Our History
Changing Options was established in Ramona, California in 1987 by Richard C Fowler M.D., and Michael Hellman. Changing Options began as a small 6 bed facility and, over the years, has grown to 5 homes serving 35 individuals. There are now a number of levels to our program with plans to continue expansion to better serve out clientele and their unique needs.
Dr. Fowler
Dr. Fowler, was a board-certified psychiatrist with a long career in treating clients with serious mental illness in both the public and private sectors. He was a clinical faculty member at the University of California San Diego and published professional papers on schizophrenia, affective disorders, and suicide. He served as a treating psychiatrist at a number of community based residential treatment facilities in San Diego and ended his career as the Medical Director at Optum San Diego Public Sector. Dr. Fowler passed away in October of 2021 and served on the Board of Directors at Changing Options until his passing.
Michael Hellman
As a co-founder of Changing options, Mike served as it CEO for 25 years. Informed by his prior decades of work with seriously mentally ill clients, he and Dr. Fowler crafted the program design intended to expand the community based opportunities for growth, recovery and wellness. Over those 25 years, they enhanced the range of professional treatment services and available residential options resulting in an effective community based continuum of care and treatment.
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