis, geriatrics, and substance abuse. He is currently accruing hours towards licensing to continue his commitment to current and future clients by providing the highest level of service he can.

Director of Alumni Relations

Carina started at SoCal Empowered as an entry level Behavioral Health Technician (BHT). Prior to joining our team, Carina worked in the behavioral analysis field working with clients all over the spectrum. With a wealth of hands-on experience, Carina effortlessly took on the role of BHT and quickly became a key member of our team.

With her magnetic personality and love of helping others, it was clear that Carina was making an impact with the clients in our facilities. Now as the Director of Alumni Relations, Carina is dedicated to the continued success, nurturing,  and well-being of our clients in their integration back to society.

Therapy Dog

Hi, I am Brook, and my humans say I’m a goldendoodle with a heart of gold. I have grown up going to work with my Dad and have loved meeting and spending time with humans that have come through the doors of SoCal Empowered. I have gone through training to learn how to properly behave and support humans when they are experiencing difficult times. I specialize in making humans feel safe and loved.

I also love to spread pawsitivity, chase rocks, cuddle and give kisses. I enjoy accompanying my humans on outings from stores, beaches, bonfires, and hiking trails. If you play with me and show me love, I will make it my mission to leave paw prints on your heart and I will always remember you. I’m so excited to meet you!