Patricia Costales, LCSW

Patricia Costales, LCSW is the CEO of The Guidance Center, a non-profit children’s outpatient mental health agency in Long Beach, CA.

She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Occidental College, where she was a member of the Psi Chi Honors Society, and completed her Masters of Social Work degree at the University of Southern California in 1992. She began her career in mental health as a clinician, developing a particular expertise in the areas of child sexual abuse treatment and in crisis assessment and intervention of children and families post-abduction. She served for many years as the lead clinician on the Los Angeles County Child Abduction Task Force, and retains an active interest today in teaching and presenting on issues related to child trauma, clinical ethics and political advocacy as it relates to mental health. In addition to her leadership role with The Guidance Center, Patricia served for four years as an adjunct professor at the School of Social Welfare at UCLA, where she taught a graduate course on public policy and mental health.

Prior to joining The Guidance Center, Patricia served as the Vice President of Clinical Operations at Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services, where she was responsible for the oversight of services to more than 44,000 clients. She also chaired the Compliance Committee and the Quality Improvement Committee, reinforcing her experience in providing quality services that are ethical, effective and community-based.

Patricia is President of the Association of Community Human Services Agencies’ Board of Directors and a member of the National Association of Social Workers. She is also a mother of twin sons, and a volunteer at their school and in the community.

Douglas House

Douglas House is the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of the Guidance Center, a nonprofit children’s outpatient mental health agency serving Long Beach, San Pedro, and Compton, CA.

Douglas House brings over 28 years of nonprofit experience to the role, primarily serving youth in social service and education mission-driven organizations.  He spent 18 of those years in Human Resources positions at an executive level, and earned his SPHR, SHRM-CP, PHRca, and Veterans at Work HR certifications.  Douglas also served as an Executive Director at Olive Crest where he oversaw all Mental Health contracts, the IT, Quality Management, Risk Management and Facilities departments as well as in a Chief Operating Officer (COO) role at Catholic Charities San Bernardino & Riverside counties where he oversaw all Mental Health contracts, Human Resources, Accounting, IT, Facilities, Risk Management, and Quality Management.

Holding a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and a Master of Science Degree in Counseling Psychology, Douglas’s early career was spent serving probation and foster youth in group homes as a clinical therapist.  Doug also served for 8 years in the US Army Reserves as a Combat Engineer.  In recent years, Douglas has spent many years volunteering for the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) as an HR Subject Matter Expert (SME) and served as Treasurer on the Inland Empire SHRM Chapter Board of Directors.

His deep passion for serving at-risk youth, social service, and education mission-driven nonprofits, the HR profession, JEDI advocacy, and supporting and developing employees fuels his desire to serve at The Guidance Center Long Beach.

Lorraine Lyou

A fundraiser with more than 20 years experience, Lorraine Lyou joined The Guidance Center as Development Director in July 2008.

Before joining The Guidance Center, Lorraine served for eight years as Development Director for Didi Hirsch Community Mental Health Center. Prior to that, she was Development Director for the California League of Conservation Voters, an environmental lobbying organization. Lorraine spent two years as Development Associate for Rock the Vote, a non-profit dedicated to helping young people participate in the political process and previously held fundraising positions at the University of San Francisco, the Scripps Research Institute, the La Jolla Playhouse and the Reuben H. Fleet Space Theater and Science Center. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from San Diego State University in Communicative Disorders in 1989. Lorraine also served on the board for the Wiseburn Education Foundation, which raises funds to enhance educational programs within the Wiseburn School District. She was a board member for five years, including one as president.

With a family member who struggles with mental illness, Lorraine has experienced first-hand the stigma, shame, and challenges associated with psychological disorders. Her non-profit expertise and personal experiences serve as the foundation for the passion and commitment she brings to her job with The Guidance Center.

Angelina Palma-Williams, LCSW

Angelina Palma-Williams, LCSW, is The Guidance Center’s Chief Clinical Officer.

While earning her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from California State University, Long Beach, Angelina served as an executive officer of the Black Student Union (BSU). She then completed her Master’s of Social Work degree with an emphasis in children, youth, and families at the University of Southern California in 2009. Angelina has been dedicated to community mental health for 17 years and has 15 years of DMH experience. She has demonstrated a commitment to The Guidance Center’s mission, having held various positions within the agency; starting as an MSW intern and progressing over the years to become a clinical therapist, QA specialist, Clinical Supervisor, Clinical Program Manager, and now Chief Clinical Officer.

Angelina holds various credentials, certifications and is trained in a number of evidence-based practices. These include a Pupil Personnel Services Credential, TFCBT, MAP, and Seeking Safety certifications. Angelina is also a trainer and supervisor in each of these evidence-based practices. In addition, Angelina is a certified trainer in Assessing and Managing Suicide Risk (AMSR) through the ZeroSuicide Institute. Angelina has a passion for driving diversity, equity, and inclusion and served as the first chair of The Guidance Center’s internal DEI task force, now known as the JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) committee.

It is through her clinical work and JEDI involvement that Angelina can fulfill her value of service to others, which was modeled to her by her grandmother.