Who We Are

Dr. Small received his medical degree at the University of Hawaii. He completed his medical residency in Psychiatry and Family Medicine at University of California San Diego. He is triple board certified in Psychiatry, Addiction Medicine, and Family Medicine. Dr. Small is passionate about bringing quality care to patients suffering with addiction. Since he is an addiction specialist and a psychiatrist as well as a medical doctor, he has all bases covered when it comes to mental health and the many manifestations of addiction. Prior to developing his private practice, Dr. Small worked for the Veterans Administration in La Jolla, CA as an addiction psychiatrist. He also worked for the University of California San Diego as a resident physician in family medicine and psychiatry. During that time, he served as the Chief Resident Physician for the Alcohol and Drug Treatment Program in Addiction Psychiatry. Dr. Small is a powerful member of Throttle & Thrive’s team.

Dr. Shane has been a psychotherapist for almost 40 years and developed a system of therapy based on the somatic treatment of trauma. He has been a Behavioral Sleep Therapist for over 25 years. Through extensive research and exploration, Dr. Shane gained an understanding of the physiological process of how the mind and body actually fall asleep. With that knowledge, additional years of research and clinical experience, he created the SleepEasy method, an advanced form of cognitive-behavioral therapy different from all other sleep methods. Dr. Shane is passionate about bringing good sleep to the clients of Throttle & Thrive, as good sleep will support them in succeeding with all aspects of the program and having a deep quality of life. For first responders, good sleep is not just a matter of health—it is sometimes a matter of life-and-death safety. 

Ari practices from strengths-based approach, while using a humanistic experience to allow the client to feel safe and grow. Ari has an extensive background working with individuals, couples, and families. He treats each person as an individual, assessing his or her difficulties, and focusing on his or her positives. A focus of Ari’s profession surrounds the drug and alcohol treatment field. He has extensive experience and knowledge surrounding recovery. Another focus of Ari’s practice is couples and relationships. He has worked for a number of years with many individuals and couples experiencing difficulties in relationships.

Steve Walker is an associate clinical counselor, #14084, Marine Corps Veteran, supervised by Kalley Hartman, LMFT #116491. He is currently working on his doctoral degree in Marriage & Family Therapy at Loma Linda University. Steve earned his Master’s Degree in Counseling at Loyola Marymount University. He enjoys helping his clients with anxiety, depression, and relationships. His passion for being a counselor was born from wanting to support and help heal veterans returning home with traumatic brain injury (TBI), PTS and other mental health issues.

Lori Trull is a licensed marriage family therapist and holds a Clinical Psychology degree. During her career she has worked with a variety of trauma survivors, first responders, and those afflicted by addiction. Lori’s primary method of therapy is EMDR and enjoys working with adults, couples, individuals and families. Lori is experienced handling crisis situations and currently works for a company where she is on call to respond to deaths, robberies, fires, robbery, that occur at various businesses. She is also a police psychotherapist. She also loves to snow ski, play pickleball and spend time with family, friends and her two German shepherds.

Marilyn specializes in treating complex trauma, PTSD, anxiety, and depression. Through her extensive practice, she has developed a profound understanding of the nuanced challenges associated with these conditions. Her therapeutic approach is grounded in evidence-based practices, and adeptly employs Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Trauma Focused-CBT (TF-CBT), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Criminology from the University of La Verne and earned a Master’s degree in Social Work from California State University, Dominguez Hills. She is committed to breaking down barriers and destigmatizing mental health services, ensuring that individuals from diverse backgrounds feel empowered to seek the support they deserve.