Our Team

Mike Mella

Executive Director 

Miguel Mella has been committed to advancing equity in the Mental Health and Substance Use community through access to therapy. As Executive Director of Dade Family counseling, he takes pride in empowering Clients and Therapists in his programs to work together in the process of recovery.

With over twenty years of executive management and administrative leadership experience in developing behavioral healthcare treatment programs throughout South Florida communities, Miguel has overseen campus administration operations that have made a difference in many lives.

Mr. Mella has a genuine desire to improve the lives of the clients his agency serves. This passion culminates from his experiences early on as a United States Marine Corp. He is a firm believer in the power of therapy and is faithful in making it accessible throughout South Florida with Outpatient, Intensive Outpatient Treatment and Partial Hospitalization Programs and Residential Programs. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from University of Central East in Dominican Republic.

Frank Baez, MD

Medical Director 

Dr. Frank Baez is a board-certified psychiatrist and the medical director at Dade Family Counseling who is dedicated to the evidence-based treatment of psychiatric and substance use disorders.
Originally from the Dominican Republic, Dr. Baez began his medical career at the Instituto Tecnologico De Santo Domingo (Intec) Fac De Ciencias De La Salud in 2001.
He completed his general psychiatry residency at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in Bronx, NY.

“Just because no one else can heal or do your inner work for you, doesn’t mean you can, should, or need to do it alone.”

Josie Alcantara, LMHC NCC

Clinical Director

Josie is a bilingual Licensed Mental Health Counselor and National Certified Counselor. She earned her Master of Science Degree from Nova Southeastern University in Mental Health Counseling and has extensive experience in the field of co-occurring disorders. Josie also provides substance use and mental health treatment to individuals that are court-mandated with substance misuse, domestic violence, parenting and co-occurring mental health concerns.

Jacquie Jones Gardener, MSAC

Clinical Therapist

Jacquie was born and raised in Portmore, Jamaica eventually moving to the United States. She graduated from Grand Canyon University with a Masters of Science in Addiction Counseling(MSAC) Jacquie is currently studying to complete her PH.D in Psychology from Grand Canyon University

Ernesto Gonzalez

Site Coordinator 

Ernesto Joined Dade Family Counseling in 2022 where he ensures clients are ready and admitted to DFC while maintaining proper admitting guidelines and conducting evaluations before official admissions. In addition, Ernesto’s workload includes assisting the clinical director and staff along with new employee training.

Luis Ventura, MS

Clinical Therapist 

Luis provides mental health services to a wide array of clients spanning numerous avenues within the field. Luis’s modality of choice is collaborative therapy and deeply believes that providing a non-biased approach to the therapeutic process can yield excellent results.

Luis has a dual Masters degrees in psychology while also being a Doctoral candidate for marriage and family counseling.

Gissele Ponce

Clinical Therapist/Registered Intern

Gissele is a graduate from Nova Southeastern University with a Masters of Science in Counseling. Gissele specializes in working with populations affected by substance abuse, domestic violence, personality disorders, mood disorders, and eating disorders. She has worked in multiple settings such as substance abuse rehabilitation center, PHP and IOP centers, and telehealth. “I believe in making therapy a safe place for everyone, free of judgment and bias.”