Our Staff
Temenos was born on the shores of Tomales Bay in Marin County, California at the Marconi Conference Center in June 2018, where the four founders (Jim, Carl, Christina, and Jessica) came together in the CPTR (Certificate in Psychedelic Therapies & Research) program through CIIS (California Institute of Integral Studies), and shared our visions and dreams of bringing psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy to our community.
All of the Temenos staff is trained in ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. We approach this work with humility, out of deep respect for the medicine and for the inner healing potential of the clients we serve.
Jessica McIninch
PsyD
I use a depth-oriented approach in the treatment of complex trauma, depression and psychospiritual issues. For the past 20 years, my clinical work has combined neuropsychological principles, contemplative practice, and psychodynamic modalities. I am passionate about the use of psychedelic-assisted therapy as a potential catalyst for personal and collective healing.
Jesús I. Ramírez (Zeus)
MD, MSW
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Carl Spitzer
MD
I have a keen interest in how the Western medical model and the transpersonal realm can inform each other for psychological wholeness. We each have an inner healing wisdom that knows the path to our own well-being; it is the job of the practitioner to assist the client in uncovering and reclaiming their innate power. Temenos is the sacred space for that rediscovery to occur.
Colette Mercier
LMFT
I hold a bachelor’s degree from Harvard and a medical doctorate from Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The psychedelic renaissance lured me out of a 15-year career as a trauma surgeon to pursue a master’s in social work. Now this solid education allows me to practice ketamine-assisted psychotherapy and provide deeper healing than surgery or traditional medicine. I feel blessed to work at Temenos, helping people grow beyond their trauma to reconnect with their innate joy and radiance.
As a therapist, I believe in your innate ability to heal. I most often work with trauma, anxiety, and postpartum depression. I draw on somatic therapy, hakomi, gestalt and relational approaches. Prior to being a therapist, I delivered babies. In each delivery, I learned about human resilience. To contend with pain and come out stronger in the end is a process birth and therapy have in common. I see our struggles as a pathway to greater love, both for yourself and those around us.
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Allison Zamani
LPCC, JD
You are on a journey. I offer a safe container for you to explore where that journey takes you. I adopt a depth approach to psychotherapy that starts from a place of compassion and respect. I am influenced by spiritual teachings as well as my own study of the subtle body and non-ordinary states of consciousness. Work with me begins and ends with what you need. I am excited to be with you on this step of the path.
Elizabeth Theriault
ASW, MPH
I hold a dual Masters in Clinical Social Work and Public Health. I have an extensive background in energy psychology, ritual, ceremony practice, as well as, traditional counseling psychology. I approach my work from a relational and compassionate place and work very collaboratively with all my clients. For the past decade I have focused my work on rites of passages and supporting people through life transitions. I am here to support you as a guide back to your own inner wisdom and path home to yourself. I deeply believe in the body's desire and ability to heal and am honored to be on this journey with you.
Lisa Moran
MD
I am delighted and honored to have the opportunity to participate in the beautiful work that manifests at Temenos. My experiences with meditation, teaching mindfulness practices, somatic work, and integrative medicine have shown me that our mind-body-spirit naturally seeks healing and wholeness. I'm a graduate of the CIIS certificate program for psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and research, and as a well-trained psychiatrist, I am also quite aware of the limitations of modern western psychiatry, as well as its necessary role in supporting psychedelic-assisted therapies. It is a gift to be able to assist people in reconnecting with their inner healing wisdom and a joy to witness that truly sacred process.
Alissa Hirshfeld
LMFT
Trained in depth-oriented and transpersonal psychology, I bring 25 years of experience as a marriage and family therapist, hospice and grief counselor, EMDR practitioner, meditation teacher and spiritual director to ketamine work. Recently certified as a psychedelic-assisted therapist, I am excited about the potentials of ketamine to accelerate psycho-spiritual healing. I hold this work as sacred and am honored to journey alongside clients to reconnect with forgotten parts of themselves, heal old wounds and trauma, and emerge with a greater sense of wholeness, authenticity, and joy.
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Jacqueline Smith
LCSW
As a Clinical Social Worker, I support individuals in their pursuit of mental wellness through individual counseling and group work. I have worked as a social worker in Sonoma County for 25 years and have developed a comprehensive skill set to support my clients.
Most recently, my role as a Palliative LCSW has provided me the privilege of supporting patients and their families through the complexities of chronic illness and wellness. My focus with clients often includes the use of the Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB) and Internal Family Systems (IFS) frameworks. This approach gracefully includes the social, emotional, psychological, spiritual, and biological parts of each person. When there is imbalance between these parts, we often suffer, and when we find a balance, we can thrive. I have interwoven many years of training and professional and personal experiences into a unique clinical toolbox. I work collaboratively with my clients to move toward wellness, with a deep trust in each person's innate ability to heal. The use of psychedelic-assisted therapies helps to guide individuals to an inner wisdom that can enhance their ability to move toward deep healing and mental wellness.
My personal and professional goals align in the pursuit to embrace balance, acceptance, compassion, creativity, empowerment, humor, and love in the world we live in. I am honored and privileged to be supporting others in their healing experience at Temenos.
"To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest."
― Pema Chodron
Melissa Pierre-Saint
RN
I'm a Ketamine Nurse Specialist with over 10 years experience as a Nurse in a wide variety of specialties including mental health, integrative medicine, emergency medicine and more. I'm also a Master Certified Life Coach and Energy Medicine Practitioner. I bring my expertise in transformational and spiritual psychology to my work in Psychedelic Therapies with Temenos.
Jean Vierra
MD
I respect the power of the Inner Healing Intelligence that exists in each one of us. I love accompanying clients on their healing journeys and being with them through the intensity, transition and transformation. I trained at UCSF Medical School and University of Washington in Obstetrics and Gynecology. I have been working throughout my career with women and families during times of major transition. I discovered the power of Ketamine to accelerate the healing process while on my own healing path. These experiences drew me to complete the Hakomi training, Ketamine training and the Certificate in Psychedelic -Assisted Therapies and Research at The California Institute of Integral Studies. I look forward to assisting you in achieving the best possible outcome this medicine can bring to your healing.
Harry Mcilroy
MD
As a medical doctor with extensive training in functional medicine, osteopathy, yoga, and meditation, Dr.McIlroy integrates his deep knowledge of both eastern and western medicine to serve every patient’s health and vitality. His interest in working with psychedelic medicine lead him to complete the Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Research at the California Institute of Integral Studies. He has been working with Ketamine clinically for 3 years and recently joined the medical team at Temenos.
Felicia Matto-Shepard
MFT
As a lifelong student of art making, dreamwork, and psycho-spiritual development, I see creativity as a fundamental source of meaning and inspiration. I am a Certified Jungian Analyst. I offer integration workshops and sessions using process art.
Jim Matto-Shepard
PhD
Temenos is the culmination of my 40 years of training
and experience. Work with psychedelics, somatic psychology, meditation, relationship, and ritual have provided a basis for understanding and assisting others through
transformational experiences.
I am a licensed psychologist, a psychotherapist, and a Soul Motion Conscious Dance teacher.