Drug Rehab Staff

Michael Cahlin has been a working freelance writer for 25 years. His articles have appeared in TechLiving, PC World, Wired, and Laptop Magazine. Over the years, his work has been published in Basketball Weekly (when he covered the Los Angeles Lakers), The Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Web Guide Magazine, EZ Tech Guides and a smorgasbord of others.

During his professional career, Michael created The Financial Software Company which he brought to success and consequently sold in 1992 to Cheque-Mate International. He also created a highly successful and award-winning marketing and PR agency responsible for naming, marketing, and launching products for some of the 1980's most prestigious technology companies including: Intersecting Concepts, MicroLogic, Software Toolworks, XTree Company, and Unison World.

Over the past three years, Michael has turned his attention to the education world and has been a teacher at Oxnard High School, and a substitute teacher in four different California school districts - Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Oxnard and Ventura. He graduated from the University of Florida with a B.S. in Journalism and has a Masters of Arts in Education from Pepperdine University.

Writer, educator, and very active in recovery, Michael turned six years sober on December 10. He attends regular AA meetings, speaks when asked, and was an H&I -- Hospitals and Institutions -- panel leader and coordinator for four years. He was responsible for not only taking sober speakers into the Exodus Recovery Center inside Brotman Hospital in Culver City once a month for four years, but worked with four other H&I panel leaders to ensure a voluntary AA meeting was taken into Brotman every Saturday of the month. He has personal experience dealing with students and adults who have relapsed and have returned to Alcoholics Anonymous to get -- and stay -- sober. Michael resides in Southern California with his wife, two cats, and a yellow lab puppy named Kirby!

Darls Centol, LCSW, Clinical Director (LIC #21401)
Darls is a Licensed Clinical Social Work with a specialization in Substance Abuse. She received her B.A. from Antioch University in Los Angeles and her MSW from the University of Hawaii. Her specializations include adolescent and young adult group and individual therapy and clinical supervision. Darls brings a much needed reportoire of clinical expertise and knolwedge of substance abuse and chemical dependency.

Arlen Ring, PhD, Psychologist (Lic Psy 8070)
Dr. Arlen Ring is a Clinical Psychologist with 30 years of practice. He specializes in communication skills, anger management, recovery from trauma & past hurts, dealing with difficult people, handling problem emotions, lowering stress & tension levels and generally getting unstuck. Dr. Ring is a certified EMDR practitioner, and is adjunct faculty for the Los Angeles Community College District. He is a member of the American Psychological Association, the California Psychological Association and the Los Angeles County Psychological Association.

Dr. Ring heads up the Sober CollegeAnger Management Program. He is available to residents who need to master the skills of handling their emotions, other people’s behavior and life in general, now that they are walking without their old crutch. He respects residents for no longer letting drugs or alcohol handle their emotions for them. He has found that once a person has chosen to live his life without obliviating his awareness through substance use, that person often finds himself emotionally back at the age he was when he checked out of growing. Dr. Ring believes that people have the potential to reclaim their strength. He feels honored to guide, coach, assist and help heal those who want to stop anger and fear from running their lives. For useful information on the above issues and to learn more about Dr. Arlen Ring, you can visit ArlenRing.com

Sally Beaven, CCDC - Director of Family Services
Sally has a wide range of professional experience, program development skills and drug and alcohol recovery and treatment programs that make her the ideal to head up the family workshop series. Sally has worked as the Program Director for Sanctuary at Malibu, a womens only facility in Malibu, as a staff counselor for Creative Care, a leading dual diagnosis facility, in several educational settings and was the Family Program Coordinator for St. Joseph Hospital Recovery Center in Bellingham, WA. Sally is a Certified Professional Chemical Dependency Counselor with a B.A. in Psychology from Western Washington University. She is a Challenge Course Trainer, trained in Experiential Education and is a Washington State Licensed Counselor in Applied Sports Psychology and Sports Counseling.

Kim Farber, B.S. , Academic Coach & Director of Communications
Kim is a graduate of Northwestern University with a Bachelor of Science from the School of Communications. Kim served as a Senior Vice-President of the Tim Levin Tutoring Company in New York and Los Angeles. Kim is a teacher and tutor of the SAT I, SAT II, ACT, College Essay, High-School History and English. She is a Curriculum Developer and Test Writer and has developed curriculum for SAT Critical Reading, SAT Math, SAT Writing, and Critical Reading. Kim has aslo been a teacher and tutor for Kaplan Test Prep. Kim has also been a National Spokesperson for a National Media Tour promoting Growing Up and awareness of Human Growth Hormone Deficiency, including time on The Today Show, National Public Radio, and Numerous Television, Radio, Newspaper and Magazine Interviews across the country.

Don Duitz, MA, Residential Staff
Don has extensive life experience which offers a rounded understanding of people. He graduated UCLA and spent years in wholesale, retail and service businesses.  While moving around within careers, it was as a direct result of raising his family of five children, he realized that his fulfillment  came from helping others.  He then began his training at VBS Counseling Center which led him to earn his Masters Degree in counseling at Cal State Northridge.  Don has been associated with the VBS Counseling center for over 20  years leading groups in relationship and communication skills as well as individual counseling.

His experience also includes counseling at a drug and rehabilitation hospital which housed  dual diagnosis patients.   He  used poetry and role playing  and reality training to help patients to connect to themselves and find self assurance.   He also worked as a Therapeutic Behavior Specialist setting up programs to be facilitated by their community resources such as teachers, clergy and family.

Don  is a native of  LA.  His  interests  vary from health and fitness, hiking, tennis, to meditation.
He  believes that part of the spiritual process to recovery is to fill the inner vacuum with contentment and purpose.

Michael B. Zimbert, Esq.
Adjunct Faculty
Michael Zimbert has been a solo practitioner handling only criminal offenses at both the Federal and State levels for over twenty years. Michael has handled various criminal related cases in thirteen states. He specializes in narcotic offenses adn gang related cases.

Michael is on the Board of Trustees of V.I.P. (Volunteers in Parole) and was honored as a mentor in 2004. Michael has been a guest lecturer at Cal State Northridge, College of the Canyons and Cal Lutheran. Michael has taught Constitutional Law and Criminal Procedure at the Pepperdine Paralegal Program.

Tony Croutch, Mentor
Tony has lived a life well beyond his years. Although, only 25 years old, Tony has traveled many paths. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Tony’s schooling has taken him from a boarding school in Utah, to being a Montclair Prep High School Graduate in Van Nuys. He attended San Francisco State and he subsequently enrolled in The San Francisco Culinary Academy. He has worked as a camp counselor, a waiter in restaurants and spent a year and a half at an Entertainment Public Relations Firm. His passion for life and sobriety is inspirational to all of those who are lucky enough to spend time with him or hear him speak at an AA Meeting, Youth Authorities Center, the VA or a Rehab and Treatment Facility. He loves all sports, especially snowboarding, surfing, football and baseball. He also enjoys reading, movies and going to the gym. But most importantly, Tony helps lead those from alcohol or drug abuse to a place of self-confidence, inner peace and emotional well-being. His smile, laughter and caring for others is truly contagious. We are very lucky to have him as part of our recovery team.

Jesse Logan , Residential Manager
Jesse Logan was born March 11, 1976 in Salt Lake City, Utah. At the age of 9 he picked up his first guitar and instantly knew he was supposed to play. Jesse continued his journey playing guitar being in many bands and playing clubs in Utah. He had his first drink of alcohol in the 6th grade, when he was 11. This led to experimenting and eventually becoming addicted to cocaine and speed. Growing tiresome of the local club scene, Jesse moved to Los Angeles to further pursue his music career. The biggest thing Jesse could do for his life and career was on September 7, 2002 when he became sober. He began attending AA meetings at LA's Radford Hall. Since then Jesse has continued his sobriety and has become a sponsor and inspiration to several alcoholics and addicts. Jesse has toured with such bands as Korn, Blink 182 and Eminem to name a few. He most recently played with Aerosmith and The Who. Jesse now resides in Valley Village, CA.

Danny Gordon, Residential Manager
Danny has a background as a Musician and a Teacher. Born in Miami, FL he spent his first eleven years in the suburbs of Atlanta, GA before moving to Los Angeles. Much of his youth was on the tennis court and going through his parent’s record collection. At fifteen he started playing guitar and soon found his niche playing bass. He also fell in love with drugs and alcohol and after only a few years his alcoholism brought him to institutions and homelessness. Getting sober at seventeen was both the hardest and most fulfilling thing in his life. In his recovery Danny finished his last semester of high school, graduated Cum Laude from the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA where he was also of service as a Resident Assistant, and has recorded and toured the country with countless bands and artists.

Marie Doree-Lambert, CCDC, CH
Equine Assisted Psychotherapy
Marie-Dorée Lambert, brings over a decade of experience in the field of addiction and co-dependency. Because of the fact that she is bilingual (french and english) Marie-Dorée is a popular speaker at meetings and conference throughout the United States and in Europe. Her enthusiasm and passion for working with others has led her to become an interventionist. She then opened her own private practice in Beverly Hills as a Certified Chemical Dependency Counselor. She is also a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist and has been able to help many with weight loss, smoking cessation, anxiety, etc.She sees clients individually and offers as well couple and family counseling. She facilitates various groups and workshops. Marie-Dorée Lambert has also received a special training from the best school of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy: EAGALA, and is a Certified Equine Assisted Practitioner.

Frank Hochuli
Frank Hochuli brings over twenty years of experience in the field of addiction and co-dependency. Because of the fact that he is fluent in English, French German and Spanish Frank Hochuli has been traveling throughout the United States and in Europe speaking at many meetings and conferences. His passion for horses has led him to use natural horsemanship method. He was trained by Buck Branneman (the man that inspired the movie “The horse whisperer”) and has practiced this approach for over a decade. He has also been trained by the world renowned EAGALA School and is a Certified Equine Assisted Practitioner. In an article that Frank wrote recently for the magazine Steps for Recovery he said: “I return to working with horses, trusting them, trusting myself, trusting the people I’m working with, and mostly trusting that the horse, without being prodded or threatened or bribed or begged, will always come through.”

Robert Gilson, C.T.C. , Admissions Director
"Rob" brings an enthusiasm for 12-step recovery and a background that includes military training to oversee the direction of Sober College living environments. Rob's connections in the recovery community of the greater Los Angeles area are invaluable in helping young adults to establish themselves within a recovery community.

Rob spent 4 years in the 82nd Airborne Division before he was Honorably Discharged as a Seargant. He has over 85 military skydives under his belt and was a cold weather instructor for all NATO forces in Italy. Rob taught survival skills as well as special Ski training. Additionally, Rob lived in Mammoth Mountain, California for two years as a Ski Patrolman.

He has been certified by the Institute for Certified Twelve Step Counselors. More than anything else, he understands the needs and complications that challenges families facing this disease. His compassion, understanding and genuine care allow him to provide direction and support during a difficult time.