When I was fresh out of graduate school and as green as they come, I stumbled into exactly what I didn’t know I was looking for and needed—a job in a small therapeutic community working with individuals diagnosed with multiple psychiatric disorders. Its unique philosophy of care was inspired by Native American principles of kinship, shared responsibility, and giving back. Witnessing the healing and restoration that unfolded inside this community of hope, in which each member was considered an integral part of the greater system, was nothing short of miraculous for a group otherwise deemed “chronic” and unlikely to change.

This remarkable, eye- and heart-opening experience upended everything I thought I knew about mental health and began shaping my professional career and personal life-path around a desire to create spaces for every human to have this opportunity. For twenty-five years, I’ve helped create thriving therapeutic environments that have supported thousands of individuals and their families successfully build a life of self-management, health, and independence beyond the bounds of psychiatric diagnoses.

Today, I serve as the Chief Clinical Advisor at the Anew Treatment Center in Scottsdale, Arizona. I aim to carry on the fidelity of this deeply transformative model of individual and systemic change that promotes personal agency and interpersonal healing through belonging to a community that believes in individuals’ ability to thrive and live a purposeful life.