Support Team

Alicia Gonzalez is excited to join the support team at Grow Through Life Counseling as the Lead Marketing and Outreach Coordinator. She brings over six years of experience in marketing, events, and community building. Alicia earned her Bachelor’s degree in Communications from Arizona State University and has a passion for understanding communication styles and using them to foster stronger connections. A California native and new to San Diego County, she looks forward to exploring the area and becoming immersed in the community both professionally and personally. In her free time, she enjoys trying new restaurants and coffee shops, volunteering at animal shelters, and spending time with her family and fur baby.

Michael Friscia joined the Human Resources team as a Human Resources Specialist in 2024. Prior to this, he worked for Sony PlayStation where he worked as a Technical Operations Specialist and was the Veteran Recruiter for his division. Prior to Sony, Michael served eight years active duty in the United States Navy and is currently serving in the Navy Reserves. Michael has a passion for helping veterans and active duty military, enjoys meeting new people and learning new skills. In his free time, you can find Michael at the beach surfing, or spending time with his wife and dogs.

Noelle joined the team in 2024 and is a Human Resources professional with 14 years of experience specializing in Employee Relations, Performance Management, Recruiting and Training & Development. Noelle has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Dominican University of California and a Master’s in Human Resource Management from Golden Gate University. She has recently received her SHRM-CP certification from the Society for Human Resource Management. Noelle’s passion is partnering with people. She understands their strategic position for an organization and HR's position as their partner. Noelle has interests in organizing, sports and visiting Disney theme parks.

Erica is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a wide range of experience from small children to adults and enjoys working with people from all walks of life. She believes everyone has a unique and incredible story to tell and feels honored  to be the one to hear it. Erica is rooted in attachment and psychodynamic theories and always comes in with a client-centered, strength based approach. She specializes in trauma, but believes the most important aspect of therapy is the therapeutic alliance between clinician and client. Once that is established, she believes anything is possible. Erica is a second generation LCSW and has spent the last 15 years in the helping field. Out of college, she worked as a case manager to children and families with special needs, and then for a mental health non-profit. While in grad school, she spent her practicum  as a school social worker working with middle schoolers and teen moms and obtained her Pupil Personnel Services Credential (PPSC). After grad school, she spent 4 years in the adoptions program of Child Welfare Services working with foster youth, biological families, and adoptive families. Once licensed, she worked in a community mental health clinic with adults diagnosed with severe and persistent mental illness. Finally, she found herself at GTL working with active duty military and military family members. She has loved every experience and population she has encountered and it has only deepened her passion for helping others. Erica has her Bachelors of Arts in English from UC Berkeley and her Masters of Social Work from San Diego State University. In addition to being a clinician at GTL, Erica is also a clinical supervisor and a clinical lead of the Oceanside office. In November of 2023, she was promoted to Director of Clinical Leadership because of her talent to lead and provide support to our team at large. 

Shakera Yusufi is the Director of Human Resources and oversees the administrative operations. When she began in 2019, she supported clients and therapists in her responsibility of the billing and onboarding processes. Prior to joining Grow Through Life Counseling, Shakera was the Client Support Manager for EA Health Corp with complex organization and support tasks. Previous to EA Health, Shakera was the Head Neurophysical Training at the Drake Institute. She provided direct care as well as managed a team of technicians in assessing and treating ADHD, Autism and other Learning and Processing Disorders. Shakera received a BA in Psychology from San Diego State University. She brings with her talent for working compassionately with people and addressing their needs, and she is passionate about helping others.

Kara has enjoyed working with younger patients and including families as part of the treatment process. Her areas of expertise include: parenting, behavior modification, ADHD, Learning Disorders and high functioning Autism.  She is a seasoned clinician,  clinical supervisor of pre-licensed clinicians, and adjunct faculty supporting MFT graduate programs.  In 2017, Kara wrote two books to help parents explain the benefits of treatment and the therapeutic relationships of children starting and in treatment and to help teens actively engage in the process and to promote suicide awareness and prevention. She holds a Masters in Counseling specializing in Marriage and Family Counseling  from University of Phoenix, San Diego. Kara began Grow Through Life Counseling for specialized treatment of children, teens and families in 2012. Her roles have included: Founder, Supervisor, Clinical Director and now Director of Growth with a  focus on education, business development, strategy and growth of the organization. She enjoys community outreach and speaking about: pediatric mental health awareness, teen mental health and suicide prevention. Kara is currently the Director of Growth at Grow Through Life Counseling and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (45343)  and has  over 25 years of experience in behavioral health care.