The Winter Solstice: Integration, Depth, and the Return of Light
As the light gradually returns after the Winter Solstice—a natural pause for reflection—we pause to honor a year marked by growth, healing, and connection at The Pointe Malibu Recovery Center. This season mirrors our work: slowing down, listening closely, and witnessing change unfold through safety, consistency, and care.
Supporting Trauma, Addiction, and Chronic Pain
At The Pointe, we provide expert care for trauma, addiction, and chronic pain, whether these challenges appear individually or together. Many clients arrive with complex needs, persistent pain, and nervous system dysregulation. Our integrated approach combines residential advisor support, psychotherapy, nursing support, medical oversight, and collaboration across a wide range of specialists and community partners. Over the course of the year, our team has witnessed remarkable transformations across our continuum of care—from residential to outpatient—helping clients regain function, rebuild relationships, and reconnect with themselves and their communities.
Integrated Group Programming
This year, nursing and clinical staff expanded group programming—blending medical insight with therapeutic depth to support whole-person recovery.
Nursing-Led Groups
- Abigail Gomez, RN — Rooted in Wellness: body awareness, regulation, and physical health
- Josh Clark, LVN — The Neuroscience of Healing: how the brain and nervous system recover, adapt, and reorganize
These offerings strengthen insight, agency, and nervous-system stability, allowing clients to engage more fully in the therapeutic process. They complement a rich clinical group schedule that includes Recovery, Polyvagal Micro-Habits, Distress Tolerance, Creative Expression, Eco-Regulation, Interpersonal Skills, Radical Acceptance, Self-Compassion, Family Systems, and more—delivered by a dynamic, deeply attuned clinical team.
Integrated Clinical Team
- Mel Pohl, MD
- Les Aria, PhD
- Jennell Maze, LCSW
- Ben Perkins, LCSW
- Sam Sachnoff, LCSW
- Morgan Stiles, ACSW
- Ashleigh Abramovitz, AMFT, APCC
- Arun Sharma, AMFT, APCC
- Art Margulies, CADC II
- Rachel Kuhn, MSW Intern
- William Stanley, MD
Photos by Deb Norton, Residential Advisor
Leadership and Clinical Guidance
Dr. Les Aria, already a valued member of our team, assumed a full-time role this year as Chief Psychological Officer. Present throughout the week, he provides direct care and leads the treatment team, strengthening continuity, deepening the quality of care, and further anchoring our commitment to evidence-based, trauma-responsive, and modern neuroscience-of-pain-informed care.
Polyvagal-Informed Care & Nervous System Reset
We introduced the new polyvagal-informed Rest & Restore Protocol, an evidence-based approach emphasizing safety, rhythm, rest, and co-regulation. This protocol supports nervous system stabilization, allowing therapeutic work to unfold sustainably.
Clients benefit from Pulsetto, our latest wellness tool designed to support vagal tone and autonomic regulation, helping improve sleep, reduce pain and anxiety, and enhance engagement. Alongside Pulsetto, our evidence-based Five Points of Regulation—Breath, Mindfulness, Movement, Thought Management, and Play—reflect the creativity and clinical expertise of our team, offering practical strategies to reset the nervous system, build resilience, and strengthen emotional and physical regulation throughout treatment.
Expanding Expertise & Specialist Integration
Our team continued to grow, ensuring clients benefit from a fully integrated continuum of care:
- Daniel Hai, PsyD — Clinical Neuropsychologist
- Mark Jaffe, MD — Addiction Psychiatry
- Christopher Cutter, PhD — Trauma-focused collaboration with Yale University
We also celebrated Dr. Mel Pohl, our Chief Medical Officer, as the recipient of the Spirit of Recovery Award, honoring his longstanding commitment to integrative, compassionate medicine. He continues to inspire us all.
Community, Service, and Nourishment
Belonging and connection were central to healing this year. Clients engaged in service outings with new partners such as New Friends, whose mission is to nourish unhoused individuals while fostering empowerment, dignity, and hope.
On-site, chef-led demonstrations for clients highlighted nourishing, anti-inflammatory meals, reinforcing the connection between food, wellness, and healing.
As we close the year, we honor the many moments of growth, collaboration, and transformation that unfolded across our community. There is so much more to share, and we look forward to continuing this work—helping each person feel seen, supported, and connected throughout their recovery journey.
With warmth and appreciation,
The Pointe Malibu Recovery Center
