About MMH Rehab
Learn about our mission, our team, and our commitment to your recovery.
Our Story
MMH Rehab was established in 2008 when a group of addiction medicine physicians and retired military behavioral health officers identified a critical gap in veteran-accessible treatment along the San Diego coastline. Opening with 20 beds on Voltaire St, the founders built a program that blended clinical excellence with the structure and camaraderie familiar to service members and their families.
Across 18 years of continuous operation, MMH Rehab has grown into a 56-bed flagship facility supported by 115 professionals who have collectively guided more than 11,400 patients through recovery. We expanded programming to include specialized tracks for active-duty personnel, veterans, first responders, and civilians alike — each track reflecting the diverse population of San Diego County.
Today, under the direction of Executive Director Dr. Robert Castellanos, the campus continues to set the standard for addiction care in coastal Southern California. His vision of merging evidence-based practice with genuine peer connection has earned MMH Rehab the trust of military installations, VA referral networks, and families throughout the region.
Our Mission
MMH Rehab is committed to providing rigorous, evidence-informed addiction treatment that honors every patient's dignity, history, and capacity for change. We uncover the underlying drivers of substance use, design individualized recovery plans, and equip each person with practical tools to sustain sobriety beyond our walls. Deeply rooted in the Point Loma and Ocean Beach communities of San Diego, we draw strength from our coastal setting and our longstanding ties to the military community. Recovery flourishes when clinical precision meets authentic human connection — and that intersection defines everything we do.
Compassion
We meet every person with empathy, dignity, and respect, understanding that addiction is a medical condition deserving of quality care.
Clinical Excellence
Our treatment protocols are grounded in the latest research. We continuously evaluate outcomes and refine our approach to deliver the best possible results.
Inclusivity
With bilingual Spanish-speaking staff and culturally informed programming, we ensure that every client feels welcomed and understood at our facility.
Whole-Person Healing
Recovery extends beyond sobriety. We address the physical, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of wellness through holistic therapies and our restorative coastal setting.
Treatment Philosophy
At MMH Rehab, we treat addiction as a complex medical condition deserving the same clinical seriousness as any chronic disease. Our therapeutic framework is built on three foundational commitments:
Evidence-Anchored Care: Every intervention we deploy — Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, EMDR, motivational enhancement, and medication-assisted treatment — is grounded in peer-reviewed research and continuously evaluated through patient outcome tracking at our San Diego campus.
Integrated Mind-Body Healing: Ocean-adjacent fitness training, surf therapy, nutritional rehabilitation, breathwork, and mindfulness meditation complement our clinical modalities. By engaging the whole person, we cultivate the physical vitality and emotional steadiness that sustain long-term sobriety.
Individualized Recovery Blueprints: Every patient arrives with a distinct biography. Our clinicians conduct thorough biopsychosocial and trauma-history assessments to construct recovery blueprints that respect each person's strengths, military or civilian background, cultural identity, and personal goals.
Our Team
Dr. Robert Castellanos, PsyD, LMHC
Executive Director
Dr. Castellanos has devoted 22 years to behavioral health leadership across Southern California and the military health system. After earning his doctorate in clinical psychology from Alliant International University in San Diego, he served as a behavioral health consultant at Naval Medical Center San Diego before transitioning to civilian addiction treatment. His pioneering work integrating military resilience frameworks into residential programming has been presented at national addiction medicine conferences, and his patient-centered leadership has shaped MMH Rehab into the flagship facility it is today.
Dr. Fatima Al-Rashid, MD, MPH, FASAM
Medical Director
Board-certified in addiction medicine and a Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, Dr. Al-Rashid oversees all medical operations at MMH Rehab. She completed her residency at UC San Diego Health and holds a Master of Public Health focused on substance use epidemiology. Her clinical specialties include polysubstance withdrawal management, opioid use disorder in veteran populations, and medically complex dual-diagnosis stabilization. Her detox safety protocols have been adopted by treatment centers across San Diego County, and she serves as a clinical advisor to regional VA substance abuse programs.
Tanya Brooks, LCSW, ICADC
Clinical Director
Tanya Brooks brings 15 years of clinical frontline experience to her oversight of therapeutic programming at MMH Rehab. A Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Internationally Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor, she developed the facility's trauma-responsive group therapy model and its veteran-specific reintegration pathway. Known among patients for her unwavering directness and deep empathy, Tanya creates treatment environments where honesty becomes the catalyst for transformation.
Accreditations & Certifications
MMH Rehab maintains the highest standards of care through nationally recognized accrediting bodies.
Alumni Testimonials
"I spent six years self-medicating after two combat deployments, and nothing stuck until MMH Rehab. Dr. Al-Rashid's detox protocol kept me safe through the worst of withdrawal, and the veteran-focused group sessions gave me brothers and sisters who actually understood. Fourteen months clean and I finally recognize the person in the mirror."
- Justin A., Residential Program, March 2025
"The outpatient program at MMH Rehab saved my career and my marriage. I drove from Chula Vista three mornings a week, and Tanya Brooks held me accountable in ways no one else ever had. She saw through every excuse and helped me dismantle patterns I had carried since college. Two years sober this spring."
- Melissa O., Outpatient Program, January 2024
"After decades of battling depression and alcohol dependence, the dual diagnosis track at MMH finally brought everything into focus. Understanding that my drinking was rooted in unresolved grief changed the entire trajectory of my recovery. The psychiatric care and therapy worked as one unified plan for the first time in my life."
- Charles W., Dual Diagnosis Program, August 2025
"I was terrified to ask for help, but the admissions team at MMH Rehab made the first phone call feel like talking to family. The residential program on Voltaire St gave me structure, the ocean walks cleared my head, and the aftercare plan kept me grounded once I went home. Nine months sober and counting."
- Angela F., Residential Program, November 2025