Our Team

FOUNDER AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Married Since 1995

The Welch Therapy Institute (WTI) was founded by Dr. Don Welch, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Certified Sex Therapist with over 30 years of experience in the fields of mental health and relationship skills.

Dr. Welch founded the Center for Enriching Relationships (CER) in 2002 with multiple sites, and thirty (30) therapists and fifty (50) university students in training serving thousands of clients throughout San Diego, California.

Dr. Welch oversees a partnership between CER and Point Loma Nazarene University to train and provide clinical hours to students in the Master of Arts in Clinical Counseling program.

He is a published author, university professor, and speaker at conferences, churches, retreats, and seminars throughout the United States. He holds a bachelor’s degree, three (3) master’s degrees, and a doctorate degree.

Don and his wife Robin are crazy in love with each other in their marriage and are parents to an adult daughter and son.

For more information about Dr. Welch’s credentials, click HERE

DIRECTOR, PLANNING AND CLIENT COORDINATION

Married Since 1984

Karl Christensen holds a bachelor’s degree in Financial Accounting and a master’s degree in Business Administration.

He has over 30 years of experience planning and overseeing the business operations of three (3) public school districts in San Diego, California.

Karl uses his expertise with spreadsheets, data management and analysis, and graphical representations of complex ideas to plan, develop, and coordinate company products and logistics.

He is married to Caryn, his first and only bride, and they have two grown daughters and three precious and adorable grandchildren together.

CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER

Married Since 2000

For the last 25 years, Lance Rushing has used his expertise with software engineering and statistical application in a variety of industries; including semiconductor lithography manufacturing, the United States Department of Defense, a Major League Baseball team, a higher education company, one of the top 3 US banks, automobile marketing, and health insurance processors.

His post graduate work at San Diego State University’s Department of Geography emphasized spatial statistics and geographic perception research. His work focused on quantifying the learning differences of three dimensional spatial simulations compared to traditional forms of spatial knowledge acquisition.

At the University of California at Santa Barbara, Lance assisted in joint research projects between the departments of Psychology and Geography. His primary research focused on measuring the difference in spatial cognition between learning modalities.

Lance is the software architect of the Welch Responsive Temperament Assessment.

He is married to Quan and they have three daughters and one son together.

RESOURCE SPECIALIST

Married Since 1975

Dr. Marcial Felan has over 45 years of full-time ministry experience, including two decades in executive leadership with Charles Colson’s Prison Fellowship Ministries. He served as Associate Pastor and later Pastor of Family Ministries at Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon, CA, where he oversaw counseling services, recovery groups, lay counselor training, and educational programs in marriage, parenting, and anger management.

Dr. Felan is a licensed marriage and family therapist in California and Texas and taught counseling and psychology courses as an adjunct professor at four colleges/universities. He holds a B.A. in Biblical Literature, a Master of Divinity, a Doctor of Ministry in Marriage and Family Studies, and an M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy. He is certified in the Welch Responsive Temperament Analysis, Restoration Therapy, and EMDR trauma treatment.

Dr. Felan has been married to his wife Carol since 1975. They have three adult children, thirteen grandchildren, and one great-granddaughter.