About Me
Carolyn Rich Curtis, Ph.D., LMFT
With my 35 years as a clinician specializing in helping couples, persons with drug and alcohol abuse problems, and individuals who experienced trauma, I have a deep understanding of the issues that people face into today’s world. Later as founder and director of the Relationship Skills Center for 12 years, I learned the value of psychoeducational programs and the qualities that are essential for an effective curriculum. My experience as an adjunct faculty member in the psychology departments of CSU, Sacramento and American River College, introduced me using an educational format as an opportunity for personal growth. This learning was further amplified when I became a trainer of facilitators in several major relationship education programs: Bringing Baby Home, Mastering the Mysteries of Love, Relationship Enhancement, PAIRS. Through these experiences, I became a leader in the field and became a Certified Imago Therapist, Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, and presented papers at major national and international conferences including the White House and received a Presidential Point of Light Award.
Contact: carolynrichcurtis@gmail.com
Cell phone: 916-995-6846
My Associates
Charles Stolzenbach,M.Div., LMFT
Charles Stolzenbach is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist with over 40 years of clinical experience. He is co-author of Mind Matters: Overcoming Adversity and Building Resilience. Currently, he a Senior Mental Health Therapist with the County of Sacramento, Department of Health Services. He has degrees from Bluffton University, Garrett School of Theology at Northwestern University, and the University of California Irvine. Stolzenbach is an ordained minister of the United Methodist, retired, and served as a US Navy Chaplain during the Vietnam conflict.
He has specialized in working with couples, families, and individuals from a trauma recovery perspective. For eight years he directed the clinical program of the El Dorado Council of Alcoholism and was co-founder of Sierra Behavioral Health, Inc. He has clinical membership in the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, Certified Imago Therapist, and a member of the International Association of Trauma Professionals. He has certifications in Group Therapy, the supervision of Marriage and Family Therapists Interns, an Instructor in Mastering the Mysteries of Love, PAIRS, and Gottman Bringing Baby Home.
David Clark, M.S.
David Clark, M.S., has a passion for enriching the lives of others and their communities. He readily connects with program leaders, participants, and clients through nearly a decade of teaching and counseling couples and individuals valuable relationship education and communication skills. He has a Master’s in Marital and Family Therapy from Alliant University. As part of the Relationship Skills Center, he led Mastering the Mysteries of Love and Love Notes classes and assisted in training others to lead these classes. During this time also worked for Juveniles at Risk, a program that served underprivileged and disadvantaged youth of color at risk of dropping out, gang involvement, familial discord and AOD issues. He has also guest lectured at Yuba College, University of Phoenix, CSU Sacramento, and Alliant University. Since then he has worked in nonprofit and private practice settings, and in 2016 co-founded Couples Resource Collective, where he continues to provide free couples’ communication workshops to the community.
Carol Rinkleib Ellison, Ph.D.
Carol Rinkleib Ellison, Ph.D., is a psychologist in private practice in Roseville, specializing in issues of sexuality and intimacy and problem gambling. An AASECT certified sexuality educator and sex therapist, she has taught many sexuality courses for nurses and mental health professionals and is author of Women’s Sexualities. Generations of Women Share Intimate Secrets of Sexual Self-Acceptance; a chapter on intimacy-based sex therapy in New Directions in Sex Therapy; a chapter on facilitating orgasmic responsiveness in the Handbook of Clinical Sexuality for Mental Health Professionals; and a chapter on women’s sexual problems and concerns in A New View of Women’s Sexual Problems. She is a volunteer CASA, volunteers for KVIE events, and enjoys playing the mandolin at various jam sessions.
Wendie Skala
Wendie graduated from San Jose State University and holds a Masters’ degree in Military Science. Following her graduation, she specialized in intensive care and emergency nursing with emphasis on cardiovascular disease. Wendie flew for Stanford Life Flight 10 years and honed her skills in prehospital transport of critically injured patients. She joined the Air Force Reserve in 1999 and achieved the rank of Lt Col while serving 7 deployments overseas in support of OPERATION IRAQI AND ENDURING FREEDOM. She assumed command and control roles and functioned as the Chief Nurse for air operations in Afghanistan. She served as the Injury Prevention Coordinator for Kaiser Permanente’s first trauma center in South Sacramento. There she implemented the Sacramento Violence Intervention Program. As a community leader in ACEs and Trauma Informed Care, Wendie championed the Alternatives to Violence Program, Resilient Sac, an ACEs Connection Collaborative, and served on various boards working with law enforcement, schools, non-profits, and government agencies. She has presented nationally and is a contributing author and educator of the American Trauma Society’s Injury Prevention Course. Wendie is Adjunct Faculty at Samuel Merritt’s School of Nursing in Sacramento.