Articles

Michael Ladge, an Executive Director and Sports and Entertainment Director, joined Morgan Stanley and its prior firm in 2008. By employing an extensive wealth management approach through a consultative process, he implements a customized investment plan designed to accumulate, preserve, and transfer wealth. Mike serves a select client base from a broad spectrum of industries, which includes numerous corporate executives, entrepreneurs, entertainers, and professional athletes.

Previously, Mike was with UBS Wealth Management. Prior to UBS, he worked with Credit Suisse, which had acquired DLJ. Prior to that, after earning his MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA and a B.S. from Syracuse University with a double major in finance and statistics, Mike initiated his career as an investment advisor with Morgan Stanley. Mike was named to Robb Report’s Worth Magazine’s Top 100 Wealth Advisors for four consecutive years. He has been named a Los Angeles Five Star Wealth Manager conducted by Los Angeles Magazine from 2012-2015.

In addition, he is a Registered Financial Advisor with the NFL Players Association. Mike also works extensively with Jim Brown’s Amer-I-Can Foundation and USA Racquetball Association. He is an avid racquetball player and has won several national and state championships. Originally from Boston, Mike resides in Bel Air, California.

Ray Estefania is a psychotherapist, interventionist and therapeutic placement consultant with over 20 years of experience as a mental health professional. He is Co-Founder and Executive Director of Family Recovery Specialists, a Miami-based intensive outpatient program for adolescents and adults that also provides concierge crisis/case management and intervention services for teens and adults.

He is formerly the Adolescent Program Director at South Miami Hospital’s Addiction Treatment Program and is a considered an expert in the field that frequently provides education and training to physicians, nurses, other mental health professionals, teachers, school administrators and community organizations on topics related to addiction and recovery. Mr. Estefania earned his undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Florida and his graduate degree in Mental Health Counseling from Nova Southeastern University. He is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, a Certified Addiction Professional in the state of Florida, an Internationally Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor and a Certified Intervention Professional.

Ray is an individual member of the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs (NATSAP) and a professional member of the Network of Independent Interventionists. In addition, Ray is a board member and the treasurer of the Therapeutic Consulting Association (TCA), a professional association for therapeutic placement consultants and other referring professionals. Ray is also very culturally sensitive and is accustomed to working with individuals and families from very diverse backgrounds

Barbara Wilson is a licensed Marriage and Family therapist who has been in private practice for over twenty five years. She has an MA in Clinical Psychology from California Graduate Institute and completed five years of training in the Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy program at the Institute of Contemporary Psychoanalysis. She works with adult and young adult individuals and couples. While she draws from psychodynamic, family systems and relational/humanistic modalities she is very flexible and collaborative in her work.

Barbara specializes in working with couples and also with individuals who are struggling with addiction or dependency problems. She knows from personal experience how crucial it is to feel safe and understood.  She is a real person in the room…warm, down to earth and direct. When it comes to working with couples her strength is her ability to understand the experience of both partners and then to help each partner understand the other’s experience. It is her belief that this helps move the couple towards true intimacy rather than the confusion, conflict, frustration, or boredom that they have been living with.

In her spare time, Barbara loves to spend time with her family…especially her grandkids!! She also loves time with her friends, a good cup of coffee, road trips, reading and running.

Denise has worked in the wonderful field of social work for 28 years. She is CEO and Co-owner of Milestones Ranch Malibu, a premier rehab treatment center in California.
Her intense  passion is to raise the bar in regard to dual diagnosis education for families and professionals. She recognizes that the country  is overwhelmed  with families urgently needing truly compassionate care, support and state of the art information. Denise loves to  create  and promote opportunities for Five star addiction and mental health professionals to share information that inspires both families and professionals nation wide.

Deborah Sweet, Psy.D. Licensed Clinical Psychologist founded the Trauma Counseling Center of Los Angeles (TCCLA) to ensure people receive therapy specifically designed to reduce or clear trauma such as EMDR, Somatic therapies or Brainspotting. Trauma lives in the body, as well as the mind. To remove the somatic aspects of the trauma such as an exaggerated startle response, we need methods in addition to talk therapy. In other words, symptoms of trauma and traumatic memories cannot be conquered with only the mind. She has carefully chosen her team at TCCLA to create the best possible experience for people to work through what they are dealing with whether it is in the past or present.

Manny Rodriguez is a thought  leader in the LGBT addiction treatment field. He is a treatment owner, fierce advocate for families ,community activist , producer of relevant media  and a true visionary.  Attracted to the arts as a child and singers, Manny discovered love success and scholarship in dance receiving a BFA  from the world renown “The Juilliard School in NYC”.

In 1993  he  entered his own recovery and in 1997 he became  the Director of Promotions and Marketing at GameWorks, a startup and subsidiary  of Universal, DreamWorks and SEGA. Today Manny serves is  the CEO and Founder of La Fuente Hollywood Treatment Center – a specialized and community-driven program with the  mission to heal, strengthen and advance the lives of LGBT people seeing recovery. Additionally, he produces LGBT materials, film etc and serves on the boards of The Gay and Lesbian Elder Housing, The Hollywood Studio District Neighborhood Council and is the Co-Chair of The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Healthcare Committee.

Ashton’s skillset in the behavioral healthcare industry is unique. She has spent 11+ years working with insurance carriers to ensure that individuals seeking mental health and addiction care can access and maximize their coverage.  In doing so, Ashton assists clients and facilities in receiving reimbursement from insurance and minimizing out of pocket expenses.

Ashton’s expertise in the field of behavioral health has helped many clients get coverage that wouldn’t have otherwise been able to get help.

Jeff is a renowned expert in communications and media relations. His experience draws from working with top-tier executives and companies spanning several different industries. He is invaluable when working with clients in need of developing or deploying communications, messaging or public relations strategies.

He strives to provide comprehensive professional services to all clients. As such, he recognizes where his knowledge and expertise must be augmented and enhanced by others who specialize in services that overlap his practice.  He thinks of these gifted professionals as a healing community that energize and inspire  with their knowledge, ethics, and dedication.

As an independent interventionist, he refers to many different treatment centers and programs across the country. Additionally, he relies on these professionals who he can always count on to pick up the phone and provide valuable counsel.

Lee is a writer, editor, and SEO professional. She creates and manages content for online websites. Plus, she can strategize and execute nearly any digital initiative: articles, infographics, videos, or webinar. She currently lives in Skopje, Macedonia and is the Editor-In-Chief of an online publication in the addiction treatment niche with 2.5M+ unique visits and 3.0M page views per month.

SPECIALTIES

* SEO
* Content Marketing
* Behavioral Healthcare Marketing
* Addiction Treatment Writing

Cherlyne Short Majors, Ph.D., has held senior executive level positions for numerous internationally recognized, behavioral healthcare treatment providers specializing in treating individuals and families of power, wealth, privilege and celebrity. In addition to her 30-year domestic career in mental health issues, she also worked in Switzerland where she introduced an innovative pharmacotherapy for substance use disorder to the European market by embedding the product in leading Swiss clinics.

Her consulting practice includes domestic and international consultation on treatment placements, strategic business development and quality improvement for behavioral health treatment providers. Dr. Majors is a Founder of The Women’s CEO Global Alliance in Behavioral Health and is committed to encouraging and supporting existing and emerging women leaders through coaching and mentoring in a private practice.

Most recently, she founded WILLOW Institute which provides leadership training for emerging women leaders in Behavioral Health. Having a global interest in cross-cultural healthcare systems has motivated Dr. Majors to pursue international travel to and study in approximately 60 countries.

Lori Jean Glass is a Certified Relationship Coach, Certified Bereavement Coach, and a Certified Professional Coach. Lori Jean is the Founder and CEO of Pivot…A Relational Alignment Group. They provide high impact solutions for individuals, couples, families, and businesses in need of relational change and growth. lovetopivot.com

Lori Jean believes wholeheartedly that people can and do change.
Prior to working in the Behavioral Health field, Lori Jean owned and operated a successful Image Consulting Company for 15 years, teaching individuals and companies how to define and implement an honest, cohesive brand as a platform for solid growth.

Lori Jean is a seasoned public speaker and is known for her inspirational and direct manner. She can take just about any relational topic and offer relevant ideas and concepts that affect perception and behavior.

Lori Jean is current, passionate, and determined to demystify the complexities that are associated with unhealthy relational patterns. For more information on LJ, visit http://www.lorijean.com

Lori Jean Glass CRC, CBC, CPC
lori@lorijean.com
415.302.3059

David Zint is a Personal trainer, designer of the BE R.A.W fitness method, a life coach and Master Instructor at SoulCycle.  He is a huge believer and facilitator of community based, spiritual and all inclusive fitness and wellness programs. He creates spaces where everyone feels welcomed to explore, grow, challenge and learn about themselves and connect to their highest versions of themselves. He guides us so we may first face our vulnerabilities and eventually overcome them and grow from them. To find resilience. To find authenticity. To find the willingness.

David Malow received his certification as a Peer Recovery Support Specialist (Recovery Coach) while working at Riverside County Department of Mental Health in 2009. He is the former owner of Serenity Lane Transitional Sober Living Homes. David received a scholarship from The Betty Ford Center to obtain his certification as a Grief Recovery Specialist at the Grief Recovery Institute in Los Angeles and has worked one-on-one as well as facilitated Grief Recovery groups since 2008.

David has been a lead volunteer & Alumni Department Liaison at the Betty Ford Center/Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation since 2005, with over 4500 hours of service facilitating meetings, working with both patients and staff members. In 2010 David was a consultant to the Betty Ford Center for their BFCSL Sober Living program. David is the owner and a Recovery Coach at Recovery GPS. Services include Coaching, Safe Passage Transports, Monitoring, and Recovery Companions for men and women.

David Malow lives and works with his wife, their 2 cats and a dog in Southern California. Where David also enjoys his long-term sobriety. He is a current member of CAADAC, NAADAC, Recovery View, CAMFT, and The Sober Living Network.

Jeffrey J. Merrick is a professional interventionist and criminal defense attorney in Hollywood, California. He is a graduate cum laude of the University of San Diego School of Law, a practicing member of the California Bar since 1990 and a former trial lawyer for a national law firm. His undergraduate degree was with honors in Psychology and Literature & Writing from the University of California at San Diego.

Jeffrey specializes in the defense of mental health, drug and alcohol-related cases. His expertise is in care advocacy and alternative sentencing through the courts.  Jeffrey has several years of in-house counsel and treatment and intervention planning experience for national recovery programs.

As with Dr. Stanger, Jeffrey is a member of NII, the Network of Independent Interventionists, which means they are not affiliated with any treatment program. This maintains the professional autonomy and distance required to recommend only those treatment programs that are best suited to a client’s and a family’s needs.

Jeffrey brings to his work extensive knowledge about the many moving parts of multi-problem clients and family systems, treatment and intervention. He is a well-known and respected member of the addictions professionals and recovery communities, bringing to this work the spark of his own personal long-term recovery.

Laurie Reid is a Florida and Georgia Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Certified Addictions Professional and Joint Commission Accreditation consultant for addiction and mental health treatment centers.  She provides accreditation preparation, mock surveys, clinical documentation and continuous quality improvement and training.

Dawn Fey Hedgepeth is a licensed clinical social worker in San Antonio, Texas. Dawn has over 24 years experience in criminal justice and working with teens.  Her work is client-centered: she meets clients where they are, and will help them identify their concerns, cope with challenges, and establish goals.

Dawn specializes in adolescent issues, relationships, parenting, family issues, anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, and law. She sees individual clients, adolescents and families.Dawn is a  Certified Daring Way Consultant -Senior Faculty member and  work with my individual clients and in group. Shame is the key to many of the issues we struggle with on a daily basis.

Dawn offers specialized groups several times a year, is a member of the Senior Faculty with the Daring Way and is trained in EMDR. It will change your life. She knows, it has changed her life in many positive ways. Dawn assists  individuals overcoming trauma-related experiences and work towards to goals of wholehearted living.

Robyn began her career at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles as the in-patient dietitian in the Department of Cardiology. Over the last twenty one years she has developed her own private practice in Beverly Hills, CA, where she specializes in medical conditions, disordered eating, eating disorders, Health at Every Size, pre-pregnancy nutrition, preventative nutrition and people in recovery. Robyn promotes opportunity to excel in personal health and fitness maintenance through a lecture series in association with several medical groups. She serves as a Nutrition Consultant for the Celiac Disease Foundation.

For the last eight years Robyn was the Nutritional Counselor for the Susan Krevoy Eating Disorders Program at The Wright Institute Los Angeles was a consultant for Panda Restaurant Group and teaches the nutrition classes for the Motion Picture Wellness Program. Currently Robyn is the Director of Nutrition Service for The Control Center, an addiction IOP, where she seeing all the eating disorder patients. She is a contributing author and is a nationally known registered dietitian nutritionist. She has been quoted in The New York Times, The Huffington Post, The Fix, Shape Magazine, Fitness, Oxygen, Pilates Style, Diabetes Forecast, BH Weekly and Life & Style. She has been on national television as the eating disorder expert on The Insider.  

Robyn has a body image and eating disorder group at several addiction centers in Los Angeles.

Dr. Flowers is one of the most respected names in the area of pain management, addiction treatment and chronic pain assessment. For over 20 years, Dr. Flowers has occupied an expert leadership position in the pain recovery and addiction treatment field. He has used his experience and knowledge to develop a substantial number of addiction and pain recovery programs within some of the most recognized treatment centers in the country. He has dedicated his career to his passion, designing multidisciplinary addiction treatment programs and clinical protocols to help individuals suffering from addiction and chronic pain.

Dr. Flowers has a passion for recovery and creating positive change in lives impacted by pain and co-occurring addictive disorders.He serves as CEO and Founder of Driftwood Recovery, Austin , Texas and Kemah Palms in Houston Texas

In his spare time, Dr. Flowers is a lifelong distance runner with more than 28 marathons to his credit, and has competed in several ultra-marathons, including 70 and 100 mile trail and mountain races. He is also a pilot.

Dr. Jeff Nalin is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, and Founder and Executive Director of Paradigm Treatment Centers, who has been a respected leader in the field of adolescent mental health for more than 20 years. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Southern California, his Master’s degree from Loyola Marymount University, his Doctoral degree from Pacific University’s APA approved Clinical Psychology program, and completed his training at the University of California, San Diego’s APA approved psychology internship program.

Dr. Nalin has provided training and mentoring to students entering the field of psychology at institutions of learning including Pepperdine University’s Graduate School of Education and Psychology, UCSD, Pacific University, and Santa Monica College. He was also instrumental in the development of the treatment component of Los Angeles County’s first Juvenile Drug Court, which now serves as a national model.

Dr. Nalin has appeared as an expert on shows ranging from CBS News and Larry King, to CNN, The Today Show and MTV. He was also featured in an Anti-Drug Campaign for the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).

Dr. Nalin is a Diplomate of the National Institute of Sports Professionals and a Certified Sports Psychologist as well as a Certified Chemical Dependency Intervention Specialist. He lectures and conducts workshops nationally on the issues of teen mental health, substance abuse prevention, and innovative adolescence treatment.

In 2017 Dr. Nalin was awarded The Sigmund Freud Foundation and Sigmund Freud University’s Distinguished Achievement Award in recognition of his work with youth in the field of mental health over the course of his career.

Harry Nelson is the Founding and Managing Partner of Nelson Hardiman LLP, a leading healthcare law firm, and Chair of the American Addiction Treatment Association, an organization working to advance compliance standards in addiction treatment.

He is the author of From ObamaCare to TrumpCare: Why You Should Care, an overview of the policy challenges facing the healthcare system, and speaks and writes frequently about the future of U.S. healthcare.