Our Team

Paula DeSanto, MS, LSW

Paula DeSanto, MS, LSW

Chief Operating Officer

Paula has developed programs that serve people with mental illness and/or substance use issues for over 40 years. She has dedicated her career to advocating for person-centered, common sense, compassionate care.
She has provided both leadership and clinical services in a variety of settings that include case management, community support, recovery community organizations. intensive residential/outpatient treatment, and the Anoka Metro Regional Treatment Center. She also taught for 4 years at the U of M Master Level Integrated Behavioral Health Program.

She is the founder of Minnesota Alternatives (outpatient treatment for both mental health and substance use), which was sold in 2018.

She is currently a co-owner of Expanse MN, a state-of-the-art mental health clinic that opened in January 2022. She is presently a Certified Instructor for the Psychedelic Somatic Institute training professionals to learn Psychedelic Somatic Interactional Psychotherapy. She has a master’s degree from Boston University in Psychiatric Rehabilitation Counseling and is a licensed social worker.