Our Staff

Meet our Staff

Jeannie Beaumont, LMFT, ATR (MFC 47817) Jeannie is the Clinical Director/Clinical Supervisor of the Manhattan Beach Community Counseling Center. A graduate of Loyola Marymount's Marriage and Family Therapy/Clinical Art Therapy program, Jeannie has been serving the South Bay community in her private practice, Art & Soul Art Therapy Studio, for nearly a decade. A native of the beach cities and a former intern at MB Community Counseling Center, Jeannie has cultivated deep roots here and is dedicated to serving those seeking help with their mental health needs.

Shirley Binder, AMFT 99426 Shirley received her Masters in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy and a specialization in Spiritual Depth Psychology from Antioch University Los Angeles. Shirley has provided intensive case management services at Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services in Inglewood and was an eligibility worker for Los Angeles County in Compton. She completed her training hours at Exodus Psychiatric Facility in Culver City and in 2017 she started her internship at a private practice in Torrance and at MBCC. Shirley is a certified Mental Health Rehabilitation Specialist through Mental Health of America and she completed a 1 year apprenticeship in the Healing Arts drawing from the shamanic traditions in Redondo Beach. Shirley has personal experience raising 2 children and she provides a safe therapeutic environment to connect, promote change and healing. She will collaborate with you to help identify and work towards your goals and increase your empowerment and self-growth. She enjoys working with adults, elderly, children and adolescents who may be experiencing anxiety, depression, grief and loss and existential concerns.

Kathy Blenko, AMFT 88305 Kathy Blenko, AMFT 88305 Kathy received her Masters in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy from Pepperdine University. She uses a warm and collaborative style to explore the particular issues that can interfere with finding satisfaction and meaning in life. Kathy focuses on helping individuals, couples and families feel safe and supported through the process of accomplishing their therapeutic goals. Kathy's strengths include working with troubled relationships, depression, anxiety, parenting issues, major illness, bereavement and the integration of emotional health with spirituality. She has clinical experience at South Bay Human Services (substance abuse recovery) and currently works with families and individuals at the Cancer Support Community. Although Kathy is a transplant from Michigan, she feels like a California native as she has lived in the South Bay for over 25 years.

Pat Petersen, AMFT 81011 Pat received an M. A., Marriage and Family Therapy, from Philips Graduate Institute in 2014. Her previous two master’s degrees are in Early Childhood Education and Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. She draws on her extensive background in education to help parents find positive paths through difficult parenting issues and bring the joy back into parenting. She finds great satisfaction in helping couples enhance their communication and connection. She also enjoys working with individuals suffering from anxiety and depression to find their strength, resiliency and fulfillment.

AlannaTurner, AMFT 88476 Alanna earned her Master of Science degree in Marriage and Family Therapy in 2015 at California State University, Dominguez Hills. She completed her training hours at South Bay Center for Counseling in El Segundo and at 186th Street School in Gardena. In 2016, she started her internship at a private practice in Redondo Beach and at MBCC. Utilizing a positive, motivational approach to therapy, Alanna listens empathically and provides a safe, comforting therapeutic environment for her clients. She enjoys working with children and individuals with challenges including: marital and parenting difficulties, divorce, grief and loss, low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression.

Brian Lutz, AMFT 101628 Brian earned his Masters degree in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University. Brian’s areas of strength include working with chronic illness, substance abuse, and helping people who are struggling with relationship and family issues. Brian focuses on helping people to identify and work through their unique areas of struggle in order to achieve optimal performance. Brian believes that by increasing awareness of specific areas of struggle, incorporating new perspectives and integrating new experiences, people can become more flexible and have more productive responses to life’s challenges.
Born and raised in the South Bay, Brian is excited for the opportunity to help people in his local community to live more meaningful and fulfilling lives.

Michal Ben-Shoshan, ASW 81388 Michal’s true passion lies in working with children and adolescents who struggle with depression, anxiety, and behavioral problems. She provides the comfortable therapeutic space which allows for delving into the parent-child relationship and its dynamics. Michal earned her Master of Social Work at Wurzweiler School of Social Work, New York, and her Bachelor Degree in Psychology at California State University, Northridge, graduated both with excellence. Michal’s compassionate and emphatic nature led her to work with a wide range of age groups, populations, cultures, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Her clinical experience ranges from working with young children with severe behavioral problems to providing psychotherapy to adolescents and adults with severe mental illness. Michal is experienced in working with clients who struggle with obsessive-compulsive disorder, hoarding, anxiety, depression, domestic violence,trauma, and substance abuse, as well as running psychotherapy groups for parents, children, and adolescents. Michal is excited to join the Manhattan Beach Community Counseling Center and partake in the journey of many teens and their families while incorporating her clinical skills and educational background.

Courtney Sheets, AMFT 104769 Courtney earned her M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University in 2017, but she has known that she belonged in mental healthcare long before then. She has worked in inpatient, outpatient, and in-home settings with clients presenting with depression, anxiety, autism, obsessive-compulsive disorder, cult recovery, and more. As an associate marriage and family therapist, she previously provided therapy and psychoeducational services to students of Los Angeles City College, and she also currently works as an in-home therapist for victims of crime. She believes that wellness comes in many shapes and sizes, and she is ready to help you find which works best for you.