Who We Are

Paulina Soble, LCSW, is the Co-Founder and operations lead of the Pain Reprocessing Therapy Center. Paulina has presented at various chronic pain conferences, aiming to build a comprehensive network of certified practitioners to treat the millions who suffer from chronic pain. In addition to her clinical work with clients, Paulina spearheads the development of new initiatives, professional trainings, and educational resources to expand the reach of pain reprocessing therapy and improve access to mental health and healthcare professionals as well as patients.

Daniella Deutsch, LCSW, is the Co-Founder, content developer, and lead trainer at the Pain Reprocessing Therapy Center, training and certifying thousands of mental health clinicians and practitioners across various health disciplines. Daniella has presented on the topic of pain treatment at conferences and trainings internationally and is currently involved in a PRT clinical trial and ongoing pain research. She is a psychotherapist treating chronic pain using evidence-based practices to reduce pain and improve mind and body wellness.

Yoni K. Ashar, PhD, is a clinical psychologist, neuroscientist, and father of three. Yoni’s research uses functional MRI brain imaging, natural language processing, and other tools to understand how mind and brain processes influence health, especially chronic pain. Yoni is an NIH-funded postdoctoral associate at Weill Cornell Medicine, and he completed his doctorate at the University of Colorado Boulder. He conducted the first randomized trial testing Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT), conducts PRT clinician trainings, and leads a PRT supervision group. His research in chronic pain has been featured in several news outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Vox, and the Coloradan. You can see more of Yoni’s work on Twitter and Google Scholar.

Dr. Howard Schubiner, MD is board certified in pediatrics and internal medicine and is the director of the Mind Body Medicine Center at Providence Hospital in Southfield, MI. He is a Clinical Professor at Wayne State University School of Medicine and has authored over 60 publications in scientific journals and books. Dr. Schubiner has conducted research on psychophysiological disorders and is currently working on a large grant from the National Institutes of Health to study the effects of emotional expression therapy for fibromyalgia.

Daniel G. Lyman, LCSW, MPA, is a psychotherapist and Executive Director of the Portland, OR-based Mind Body Therapy Center. He specializes in the treatment of chronic pain, anxiety, OCD, and sexuality. He earned both a master’s degree in Social Work and Public Administration from the University of Southern California. He has been working in healthcare for over a decade, and has worked with thousands of clients to overcome pain on 6 continents (still waiting on Antarctica). Beyond his work in the mental and medical health field, Daniel is a playwright, runner, and dog-lover.

John Gasienica, LCSW, brings personal understanding and empathy alongside contemporary methodology to clients experiencing pain, anxiety, and depression. Using a light-hearted demeanor, John uniquely caters Pain Reprocessing Therapy with a cognitive behavioral and mindfulness-based approach to each individual client. John received his master’s degree from the University of Southern California and leads the Business Development and Outreach Program at the Pain Psychology Center.

Melany Cohen, LMFT, is a psychotherapist and certified hypnotherapist, specializing in the treatment of chronic pain. Her own positive experience with overcoming years of debilitating pain inspired her to make a life-transforming decision. She gave up her law career so that she could pursue her true passion to become a healer and motivator. Utilizing pain reprocessing techniques, Melany incorporates cognitive behavioral therapy, guided imagery, and mindfulness-based stress reduction to support patients in their recovery process.

Mike Averill, LCSW, is a psychotherapist specializing in Pain Reprocessing Therapy. Mike incorporates knowledge from meditation and breathwork traditions into his general approach to therapy. He emphasizes the natural tendency of the nervous system to seek out wellness by prioritizing the development of a relative sense of safety. He also weaves in tools to build self-compassion, resilience, and less rigid ways of thinking and being. Mike received his master’s degree from the University of Southern California, is certified in yoga and breathwork, and is in training for Somatic Experiencing.

Michelle Avril Bush, MA, has over 20 years of experience in the mental health field, working in therapy, assessment, supervision, research, and teaching. Michelle uses an evidence and strengths-based integrative approach, focusing on client education, insight, resiliency development, and interpersonal work. Michelle has extensive experience in issues relating to depression, anxiety, trauma, abuse, loss, addiction, adjustment disorders, and behavioral problems.

Alan Gordon, LCSW is the Executive Director of the Pain Psychology Center in Los Angeles. Gordon recently completed a groundbreaking neuroimaging study on the efficacy of Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) in conjunction with the University of Colorado-Boulder. He was featured on CBS’s The Doctors, where he conducted the first fMRI case study of a patient eliminating chronic pain. He is an adjunct assistant professor at USC and has presented on the topic of pain treatment at conferences and trainings throughout the country.