About Our Team of Specialists
Envison a team of specialists dedicated to supporting you just where you are along the path of recovery. The Key’s team is well-versed and accredited to manage substance use disorders and mental health co-dependencies, offering an enriching program tailored to you and your needs.
Join us today and experience a new level of outpatient programming that will fundamentally shift your course of addiction recovery for years to come.
We believe the KEY to overcoming addiction is to work with the best team in Santa Cruz. Read on to learn about our KEYS to success — The Key Addiction Treatment Center’s IOP team!
Our Addiction Specialists
Dr. Bobby Singh, BA, MD
As a Stanford Addiction Medicine graduate, Dr. Bobby Singh carries with him a wealth of knowledge on both an academic and personal level.
Dr. Singh witnessed the struggles of his family and friends battling addiction. Although his hospital experience has given him a keen understanding of the medical complications of those going through dependency detox, it truly was his personal relationships with friends and family that inspired him to build long-term treatment plans for sustainable sobriety.
During his medical career and while training at Stanford, he found outpatient services greatly impacted the overall success rate of addiction treatment. This led to a fundamental shift in what Dr. Singh wanted to accomplish and further fueled his goals of establishing a well-balanced, honest and structured program – The Key Addiction Treatment Center and Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP).
Dr. Singh has spent years studying addiction medicine and what good medical and counseling services can do for maintaining sobriety. He will personally meet with each client on a regular weekly basis. He is eager to help those with alcohol and/or substance use disorders. Dr. Singh knows many can find their way again if given the right tools and support – if given The Key to their sobriety and a chance to live life again.
Dr. Bobby Singh, BA, MD
Double Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Addiction Medicine
Kristi Van Pykeren
Kristi completed her MA in Marriage and Family Therapy with an emphasis on Addiction at Western Seminary in 2012. Kristi started her career in Santa Cruz, working at a residential treatment center then transitioned to an Addiction Medicine Clinic in Cupertino, CA where she managed an entire interdisciplinary team.
With over 10 years of experience in the field of treating Substance Use, Chronic Pain, Dual Diagnosis, in both a group and individual format we are thrilled to have her as part of The Key. Her treatment approach is evidence-based interventions and has helped many people build a strong, lasting recovery. She teaches relapse prevention skills, DBT, CBT, and participates in medically assisted treatment (MAT).
Kristi strives to create a safe, nonjudgemental space and helps integrate autonomy and inter-connectivity into her work. She is passionate about recovery and the well-being of our community.
Kristi Van Pykeren | Clinical Director
LMFT
Sara Balla
With over 10 years of executive leadership experience and business development, I have found my greatest strength is in strategic planning and program development that maintains a strong connection to the company’s overall vision. I excel in creating work cultures that value excellence in the care and support of the clients served. I have developed strategic policies in multiple fields of business that focus on the education of people, their families and community while also complying with local, State and Federal regulations.
As a graduate of the University of California, Santa Cruz- receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Education, I then began my journey at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C. where I completed an internship with the Public Defender’s office, and had my initial, first hand experience within the legal and prison system. At all levels of these systems, countless issues are raised, most of which are of great complexity and the root of immeasurable social significance. It was through this experience where I unquestionably chose to focus my career on preventative care and support for vulnerable populations. Over a 20+ year career, I feel fortunate and proud of the programs I have created and supported, all of which have created positive impacts on our community and the individuals living and thriving within them.
Sara Balla | Administrative Director
MA, Ed.
Nick Stavrides
Nick is a highly qualified and compassionate certified CADC counselor specializing in addiction. His strong background and unwavering commitment to client care makes him a trusted and valuable member of The Key Addiction Treatment Center group.
Nick Stavrides | CADC Counselor
CADC
Dr. Lauren Saputelli
Lauren is a doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese medicine. After completing her BA in Biology at UCSC, she pursued a Master of Science in Traditional Chinese Medicine from Five Branches University in Santa Cruz and a doctorate from PCHS Pacific in San Diego. She has been thriving in private practice since 2008. Lauren has worked in various clinical settings, such as a local sober mental health community center, occupational medicine clinics, and wellness centers.
As an acupuncturist, Lauren aims to be a catalyst of change in people’s path of well-being at any level needed. She loves combining the tradition and theory of Chinese medicine with modern science and observing how each relies on the other. In collaborating with other medical providers, Lauren finds that acupuncture can be helpful in feeling more calm, grounded, and receptive to other treatments and therapies.
Dr. Lauren Saputelli | Acupuncturist
DACM, L.Ac.
Whitney Dewitt
Whitney Dewitt studied Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy at Palo Alto University here in beautiful Northern, CA.
After graduating in 2013, she worked in the greater Bay Area at multiple non-profit organizations treating family units, special needs young adults and health clinics specializing in patients with severe anxiety, major depression, crisis/trauma and various psychiatric disorders.
Whitney is currently guiding the Seeking Safety group for our IOP clients and loves supporting individuals in building skills to support their sobriety.
Through 1:1 meetings, Whitney promotes self esteem and calms underlying tension by looking at the underlying issues and roots of substance use disorder in a holistic and cognitive approach. Some of her modalities include: Body Psychotherapy (aka Somatic Psychology) Person-centered Therapy, Attachment Theory, Solutions Focused Therapy, Play Therapy, Humanistic Psychology, Internal Family Systems therapy, Developmental Psychology and Mindfulness.
Whitney Dewitt | Certified Therapist
LMFT