Meet The Team

Founder

Jennifer Barba

Jennifer Barba is the founder of Connecticut Healing Center and a highly respected clinician with over 30 years of experience supporting adolescents, adults, and families. Her work is rooted in a deep commitment to helping individuals navigate life’s challenges with clarity, resilience, and compassion.

Throughout her career, Jennifer has worked across a wide range of clinical settings, developing extensive expertise in treating anxiety, depression, trauma, ADHD, mood disorders, psychosis, and complex mental health conditions. She provides comprehensive diagnostic assessments and therapy for individuals, families, and groups, tailoring care to meet each person’s unique needs.

Her clinical approach is grounded in evidence-based practices, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and trauma-informed treatment. Over time, her work has evolved to include specialized focus areas such as addiction and recovery, where she has supported individuals and families through some of their most challenging transitions. More recently, Jennifer has expanded her work to include the intersection of mental health and physical health recovery, recognizing the critical role that emotional well-being plays in overall healing.

Jennifer’s leadership experience includes serving at the Hospital of Saint Raphael and within the Yale New Haven Hospital Psychiatry Department, where she was Director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Service. In this role, she oversaw both clinical and administrative operations across inpatient and ambulatory psychiatry programs, further strengthening her ability to deliver high-quality, coordinated care.

Beyond her clinical work, Jennifer is deeply committed to community involvement and expanding access to recovery resources. She founded and operates Keystone House sober living homes as a nonprofit initiative, providing structured, supportive environments for individuals in recovery. In honor of her brother, she also founded Matt’s Homestead, a community-based initiative dedicated to offering support, connection, and essential resources for those in early recovery. Her work in this space reflects a long-standing commitment to helping individuals build sustainable, meaningful lives beyond treatment.

Jennifer earned her Master of Social Work (MSW) from Simmons University School of Social Work and has been in private practice for over two decades. Through Connecticut Healing Center, she has built a practice centered on thoughtful clinician matching, high-quality care, and a commitment to meeting individuals wherever they are in their healing process.

While Jennifer maintains a limited caseload, she continues to work directly with select patients and remains actively involved in guiding the clinical vision and standards of care across the practice.

Administrative Coordinator

Cameron Bakhtiar

Cameron is the Director of Keystone House Recovery Homes and services as the Vice President of Matt's Homestead. Cameron is an experienced recovery coach serving individuals and families.

Residential Coordinator

Nicholas Schneidt

As the house manager, Nick stays in contact with all the residents and follows up to make sure residents do their house chores and attend meetings. He also assists with the day to day operations of the house.

LCSW

Thomas Murphey

For over 25 years Tom has provided clinical social work services to adults, children and families. In his career, Tom has worked in both non-profit agency and private practice settings.

APRN

Maryann Starks

Maryann graduated from the Yale School of Nursing in 1984. Since then she’s worked in the Veteran's Administration and maintained a Private practice.

APRN

Cristina Lizardo

Christina Lizardo is a bilingual board certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner with a passion for patient centered, culturally diverse and holistic care. Christina began her journey into the mental health care field working for Fairfield County’s top Behavioral Health Centers; including Stamford Hospital, Hartford Healthcare and Yale New Haven Hospital.

Attorney

Michael Dolan

Part of the healing process is to address the matters that create stress in your life. Attorney Michael Dolan is one of the compassionate legal experts who is readily available to assist Keystone house members.

LCSW

Leslie Parker

Leslie Parker holds a Master’s Degree in Applied Psychology from Fairfield University and a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Fordham University. She has provided social work services in a variety of settings including emergency shelters for children and teens, public and private schools, inpatient psychiatric hospitals and outpatient therapy clinics. In her free time, she enjoys reading, playing guitar and swimming.

LCSW

Chris Simpson

Chris is a seasoned clinician with over 35 years of experience in providing therapeutic support to adults, couples, and families across various settings. A graduate of New York University’s Silver School of Social Work, Chris has dedicated her career to helping individuals navigate a wide range of concerns, from severe mental illness to trauma and addiction.

Matthew Joseph Barba was born in Holyoke, MA on January 4, 1967. He was the son of Joseph and Agnes Carrozzella Barba of Cheshire and graduated from the New York Military Academy in 1986. After high school he went on to serve in the military and later attended Johnson & Wales University. He became an accomplished and later worked as a nutrition manager at AIDS Project New Haven and was also a case manager at Turnbridge of Hamden.

Matt had an infectious smile, a great personality and was an inspiration to others. To his son, he was a loving devoted father. Despite the demons he faced and his deep struggle with addiction, Matt carried with him a constant source of light - his honest and loyal nature transcended all else. On December 16, 2016 Matt passed away after battling the disease of addiction. He will always be remembered as a tireless advocate for those struggling with addiction and sadly he will be missed by everyone whose lives he touched.

Matthew Barba

photo of Matt Barba, Founder of the Keystone House