Our Team
Our team consists of licensed mental health professionals, experienced equine specialists, and dedicated support staff who are passionate about helping others achieve their mental health goals.
Kimberly Ibarra
Executive Director | LCSW, Certified Nonprofit Professional, CAMS Trained
Kimberly loves working with teens, young adults, and their families, as they work through concerns such as trauma, depression, and anxiety. She has been a mental health therapist for teens with trauma in residential care for 3 years. This has equipped her to become well versed in various and complicated diagnoses that impact entire family systems. This has also led her to use therapeutic modalities that break down the barriers talk-therapy often poses for youth, including engagement, trust, and buy-in to the therapeutic process. She specializes in Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) and EMDR modalities. EAP invites engagement, decreases defensiveness and lowers the pressures that can make going to therapy hard for a teen, or any adult for that matter. She is certified in EMDR, a specific trauma therapy, that helps individuals work through the different types of trauma.
Diego Ibarra
CFO | Equine Specialist
Diego is an expert horseman, who has the ability to meet clients where they are at with his nonjudgemental compassion. He has been teaming up with horses for the past 4 years and implementing things he learns from them in his life. His role is to ensure the safety of participants and our equine partners throughout sessions and assist in caring for our equine when they are off duty. When he's not working with horses he is helping run financial models and budgets for our organization.
Laura Williams
Equine Specialist
Laura is a highly experienced equine specialist with nearly 50 years of dedicated involvement in the equine industry. Her extensive background includes successful competition in multiple disciplines, management of commercial horse boarding facilities, and the breeding of quality Paint horses. She also previously worked with a miniature horse therapy program in San Diego County, where she witnessed firsthand the profound impact these gentle animals can have on individuals of all ages. Today, Laura collaborates closely with licensed therapists to provide equine-assisted therapy sessions. She creates safe, supportive environments where horses serve as powerful partners in helping clients develop emotional regulation, confidence, communication skills, and overall well-being. Her warm, approachable nature helps her connect effortlessly with people across all age groups - from young children to teenagers and adults - making each session both effective and deeply meaningful.With a lifelong passion for the ranch lifestyle, Laura brings authentic care and expertise to every interaction. She is committed to sharing the transformative world of horses with clients, helping them discover the calm, strength, and healing that horses so naturally provide
Amber Houska
Equine Specialist
Amber is a wonderful horse woman and equine specialist who has been working with horses for over 30 years. She is passionate about helping people connect with horses and use them as a tool for therapy.
Valerie Neck
ContractorMental Health Therapist | LCSW
Valerie Neck partners with each individual to discover a pathway to wellness that enhances change and growth. She specializes in mindfulness-informed therapy for grief and loss, depression, stress management, chronic health conditions, and applies solution-focused therapy for life transitions. She offers a supportive presence in which the unsettledness of difficult times is not to be pushed away or stored deep within the body, but is to be held with compassion and understanding. Through ground-based horse interactions, patterns of thinking, feeling, and behavior reveal themselves. In this space, you can discover and problem-solve new ways to wholeness. Valerie draws from years of clinical experience working with outpatient behavioral health, veterans with complex grief, palliative care and hospice, is trained in the EAGALA method of EAP, and is a certified yoga teacher (200-Hr YTT).
Our Board
Our board of directors is dedicated to providing leadership and oversight to the organization.
Celeste Himanek
President | LPC, NCCMHC
Celeste Himanek, serves as the President of the board for Ruby Ranch Mental Health and is a psychotherapist who specializes in trauma-informed care. She is the founder of Realizations Counseling Center, where she provides intensive therapy experiences designed to help individuals achieve meaningful, lasting change in a focused period of time.
With over 20 years of experience in community mental health, Celeste has worked extensively with adults, children, and families across a wide range of clinical settings. She integrates evidence-based approaches including EMDR and the Flash Technique with experiential and nature-informed practices, offering an approach to healing that is both effective and deeply human. Her work centers on helping people experience meaningful, lasting change—often in a fraction of the time of traditional therapy models.
A lifelong equestrian, Celeste has had horses in her life since childhood and has participated in multiple disciplines, including hunter-jumper, western riding, and polo. She currently has three horses at home and brings this deep, personal connection into her work at Ruby Ranch, where the intuitive presence of horses supports nervous system regulation, emotional processing, and authentic transformation.
Celeste continues to actively expand her knowledge base, driven by a deep commitment to understanding how best to support healing and growth. Her ongoing training includes recent work with the Polyvagal Equine Institute, further integrating nervous system science with equine-informed practice.
As President, Celeste is committed to supporting the mission of expanding access to innovative, compassionate mental health care and developing programs that support resilience, connection, and lasting well-being for both humans and horses.
Mary Lynne DeRocher
Treasurer
Mary Lynne DeRocher is a seasoned nonprofit leader with more than 20 years of experience in development, strategic planning, and community engagement. She currently serves as Development Director for Project Youth+, where she leads fundraising efforts, grant strategy, donor stewardship, and communications to support youth across Southern Oregon in achieving success in school, career, and life.
Throughout her career, Mary Lynne has secured significant public and private funding, built strong community partnerships, and guided organizations through periods of growth and transition. Her work is rooted in a deep commitment to expanding access and opportunity for underserved populations, particularly youth and families facing systemic barriers. She is also deeply passionate about her family and about strengthening the community she calls home.
Prior to her current role, Mary Lynne held leadership positions at Kairos, a behavioral health nonprofit, where she served as both Development Director and Business Operations Director. During her time at Kairos, she also played a key role in supporting Rogue Winterfest, a premier community event in Josephine County. Her combined experience in operations and fundraising allows her to approach challenges with both strategic vision and practical execution.
Mary Lynne is passionate about strengthening community-based systems of care and advancing innovative approaches to mental health and youth development. Her service on the board of Ruby Ranch Mental Health reflects her dedication to supporting organizations that provide healing centered, relationship driven care for individuals and families.
Amy Bonella
Secretary
Amy Bonella serves as the board secretary and she brings 16 years of experience to Ruby Ranch Mental Health working and volunteering in the mental health industry. This is her first time serving on a Board of Directors. Amy's past experience includes working for Kairos a non-profit organization, as the Office Manager as well as a part time Foster Parent Recruiter, in the Treatment Foster Care Department. And 2 years of experience working for Imagine That... Creative Children's Centers as the Human Resource Director. Amy brings a vast array of expertise to Ruby Ranch Mental Health which includes working with at risk youth and families, customer service, human resource, managing and marketing. Amy is excited to bring her knowledge and past work experience to Ruby Ranch Mental Health and she is looking forward to serving the youth and families in the community. In addition to her work experience at Kairos and Imagine that... Creative Children's Centers, she has been involved in a fund raising event called, Rogue Winterfest for 12 years. Rogue Winterfest helps raise funds for two mental Health agencies in Grants Pass. Options for Southern Oregon and Kairos. Currently, Amy is a stay at home parent of two, ages 13 and 6, which in turn allows her to be able to serve on the Board of Directors and volunteer with other organizations in the community. Outside of Ruby Ranch Mental Health, Amy enjoys the outdoors, the arts and crafts, being in her yard, volunteering, and spending time with family and friends.
Julie Billin
Board Member
Julie Billin brings a strong foundation in early childhood education, small-business leadership, and family-centered service to the Ruby Ranch Mental Health Board of Directors. Her background includes years as a preschool owner and teacher, followed by administrative and finance roles supporting a family-run engineering firm. She currently serves as an author, wife, mother, grandmother, and member of the BYU President’s Leadership Council, where she contributes time and insight toward strengthening educational opportunities for future generations. Julie is deeply committed to emotional well-being, personal growth, and supporting children and families through compassionate, values-driven care. Fun fact: Julie is publishing her first children’s book.
Our Horses
Meet our leased therapy horses who will be your partner in therapy.
Ruby
Ruby is a 14-year-old Quarter Horse mare. She is very gentle. She has fantastic manners and finds just the right time to engage with clients.
Roxy
Roxy is a very friendly 15 year old Rocky Mountain mare. She's a client favorite because of her interest and curiousity.