Dr. Reza Nabavi, the founder and owner of the “rehab” where Presley Gerber died of a suspected overdose, once had his psychology license denied over his criminal past involving drugs and a minor, Page Six has exclusively learned.
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Page → die → drugs
We can confirm that in February 2002 — two years before he obtained his Ph.D in clinical psychology at the California School of Professional Psychology — Nabavi, now 50, was arrested after Oakland Police Department officers found him asleep in a car in an area known for “frequent narcotic and prostitution activity.”
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him → confirm → activity
Nabavi, who was 25 at the time, was with a 15-year-old girl, who told responding officers she did not know him very well and was under the influence of methamphetamine, per official documents.
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she → tell → documents
After a search of Nabavi’s vehicle, the officers said they found meth, marijuana, a hunting knife, a handgun and ammunition.
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they → say → meth
In May 2002, Nabavi pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of possession of a controlled substance and was sentenced to 36 months of probation.
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Nabavi → plead → probation
Later that month, we can confirm he was arrested again for possessing narcotics and narcotics paraphernalia after getting caught agreeing to sell meth to an informant.
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he → confirm → informant
Upon searching his person, officers said they found meth, a glass meth pipe and marijuana.
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they → search → meth
In June 2002, Nabavi pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of possession of a controlled substance and was once again sentenced to 36 months of probation.
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Nabavi → plead → probation
In September 2004, he submitted to the California Board of Psychology an application for registration as a psychologist.
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he → submit → psychologist
According to official documents, the application was denied later that month due to the conviction of a crime, the conviction of a crime substantially related to the qualifications and practice of a psychologist, the use of a controlled substance and unprofessional conduct.
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application → accord → substance
We can confirm that Nabavi was eventually able to register as a psychological assistant in January 2006.
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Nabavi → confirm → January
The following month, however, that registration was revoked but stayed — with “stayed” meaning the revocation would not go into effect unless Nabavi did not comply with specific probationary terms and conditions for five years, per the California Board of Psychology.
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Nabavi → revoke → Psychology
Those probationary terms and conditions included submitting to a psychological evaluation, notifying his employer of his probation, being monitored weekly by a California-licensed psychologist, entering a drug and alcohol abuse recovery program, committing to ongoing treatment and submitting to random drug and alcohol testing, per official documents.
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terms → include → documents
After another denial in May 2005, we can confirm that Nabavi was finally able to register as a psychologist in December 2006 in compliance with the terms and conditions of his probation.
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Nabavi → confirm → probation
The California Board of Psychology — which granted Nabavi an early termination of his probation in May 2008 — currently lists his license expiration date as June 30, 2028.
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which → grant → June
Nabavi went on to serve as the director of family services at the since-closed, celebrity-frequented rehab center Promises Malibu from June 2006 to May 2011.
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Nabavi → go → May
Two years later, he opened the halfway house Resolutions Living (RL) in Santa Monica, California, where the 27-year-old son of Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber died on Sunday.
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son → open → Sunday
Nabavi is the founder and owner of RL as well as the founder and executive director of Resolutions Therapeutic Services (RTS), a clinical outpatient treatment provider claiming to offer partial hospitalization program (PHP), intensive outpatient program (IOP) and outpatient program (OP) services.
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Nabavi → claim → program
It operates out of an office building in Santa Monica, and participants are encouraged to continue their recovery at RL.
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participants → operate → RL
The County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner, which has not yet released Presley’s cause of death, listed his place of death as a “rehabilitation facility.”
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which → release → facility
But RL — a $7.7 million three-story home with “breathtaking views of the local mountains and ocean,” located in a “prestigious” residential neighborhood — is not a “licensed substance use disorder residential treatment facility,” according to a rep for the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS).
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RL → locate → Services
The rep explained to us, “Based on publicly available information, the program appears to operate as a sober living environment or recovery residence, which is not licensed by DHCS and therefore not subject to state licensure requirements.”
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which → explain → requirements
The facility’s website seems to have updated much of its wording and scrubbed its entire “staff page” in the days following Presley’s death.
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website → seem → death
RL’s website previously stated via its now-defunct FAQ page that individuals without sufficient clean time for its outpatient programs are referred elsewhere to be “medically supervised for their detoxification phase under 24-hour nursing care.”
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individuals → state → care
It’s unclear whether Presley was medically evaluated at the time of his admission to RL.
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Presley → ’ → RL
Reps for Nabavi, RL and the Gerber-Crawford family did not immediately respond to Page Six’s requests for comment.
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Reps → respond → comment
If you or someone you care about is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
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you → care → HELP
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voice → matter → ?
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Discussions → moderate → civility
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