Diana A. Gutierrez, MS, LMFT, LPCC
Administrative Services Manager
Diana is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) & a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC). She received her Master’s degree from Loma Linda University in 2001. Mrs. Gutierrez has worked for Riverside County Behavioral Health since 2001 and is currently the Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) Manager with Riverside University Health System – Behavioral Health. She has experience working with children and their families providing intensive outpatient services as well as school-based services. Her work focuses on the prevention of mental illness to include mental health education and stigma reduction, suicide prevention, as well as the implementation of prevention services throughout Riverside County as guided by the PEI plan, funded through the Mental Health Services Act. Mrs. Gutierrez co-leads the Riverside County Suicide Prevention Coalition: Building Hope and Resiliency which aims to eliminate suicide in Riverside County.
Melinda (Mindy) McFarland, LMFT
Staff Development Officer
Mindy is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and a Staff Development Officer with Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI). Mindy began working with the County in 2016 and has been with PEI since 2017. Mindy provides technical assistance and support to PEI’s contracted program providers in the areas of Triple P, Seeking Safety, Celebrating Families!: Strengthening the Circle, and Stand Against Stigma. Mindy is a certified trainer in Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST), Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA), and Honest, Open, Proud (HOP). Mindy is lead coordinator for PEI’s Virtual Trainings as well as Mental Health First Aid. Mindy supports Riverside County’s Suicide Prevention Coalition with her liaison role for the Measuring and Sharing Outcomes sub-committee. Mindy’s work also includes partnership with Public Health and Riverside County Office of Education in the development of standardized suicide risk assessment tools and the collection of data to better inform suicide prevention efforts. Mindy tries not to take herself too seriously, and always enjoys a good laugh and a good meme. She loves spending time with her family, enjoying foodie delights, and traveling.
Andrea Deaton, LMFT
Staff Development Officer
Andrea Deaton is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Staff Development Officer with Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI). She has worked with the County of Riverside and PEI since 2017. In her work as a Staff Development Officer, Andrea provides support and technical assistance to contracted community-based providers for a variety of evidence-based programs including: Mamás y Bebés, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Later-Life Depression, PEARLS, Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS), and the TAY Resiliency Project. Andrea is also a certified trainer in Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST), Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA), CBITS, Trauma Informed Systems 101, and ACEs Aware. Andrea is the lead coordinator for ASIST Trainings throughout Riverside County and Trauma Informed Systems 101 for RUHS-BH Staff. Andrea also supports the Riverside County Suicide Prevention Coalition by serving as the liaison for the Prevention Subcommittee which includes the ‘Engaging Schools’ and ‘Trainings’ workgroups. In her time away from work, Andrea can likely be found on Main Street USA in Disneyland (with or without her kids) or watching a baseball game. She, along with her husband, are on a quest to see a game in every major league stadium. She also enjoys spending time with her three kids, watching reality TV, and having a good laugh with friends.
Myeshia Bobo, LCSW
Staff Development Officer
Myeshia Bobo is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Staff Development Officer with Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI). She currently serves as the Riverside County Suicide Prevention Coalition Coordinator. She is a trainer in Adult Mental Health First Aid and provides virtual trainings to the community regarding mental health and suicide prevention. She works alongside her amazing team to plan community wide events to promote mental health awareness and stigma reduction. In her free time, she enjoys reading, listening to podcasts, and cooking.
Carmina Hernandez
Social Service Planner
Carmina Hernandez is a Social Service Planner with Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI). Carmina joined Riverside University Health Systems – Behavioral Health in 2015 and has been with PEI since 2021. Carmina provides support to SFP Strengthening Families Program, BRAAF Building Resiliency to African American Families, and Celebrating Families Native American Program. She is responsible for the programs data tracking, updates and thoroughly reviews and observes programs fidelity. She is also certified in Youth Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) in both English and Spanish. Carmina also provides support to the community by facilitating Virtual Presentations in Spanish and English. Outside of work Carmina loves to travel and enjoys spending time with family and friends.
Carlos Escobedo
Social Service Planner
Carlos Escobedo is a Social Service Planner (SSP) with Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI). Carlos joined Riverside University Health Systems – Behavioral Health in 2015 as a Behavioral Health Specialist in a Children’s Clinic, where he enjoyed supporting others through skill-building. He recently joined PEI in June of 2022. In his role as an SSP, he supports the Community Mental Health Promotion Program and the Triple P parenting program. He is responsible for the programs’ data tracking, updates and thoroughly reviews and observes programs’ fidelity. Carlos is Bilingual in English and Spanish. In his free time, Carlos enjoys going to the movies, watching his favorite TV shows, and pizza.
Genesis Rodriquez
Peer Support Specialist
Genesis is a Peer Support Specialist in Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI). She joined the team in November of 2022 and coordinates and presents in the Stand Against Stigma program, where she shares her lived experience and recovery journey with the community to reduce stigma and spread messages of hope. Genesis also is a trained Seeking Safety facilitator, providing groups in English and Spanish across the County to the adult population. Genesis coordinates outreach and program services for the Western region. In her free time, Genesis can be found at the gym, crafting, spending time with her family, cooking, and hiking.
Roberto (Robert) Diaz
Peer Support Specialist
Robert is a Peer Support Specialist in Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI). He joined the team in April of 2022 and coordinates and presents in the Stand Against Stigma program, where he shares his lived experience and recovery journey with the community to reduce stigma and spread messages of hope. Robert also facilitates groups in Seeking Safety and assists with outreach in the community. Robert coordinates outreach and program services for Desert region. Robert enjoys watching horror movies and playing card games with his kids. In his free time, he can also be found enjoying the great outdoors, either at a park, the beach or the mountains.
Mirna Andrade
Peer Support Specialist
Mirna is a Peer Support Specialist for Prevention and Early Intervention. Her journey with PEI began in August of 2021 as an Office Assistant III and promoted to a Peer Support Specialist in 2022. She coordinates and presents in the Stand Against Stigma program, where she shares her lived experience with mental health challenges and substance abuse in the hopes of reducing stigma, encouraging others to reach out for help and inspiring hope. Mirna also facilitates groups in Seeking Safety, which teaches participants the skills they need to cope with and overcome trauma and substance abuse. She also assists with outreach in the community and is the outreach and program coordinator Mid-County region of Riverside County. When she is not at work, she enjoys spending time with her family, watching reruns of The Office or Game of Thrones, as well as reading and riding horses.
Miriam Resendiz
Secretary
Miriam is a Secretary I for Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI). Miriam has been with the Department of Behavioral Health since 2012, and has been part of the PEI team since 2019. Miriam provides administrative support to the PEI team as well as clerical support to the Suicide Prevention Sub-committees of Measuring and Sharing Outcomes and Intervention. Miriam enjoys spending time with her family and cheering on her favorite sports team, the Raiders.
Sandy Awad
Office Assistant III
Sandy is an OA III in Prevention and Early Intervention. She assists with the coordination and organization of the many administrative tasks in PEI. Sandy enjoys her work in the mental health field and has become an advocate to help serve the community through the many department services. Sandy is an artist and holds a Master’s degree in Ancient Arts History. She is able to utilize her talents to develop and create graphic designs to be used on social media, mental health awareness and suicide prevention campaigns. She loves listening to classical music and cats.
Germeen (Gina) Armanious
Office Assistant II
Gina recently joined the Prevention and Early Intervention team in February of 2023 as an OA II. She has her Bachelor’s degree in Social Services and previously worked for many years providing services to children with special needs. She is passionate about serving the community through the many programs that PEI supports. Outside of work, she loves cooking, listening to classical music, and creating designs for jewelry