LifeSkills South Florida

Medical Director. Dr. Bober attended medical school at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed his adult/child/adolescent psychiatry training at the Yale University School of Medicine and a fellowship in forensic psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts School of Medicine. Dr. Bober served as a mental health policy fellow in the U.S. Senate through the American Psychiatric Association and the Yale University School of Medicine. While in Congress he championed the cause of veterans and active duty service members with mental illness. Dr. Bober currently holds a faculty appointment as an Assistant Clinical Professor at the Yale Child Study Center. In treating adults, Dr. Bober’s clinical interest and expertise lay in working with individuals that have addiction, trauma and personality disorders. His career has afforded him the opportunity to treat co-occurring disorders in inpatient, outpatient and research settings. Dr. Bober is Board Certified in General Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Forensic Psychiatry, by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Additionally, as a Diplomate of the American Board of Addiction Medicine, Dr. Bober is a Certified Addiction Medicine physician. He belongs to several professional societies including American Psychiatric Association, American Academy of Child, and Adolescent Psychiatry, American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law and the American Society of Addiction Medicine.

Director of Clinical Services. Jonathan is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Marriage and Family Therapist, holding credentials as a Nationally Certified Counselor. He has vast experience in providing social services and clinical work in a variety of multicultural settings, including work in Southeast Asia. He has worked with a multitude of populations including families, adolescents, the LGBT community, survivors of trauma, and substance abuse. Jonathan brings over ten years in leadership experience as the Director of Clinical Services at Life Skills of South Florida. Moreover, he is skilled in a variety of therapeutic modalities including dialectical behavior therapy and cognitive behavior therapy. Jonathan’s strength-based approach to counseling and treatment seeks to amplify the natural resiliencies in the people he serves. He possesses two Masters degrees and currently is completing his Ph.D. in Counseling Education at Barry University. where he has completed course work and is beginning his dissertation.

Associate Clinical Director. Dr. Valz is a licensed clinical psychologist and earned her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Nova Southeastern University in 2007. Her training has included individual and group work in a variety of settings including psychiatric care, outpatient mental health centers and residential levels of care. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at South Florida Evaluation and Treatment Center where her clinical focus was forensic psychology, and worked at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, FL with a clinical concentration on neuropsychological testing. At Lifeskills South Florida, she facilitates specialized groups for clients diagnosed with bipolar and psychotic disorders, schizoaffective disorder and schizophrenia at both the residential and outpatient levels of care.

Sara serves as the Director of Family Services, and is is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Certified Addiction Professional in the state of Florida. She earned her Master of Counseling and Psychology in 2009 and later returned for a Master of Public Administration with a focus on Healthcare Management. She has worked in mental health and addiction since 2008 and has experience in providing clinical services as well as overseeing dual-diagnosis treatment programs. Director of Family Services. Sara began working at Lifeskills South Florida as a Primary Therapist and now oversees the Family Program. In 2012 Sara worked for Pasadena Villa at The Villa Orlando, a sister facility in Central Florida as a Psychotherapist and later as Assistant Clinical Services Manager. With a solution focused approach to her work, she believes in empowering people to take control of their life. In her spare time, Sara enjoys being with family and friends and is the proud mom of a black Pomeranian named Kobe.

Director of DBT Program. Michelle is the Director of the DBT program at Lifeskills South Florida and earned her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Florida Institute of Technology. Intensively trained in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, she has been utilizing this approach for over a decade in clinical practice. Dr. Quilter has earned a Master’s degree in Community and Counseling Psychology from Marist College (MA) and a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Florida Institute of Technology (MS). Dr. Quilter has held her certification as a Credentialed Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counselor since 2006 and has received specialized training in both Forensic Psychology and Neuropsychology. She completed a dissertation on PTSD and TBI and possesses an interest in schizophrenia research, specifically regarding advances in pharmacological treatment. Dr. Quilter’s training has included working in an array of settings inclusive of inpatient hospitalization, emergency psychiatric care, substance abuse treatment centers, residential treatment, partial hospitalization, and intensive outpatient. In her spare time, Dr. Quilter has developed strong interests in baking and subsequently in eating.