FAIRFIELD RESIDENTIAL MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT PROGRAM

Mary J. Franqui

Mary graduated from Southern Connecticut State University with her bachelor’s in psychology with an emphasis on mental health and minor in behavioral sciences. She is currently pursuing her graduate degree in mariage and family therapy from Capella University. Mary started her journey at Discovery working as an overnight eating disorders counselor at the Wellington House in Fairfield, Connecticut prior to accepting her current position as milieu manager. She started her commitment to mental health while pursuing her undergraduate degree working as a counselor for the dually diagnosed at the Kennedy Center and as a case manager working with the homeless population at Operation Hope of Connecticut. Mary believes a diagnosis does not determine an individual’s identity and that consistency, family support and empathy are powerful elements for every individual to find a healthy balance through their recovery process.

Andre Vilarinho, LMFTA

André is an associate licensed marriage and family therapist. He received his master of arts degree in marriage and family therapy from Fairfield University in 2020. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Connecticut where he studied psychological sciences and gender and sexuality studies. During this time, his eyes were opened to a world of marginalized and underserved populations affected by the complex systems that surrounded them and their loved ones. Shortly after entering graduate school, André was accepted into two internships where he would cultivate his experience working with adolescents, families, couples and adults from all walks of life. After two years of outpatient work and various modalities firmly under his belt, he worked at a private practice before joining Discovery. André is passionate about connecting with clients and establishing a strong therapeutic bond through which change will result. He sees through a systemic, strength-focused and non-pathologizing lens, working hard to be thoughtful and calm when assessing how each person’s perspective and context blend to shape their reality. André has seen firsthand how the participation of all members in a system can be instrumental in adjusting unproductive patterns to expand possibilities, ultimately creating lasting growth and change. In this way, families leave treatment hopeful and capable of handling life’s many stressors after investing time and effort into a process not dissimilar to physical therapy. Whatever children and families are struggling with, André looks forward to engaging them to advance past it, onto the next stage in their journeys. In his free time, he enjoys building igloos, meditating, hiking, camping and chasing his kittens around his small apartment while they destroy his plants.

Kayla Flores

Ruby Lekwauwa, MD

Dr. Lekwauwa is a board-certified child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist and an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Yale University. She is the facility psychiatrist for the Discovery Mood & Anxiety Program’s residential treatment facilities in Fairfield and Stamford, Connecticut, and joined the Discovery team in 2018. Dr. Lekwauwa graduated from Duke University with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. She attended medical school at the Duke University School of Medicine where she completed her thesis on the relationship between PTSD and substance use in adolescents presenting for trauma treatment. She also co-authored a book chapter on the biological, psychological and social impacts of early adversity on children. She completed her general psychiatry training at Yale University, followed by her child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at the Yale Child Study Center, where she served as the chief fellow.

Dr. Lekwauwa has extensive experience in the treatment of children, adolescents and young adults and has worked as a staff psychiatrist, medical director and psychiatric consultant to mainstream and therapeutic day schools, college counseling centers, community child guidance clinics and inpatient psychiatric units. Dr. Lekwauwa has special interests in mood and anxiety disorders and trauma. She has a private practice in Fairfield.

Liam Doyle, LMSW

Liam is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) who comes to Discovery Behavioral Health after working at Silver Hill Hospital in New Canaan, Connecticut, for the past five years. It was there that he began his mental health treatment career as a technician after completing his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Sacred Heart University (2015). Liam then trained and worked as a social worker on Silver Hill’s inpatient units for adolescents and adults upon receiving his master of social work from Quinnipiac University (May 2018). Liam has experience working with individuals, families, adolescents and adults. He approaches his work from a strength-based perspective, working with clients on developing their strengths and identifying where changes can be made. Liam is intensively trained in DBT, integrating mindfulness, change and acceptance practices into his work. He also utilizes CBT, ACT, psychoeducation and psychodrama. Outside of work, Liam enjoys spending time with his rescue dog Chuck, as well as travelling around the northeast and attending various sporting events.