Doc's Bio
Gregory Canillas, PhD (affectionately known as “Doc”) is the CEO of JuJu Wellness Company, a women-centered organization where Doc utilizes his experience in the mental health field and focuses on his passion for plant-based medicine as an alternative treatment for issues that are typically treated with psychotropic medication. The company is named for Doc’s late mother, Julia (nicknamed “JuJu” by her grandchildren); it is a “love letter” to her and the many women who influenced Doc’s life and work, including aunts, cousins, sister-friends, and mentors. Doc currently serves as Vice President of the Board of Directors of This Is Jane Project, a non-profit organization “that sheds light, builds community, and uplifts the lives of women and non-binary trauma survivors.” An expert in the treatment of trauma and BIPOC and Queer mental health, Doc has most recently presented at the Edgy Conference, the Society of Cross-Cultural Research, Tales of the Cocktail and the Institute on Violence, Abuse & Treatment in San Diego.
Doc was a contributing author of the American Psychological Association’s, “Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Sexual Minority Persons,”; writing the sections on diverse romantic relationships (Guideline 9) and families (Guideline 11). He has been published in academic journals such as the American Psychologist and Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, as well as in the popular press, in periodicals such as Ebony Magazine. Most recently, Doc appeared as a subject matter expert in the award-winning documentary “Beyond Ed Buck (2021)” and “Project Griot: LA (2023),”; a short-film focusing on conversations between Black Queer Elders and Youth.
Doc earned his B.A. in Psychology and American History from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and holds an M.A. and PhD in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant University. He has made nearly three hundred keynote and invited seminar presentations at conferences on four continents pertaining to dating and relationship issues; working with LGBTQ+ clients; diversity and mental health; substance abuse issues; and treatment with children, adolescents, and families.
With more than three decades of experience in the mental health field, Doc currently serves as an Associate Professor in the graduate Clinical-Forensic psychology program at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology (Los Angeles), and as adjunct faculty at Pepperdine University. Doc has taught at several academic institutions including National University, the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant University, Loyola Marymount University, Antioch University, and the University of California, Santa Cruz. Previously, Doc served as a Program Director at several community agencies overseeing programs in adult mental health, child/adolescent mental health, and family perseveration. Doc worked as a Clinical Psychologist (LAC Department of Mental Health), a Children’s Social Worker (LAC Department of Children & Family Services) and as a Foster Family Social Worker (Drew Child Development Corporation). He also served as the Chair of the Commission on Youth and Families in Long Beach, California, where he was charged with developing services for children and families and advising the mayor and city council on services for these populations. Doc served on the board of directors of the UC Santa Cruz Alumni Association as well.
An avid traveler, Doc is a published poet and playwright. His autobiographical work “The Monkey Chronicles,”: a journey about love, infidelity, and forgiveness told through a blend of poetry and storytelling, premiered at the Son of Semele Solo Creation Festival in 2018.