OUR EDITORIAL TEAM

Eric Patterson is a licensed professional counselor in the Pittsburgh area who is dedicated to helping children, adults, and families meet their treatment goals. As contributor for the American Psychiatric Association, he helped shape the content in the DSM-5. For the last five years as a...

Rob Alston has traveled around Australia, Japan, Europe, and America as a writer and editor for industries including personal wellness and recovery. Graduating with a Bachelor's degree in Marketing and Minor in German from Miami University (Oxford, OH), Rob is a proud Midwestern. After working...

Denise-Marie Griswold is a Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist. She earned her Master's Degree in Substance Abuse and Clinical Counseling from East Carolina University in 2014. She has worked primarily in a residential, inpatient setting treating patients with substance use and co-occurring...

Jonathan Strum graduated from the University of Nebraska Omaha with a Bachelor's in Communication in 2017 and has been writing professionally ever since. He has written, edited and published content for health care professionals, educators, real estate agents, lawyers and high-level university...

As the content manager at Advanced Recovery Systems, Melissa Carmona puts years of writing and editing experience to work helping people understand substance abuse, addiction and mental health disorders. Melissa is a Florida State University graduate with bachelor’s & master’s...

Jenni Jacobsen is a licensed social worker through the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board. She has seven years of experience working in the social work field, working with clients with addiction-related and mental health diagnoses.  Jenni is also a school...

Brooke Nichole Dulka is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She received her PhD in Biological Psychology at the University of Tennessee in August 2018. Brooke is a behavioral neuroscientist, and her work is focused on the...

Nicole leads a team of passionate, experienced writers, editors and other contributors to create and share accurate, trustworthy information about drug and alcohol addiction, treatment and recovery for The Recovery Village and all Advanced Recovery Systems sites. She is a graduate of the...

Shannon Beemer is a community outreach Director at The Recovery Village. In her role, Shannon provides support and assistance to patients taking their very first steps into recovery. She works to build relationships in the local community that provide a link between those seeking recovery and...

Dr. Jessica Pyhtila is a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist based in Baltimore, Maryland with practice sites in inpatient palliative care and outpatient primary care at the Department of Veteran Affairs. She is a double board-certified Geriatric Pharmacist (BCGP) and a Pharmacotherapy Specialist...

Benjamin Caleb Williams is a board-certified Emergency Nurse with several years of clinical experience, including supervisory roles within the ICU and ER settings. He obtained his Associates in Applied Science in Nursing from Cayuga Community College in Auburn, New York, then went on to obtain...

Erika Krull has a master’s degree in mental health counseling and has been a freelance writer since 2006. She is a healthcare writer specializing in mental health content for professional training modules, blogs, and websites. Her writing has been featured on Mindcology.com and...

Audrey Howitt is a Marriage and Family Therapist licensed through the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. She has eight years of experience working with clients in a variety of fields including addiction, dual diagnoses, depression, anxiety, and deep insight work. She also has significant...

Paula Holmes is a licensed clinical social worker, psychotherapist and freelance writer who lives and works in midcoast Maine. She received her master's degree in Social Work in 2008 from the University of Maine. With over a decade of experience in the field of mental health, she is always amazed...

Erica Weiman graduated from Pace University in 2014 with a master's in Publishing and has been writing and editing ever since. She has written and edited content across many niches, including psychology and mental health, health and wellness, food, technology, and workplace culture. She is...

Abby Doty graduated from Hamline University in 2021 with a Bachelor's in English and Psychology. She has written and edited creative and literary work as well as academic pieces focused primarily on psychology and mental health. She is passionate about removing the stigma around mental health and...

Amalia Sirica is New York State Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a writer. She has spent the last ten years working with children, young adults and adults of all different backgrounds and experiences. She received her bachelor's degree in Psychology from Duke University, and her master's...

Danielle is a registered dietitian and the Senior Manager of Nutrition at Territory Foods. She has a degree in nutrition science from Cornell University and a master's in Health Communication from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Danielle has been featured as a nutrition expert in media...

Elizabeth Cambria, PharmD is a licensed, registered pharmacist and certified pharmacist immunizer. She is a 2004 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy. She has more than 21 years of experience in community pharmacy and patient consultations. Elizabeth is passionate about...

Dr. Sheehy completed his BS in Molecular Biology at the University of Idaho and went on to complete his Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) at the University of Washington in Seattle. He is a Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist (BCPS) and Certified Anticoagulation Care Provider (CACP). Since...

Danielle is licensed clinical social worker, currently living and practicing in central Connecticut. Danielle graduated from Columbia University in 2012 with a Masters of Social Work, and always had the goal of opening her own private practice. She specializes in women's issues, maternal health...

Leila Khurshid is a clinical pharmacist based in Denver, CO. After graduating from Regis University with her Doctor of Pharmacy, she completed a PGY1 Pharmacy Residency at St. Mark's Hospital in Salt Lake City, UT where she continued to practice for a number of years. During this time, she became...

Michelle Giordano has been a licensed pharmacist in New York State for nearly two decades. She received her doctorate in pharmacology from St. John’s University, where she earned an academic merit scholarship throughout the course of her studies. She has worked in the pharmacy retail...

Theresa Valenzky graduated from the University of Akron with a Bachelor of Arts in News/Mass Media Communication and a certificate in psychology. She is passionate about providing genuine information to encourage and guide healing in all aspects of life. Through her experience as a community news...

Taylor Cameron is a Licensed Professional Counselor and mental health copywriter from North Texas. She has worked in crisis services for the past decade in various settings, including a domestic violence and sexual assault emergency shelter, university and local school district. As a copywriter,...

Sara Graff is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in Florida. She earned both her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and her Master of Social Work (MSW) degree from Washington University in St. Louis. She also has earned a Master’s Degree in Human Resource Development from Webster...