About MTH Rehab
Our Story
In 2012, emergency physicians at a regional hospital in Marin County sounded an alarm: overdose admissions were climbing year over year, and too many patients were being discharged with nowhere to turn for sustained treatment. The nearest residential rehab facilities were hours away, and families watched their loved ones cycle through emergency rooms without access to long-term care.
A coalition of those same physicians, local behavioral health specialists, and community advocates came together to change that reality. They secured the building at 1313 4th Street in downtown San Rafael and opened MTH Rehab with a single mandate: no one in this community should have to leave home to get well.
Over 14 years, what started as a 20-bed detox unit has grown into a comprehensive 49-bed treatment center staffed by 103 clinicians, counselors, nurses, and support professionals. We have served more than 8,900 patients from San Rafael, Novato, San Anselmo, Mill Valley, and communities across the Bay Area. Every expansion was driven not by corporate ambition, but by the needs we saw walking through our doors each morning.
Our Mission
MTH Rehab exists to dismantle the stigma that keeps people from seeking addiction treatment. We believe that substance use disorder is a medical condition, not a moral failing, and that every person who walks through our doors on 4th Street deserves the same dignity and clinical rigor as any other patient in any other hospital.
Our mission is to make evidence-based addiction treatment accessible, judgment-free, and deeply connected to the San Rafael community we serve. We measure our success not only in sobriety milestones but in the relationships rebuilt, the families reunited, and the neighbors who feel safe enough to ask for help without shame.
Treatment Philosophy
Our treatment philosophy rests on three pillars that guide every clinical decision, group session, and daily interaction at MTH Rehab:
Creative Expression Healing
We have seen firsthand that words alone cannot always reach the places where pain lives. Our Creative Arts Studio offers painting, sculpture, music composition, and psychodrama sessions that unlock emotional breakthroughs and help patients articulate experiences they could not voice in traditional therapy. Creativity becomes a sustainable coping mechanism long after discharge.
Neuroscience-Based Care
Addiction changes the brain, and our clinical protocols reflect that reality. Our psychiatrists and therapists use modalities grounded in current neuroscience research, including CBT to restructure thought patterns, EMDR to process trauma stored in the nervous system, and MBRP to strengthen the prefrontal circuits responsible for impulse regulation. Every treatment plan is informed by how the brain heals, not just how behavior changes.
Harm-Reduction Continuum
We reject the idea that people must hit rock bottom before they deserve care. Our harm-reduction continuum welcomes patients at any stage of readiness, reduces barriers to entry, and builds toward sustained sobriety through incremental, patient-directed goals. This pragmatic compassion has proven to keep more people in treatment longer and produce more durable outcomes.
Our Team
Dr. Caroline Vasquez, MD, FASAM
Medical Director
Board-certified in addiction medicine and internal medicine, Dr. Vasquez spent eight years in Marin County emergency departments before co-founding MTH Rehab. She oversees all medical detox protocols and dual diagnosis treatment plans, bringing a trauma-informed lens shaped by thousands of acute care encounters. Her research on medication-assisted treatment outcomes has been presented at national addiction medicine conferences.
Daniel Okafor, LMFT
Director of Clinical Services
A licensed marriage and family therapist with 12 years of experience in family systems therapy, Daniel designs MTH Rehab's group therapy curriculum and oversees the peer mentorship program. Raised in the East Bay, he is deeply familiar with the cultural landscape of the greater San Francisco area and brings that awareness into every treatment plan he supervises. He holds advanced certifications in psychodrama and EMDR.
Rachel Kim, LCSW, CADC
Outpatient Program Manager
Rachel manages MTH Rehab's outpatient and intensive outpatient programs, ensuring that patients transitioning from residential care maintain momentum in their recovery. With a background in community mental health across Marin and Sonoma counties, she specializes in building relapse prevention strategies that account for real-world triggers. Her evening groups are known for their candid, supportive atmosphere.
Miguel Herrera, CATC, CPC
Peer Recovery Coordinator
An MTH Rehab alumnus who has been in recovery for nine years, Miguel now leads the center's peer mentorship and alumni engagement initiatives. He pairs incoming patients with trained peer mentors, facilitates the morning community meetings, and coordinates volunteer opportunities for graduates. His lived experience and deep roots in San Rafael make him one of the most trusted voices on our team.
Testimonials
"I resisted treatment for years. My family practically had to carry me through the door. But the staff at MTH Rehab never judged me for that. They let me be angry, let me be scared, and slowly showed me that trust was possible again. The community meetings every morning gave me structure I didn't know I needed."
- Marcus T., San Rafael
"Serving in the military taught me to push through anything, but it also taught me to bury everything. When I finally asked for help with my drinking, MTH Rehab was the only place that understood the connection between my service and my substance use. The EMDR sessions and the veteran peer group changed my life."
- James R., Novato
"I completed treatment at MTH Rehab in 2022 and came back as a volunteer six months later. Now I work in recovery services full-time because of what this place showed me was possible. Watching new patients arrive scared and leave hopeful is the greatest reward I have ever experienced."
- Sofia L., San Anselmo