Editorial Policy

Stacy has a long history as a clinician specializing in counseling people on substance use and mental health. Her unmatched professionalism and extensive skill set allowed her to excel when working with people from markedly different age groups. She has helped countless adolescents, adults, couples, and families conquer their addictions and build brighter futures for themselves. In her work, Stacy Linn focuses on making improvements to the quality of life of her patients. She takes the time to help people understand the meaning of family dynamics and cognitive processes in relation to their mental health.

After receiving a Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling from Nova Southeastern University, Stacy Linn proceeded to become a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Master’s Level Certified Addiction Professional, and International Certified Drug and Alcohol Counselor. She has a strong reputation for helping people who have struggled with addiction achieve long-term recovery.

As Director of Clinical Services and Quality Assurance, Lauren is responsible for overseeing, directing, and supervising all clinical departments. Lauren guides our team of clinicians on best practices and provides the highest quality therapeutic care for our clients.

Moreover, Ms. Barry assists, reviews, and helps direct the We Level Up treatment centers written website content. She reviews select website content for proper context, accuracy, relevancy, and authority including research and citations mentioned.

In addition, Lauren works tirelessly on developing new and innovative clinical programs and approaches in the hopes of maximizing our ability to help our clients. Since starting her master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at Nova Southeastern University in 2013, Lauren has been passionate about helping individuals and families afflicted by the disease of addiction.

Lauren has held several roles within substance abuse and mental health medical practices, from primary therapist to Clinical Director and beyond. Lauren is a licensed marriage and family therapist in the state of Florida and a Master’s level CAP (Certified Addiction Professional). In addition to her passion for helping clients, Lauren is extremely motivated and dedicated to helping her team become the best versions of themselves and developing their professional skills. Lauren displays great leadership skills and her mission is to inspire, empower and motivate those around her. 

I love what I do! I have a passion for people and their mental well-being! I believe that as a mental health therapist I can encourage people to live their life joyfully and with purpose.

I am empathetic, nonjudgmental and easily build an immediate rapport with clients to effectively address their objectives respectfully and skillfully. My experience includes addiction counseling, Christian ministry, targeted case management in a non-profit agency, and experience in the counseling department at Palm Beach Atlantic University. I am comfortable working with any cultural/multi-cultural and socioeconomic environments.

Dr. Braulio Mariano Mejia has more than 10 years specializing in Addiction Medicine, most recently in West Palm Beach, FL. Dr. Mariano-Mejia is board-certified in internal medicine and Addiction Medicine.  As Medical Director, Dr. Mariano-Mejia manages client evaluations and individualized substance abuse treatment plans for clients based on individual needs.  Dr. Mariano-Meija has dedicated himself to the treatment of individuals suffering from the disease of Addiction.  

Mohammad Wehbe, PA is a Physician Assistant in our FL addiction and mental health treatment center. Mohammad Wehbe, PA is a board-certified physician assistant in Palm Beach Florida. He is affiliated with Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Certifications & Licensure: National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) Certified Physician Assistant: Mr. Mohammad A Wehbe, PA-C, is a Physician Assistant specialist in Boca Raton, Florida. He graduated in 2012, having over 9 years of diverse experience, especially as Physician Assistant. He is affiliated with many hospitals including Jupiter Medical Center. Mr. Mohammad A Wehbe also cooperates with other doctors and physicians in medical groups including Jupiter Medical Center Physicians Group Inc. Hospital Affiliations: Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical CenterDecatur, Georgia A physician assistant is a person who has successfully completed an accredited education program for physician assistants, is licensed by the state, and is practicing within the scope of that license. Physician assistants are formally trained to perform many of the routine, time-consuming tasks a physician can do. In some states, they may prescribe medications. They take medical histories, perform physical exams, order lab tests and x-rays, and give inoculations. Most states require that they work under the supervision of a physician.

Dr. Castellon earned his undergraduate degree in Psychology at The University of Miami. After, he studied Escuela Autonoma de Ciencias Medicas in Costa Rica where he received his Doctorate in Medicine. He then returned to the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he completed his Residency in Psychiatry.  Dr. Castellon was employed as an attending physician at Memorial Regional Hospital, Broward Health Medical Center, and Broward Health Imperial Point as well as overseeing a successful outpatient practice. Dr. Castellon specialized in emergency psychiatry, psychiatric consultation-liaison, inpatient psychiatry, and addiction medicine. He was the Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at Broward Health Medical Center from 2008 – 2014. Dr. Castellon is an active member of the American Psychiatric Association, American Medical Association, American Association of Psychiatric Medicine, Association for Convulsive Therapy, and American Society of Addiction Medicine.

Dr. Ali Nikbakht, LMFT, is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. He has a specialization in addiction studies and co-occurring disorders. He earned his bachelor’s degree from UCLA, graduated from Trinity Law School, and has earned his doctorate in Psychology in Marriage and Family Therapy from the California School of Professional Psychology. Currently he is finishing his doctorate in Business Administration specializing in Health Care.  

Dr. Nikbakht has been with We Level Up California since its development in 2021 and has brought 15 years of his professional work experience and knowledge in the field of psychology, addiction, and family systems to helping individuals and families heal from internal conflict. The fundamental elements to his practice are respecting life choices and deep beliefs regardless of the individual and families’ circumstances. Dr. Nikbakht’s role is and always has been to create the necessary space in which new choices and solutions will unfold to help enhance the lives of individuals and their loved ones.  

Kyle J. Rooney, MA, LCADC, CCS 

Kyle is currently a Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor and a Certified Clinical Supervisor in the state of New Jersey. Kyle is currently a Senior Adjunct Professor at Atlantic Cape Community College in Mays Landing, NJ. He teaches the NJ State Licensing and Certification courses for Drug and Alcohol Counselors, Professional Issues in Addiction Counseling and Assessment Skills in Addiction Counseling. He has previously taught Introduction to Substance Abuse Counseling at Harcum College in Bryn Mawr, PA. Kyle currently serves on the Atlantic Cape Community College Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Addiction Counseling Advisory Board. Kyle has extensive experience in the Addiction Counseling field working in all levels of care and serving clients and their families in a multitude of clinical and leadership roles. Kyle previously worked as a full-time Care Coordinator for the New Jersey Work First Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health Initiative where he had the pleasure of doing substance use and mental health assessments for the Board of Social Services and the Division of Child Protection and Permanency. Kyle is experienced as a family support group facilitator, primary therapist, group facilitator, and director of substance abuse counseling. Kyle has worked tirelessly to help clients and their families understand the root causes behind addictive behavior. As a clinician, Kyle is trained and experienced in CBT, DBT, REBT, and ACT cognitive therapies. Kyle earned his master’s degree in counseling psychology in 2018 from Rosemont College in Bryn Mawr, PA where he graduated with Magna Cum Laude Honors. Kyle has been personally affected by addiction and he uses his personal experience to inspire hope in the clients that he serves. Kyle enjoys crabbing, fishing, hiking, kayaking, tent camping, traveling, and following Philadelphia sports teams and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish college football team.

As the content specialist and editor at the We Level Up treatment center network, Yamilla Francese utilizes her experience to help create and edit content to enable others to easily understand substance abuse and mental health disorders. Yamilla is a Florida Atlantic University graduate with a bachelor’s degree in communication studies. She has extensive experience editing and writing authoritative relevant content for various businesses, health, and wellness websites.

Working with We Level Up’s team of licensed medical and clinical professionals, Yamilla’s objectives include focusing on important content to offer value and awareness along with practical knowledge to the website readers. Information is relayed in an easily accessible format with helpful resources and information to people in recovery, their families, friends, and communities. Yamilla is motivated to lighten the social stigma of addiction recovery, provide credible treatment resources, and support others to live healthier lifestyles.