Our Leadership Team
Matthew Ruble, MD
Chief Medical Officer, Discovery Behavioral Health, parent company of Discovery Mood & Anxiety Program
Dr. Matthew Ruble is advancing behavioral health care by harnessing the power – and data – from tens of thousands of patient experiences to drive innovation in treatment and ultimately improve outcomes and lives.
As chief medical officer, Dr. Ruble is dedicated to education/training, research and collaboration among payers and providers. His collaboration with Mass General Brigham led to external, academic validation of Discovery’s clinical outcomes and national leadership in setting a new standard for measurement-based care.
Dr. Ruble works to elevate the needs of patients, providers and payers by decreasing barriers to care and prioritizing value while ensuring clinical quality.
Prior to joining Discovery, he served as national medical director at Humana and was part of the team that reviewed and advised Humana leadership on all behavioral health technology/innovations for potential investment/acquisition and implementation.
A former faculty member of Harvard Medical School for nearly 20 years, Dr. Ruble also served as the director of behavioral health and the associate training director for the Adult Psychiatry residency training program at the Cambridge Health Alliance.
Dr. Ruble earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa. He completed an Infectious Disease research Fellowship at Brown University’s School of Medicine before completing his MD at the Carver School of Medicine at the University of Iowa.
He then attended Harvard Medical School to intern at the Department of Medicine and to complete his residency at the Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Ruble became chief resident of psychopharmacology at Cambridge Health Alliance. He then completed his Fellowship in Medical Education at the Academy of Harvard Medical School.
Deandra Christianson, MA, LCPC
Deandra’s leadership is grounded in measurement-based care and informed by her passion for awareness, advocacy and access to treatment.
Discovery Mood & Anxiety Program maintains an unrivaled national reputation for innovation and excellence for treating mental health disorders and instilling hope in patients and their families for lasting maintenance. As the chief operating officer of Discovery Behavioral Health, the parent company of Discovery Mood, Deandra drives that success with highly qualified and caring teams working to develop tailored treatment plans based on years of patient experiences.
Throughout her professional life, Deandra has worked with individuals with mental health and eating disorders, self- injurious behaviors, and other co-occurring issues in both residential and outpatient treatment settings.
Prior to being named COO, Deandra was president of Discovery Mood and the eating disorder division, Center for Discovery. Before that role, Deandra held both clinical and administrative positions at Center for Discovery from 2013 to 2021.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and holds a master’s degree in clinical psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology including a specialization in counseling specialization with a focus on the treatment of children and adolescents.
Marissa Jones, MS, LPC, CEDS-C
President, Mental Health & Eating Disorder Divisions
Marissa graduated from The University of Oklahoma, majoring in psychology with a minor in sociology/criminology. Marissa has had an interest in the counseling field since her teen years, eager to help young people with identity development, and to help individuals learn their own value in the world. Marissa continued to pursue two graduate degrees, one in counseling and one in health care administration from Oklahoma State University.
Marissa has worked in the acute/residential setting for eating disorder treatment since 2012, now becoming a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist and supervisor, relentlessly pursuing higher education and professional development to provide quality care to her patients. In addition, Marissa has extensive training in interpersonal psychotherapy, an evidence-based modality for the treatment of eating disorders and depression, from the IPT Institute.
Marissa joined the Discovery team in 2017 as the program director of the Orlando residential program and quickly advanced to the regional director of operations. Marissa is a licensed professional counselor in Virginia, Georgia and Florida.
Amy Costa, PsyD, LMFT, CEDS-S
Vice President of Clinical Operations
Dr. Costa is a licensed marriage and family therapist in San Diego, California, and is the vice president of clinical operations for Discovery Mood & Anxicety Program. Dr. Costa has worked at Discovery since 2014, and was previously the vice president of operations for the West Coast eating disorder division. She brings a wealth of clinical experience to operations in order to help elevate Discovery Behavioral Health, the parent company of Discovery Mood, to a level of excellence in the mental health field. In her latest role, Dr. Costa is working to improve clinical programming; ensuring the division continues to use the best in evidence-based treatment modalities; and supporting the training and growth of the clinical team. She is also a member of the REDC as well as a member of iaedp as a certified eating disorder specialist and supervisor. Before coming to Discovery, Dr. Costa began her career in the eating disorder field in 2004, first as a residence counselor at the Klarman Center at Mclean Hospital. Dr. Costa worked as a therapist in a variety of settings throughout California, with experience in residential, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient and private practice treatment programs. Dr. Costa has received advanced training in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and group therapy. Dr. Costa’s areas of concentration have been in treating mood disorders, eating disorders, self-injurious behaviors, and other co-occurring issues in both adults and adolescents. She has hosted numerous CE events that have focused on DBT, trauma, burnout and eating disorders.
Dr. Costa is a graduate of Endicott College in psychology and went on to earn additional degrees in marriage and family therapy. Dr. Costa received her master’s and doctorate degrees from Alliant International University. She says that even as a teenager, going into a career like psychology felt like a calling. Dr. Costa has experienced a sense of community and support as she has ventured down this career path. When she got her first job in the field, she says she felt immediately passionate about supporting individuals struggling with mental health disorders. Dr. Costa finds that the work constantly motivates her to discover effective ways to help patients manage a mental health condition. When Dr. Costa is not trying to help change lives for the better, you can find her enjoying the arts, music, movies and food, as well as staying connected to her Portuguese culture and heritage.
Peter Fowler, LPCC
Peter is a licensed professional clinical counselor. Prior to becoming a therapist, Peter spent two years as a high school history teacher in New York City. It was during this time that he recognized the unique needs of adolescents and became more focused on their individual growth. Currently, Peter is the director of patient education and operational engagement for Discovery Mood & Anxiety Program. Peter served in various capacities for Discovery since 2013, from being a mental health technician and therapist to a program director and executive program director for the substance use facilities in Long Beach, California. In addition, Peter has over 15 years of experience working with adolescents in other capacities, including youth organizations and summer camps.
Peter loves helping adolescents navigate the difficulties of this stage of life to get on a path that leads to physical, emotional, mental and spiritual healthiness and personal success. His goal is to create a safe environment where he can work with the patient on developing self-awareness of their strengths and needs and identify healthy short- and long-term goals. Peter also loves helping families reconnect and grow together after years of chaos and pain.
With his roles focused on the education aspect of treatment, Peter hopes to support Discovery programs and families by ensuring they receive support on getting their academic needs met and understanding how to navigate through this process when mental health struggles are involved as well. During his free time, Peter enjoys all things outdoors, from playing volleyball to running, hiking, and also loves spending time with his family.
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