THE WATERSHED ADDICTION TREATMENT PROFESSIONALS

Meet Our Staff

(Listed in Alphabetical Order)

Dr. Viviana Colmegna

Dr. Viviana Colmegna is a Board Certified Psychiatrist. Dr. Colmegna was born in Argentina where she was certified in Internal Medicine and Pulmonology. Prior to joining The Addiction Recovery Center in 2009, she worked for 5 years as the Medical Director for Psychiatry Emergency Services at MRH. She has been an assistant professor at Nova Southeastern University in the Medical Department since 1999. Dr. Colmegna supervises medical students from Nova University at The Addiction Recovery Center. She is an expert in dual diagnosis and addiction. Dr. Colmegna speaks both fluent Spanish and English.

Christopher Crosby, CEO

Christopher Crosby has been the President and CEO of The Addiction Recovery Center Addiction Treatment Programs since 2004. One of the founders of The Addiction Recovery Center, Mr. Crosby has worked in addiction treatment for over 30 years. Mr. Crosby was originally trained as a nurse, and has worked in most clinical areas of treatment. He a behavioral health technician, crisis intervention counselor, detoxification and psychiatric nurse, group psychotherapist, and interventionist. He transitioned from direct patient care into administration and business development over a decade ago.

Steve DeMarco

Steve Demarco is the Admission Director for The Addiction Recovery Center Addiction Treatment Programs and has been with The Addiction Recovery Center since its beginning. Steve is a Nationally Certified Addiction Counselor and has over 20 years experience in treating people suffering from mental health and addiction. He has worked as an Interventionist, Counselor, as well as an Admissions Specialist. Steve’s Information and Referral Center helps over 10,000 people a month to find help for themselves or their loved ones at treatment centers throughout the U.S. “We throw them a lifeline, and to it we are eternally tethered.”

Elaine Gintoli

Elaine Gintoli is the Director of Nursing at The Addiction Recovery Center Addiction Treatment programs. She is a Clinical Specialist in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing, board certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. She received her Undergraduate Degree in Nursing from The University of Akron, and her Graduate Degree in Nursing from Kent State University. Gintoli has over 22 years experience as a psychiatric nurse working with individuals suffering from severe mental disorders and substance abuse.

Jackie Glass

Jackie Glass, LCSW, provides individual, family and group psychotherapy at The Addiction Recovery Center and is the Director of the Family Weekend Program. Jackie is a CEU provider and Supervisor of Social Work and Mental Health Interns. She received her Masters Degree in Social Work specializing in Mental Health from Barry University and has 20 years experience as an individual, family and group psychotherapist, specializing in mental health and co-occurring disorders. Jackie Glass has been employed at The Addiction Recovery Center for 11 years.

Patrick S. Kirse, CFO, COO

Patrick S. Kirse is the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of The Addiction Recovery Center Addiction Treatment Programs. He with the Company since its inception in 1998 and is responsible for overall performance of the Company and oversight of Mergers and Acquisitions, Financial Planning and Analysis, Accounting, Human Resources, IT, Physical Plant, Risk Management, Government Relations and Legal Departments. Prior to joining The Addiction Recovery Center, Patrick held numerous positions at Deloitte and Touche, LLP in their management consulting and audit divisions and then subsequently held positions as the Controller, Vice President of Finance, Treasurer, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Accounting Officer at several publicly traded and privately held companies throughout the U.S.

Dr. Rasha Lawrence

Dr. Lawrence is currently the Corporate Medical Director for The Addiction Recovery Center Addiction Treatment Programs and a full time psychiatrist working with the Women’s Program at the Boynton Beach Facility. Dr. Lawrence graduated from Ain Shams University, School of Medicine in 1995. She practiced as a Physiatrist and Rheumatologist before she joined University of Miami Behavioral Medicine Research Center where she had experience with research and clinical work. There she became interested in the body and mind connection. Dr. Lawrence continued her training at The University of Miami, Jackson Memorial Hospital where she completed a four year residency in the Psychiatry Department.

Vanda Milman, PhD, LMHC

Dr. Milman is the The Vice President of Clinical Services atAddiction Treatment Programs. She holds a Ph.D from Southern Illinois University. Her PhD research was in the area of Cognitive Development. Dr. Milman was a Visiting Research Fellow in the Psychology Department, Neuroscience Program at Princeton University in Dr. Barry Jacobs Laboratory. She is an Advisory Board Member for the PhD Program in the Mental Health Counseling Department at Florida Atlantic University. Dr. Milman has over 15 years of experience as a Psychotherapist and Administrator in a variety of Psychiatric and Addictions Treatment Programs. Her areas of interest include: Emotional Intelligence and Recovery, Obsessive Compulsive Disorders, Mood Disorders, The Role of Multicultural Issues in Recovery, Women’s Issues and the Recovery Process.

Diane Poehlman

Diane Poehlman is the Program Director of the Men’s Unit at The Addiction Recovery Center of the Palm Beaches. Poehlman graduated from Nova South Eastern University with a Master’s Degree in 1999. She is a licensed mental health counselor and is certified to supervise clinicians for licensure. Diane joined The Addiction Recovery Center team over 8 years ago when she was employed by The Addiction Recovery Center as a primary therapist. She was later promoted and became the Program Director of Watershed at Boca Raton. During her time at The Addiction Recovery Center she also supervised The Addiction Recovery Center’s extended care program. Diane Poehlman has been in the mental health and addiction treatment field for 35 years and has a great deal of experience with many populations including, those who suffer from severe mental illness, depression, domestic violence, childhood abuse issues and addiction. She has designed and implemented 2 juvenile justice programs, one of which, the intensive case management unit, was presented, accepted and utilized state wide.

Rashida Ross

Rashida Ross is the Program Manager for the Women’s Unit (Inpatient, PHP and IOP). She received her undergraduate degree from Pennsylvania State University in 2002 and her MBA from Nova Southeastern University in 2010. Rashida Ross has been employed as a therapist at The Addiction Recovery Center since 2001.

Our Doctor

He working as a Medicine Doctor at The Addiction Recovery Center Addiction Treatment Programs for 8 years. He cares for the non psychiatric medical needs of Watershed patients. He received his early medical training oversees, and after graduation he had the satisfaction of practicing medicine in the Amazon jungle and learning invaluable lessons in patient care. When he came back to the U.S, he trained at the University of Florida in Jacksonville, and obtained his diploma as a Family Doctor specializing in Internal Medicine. Dr. Stefan gets real satisfaction out of working at The Addiction Recovery Center. He believes The Addiction Recovery Center gave him a chance to change his perspective on what an addict is. Dr. Stefan sees addicts as the whole human beings they really are, capable of change and healing.

Dr. Ernesto Tano

Dr. Tano is a graduate of The University of Miami School of Medicine’s Psychiatric Residency Program. He has over 20 years of experience treating patients afflicted with alcoholism and addiction as well as being expert in treading people whose addictions are complicated by psychiatric illness. Dr. Tano has been caring for Watershed patients for over ten years.

Dr. Theodoropoulos is a board certified Psychiatrist practicing at The Addiction Recovery Center Addiction Treatment Programs. Dr. Theodoropoulos graduated from the University of Michigan Pre-Medicine in 1995. He continued his studies at the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine in 1992 where he received his Doctor of Medicine. Certifications include ECFMG (Science), FLEX (Clinical), USMLE 2 & 3 (clinical). Dr. Theodoropoulos continued his training at the University of Miami, Jackson Memorial Hospital where he completed a five year residency and fellowship program in Adult, Child, and Adolescent Psychiatry, where he was their chief Fellow.

Jennifer Tiech

Jennifer Tiech functions as the Program Director of The Addiction Recovery Center Boca Raton Facility. She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and has been working in the field of substance abuse and mental health for the last 20 years. Jennifer Tiech graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Sociology from Florida Atlantic University in 1993 and received her Master’s Degree at Nova Southeastern University in 1995. She recently became a Qualified Supervisor for the state of Florida to help other mental health interns become licensed. Jennifer Tiech has been passionately working at The Addiction Recovery Center for almost 10 years. She began as a therapist and worked her way up to Program Director. Her greatest reward is the feeling she gets from helping others.

Dr. Raymond Waters

Dr. Waters is one of The Addiction Recovery Center physicians who cares for the non psychiatric medical needs of our patients. His experience includes over 30 years of intensive medicine and surgery. Dr. Waters combines both a professional and an intensely personal understanding of addiction to his care of our patients. After graduating from the University of Florida, College of Medicine, he completed residencies in General and Thoracic Surgery, and practiced cardiac and thoracic medicine for 27 years. His attention is now focused on the very special medical needs of recovering patients at The Addiction Recovery Center. He is a member of American Society of Addiction Medicine, as well as the Florida Medical Association, and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Dr Waters is dedicated to delivering the highest quality and compassionate care to every patient at The Addiction Recovery Center.

Dr. Linda Welkovich

Dr. Welkovich is a Psychiatrist and is Board Certified in General Psychiatry and in Geriatric Psychiatry. She is a graduate of the University of Miami School of Medicine. She completed a residency in psychiatry at Emory University School of Medicine and a fellowship in geriatric psychiatry at the University of Miami. She has since been treating patients both with dual diagnoses as well as primarily addiction diagnoses, in addition to patients with other types of psychiatric illness.

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The Addiction Recovery Center Addiction Treatment Programs are “Gold Seal” accredited through The Joint Commission. The Addiction Recovery Center is licensed by The State of Florida (FL) Department of Children and Families to perform addiction and substance abuse detoxification for alcohol addiction, drug addiction, drug treatment, alcohol rehabilitation, and drug rehab levels of treatment with intensive inpatient residential drug and alcohol rehab, as well as prevention services.