About Us

Leslie Haws, Executive Director, M.A., MFT, CSAT, earned a B.A. degree in Sociology in 1986, and in 1996 completed a master’s in education with a specialty in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of San Francisco. She has actively worked in the mental health services for over 25 years and has specialized training in EMDR, Sand Play therapy; Jungian/Depth Psychology; geriatric and grief counseling; as well as trauma and addiction recovery. Over the past 15 years of direct clinical work with clients Leslie has sought on-going training in new and advanced therapeutic models for working with trauma and addiction such as ACT (Affect Centered Therapy). She is a certified sexual addiction therapist (CSAT) trained by Patrick Carnes and is currently becoming a certified (EFT) Emotionally Focused Couples Therapist. She is the Executive Director of LifeSTAR Sacramento Counseling Agency and has also has worked in and owns a private practice—New Bridge Counseling Services—since 1998. Leslie is a member of CAMFT (California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists); SASH (Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health); and IITAP (International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals).

Eileen DeGruccio, Clinical Director, MFT, is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She has a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and has been in private practice since 1990. She works with individuals, couples, families and group therapy. Her therapeutic experience has been focused primarily around trauma survival, relationships, compulsive behaviors, codependency and addiction recovery work. She is a trained EMDR and ACT clinician (Affect Centered Therapy) and has a certification in sexual addiction treatment and recovery (CSAT). She often speaks to various groups and communities providing information about relationships, communication, co-dependency, stress management, parenting and addiction recovery topics. She is a strong advocate of the need to teach healthy sexuality. She has sponsored and facilitated retreat weekends, including Marriage Enrichments for couples and Heart to Heart, a 12-step program. She is currently the Clinical Director of LifeSTAR Sacramento, which is part of the LifeSTAR (Sexual Trauma and Recovery) Network Program. Eileen is a member of CAMFT (California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists) and SASH (Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health) and IITAP (International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals).

George F. Peckham, Men’s Clinical Director, MFT, CSAT, is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. George is certified as a sexual addiction therapist (CSAT) and was trained by Dr. Patrick Carnes. He is the LifeSTAR Men’s Clinical Director facilitating the men’s Phase 2 and 3 group therapy. He also works individually with clients helping them recover from sexual addiction and has specialized training in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing) and ACT (Affect Centered Therapy). George has worked for many years with families, children, adolescents and adults addressing depression, anger, anxiety, sexual addiction and relationship difficulties. He has specific training and experience working with individuals affected by ADHD. With over 10 years experience participating in men’s groups and 25 plus years in the recovery community, George is dedicated to helping clients recover from addictive behaviors. He is a member of the International Institute of Addiction and Trauma Professionals (ITTAP) and the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT) as well as the Sacramento Valley Chapter of CAMFT (SAC-CAMFT).

Ralph E. Rast, MA, MFT, CHT, is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with more than 25 years of experience and a Clinical Hypnotherapist with more than 15 years of experience. He earned his Master of Arts degree in counseling from University of the Pacific in 1977. He has completed hundreds of hours of professional level training in addictions, marital and family therapy, child and adolescent therapy, personality disorders, clinical hypnotherapy, and more. Ralph is a group therapist for LifeSTAR and he conducts individual, marital, and family therapy sessions. Ralph has a special interest in helping individuals and couples recover from the impacts of addictions. For over nine years Ralph has taught at University of Phoenix’s Sacramento Valley Campus in the graduate school of family therapy. He has helped design UOP courses and helped train new faculty. Ralph is a member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT), the American Council of Hypnotist Examiners (ACHE), and the Northern California Professional Association of Sexual Addiction Treatment (NCPASAT).

Grant Garrett, MC, LMFT, CSAT, is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist specializing in addictions counseling. He has a master’s degree in counseling and is a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist (CSAT). He is also a trained Affect Centered Therapy (ACT) clinician. Grant specializes in treating individuals and couples who are dealing with problems related to sexual addiction and compulsive behaviors, and he facilitates men’s therapy groups devoted to sexual addiction recovery. He also has experience working with a wide range of counseling needs, including depression, anxiety, anger management, and individual and marital issues. In addition, he is experienced in working with adolescent issues and family counseling. Grant is a member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT), the Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health (SASH), the International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals (IITAP), and the Professional Association for Sexual Addiction Treatment (PASAT).