Rebecca Deighan, M.S., MFT

Executive Director

Rebecca Deighan, M.S., MFT, is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist specializing in addiction recovery.  She received her Master of Science in Psychology from California State University, San Bernardino where she received many academic honors.  Her experience includes sexual addiction treatment, the development of school based counseling programs for adolescents, and marital therapy.  She maintains a busy privatre practice in Upland, where she sees individuals, couples, and families dealing with a wide range of issues.  Rebecca is an active member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapist (CAMFT).  She is serving as Executive Director of LifeSTAR in Inland Empire and Los Angeles areas where she lectures and runs groups dedicated to the recovery of sexual addiction. 

Steve Pumphrey LCSW
Executive Director

Steve Pumphrey is a licensed clinical social worker and Executive Director of LifeSTAR of Los Angeles and Orange County.   As such, he provides help to individuals and couples affected by sexual addiction, specializing in couples counseling and men’s issues. He earned a master’s degree in social work from the University of Southern California and has worked with the chronically mentally ill, terminally ill children, and teen and adult substance abusers. His career has led him to Executive positions with for-profit and non-profit mental health clinics, including The Center for New Directions (his private practice) and Pilgrimage Family Therapy Center (a center dedicated to serving the poor).   Steve has been a guest speaker at hospitals, churches and schools. He has offices in Laguna Hills and Tustin.  He speacializes in helping men to emotionally connect with their spouse so they can have a fulfilling relationship.

Janet Whitney, MA MFT
Executive Director

Janet Whitne has been a licensed psychotherapist for over 25 years and specializes in working with couples and individuals with relationship concerns, sexual addiction and sexuality issues, along with personal challenges within an individual. She personally trained with John Gray, author of” Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus” for over 3 years and has been conducting his workshops for over 10 years. Five years of hospital experience gives Janet a background in dealing with addictions and a wide range of psychological disorders. She has led Phase I, Phase II and Phase III groups for Lifestar and is currently coauthoring the book and developing the course work for the couples program which will be offered through Lifestar, called “Loving Marriages”. Janet has been a guest speaker at hospitals, churches, companies, schools, and business meetings on the topics of relationships, sexual addiction, self esteem, ADD, goals and motivation, stress management, and parenting issues. Her private office is in Newport Beach where she runs coaching and motivational groups, along with her work with couples and individuals, and the Lifestar Program.

Pat Kanakis, MFT

Pat Kanakis is a licensed Marriage, Family Therapist and has a private practice in Long Beach, California.  Pat likes to say that she specializes in people, as she truly has a heart for helping people come through difficult times.  She received her bachelor's degree from Cal State Fullerton and her master's degree from Cal State Dominquez hills.  She has worked with people with a wide range of challenges from depression, to pornography addiction.  She has also worked with high risk youth, sexually abused children, couples experiencing marital problems and families in stress.  She has been trained in treating people with sexual compulsivity issues and their partners from "The  Meadows", an in patient sexual addiction recovery facility.  Pat recognizes that coming to therappy for the first time can be stressful and wants to encourage you to take that first step today.  Therapy can make a difference in your life.

Bob Davis, MFT Trainee

Bob is a trainee at LifeSTAR.  He is in the second year of a two-year Masters Degree program at Philips Graduate Institute of Encino, California.  He decided to pursue licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist while serving the youth in his church.  Besides gaining a clinical foundation in therapy in his first year, he has been doing research and writing papers about pornography addiction.  He is being supervised by Steve Pumphrey, a licensed clinical social worker and Executive Director of LifeStar of Orange County and a Director of LifeSTAR of Los Angeles.  Bob will also be working fo ra non-profit organization called Pilgrimage Family Therapy.  This agency is dedicated to serving those who can't afford counseling.  He will be doing individual, couple, family and group counseling at Pilgrimage.