A physician group built for behavioral health.

Dr. Bret Bellard, MD

Board-Certified in Family Medicine & Addiction Medicine

Dr. Bret Bellard is a board-certified physician in both Family Medicine and Addiction Medicine with over 30 years of clinical experience. He earned his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine and has spent his career serving patients across California and Nevada, with physical practices in both states.

Dr. Bellard brings a whole-person approach to care — addressing mental, emotional, and physical health together. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine and has extensive experience treating opioid use disorder, depression, anxiety, and a broad range of behavioral health conditions. In addition to medication management, he incorporates counseling, family dynamics, nutrition, and exercise into his treatment approach.

Darlene Alugbue, PMHNP-BC

Board-Certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

Darlene Alugbue is a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner with more than 15 years of healthcare experience and over a decade specializing in psychiatry. Her clinical background spans emergency psychiatry, acute and crisis care, inpatient and outpatient settings, community mental health, telepsychiatry, and care for adolescents, adults, older adults, and veterans.

Darlene takes a patient-centered approach, prioritizing trust, open communication, and individualized treatment goals to ensure patients feel heard and actively involved in their care.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Health Science from California State University, Dominguez Hills and a Master of Science in Nursing. She completed her Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner education in 2023 and is currently pursuing her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP).

Outside of work, Darlene enjoys spending time with her husband and their three boys and traveling whenever she gets the opportunity.

Richard “Richie” Lenchner, LMFT

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

Richard “Richie” Lenchner is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) with more than 35 years of experience helping individuals build healthier, more balanced lives. He has over a decade of experience in residential and outpatient treatment settings, specializing in substance use, mental health, and co-occurring disorders.

Richie earned his B.A. in Psychology from UCLA and his M.A. in Counseling Psychology from Pepperdine University. He works primarily with adults navigating addiction and recovery, grief and loss, depression, anxiety, codependency, motivation, and self-esteem.

His approach is individualized, direct, and collaborative, drawing from cognitive-behavioral, existential-humanistic, narrative, and reality-based techniques. Richie believes meaningful therapy should help people create greater balance emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Nicole Arce

Practice Administrator

Nicole Arce brings nearly a decade of executive healthcare leadership to Solara Health, with a track record of building and scaling high-performing clinical operations from the ground up.

Most recently, Nicole served as Director of Administrative Services at The Hospital at Westlake Medical Center — a 23-bed acute care facility with a full emergency department. She oversaw coordination across administrative, finance, and clinical departments, managed all governing board correspondence, and launched the hospital's behavioral health service line. She also served concurrently as executive administrator to the Managing Member of an affiliated healthcare management company.

Prior to Westlake, Nicole spent three years as Chief Operating Officer at Muse Treatment in Los Angeles, one of California's largest full-continuum substance abuse and mental health organizations. In that role she oversaw day-to-day operations across the full care spectrum — from detox and residential to outpatient and aftercare.

Nicole joins Solara Health with firsthand experience standing up behavioral health programs, managing multi-department clinical operations, and working at the executive level in both hospital and treatment center settings.

Sky Crews

Vice President of Partnerships

Sky Crews serves as Vice President of Partnerships, leading business development and strategic growth for Solara Health across California, Texas, and Arizona. She brings a strong background in healthcare and medical device sales, relationship management, and multi-state territory leadership.

Sky specializes in building lasting partnerships with healthcare professionals, facilities, and organizations — connecting the right clinical resources to the facilities and patients who need them. Her approach combines strategic sales discipline with a genuine commitment to wellness and long-term relationship development.

Prior to joining Solara Health, Sky held leadership roles managing multi-state business development initiatives. She also brings an entrepreneurial perspective as a wellness business owner, with a deep belief in creating meaningful connections that drive sustainable growth.