About Island Mind Therapy
Our mental health therapists on Maui strive to create a warm, island-inspired sanctuary where everyone—keiki, teens, and adults—can find the support they need to thrive.
Our Approach
We aspire to create a world where mental health is prioritized and every person has access to the resources and support necessary to lead a fulfilling and balanced life. Through innovation, excellence, and a compassionate approach, we aim to set the standard for effective mental health care and inspire positive change for families and individuals on Maui.
Our Mission
At Island Mind Therapy, our mission is to illuminate the path to mental wellness with compassion and expertise, serving individuals of all ages—children, adolescents, and adults. We are dedicated to creating a supportive and inclusive environment where every person feels valued, understood, and empowered.
By providing personalized, evidence-based care, we address both emotional and psychological needs with empathy and respect. Our goal is to foster resilience, hope, and balance, helping each individual and family to overcome their challenges and achieve their fullest potential. We strive to enhance the well-being of our community and promote a healthier, more balanced life for all.
We are hiring!
We are seeking caring and compassionate people who want to join the Island Mind Therapy team. Please visit our careers page to view open positions.
Our Values
We envision becoming a trusted leader in mental health care, known for our commitment to improving lives and promoting well-being. Our goal is to create a future where mental health is widely valued and accessible, with every individual empowered to lead a balanced and fulfilling life. By combining innovation with heartfelt care, we aim to set a standard for excellence and inspire positive change within our community.
Excellence
We are dedicated to providing outstanding care by continuously refining our practices and staying at the forefront of mental health advancements.
Compassion
We approach every individual with empathy and kindness, acknowledging the personal nature of their mental health journey.
Integrity
We maintain the highest ethical standards, ensuring that our interactions are transparent, respectful, and trustworthy.
Inclusivity
We embrace diversity and strive to create an environment where everyone feels valued and supported.
Collaboration
We believe in working together—both within our team and with our clients—to achieve the best possible outcomes for mental health.
Innovation
We are open to new ideas and approaches, integrating the latest advancements to offer the most effective care
Finding Strength Together
Supported by a grant partnership from the Maui Strong Fund of the Hawai‘i Community Foundation, we are offering mental health support for people who have been affected by the Maui fires, free of charge.
Meet the Team
Patricia K. Silva, LMHC, NCC
Director of Therapy Services
Patricia, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), brings over a decade of clinical experience, deeply rooted in her love for Hawaii and its people. Born and raised on Oahu, she moved to Maui five years ago and has since been dedicated to supporting the local community through her practice. Specializing in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP), and Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT), Patricia creates a warm, compassionate environment for her clients. Her person-centered approach helps individuals feel truly seen and understood, while her holistic methods foster lasting healing by addressing the complex interplay of mind, body, and emotions. Committed to the well-being and resilience of her community, Patricia is passionate about helping individuals discover their strengths and create meaningful, lasting change.
Blue
Certified Therapy Service Dog
Blue, a seven-year-old Golden Retriever from Honor’s Service Dogs, Inc., was professionally trained in California and has been providing therapeutic support alongside Trish for over six years. His calm demeanor, exceptional training, and innate compassion make him an invaluable asset in delivering therapeutic services to clients. Blue’s unwavering dedication and his gentle, caring nature have earned him the reputation of having a ‘heart of gold,’ making him truly one of a kind.
Channing Slate, M.D., F.A.P.A.
Medical Director, Psychiatrist
Channing Slate, M.D., is a board-certified adult psychiatrist and the medical director for Island Mind Therapy LLC. He has lived in Hawaii since 2016, practicing across the state before settling down on Maui. Dr. Slate focuses on incorporating the biological, psychological, and social aspects of a person’s life experience when evaluating and treating his patients. He attempts to tailor his recommendations to everyone’s unique situation, needs, preferences, and includes lifestyle changes such as socialization, recreation, diet, physical activity, and exercise in addition to the traditional medication and psychotherapy approach to psychiatric treatment. Dr. Slate is not an expert in all areas of psychiatry and will gladly refer any patient with needs that are outside the scope of his expertise to a more qualified provider.
His approach is one of empathy and open-mindedness. He prefers to spend time getting to know you and learning about what has caused difficulty and stress in your life. When suggesting medications, he will take care to recommend the most appropriate medicine with the best chance of success based on the most current medical evidence. Dr. Slate does not believe that medicine is the answer to all psychiatric problems and will work to simplify your medication regimen as much as possible. If psychotherapy is recommended, it is important to note that psychotherapy is a very individual process, and certain approaches can be best for different kinds of problems. Dr. Slate values patient input and sees treatment decisions as a collaborative process. He believes that understanding and incorporating the patient’s viewpoint is the best way to achieve a positive outcome. Dr. Slate promises to make his private practice a safe place to discuss whatever sensitive or complicated issues may come up so that you will feel most comfortable seeking your mental health care from Island Mind Therapy.
John Oliver
Clinic Administrator
John Oliver is the clinic administrator for Island Mind Therapy located in Wailuku, Maui. As a long time resident of Maui, John is deeply passionate about helping the mental well-being of people in his community on Maui. His background in mental health administration led him to start Island Mind Therapy, with the goal to create a world where mental health is prioritized and every person has access to the resources and support necessary to lead a fulfilling and balanced life.
John was most recently with the State of Hawai‘i Department of Health’s Behavioral Health Administration within Adult Mental Health Division—he was a Public Health Program Manager / Service Area Administrator and oversaw Maui County Community Mental Health Center’s locations on Maui, Molokai, and Lana‘i. He was also the founding director for the Maui County Certified Community Behavior Health Clinic (CCBHC), a project funded by SAMHSA that provides comprehensive treatment for adults with children and mental health conditions, as well as substance use treatment and recovery support services.
In addition, John was the Project Director for the newly formed Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander (AANHPI) ‘Ohana Center of Excellence (CoE). The CoE advances behavioral health needs of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities through culturally relavent resource for mental health and substance use disorder providers, health care providers, and individuals.
Jeffrey Bergstrom, M.S.W., L.C.S.W., M.P.A.
Mental Health Professional
Jeffs approach to healing is influenced by early relationships and experiences living with the Coeur d'Alene (kur-de-LAYN) (Schitsu’umsh), a Native American tribe located in North Idaho. Jeff often worked collaboratively with tribal elders, community stakeholders and local non-profits helping improve adult, children and family well-being in relation to mental health care, housing, an environmental protection issues. During this time, Jeff also attended Eastern Washington University, School of Social Work, focusing his attention on rural community social welfare, health, and human development. Attending graduate school and living simultaneously with the Coeur d’Alene community provided Jeff with a unique perspective of both Native American (NA) traditional healing and Western medicine’s evidence-based practices.
Early in Jeff’s social work career, he advocated and provided mental health services for children and families within the foster care system then began traveling as a licensed clinician throughout the west coast to various rural clinics and hospitals. As a compassionate community partner, Jeff generously supports the lives of our most vulnerable and marginalized people and communities. Certified as a Clinical Trauma Professional, he endorses an integrative therapeutic approach utilizing somatic mindfulness, relational compassion, attachment and salutogenic holistic healing. Jeff’s whole person focus compliments his use of evidence-based treatments such at Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Treatment (TFCBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
Transformational experiences improve nervous system responsiveness, emotional regulation, cognitive functioning and sustained resiliency. In Jeff’s care, the therapeutic relationship collectively empowers these healing qualities along with the connected sense of being with your whole and awesome self!
Anela Farrar-Ivey
Mental Health Professional
As a Native Hawaiian woman and native to Maui, I think it is important to embrace who we are as a holistic person. I try to focus not only on traumatic events or life experience, but also the community we live in, our careers, and our passion projects. I believe strongly that we can not only heal by going through therapy, but by leaning in to things or activities that actively bring us life and joy.
I focus therapy activities through CBT, DBT, mindfulness, breathing exercises, and trauma informed care. I also actively use art projects, or projects that activate our senses (sense of touch, sense of smell, sense of taste) to heal the connection between our mind, hearts and body. I also strongly encourage individuals and families to learn about their cultural history or family history, to help them ground into all aspects of what makes us human. I am also a strong proponent of helping people become attuned with nature, whether it's through having a garden at home, or nature walks. Our healing should be whole person centered, and help us to become more intune with the world around us.
Mikella Polito Grobe
Mental Health Professional
Mikella Polito Grobe earned her Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis on Marriage and Family Therapy from Pepperdine University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of San Francisco. Mikella has experience working with children, adolescents, teens and adults at both agency and school-based settings. Her work helps individuals, couples, and families with social skills, communication, anxiety, depression, trauma, LGBTQ+ and identity and more from a humanistic person-centered approach. She implements various theoretical approaches from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Art Therapy, Play Therapy, and Narrative Therapy to meet her clients where they are and help them achieve their therapeutic goals.
Bradford Waterman
Mental Health Professional
I first came to live on Maui in 2018, and I immediately fell in love with the culture, the land, and the spirit of the Hawaiian islands. Shortly thereafter, I moved to Hawai’i island to live in an intentional community, and it was through this experience that I was introduced to new ways of interpersonal communication, listening techniques, and conflict resolution skills that ultimately inspired me to offer therapy services in Hawai’i vocationally. I specialize in work with individual adults, and I welcome folks with all personal or cultural identities including LGBTQ individuals.
I have experience treating a wide variety of mental health related concerns including depression, generalized anxiety, social anxiety, trauma, relationship issues, and suicidal thoughts. My approach to therapy is holistic and eclectic, integrating Person-Centered Therapy, Existential Therapy, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), along with Mindfulness practices, to cultivate a space where individuals can freely explore their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. My practice is grounded in the belief that every person has an innate inner wisdom, is the expert on their own life, and can move toward greater meaning and fulfillment with proper intention and therapeutic support. By focusing on building a strong counseling relationship, I aim to nurture an environment where individuals feel safe, supported, and inspired to dive into healing work, and begin seeing positive changes in their lives.
