The staff at Nova
Luna Center is what makes our multi-disciplinary,
team approach to the treatment of eating disorders possible.
Click the following
links to learn more about our staff:
Treatment Staff
Clinical
Director
Michelle
Villanti, L.C.S.W., B.C.D., C.S.A.C. the owner and Director of
the Nova Luna Center for Eating Disorders has successfully led and piloted
the 'Ai Pono Intensive Outpatient Program for the last 3 years. From
her creativity and expertise, she developed three eating disorder programs
for intensive outpatient, day treatment and residential treatment. These
new programs are dynamic, experiential and research based, offering
the most up to date therapies in the field of eating disorders. Ms.
Villanti has 20 years of experience in eating disorders and was the
first therapist in Hawaii to bring equine assisted therapy to the treatment
of eating disorders. For the past 9 years, she has given lectures and
consulted widely with physicians, schools, mental health professionals
and community agencies on eating disorders. She maintains a full private
practice in Makawao treating eating disorders, trauma, addictions, adolescents
and families. She is trained in EMDR and Non-Violent Communication (also
known as Compassionate Communication). Ms. Villanti is known for her
expertise and successful treatment of eating disorders as well as a
dynamic, compassionate and skilled clinician.
Dr. Daniel
Lane, Ph.D., is the supervising psychologist for Nova Luna Center
for Eating Disorders. Dr. Lane has 19 years experience as a clinical
psychologist with extensive experience in eating disorders and sexual
abuse victims. He has three years experience at Maui Memorial Medical
Center providing services on the inpatient psychiatric unit, conducting
emergency room assessments, working with I.C.U. patients with spinal
cord injuries and suicide attempts, and working on the medical floors
with patients with medical and behavioral health issues. Dr. Lane also
has ten years experience in sub-acute residential treatment facilities.
He was the founder and executive director of a California based non-profit
residential treatment facility, consisting of 24 beds, where he supervised
approximately 110 staff members. Currently, Dr. Lane has a private practice
in Makawao.
Sherry
Fisher, M.A., received her Bachelor’s
degree in Fine Arts from Parsons School of Design, NYC. She began to
realize the negative impacts of eating and body image issues on women
during her work in the fashion industry which led her to recognize artmaking
as a self-healing process. Sherry completed her certificate in Art Therapy
from The New School for Social Research, NYC in 1993 and began running
Art Therapy groups with adolescents, at women’s shelters with
women and their children, and with families addressing issues of grief
and death. She went on to attain her master’s degree in Transpersonal
Counseling Psychology and Art Therapy from Naropa University. Sherry
also has advanced certification in Gestalt Therapy and Hypnotherapy.
Her focus has been on women’s issues and trauma work with extensive
training in sexual abuse issues. Sherry incorporates dream work, play,
and body awareness into her Expressive Arts groups. She has worked with
client-artists on the mainland U.S., Australia, and Hawai’i. Collections
in the U.S., Japan, and Australia have acquired her artwork. She exhibits
her art on a regular basis and has supported many of her client-artists
to exhibit their work as part of their healing journey.
Sherry
sees the process of self-reclamation and empowerment as social activism
through ensouling and embodiment. Exploring our internal landscapes
is a re-membering—a putting back together anew and in that newness,
embracing our wholeness—the light and shadow on our valleys and
peaks.
Maria d’Avella, M.A., LMFT, is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She uses a holistic, family systems approach to therapy for the overall goal of wholeness and health, inspiring individual self-awareness through the use of a variety of modalities. Psychological, social, biological and spiritual needs are met by engaging intellectual discernment, providing information, using guided visualization, art and other methods. She believes we are all spiritual beings on a physical journey. Ms. d’Avella has a private psychotherapy practice working with a comprehensive range of psychological complexities. A resident of Hawaii for over twenty years, she has worked extensively as an advocate for child welfare and understands the needs of the individual within our changing global community.
Christa
Morf, MA is the Non-Violent Communication consultant and a therapist
for the Nova Luna Center programs. She conducts groups and teaches classes
to the Nova Luna Center patients and their families. Christa Morf was
born in Switzerland and trained in Germany where she received her Masters
Degree in Counseling (1980). She was a counselor for couples and individuals
for 14 years before becoming a certified full-time Trainer in 1991 with
the Center for Nonviolent Communication which is active all over the
world. As a Non-Violent Communication trainer she seeks to contribute
towards peace in relationships, families, schools, at the workplace,
and in communities; and is involved in bringing about social change.
She offers workshops in Hawaii, the U.S. and Europe as well as offering
private sessions.
Margy
Campbell is a licensed
acupuncturist with a Masters Degree in Traditional Oriental Medicine.
Besides her work at Nova Luna she maintains a private practice utilizing
many of the different modalities Oriental Medicine offers. These include
acupuncture, nutritional and herbal therapy, body work and qi gong practices.
In addition to her private practice she has been involved in working
at drug rehabilitation centers, including one emphasizing the needs
of new mothers and mothers-to-be."
Gina Ryan, CN is a licensed Certified Nutritionist. She conducts individual nutrition sessions for the Nova Luna Clients. Gina also maintains a
private Mindful Wellness practice on Maui and the mainland educating clients
on the impact of awareness and health. Prior to moving to Maui in 2005 Gina
was the Nutritionist and Wellness Counselor at the Mirbeau Spa. She also was
the owner of New Health, 2 health food stores in NY, for 12 years where
she provided public education on topics such as woman’s health, herbal
home remedies, cancer prevention and mindful eating.
Victoria
Martocci, E.A.P. Specialist, has extensive and varied experience
in education, management, group leadership and psychology. Victoria’s
background in horse training, riding instruction and team coaching speaks
for itself, having won every major award available and being nominated
for the Tennessee Walking Horse Hall of Fame for her contributions to
the industry. Through six years of experience on Maui, as a SCUBA Instructor
and Marine Educator, she has been responsible for creating a fun &
educational environment for her clients, and most importantly for maintaining
their physical safety at all times. This unique type of experience has
helped Ms. Martocci develop and master core skill sets necessary in
the field of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy, such as: global awareness,
physical safety awareness, emotional safety awareness, human body language
& non-verbal communication skills, as well as vital public speaking
skills. For the past two years, Ms. Martocci has been nationally certified
as an Equine Assisted Psychotherapy Facilitator, and has been offering
E.A.P. services to individuals, couples and Maui families.