Michael Ascher, MD is a board-certified psychiatrist who serves as a Clinical Associate in Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania and is in private practice. He is co-editor of The Behavioral Addictions (Washington: American Psychiatric Publishing, 2015).
Adam Bisaga, MD, is an academic psychiatrist, educator and clinician. He is a Professor of Psychiatry at the Columbia University Medical Center, and a Research Scientist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. Dr. Bisaga is conducting research funded by NIH to develop new medications to treat substance use disorders. He is teaching medical students and practitioners in the area of addiction psychiatry and he is involved with the SAMHSA-funded national training and mentoring project “Providers’ Clinical Support System for Medication-Assisted Treatment (PCSS-MAT)” to implement treatments for substance use disorders. He has been advising UN and WHO on the substance abuse treatment guidelines and conducted trainings for addiction practitioners internationally. Dr. Bisaga is a practicing psychiatrist and a Castle Connolly Top Doctor in Addiction Psychiatry.
Rebecca Block, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist working in private practice in New York City. She completed her postdoctoral training at The Women’s Heath Project, St. Luke’s-Roosevelt, specializing in the treatment of trauma and substance use disorders. Since, she has continued to work extensively in the areas of trauma and substance use. She is the 2016 President of the New York State Psychological Association’s Division on Addictions.
Ricardo Borrego, MD, is a Board Certified Anesthesiologist and Co-founder and Director for the Eagle Advancement Institute (EAI) in West Bloomfield, Mich. Dr. Borrego holds a medical degree from Universidad La Salle School of Medicine and sspecializes in addiction medicine and non-narcotic pain management. He is co-developer of EAI’s patented Clarity Intensive Outpatient Opiate Treatment (IOOT) and is an expert in medically-assisted detoxification therapies for opioid dependency and addiction through the use of minimal sedation techniques.
Jessica Bullock, MA, LAC, LCADC, CCShas dedicated her life to the helping profession by provision of therapeutic and psycho educational services to adolescents and adults. In 2003, she graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Science at Montclair State University. She furthered her studies in 2005 and received her Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Seton Hall University. In 2012, she graduated with a secondary Master’s Degree in Professional Counseling. She currently serves as a clinical supervisor at a New Brunswick Counseling Center in New Brunswick, NJ and in 2010 became CEO and founder of Life Options Counseling Services, which has recently opened a second counseling firm in Scotch Plains, NJ.
Jessica enjoys reading, playing drums and piano and spending time with her family. She resides in New Jersey with her husband, Kevin Bullock Sr. and their four children.
Patrick J. Carnes, PhD, CAS, is the best-known sexual addiction expert in the country and is the leading proponent of the viewpoint that some sexual behavior can be classified as an addiction. An expert in all addictions, he is the founder of the therapist-training International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals in Arizona, of Gentle Path Press and of the 12-step-based Twelve Principles Online Recovery program. Dr. Carnes also created the Gentle Path Program, a residential treatment for sexual addiction, and founded the Sexual Disorder Services at The Meadows treatment center in Phoenix based on the program. He also founded the American Foundation for Addiction Research which undertakes scientific research into – and promotes public understanding of – addiction disorders and medicine in areas such as neuroscience, brain chemistry, chemical and process addictions, family systems, and trauma.
A much sought-after speaker after 30 years in the sexual addiction treatment field, Dr. Carnes acknowledgments include the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health, which now gives an annual “Carnes Award” to researchers and clinicians who have made exceptional contributions to the field of sexual health. His numerous writings include the following books: Out of the Shadows: Understanding Sexual Addiction; Don’t Call It Love; Contrary to Love: Helping the Sexual Addict; Recovery Zone, Volume I , and A House Interrupted.
Tessie Castillo is the Advocacy and Communications Coordinator at the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition, a leading public health and drug policy reform organization in the U.S. South. She works, writes, and presents on harm reduction, overdose prevention and response, 911 Good Samaritan laws, naloxone, syringe access, HIV, hepatitis C transmission, the drug war, and policy reform.
As an overdose prevention advocate, Tessie was instrumental in the passage of the first combination 911 Good Samaritan and Naloxone Access law in the South and in implementing the first peer-based naloxone distribution program in the region. She speaks at a variety of venues, including national drug policy conferences, incarceration facilities, drug treatment centers, and law enforcement agencies. She is also a health and law columnist and blogs on drug policy for the Huffington Post.
Dr. Joe DeSantois a double Board Certified physician specializing in the field of Addiction Medicine. He is the Medical Director for Hotel California by the Sea and DeSanto Clinics for Recovery. He writes for several publications including Psychology Today, and is the co-host of the weekly FM radio show, “The Recovery Show with Dr. Joe and Angelina” on KOCI 101.5 FM in Orange County California. He is also a grateful recovered alcoholic/addict who has dedicated his life to the service of others who still suffer. He lives and works in the Newport Beach/Costa Mesa area of Southern California.
Lance Dodes, MD, is a Training and Supervising Analyst Emeritus with the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute and was assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School (retired). He has been Director of the substance abuse treatment unit of Harvard’s McLean Hospital, Director of the alcoholism treatment unit at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital (now part of Massachusetts General Hospital) and Director of the Boston Center for Problem Gambling. He annually chairs the discussion group “The Psychology of Addiction” at the fall meeting of the American Psychoanalytic Association.
He is the author or co-author of many journal articles and book chapters about addiction and the author of three books: The Heart of Addiction (HarperCollins, 2002), Breaking Addiction: A 7-Step Handbook for Ending Any Addiction (HarperCollins, 2011) and The Sober Truth: Debunking the Bad Science Behind 12-Step Programs and the Rehab Industry (Beacon Press, 2014) have been described as revolutionary advances in understanding how addictions work. He is also the author or co-author of a number of journal articles and book chapters about addiction.
Dr. Dodes has been honored by the Division on Addictions at Harvard Medical School for “Distinguished Contribution” to the study and treatment of addictive behavior, and has been elected a Distinguished Fellow of the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry.
Read The Fix interview “AA Critic Lights Another Fire.”
Brian Donohue, MA in clinical psychology, with a degree from Long Island University,has worked in private practice as a therapist with a loosely Jungian perspective. “So: who am I? Like you, a work in progress; a cosmic experiment; undefined. But for those who prefer more conventional handles upon identity, here is a list of some things I do, practice, love, and occasionally know:
“Psychotherapeutic Counselor: I have worked with depressed people, anxious people, and people undergoing major life changes, challenges, and crises. My approach is to open a safe space in which clients can freely explore and separate from the addictive and co-dependent aspects of modern culture, through the dispersion of self-images, emotional dogma, and institutional affiliation.
“Meditation teacher: I have worked with individuals and groups; and written a good deal on this broadly-misunderstood practice. Here is an introduction… “I Ching advisor and counselor. I’ve worked for decades with the 5,000 year old Chinese oracle and have studied with Carol Anthony and Hanna Moog of the I Ching Institute. A brief summary of how I approach the I Ching.
“Wordsmith: Editor of two print books and an abundance of online and corporate content. Author of four books, two currently in print, including The Tao of Potter.”
Mr. Donohue lives in Albany, NY. He can be reached at (718) 554-7320 or (518) 253-6594.
Janice Dorn, MD, PhD, specializes in psychiatry, addiction psychiatry and addiction medicine. She is certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (General Psychiatry), the American Society of Addiction Medicine and the American Board of Addiction Medicine.
She holds a PHD in Anatomy, and has done extensive research and teaching in brain anatomy and physiology.
For a number of years, Dr. Dorn has dedicated her efforts to trading and coaching in the financial markets, with focus on the futures markets. She has written more than a thousand papers on trading psychology, with emphasis on behavioral finance and trading addiction. Her expertise is in how the brain makes decisions about money under conditions of uncertainty. She served in the position of Global Risk Strategist for Ingenieux Wealth Systems in Sydney, Australia and her work has appeared on many financial websites, including CNBC, Minyanville and Financial Sense. She has also made numerous live speaking, radio, and webinar presentations. Her first book, Personal Responsibility: The Power of You, was published in 2008. Her second book, Mind, Money and Markets, with co-author Dave Harder was published in the fall of 2014. Her website is: www.mindmoneymarkets.com
Margaret Fetting has been practicing, teaching and writing in the Addiction and Substance Use Disorders field for nearly three decades. She resides and works in both the United States and Europe, with long-term affiliations at The University of Southern California, UCLA and The American College of Greece in Athens. Her most recent book, Perspectives on Substance Use, Disorders and Addiction was published by SAGE, Publishing, Inc, in October, 2015.
Douglas Jacobs, M.D., associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, is a nationally recognized expert on suicide and depression and a leader in the field of mental Health. Dr. Jacobs spearheaded National Depression Screening Day®, the first large-scale public campaign of mental health education and screening. The event’s success and his personal commitment to its continuance led to the founding of Screening for Mental Health, Inc., a national nonprofit organization that provides education and screenings for common mental health disorders and suicide. Dr. Jacobs served as the chair of the American Psychiatric Association’s Work Group on Practice Guideline for the Assessment and Treatment of Patients with Suicidal Behaviors. He received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and his post-graduate clinical training at Harvard Medical School, where he completed a three-year residency in adult psychiatry at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center. Dr. Jacobs maintains an active clinical practice and is on the staff at McLean Hospital in Belmont, MA. He has been a member of the Harvard Medical School faculty since 1975. http://stopasuicide.org , https://twitter.com/HYSHO and https://www.facebook.com/HelpYourselfHelpOthers/.
William S. Jacobs, MD serves as medical director for Bluff Plantation and Chief of Addiction Medicine in the Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior at the Medical College of Georgia. Dr. Jacobs is a national expert on opioid addiction and treatment, and triple board certified in pain medicine, anesthesiology and addiction medicine. He has served as a consultant for the Florida Office of Drug Control, the U.S. Senate Crime and Drugs Subcommittee, Drug Enforcement Agency and the U.S. Department of Labor.
Richard Juman, PsyD, is alicensed clinical psychologist and The Fix‘s Professional Voices Editor. He has worked in the integrated health care arena for over 25 years providing direct clinical care, supervision, program development and administration across multiple settings and is the former President of the New York State Psychological Association. [dr.richard.juman@gmail.com] Find him on twitter—@richardjuman
Jeffrey T Junig, MD, PhD, received his PhD in Neuroscience from the Center for Brain Research and MD with Honor from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. He has authored research articles and book chapters in both clinical and basic sciences. He is lifetime Board Certified in Anesthesiology and has worked for 8 years in anesthesia and chronic pain treatment. He is also Board Certified in Psychiatry, and currently works in solo practice treating psychiatric conditions, addiction, and chronic pain. He became Board Certified in Addiction Medicine in 2018.
Dr. Junig is Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Over the years his clinical practice has approached opioid dependence from a range of perspectives including residential, outpatient, and medication-assisted treatments. He writes about addiction for print and online publications including his blog, Suboxone Talk Zone, and he created SuboxForum, an education resource about opioid dependence and buprenorphine.
Gradualism and Addiction Treatment
and visit her web site at http://www.mkrecoverycoaching.com
Anna Lembke, MD, received her undergraduate degree in Humanities from Yale University and her medical degree from Stanford University. She is on the faculty of the Stanford University School of Medicine, a diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, and a diplomate of the American Board of Addiction Medicine. She is the Program Director for the Stanford Addiction Medicine Program and Chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic. She has published over 50 peer-reviewed articles, chapters, and commentaries, including in the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of the American Medical Association, the Journal of General Internal Medicine, and Addiction. Dr. Lembke sees patients, teaches, and does research. She is currently working on a book on prescription drug abuse.
Barry Lessin, M.Ed., CAADC, is a substance use disorder psychologist and public health advocate with a career spanning almost 40 years as a clinician, administrator, educator, and researcher.
He has a private practice with offices in Philadelphia and suburbs, working with teenagers, young adults and their families struggling with substance use disorder and related mental health issues.
In addition to his clinical work, Barry’s passion is advocating for drug policy reform and is the co-founder of Families for Sensible Drug Policy, a coalition of families, treatment professionals, and organizations dedicated to empowering families to increase access to effective substance use disorder treatment and reduce the harmful consequences of oppressive drug policies.
Jeannie Little, LCSW, CGP is the co-founder and Executive Director of the Harm Reduction Therapy Center in San Francisco. She is a licensed clinical social worker and certified group psychotherapist. Since 1990 she has been at the forefront of developing harm reduction therapy, a treatment model for people with co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders. With a background in homeless and housing services, she adapted harm reduction therapy as a community treatment model that has reached thousands of marginalized people with little access to mental health care. She is also one of the creators of harm reduction groups. She provides training and ongoing consultation to professional and peer staff in outpatient clinics, drop-in centers, and supportive housing. She is co-author of Over the Influence: The Harm Reduction Guide for Managing Drugs and Alcohol and Practicing Harm Reduction Psychotherapy, 2nd Edition.
Doreen Maller, MFT, PhD, began her practice in community mental health with a specialty in high-risk children and their families, including numerous families coping with addiction issues. She has a private practice as a marriage and family therapist in San Mateo, Calif., and is a core faculty member of the Holistic Counseling Psychology program at John F. Kennedy University. She holds a PhD in Transformative Learning and Change and a Master’s In Expressive Arts Counseling Psychology, both from the California Institute of Integral Studies. Dr. Maller has contributed to several books about feminism and youth violence / juvenile justice reform, and is the series editor of the three-volume Praeger Handbook of Community Mental Health Practice, which explores the complexity of mental health service provision domestically and globally.
Read The Fix interview, “The Holistic Solution to Addiction and Emotional Upset” in which Dr. Maller shares her innovative approach to treating families challenged by addiction or trauma. Visit her website at www.doreenmaller.com
Percy Menzies is the president of Assisted Recovery Centers of America, LLC, a center for the treatment of alcoholism and drug addiction based in St. Louis, Missouri which was established in 2001.
Percy’s interest and passion for pharmacological treatment of drug addiction and alcoholism goes back to the early eighties when naltrexone was first introduced for the treatment of heroin addiction. He worked for over 18 years for DuPont Pharmaceuticals in various positions and had responsibility for naltrexone as the associate product director.
He has worked closely with drugs courts and provided training on the use of anticraving medications to reduce recidivism within the criminal justice population addicted to alcohol and opioids. He has conducted workshops for a wide range of audiences both in the US and overseas on evidenced-based treatments for addictive disorders.
He has been invited to serve on expert committees to develop guidelines for the treatment of addictive disorders and alcoholism.
Percy serves on the Missouri State Advisory Council for the Division Behavioral Health. Percy holds a master’s degree in pharmacy from India. Percy immigrated to the United States in 1977.
Rita Milios, LCSW, is a psychotherapist, the author of more than 30 books and, for nearly 30 years, a frequent professional lecturer and on-camera expert. In addition to her private psychotherapy practice, she facilitates workshops and training for clinicians, therapists, writers, holistic practitioners, businesses, and associations. Known as “The Mind Mentor” because of her unique approach to “mind tools training,” her career has focused on helping people achieve personal, career and spiritual transformation, life balance, and intuitive development. As a clinician, she deploys an eclectic set of therapeutic tools that evolved from more than 30 years of research and teaching about the subconscious mind and how it works. She reinforces her psychotherapy practice with insights and practices from ancient wisdom traditions, toward a goal of rapid and measurable positive results.
Mrs. Milios’ speaking engagements mostly relate to her book topics and include: Tools for Transformation, Dream Journal, Intuition Log Book, Discovering Positive Thinking, and other mind-related titles. She has also created books and test assessment materials for the K-12 education market, including Imagi-Size, a workbook of student creativity and self-esteem exercises; and she was the creative consultant to and writer for a series of workbooks developed by psychologists to aid children in developing social skills. She is also a provider of CEU credits for Florida social workers and counselors. Her awards and recognitions include listings in Who’s Who in Professional Business Women, Who’s Who in the Midwest, and Something About the Author. She lives near Tampa Bay.
Some of her articles, book excerpts and blog postings are at RitaMilios.linktoexpert.com. Occasional blog postings are also available at www.mindmentor.blogspot.com. Additional articles are online at a variety of websites, including the Depression Medicine Website, Entrepreneur.com, Self-Empowerment Quarterly and others. Find her on her Facebook and LinkedIn pages.
Larissa Mooney, MD, is a board certified addiction psychiatrist with expertise in the treatment of substance use disorders and co-occurring psychiatric disorders. She is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at University of California, Los Angeles, and Director of UCLA’s Addiction Medicine Clinic, where she supervises and teaches psychiatrists-in-training, doing so both in inpatient and outpatient settings. After obtaining residency training at New York University, she completed a fellowship in addiction psychiatry at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in 2006.
Dr. Mooney is active in the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP), where she serves on the Executive Board of Directors. She conducts research on treatment interventions for addictive disorders at UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Programs, and she has developed community training events to enhance understanding of substance abuse and concomitant psychiatric illness among mental health clinicians. Her interests include development of psychopharmacological and integrated treatments for addiction and advancement of substance abuse training for health care professionals. See her website at www.LarissaMooneyMD.com
John C. Norcross, PhD, author of the critically acclaimed book Changeology as well as more than 400 scholarly publications, is Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of Scranton and Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry at SUNY Upstate Medical University. He is a board-certified clinical psychologist, and an internationally recognized authority on behavior change and psychotherapy. He has co-written or edited 20 books, most of them in multiple editions.
Dr. Norcross has served as president of the American Psychological Association (APA) Division of Clinical Psychology, the APA Division of Psychotherapy, and the International Society of Clinical Psychology. His awards include APA’s Distinguished Career Contributions to Education & Training Award, Pennsylvania Professor of the Year from the Carnegie Foundation, and election to the National Academies of Practice. His work has been featured in hundreds of media interviews, and he has appeared multiple times on national television shows, such as the Today Show, CBS Sunday Morning, and Good Morning America.
Edward Paul, MD, has been working in addiction psychiatry for almost 3 decades (unless you count his eighth grade talking a friend out of trying heroin.) He is trained in several forms of psychotherapy as well as the pharmacology of addiction and co-occurring psychiatric disorders. He was trained in psychology at Harvard, Medicine at Columbia, and Cornell for psychiatry and also for fellowship in Substance Abuse Psychiatry. He is Board certified in psychiatry and addiction psychiatry and belongs to the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry and the American Society of Addiction Medicine.
Damon Raskin, MD, has been doing what he loves for the past 16 years. As a board certified internist, he has dedicated his career to helping his patients through both minor and major medical interventions. For 12 years Dr. Raskin has specialized in working in addiction detoxification.
His interest in addiction medicine was fueled by helping people change their lives for the better and seeing their success. His greatest satisfaction as a doctor is seeing his patients make it through the hard times and transition into sobriety.
Dr. Raskin grew up in Los Angeles before moving up north to attend Stanford University for his undergraduate degree. After graduating with honors, he went to medical school at George Washington University, where again, he graduated with “distinction.” He then moved back to Los Angeles to finish his internship and residency at UCLA.
Dr. Raskin first became involved with addiction medicine when he was hired as a consultant at a rehab center in Southern California before moving on to another facility as one of their medical specialists. He works closely with patients who are going through detoxification. Dr. Raskin believes that the detox process can be very dangerous and he stresses it is important that the addict doesn’t stop using suddenly as it can be as harmful as their actual addiction. Dr. Raskin recognizes that it is beneficial for the addicted patient to slowly and calmly re-train their bodies to function without drugs for optimal treatment
There is a fine line between treating underlying legitimate cognitive issues with medicine and actual substance abuse, and that is where Dr. Raskin is most skilled. After the initial detox period, Dr. Raskin understands that sobriety is an on-going process and he feels gratified that he can help so many people achieve this goal. He strategizes with his patients on how to stay sober and if needed with the use of medication, as many times there are mental or psychological issues that need pharmaceutical assistance.
Dr. Raskin knows that addiction and sobriety is an on-going process and he feels gratified that he can help so many people achieve this goal.
Dr. Raskin is married and has two young children and two dogs. And, while he is too busy to have a major hobby, the family, dogs included, he enjoys long beach days in Malibu or hiking on the Pacific Palisades trails.
Stacey Rosenfeld, PhD, is a clinical psychologist specializing in helping people develop healthier relationships with food and their bodies. She also works with substance use issues, anxiety and mood disorders, and relationship difficulties, and is interested in the psychological aspects of infertility. She has lectured around the country on her “Lose the Diet. Love Your Body. Eat in Peace” philosophy, and is a frequent resource for the media.
A certified group psychotherapist, Dr. Rosenfeld has worked at treatment centers and universities around the U.S., including at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City and at UCLA in Los Angeles. She is active in the Los Angeles County Psychological Association, where she founded and chairs the Eating Disorder Special Interest Group and is a member of three major eating disorder associations. She is also certified as a personal trainer and indoor cycling instructor and previously served as the chief psychologist of the New York City Triathlon. She lives and practices in Southern CA, and is also licensed to practice in NY.
Her book Does Every Woman Have An Eating Disorder? Challenging Our Nation’s Fixation with Food and Weight, was inspired by her acclaimed blog Does Every Woman Have an Eating Disorder?, named on Healthline’s list of Best Eating Disorder Blogs, and on Eating Disorder Hope’s list of Top Eating Disorder Blogs.
Debra Rothschild, PhD, is a psychologist and psychoanalyst in New York City. She is also a credentialed alcoholism and substance abuse counselor, a clinical associate professor at the New York University Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis, and a clinical supervisor at City College, Yeshiva University and Long Island University clinical psychology programs. She is on the executive board of the New York State Psychological Association Division on Addictions. She publishes and lectures widely on the integration of psychoanalytic thought with harm reduction psychotherapy and substance use treatment.
G Jay Westbrook, MS-Gerontology, RN, is a multiple award-winning clinician (Nurse of the Year), Visiting Faculty Scholar at Harvard Medical School, speaker and author who specializes in End-of-Life care and education and in Grief Recovery©. After years of seeing people dying prematurely from the diseases of substance abuse, Jay also became a clinician in the recovery field. He has both consulted to and served as a clinician in multiple treatment centers, guiding clients through their grief, and working with them and their families on healing broken relationships. His lectures to physicians and nurses include trainings in When Your Patient is a Substance Abuser: Currently or Historically.
Mr. Westbrook has also worked bedside with the dying and the grieving for 25 years, and trains physicians, nurses, therapists, and chaplains across the country in the constellation of clinical issues surrounding End-of-Life and in the art of being with the dying and healing the grieving.
Coming from a background of sexual and physical abuse, poverty, and prison to a life of service, abundance, and freedom, Mr. Westbrook presents powerfully as “a Wounded Healer,” as he puts it, his themes being hope and transformation, suffering and forgiveness. A partial list of organizations for which he has been an educator includes Alzheimer’s Association, City of Hope Cancer Center, Multiple L.A. schools of nursing, St. Jude Medical Center, USC School of Social Work, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S.A.F., Keesler AFB Medical Center, USC Keck School of Medicine, and Veteran’s Administration medical centers
Jay wrote the chapter on “Death and Dying” for an academic book on spirituality, Essential Spirit, to be released in January, 2015, and is working on two books of his own. While his website is being remodeled, he can be reached at CompassionateJourney@hotmail.com.
Howard C. Wetsman, MD, is the Chief Medical Officer and Founder of Townsend. A board certified psychiatrist and Addiction Medicine Specialist, he is responsible for overseeing all aspects of outpatient addiction treatment within Townsend’s seven clinic locations. Dr. Wetsman received his B.S. from Tulane University and his M.D. from LSU Medical School, where he earned the Sandoz Award for outstanding service during his Psychiatry Residency.
Dr. Wetsman is a clinical assistant professor at LSU Medical School and a Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) currently serving on that organization’s national board. He is a member of the Louisiana Board of Examiners in Dietetics and Nutrition, Louisiana Governor’s Drug Policy Board, American Medical Association, Louisiana State Medical Society and Orleans Parish Medical Society.
Dr. Wetsman has authored two books and is also a frequent lecturer on the Neurobiology of addiction at local and national medical conferences. Dr. Wetsman maintains a frequent blog at addictiondoctor.org that covers a wide range of issues related to the disease of addiction.
Carrie Wilkens, PhD, is the Co-Founder and Clinical Director of the Center for Motivation and Change in NYC, a private practice of psychologists who specialize in the treatment of substance use/compulsive behavior disorders and trauma using a variety of evidence-based treatments. She, along with her partners Dr. Jeffrey Foote and Will Regan, recently opened a private, inpatient/residential program employing the same evidence-based approaches in the Berkshires. She co-authored an award-winning book, Beyond Addiction: How Science and Kindness Help People Change with Drs. Foote and Kosanke. Together they also co-wrote a user-friendly workbook for parents: The 20 Minute Guide: A Guide for Parents about How to Help their Child Change their Substance Use. In collaboration with the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, Dr. Wilkens and the CMC team is developing a national parent training program (the Parent Support Network) to provide parent coaches to families in need of support through a free hotline.
Mark Willenbring, MD, is an internationally recognized addiction psychiatrist who is a leader in implementing new research findings into treatment for substance use disorders. After more than 20 years as a professor of psychiatry at the University of Minnesota, he spent over five years as Director of the Division of Treatment and Recovery Research at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, part of the National Institutes of Health. During his tenure there, he spearheaded a highly innovative research initiative focusing on the basic science and mechanisms of behavior change, developed an award-winning Clinician’s Guide to Helping Patients Who Drink Too Much, and guided the development of an enduring infrastructure for conducting rapid, early Phase II trials of anti-relapse medications. He has been featured in the HBO Addiction Special, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, MSNBC, Fox News, HuffPost Live and many other media outlets. He is founder and CEO of Alltyr (TM) , Inc., a company dedicated to bringing addiction treatment into the 21st century. In addition to consulting to health care organizations and providing education and training, he has opened the Alltyr Clinic TM to provide modern treatment to patients and families, and to demonstrate a model for addiction treatment based on science, professionalism, customer service and cost-effectiveness.
Roland Williams, MA, is an internationally recognized interventionist, author, educator, trainer, counselor and consultant specializing in addiction-related issues. As a drug counselor, he is certified by six respected national and international organizations. As a consultant he is founder and President of Free Life Enterprises, Counseling, Intervention and Consulting Services and also of VIP Recovery Coaching (www.rolandwilliamsconsulting.com).
Earlier, he co-founded and was Clinical Director of Alta Mira Recovery Programs and of Bayside Marin, located in Marin County, California, and was Director of Behavioral Health Services at Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose, CA.
Mr. Williams has worked all over the world providing individualized treatment and program development consultation. He consulted with the first abstinence based treatment center in Amsterdam, Holland, and has worked in Switzerland, Thailand, Costa Rica, France, the Dominican Republic and Italy, as well as widely in the US. As an educator, he taught Addiction Studies at the University of California, California State University, University of Texas, University of Utah, San Jose State University and JFK University. He has also conducted training for several rehabilitation and medical centers, including The Betty Ford Center, the Illinois Alcohol and Drug Counselors Board, and 15 California state correctional programs. He has sat on the oral examination board of the California Assn. of Alcohol and Drug Counselors, and is a member of the National Assn. of Alcohol and Drug Counselors Trainers Academy, providing technical assistance and training nationwide.
A frequent keynote speaker at conferences, Mr. Williams has authored three books: Relapse Prevention Counseling for African Americans, Relapse Warning Signs for African Americans (with Terence T. Gorski), and the Relapse Prevention Workbook for African Americans. And he has consulted entertainment companies regarding their portrayal of addiction, including HBO on development of their special presentation, Addicted.
Steven W. Varney, J.D. is a legal consultant (VirtualLitigationPartner.com) and former Connecticut trial lawyer in long-term recovery. He was board-certified in civil trial practice in 2005 and was named a Top New England Super Lawyer in 2009 and 2010. He is a former member of the American Bar Association, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Connecticut Bar Association, Connecticut Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, and New York State Trial Lawyers Association. Steve volunteers his time as a public policy advocate and speaker on addiction and recovery, where his focus is on opioid use disorder and criminal justice reform. He can be reached at stevenwvarney@gmail.com or steve@virtuallitigationpartner.com.