About Us
Our Mission
Commitment
Accountability
Respect
Empower
At Mariposa, we find that seed of hope and the opportunity to regain wellness within everyone. For more than 46 years, we have served Orange County’s women, men and families with innovative counseling programs and therapies. From individual substance use counseling and domestic violence counseling to group sessions with fellow survivors, Mariposa is here to support your healing journey.
Beyond Mariposa’s proprietary programs, our nonprofit partners with leading local organizations and clinical professionals in the mental health and wellness field to offer the full range of support services you need to grow and evolve.
Mariposa exists because many of us have been in your shoes, both as trauma survivors and as people in recovery ourselves. We are still thriving decades after our founding because of the steadfast commitment of community supporters — individuals and organizations alike. Together, we provide the resources needed to restore happiness, health, and joy to those who have lost hope and are eager to regain it.
Mariposa also offers wellness therapies in the workplace to keep employees engaged and invested throughout the many challenges that our business community is facing.
We believe that there’s a path to a brighter and better future for anyone who is struggling, and it’s our mission to help pave the way.
Our Story
Since 1977, Mariposa has served Orange County’s women, men, and families with innovative counseling programs and therapies to help achieve balance both at home and in the workplace. From personalized, individual care to group sessions with fellow survivors, Mariposa is here to support your healing journey.
Our Team
Dr. Krista Driver, LMFT
President & CEO
Krista was born to a teen mother and was a child of the foster care system for four years before she was adopted. Dr. Krista Driver started out as the epitome of the “underdog.” It was as an adult that she discovered she was also an NPE (non-parent expected) and has focused her clinical practice on working with other who have a Misattributed Parentage Experience ( MPE) navigate their discovery journey, as well as help them build their tree’s and locate living bio-relatives.
As a licensed marriage and family therapist with a doctorate in psychology, Dr. Driver has dedicated her career to working with the most vulnerable in her community. As the CEO of Mariposa Women and Family Center, a nonprofit counseling center that specializes in providing mental health services to women and children, Dr. Driver is perpetually looking for innovative ideas for the agency and ways to build relevant programming to meet the needs of Orange County and beyond.
Sonny Cook, LCSW
Community Counseling Program Director
Sonny Cook brings more than three decades of experience working with individuals and families impacted by co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders across a wide range of state-regulated and privately licensed treatment settings. His career began in the mid-1990s as a counselor in California state-regulated juvenile detention facilities, where he worked with court-ordered youth and their families.
In 2004, Sonny transitioned into the role of Probation Officer with Riverside County’s Southwest Division. In this capacity, he gained firsthand experience within the criminal justice system, detention environments, and court-mandated services. Serving in a dual role as both a sworn peace officer and counselor, he supported court-sentenced offenders and their families while navigating complex legal, behavioral, and systemic challenges.
In early 2006, Sonny moved into dual-diagnosis treatment, where he spent over a decade as Program Director for court-placed clients and their families. Under his leadership, the program consistently delivered evidence-based treatment and comprehensive assessments, achieving a recidivism rate of less than 3% for six consecutive years. Despite these outcomes, Orange County Residence was defunded in 2016, bringing an end to a program recognized for its measurable impact and innovative approach.
Following more than a decade of groundbreaking work with marginalized populations, Sonny returned to academia and earned his Master of Social Work from the University of Southern California. While at USC, he served as an intern with the Savanna School District, providing evidence-based mental health interventions to families experiencing homelessness, substance use disorders, complex trauma, and chronic self-neglect. He worked extensively with families transitioning from the Santa Ana Riverbed into temporary housing along Beach Boulevard, delivering solution-focused interventions to school-aged children between the ages of six and fifteen.
During his internship, Sonny was recruited by Orange County Child Protective Services to join the Emergency Response Division. In this role, he provided crisis-focused interventions throughout the county, specializing in high-risk cases involving commercially sexually exploited children (CSEC), domestic violence, felony-level substance abuse, and severe trauma.
Sonny later transitioned into private-sector treatment, serving as a contracted therapist for several of Orange County’s premier facilities, including Nsight, Sierra by the Sea, Laguna Hills Treatment Hospital, and Pace Recovery. Today, he operates his own mental health and recovery consulting practice while maintaining a private clinical practice, continuing his lifelong commitment to ethical, evidence-based care and system-level impact.
Lauren Justice
Director of Enhanced Care Management & Treatment Program
Lauren Justice is a leader, advocate, and program developer whose work is deeply rooted in lived experience, resilience, and a commitment to systemic change. Justice joined the homelessness response field in January 2018 as an outreach worker after surviving nearly a decade of homelessness herself—spending almost four years living in and out of cars and six years in a tent at Civic Center.
In November 2016, Justice exited homelessness through Collette’s Women and Children’s Home and, with the support of Mercy House, secured permanent supportive housing. While navigating post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic depression, and severe substance use disorder, Justice learned not only how to survive, but how to heal, reclaim her voice, and find a sense of belonging after years of living in survival mode.
Justice began her professional outreach career with City Net, working in the Santa Ana Riverbed—an area she once called home. She played a key role in the Santa Ana Riverbed and Civic Center closures, helping connect individuals to supportive services during a time when detox, residential treatment, and coordinated care options were extremely limited.
Through dedication and leadership, Justice advanced from outreach worker to Field Supervisor for the Community Care Response Team built in partnership with the City of Anaheim, helping establish outreach teams across Orange County.
Driven by a desire to do more, Justice joined Mariposa n on November 1, 2023, where she partnered with Dr. Krista Driver to build and launch a comprehensive program within Mariposa’s Enhanced Care Management (ECM) team. Together, they developed innovative justice-involved and recovery-focused programming, including a strong partnership with the Prop 47 / ACCESS Court program. Through this work, Justice and her team engage clients while still in custody, develop individualized care plans alongside court clinicians, and coordinate seamless transitions into detox, residential treatment, housing, and long-term wraparound support.
Justice also oversees Mariposa’s outreach initiatives, including the ACES (Anaheim Comprehensive & Community Solutions) contract, which provides phased support from outreach and interim shelter—currently the Crown Motel—into rapid rehousing. The program is designed to meet clients where they are, bringing services directly to them while focusing on self-sufficiency, life skills development, individualized therapy, workforce readiness, legal support, and onsite medication-assisted treatment. Clients are further connected to ECM services, primary care, SSI/SSDI assistance, and additional community resources. Mariposa is proud to partner with the Anaheim Police Department to provide in-reach services that offer individuals the opportunity to enter residential treatment in lieu of incarceration. Through Mariposa’s Justice-Involved contracts, Justice’s team works with individuals up to 90 days prior to release, ensuring continuity of care before reentry begins.
Additionally, through the Adult Rehabilitation Grant (ARG) program, Mariposa is one of the only providers in Orange County accepting direct referrals from California State Parole and prisons statewide, offering immediate connection to ECM, housing navigation, workforce development, and supportive services upon arrival at the Mariposa Landing Center. This work represents the realization of a dream Justice carried for many years—to build a program for people who have endured deep hardship and deserve dignity, opportunity, and support. With the support of Mariposa n and Dr. Krista Driver, that vision has become a reality.
Justice believes that everyone’s voice deserves to be heard and that the individuals served are somebody’s loved one. At Mariposa n, clients are welcomed as they are and supported in building safer, healthier, and more connected lives. Justice firmly believes that when service providers, the justice system, law enforcement, and the community work together, meaningful and lasting change is possible.
Esme Ledesma, LCSW
CalWORKs Program Director
Esmeralda “Esme” Ledesma, LCSW, PPSC is the CalWORKs Program Director at Mariposa Women & Family Center, where she leads trauma-informed behavioral health services designed to support family stability, wellness, and economic independence. With more than 18 years of experience in community mental health and county systems of care, Esmeralda is known for her compassionate, culturally attuned leadership and commitment to equity. Her work centers on reducing barriers to care while empowering individuals and families to build healthier, more resilient futures. Esmeralda is bilingual in English and Spanish and is dedicated to fostering collaborative, client-centered programs that reflect the values of dignity, respect, and hope.
Transforming Lives for Nearly 50 Years.
Financial Information
Our Impact
“My Future is Bright” – Natasha’s Story
Natasha came to Mariposa because she was experiencing low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression due to emotional, financial, and physical abuse. She reported that when she would look at herself in the mirror, she would ruminate about the things that were said to her by her perpetrator and believed those things to be true.
Career Opportunities
The Mariposa team is rapidly growing and continuously looking for counselors with backgrounds in substance use, domestic violence, and CalWORKS. Browse our open roles and join our mission to achieve balance and peace both at home and in the workplace.
45 Years. 120,000+ Lives Transformed.
See how your donations help change the lives of women and families impacted by trauma and addiction–for the better.