About Ohio Addiction Recovery Center

Wyatt is the Clinical Director at OARC, leading our team of clinicians and shaping our clinical approach. He is a highly experienced clinician with dual master’s degrees in Social Work and Business Administration from the Ohio State University. He is also a Licensed Independent Social Worker with Supervisory Endorsement (LISW-S). Before his role at OARC, he held various positions in the mental health field, including case management, group therapy facilitation at a psychiatric hospital, and facilitation of an intensive outpatient treatment program. When asked about his clinical approach, he says “As a clinician, I believe in the power of collaboration with clients. A healthy therapeutic relationship is key to empowering clients to identify and overcome obstacles in their own lives. As a clinical director, I believe in servant leadership: trusting and empowering my clinical team by removing obstacles so that they can do their jobs efficiently, including staff in decision-making, and supporting them to trust their clinical judgment when it comes to the clients that they have come to know best.”

According to Wyatt, he has always been drawn to roles where he can help and support people. He says he chose to specialize in addiction treatment because “Millions of Americans struggle with addiction; millions more are impacted as they watch their family members and loved ones struggle with the disease. I chose to work in the addiction treatment field because I believe that effective treatment can change lives, empower people who feel helpless or lost, and bring hope back to individuals and communities. I feel great purpose and pride in what I do.”

What does he love about his job at OARC? “What I like most about working at OARC is the people. Everyone here comes to work because we have the same mission. We are changing lives. I think that our work culture reflects the fact that we are here to help and support our clients, and we strive to have fun while doing it.”

Our Medical Director, Dr. Smith, brings an impressive resume and extensive background in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health and substance use disorders. At OARC, she plays an integral role managing our medical and psychiatric services. This includes medical detox services, diagnosis and treatment of co-occurring mental health conditions, medication management, and more. In her career, she has held several leadership positions in the behavioral health field. She has also served as an auxiliary assistant professor of psychiatry at the Ohio State University Medical Center of Psychiatry and is published in various publications, such as Encyclopedia of Forensic Sciences, The Encyclopedia of Immigrant Health, and The Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. Dr. Smith earned her medical degree from the Ohio State University College of Medicine in 2002 and completed fellowships in forensic and community psychiatry.

Passion is our Director of Nursing who has been a professional nurse since 2011. She is an alumnus of Ohio University and her career in healthcare as a Registered Nurse includes varied nursing experiences such as Trauma, Orthopaedics, Rehabilitation, and more. In her current role as Director of Nursing, she organizes and leads a team of licensed nurses whose responsibilities include patient assessments, withdrawal management, and medication education/administration. She chose to switch to the addiction treatment field in 2021 after witnessing the number of patients suffering from addiction in the hospital increase and felt inspired to do more to help. In her own words, she doesn’t see herself ever turning back!

Alexis is an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse and a dual-certified Family Nurse Practitioner & Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. She received her Bachelor of Science in Registered Nursing from Ohio University and has been a nurse since 2016. She also holds a Master of Science in Family Practice Nursing and a post-graduate certificate in psychiatric nursing. With her years of experience, she is also skilled in various specialities such as Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Patient Safety, Acute Care, and Hospitals. As a Nurse Practitioner, Alexis diagnoses, treats, and prescribes medications for many health conditions, including underlying mental health disorders. At OARC, Alexis plays a hands-on role in ensuring the safety and adequate medical treatment of our clients. Being at the facility daily, all clients get to know Alexis very well during their time in treatment. She is the point of contact for any client medical concerns, prescriptions, medication side effects, detox symptoms, and more. Occasionally, clients come to us with other pre-existing or undiagnosed health concerns unrelated to mental health or addiction. Having a full-time Family Nurse Practitioner enables us to treat the whole person and ensure all of our clients are having their medical needs met while under our care and/or receiving referrals to outside specialists when necessary.

Prior to OARC, Alexis worked as an emergency room nurse and then as a nurse practitioner at a behavioral health hospital, where she found her passion helping those who struggle with mental health and addiction.

Courtney is a licensed chemical dependency counselor with years of experience at OARC and in the addiction treatment field. She is one of our senior therapists and plays a critical hands-on role at OARC. Armed with her extensive background, she helps mold our clinical approach and collaborates with the team to develop individual treatment plans that match each client’s needs. She is also responsible for training new therapists and resolving any client issues among the entire client population. Aside from her managerial duties, she also provides individual and group therapy sessions utilizing evidence-based modalities such as cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), motivational interviewing, 12-step facilitation, process therapy, and more.

In her own words, she has a passion for helping others and witnessing the transformative power of recovery in her client’s lives. She is in addiction recovery herself, which she believes enables her to better understand the complex nature of addiction, relate to her clients’ struggles on a deeper level, and provide a powerful message of hope. According to her, “Helping someone overcome addiction has had a profound and lasting impact on my life. Knowing that my work is making a difference in the lives of clients and their families has been deeply gratifying.”

When asked about her experience at OARC, she says “The team at OARC is special because many struggled with addiction themselves, which really helps us provide a better understanding for the clients. Along with the opportunities for personal and professional growth, OARC also has a family-like atmosphere that has helped me fulfill my purpose of working with those who struggle with addiction. My favorite thing about my job is seeing the transformation that happens when people come to us broken and leave happier than they have ever been!”

A veteran psychotherapist with over 10 years of experience, Bethany is the Clincal Supervisor for OARC’s women’s program. She is a graduate of Ohio Christian Univiersity and holds an LCDC III certifcation. In her role, Bethany both provides direct care to clients and helps guide OARC’s treatment model for women. She also trains new therapists, acts as example of OARC values, and collaborates with the clinical team to develop treatment plans. Her clinical approach utilizes evidence-based modalities such as cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), dialecitcal behavior therapy (DBT), motivational interviewing, process therapy, group therapy, and more.

Bethany says she was drawn to the addiction treatment field starting in high school when her best friend fell into substance abuse. Being deeply impacted by this experience, she developed a passion for understanding why individuals turn to drugs or alcohol and what solutions are available. 

Today, she says being a therapist is her dream job because she loves helping people. In her own words: “When you see a person come in confused and broken and then start a life of recovery, it’s extremely rewarding knowing you helped them put the pieces back together.”

Josh has been with OARC since 2016. He and his team link OARC with the recovery community and help build professional relationships with other healthcare providers. In his role, Josh collaborates with various agencies, hospitals, community liasons, and treatment centers to amplify our impact throughout Ohio. Whether one of these entities could benefit from OARC’s services or needs resources outside of our scope, Josh’s vast knowledge of behavioral health solutions enable us to engage the community in a deeper capacity. 

Josh is in recovery himself and says his years of active addiction helped shape who he is today. He believes his experience with recovery has given him great insight on how to be most helpful to those struggling with substance use. In his own words, “I love my role because I get an opportunity to give back to the community. Even when OARC isn’t the best fit for someone, it’s rewarding when you can offer a solution.”

Jon, who you might hear called by his nickname “Sunshine”, has been working in admissions at OARC since 2017 and has a passion for helping others. Jon is often the first point of contact for many of our clients and their families, providing counsel, assessments, and guidance through the admissions process. Jon also trains other admissions coordinators and acts as an example of OARC values for his team. From your first phone call through your first day of treatment, Jon and his team ensure all of your questions have been answered and help facilitate a smooth admission process.

When someone calls us for help, they are often going through one of the most difficult periods of their life. For someone entering addiction treatment for the first time, they often have many questions about the process and what comes next. It’s important that the person answering that call be compassionate and helpful, while having extensive knowledge of the different levels of care and resources available outside of OARC. Being in recovery himself and having deep working knowledge of addiction treatment, Jon ensures that the person answering that call is able to provide exceedingly helpful and empathetic assistance.

Jenn leads our case management department at OARC and is one of our more senior staff members. As a Case Manager, Jenn plays an integral role in helping our clients with any barriers to treatment and their transitions of care. This can include assistance with their jobs, bills, some court or probation issues, FMLA (short-term disability), aftercare and discharge planning, doctor appointments, and more. It’s not uncommon for clients to have anxiety about putting their life “on hold” to receive life-saving addiction treatment. Jenn helps provide peace of mind by ensuring a seamless transition in and out of treatment. Jenn is passionate about recovery and helping others be set up for success.

At OARC, we strongly believe in the importance of alumni programming and its role in successful outcomes. As Alumni Coordinator, Delaney communicates with alumni to help them stay in touch with OARC staff and fellow alumni after they leave treatment. She also coordinates our quarterly alumni events, alumni volunteer outings, and expansions to our alumni offerings. Delaney also coordinates alumni speakers, who come in to share their stories with the current OARC client population. Guest speaker events are as helpful for alumni as they are for our clients, providing an opportunity to give back, share their message of hope, and strengthen their involvement with recovery. For clients, it provides a powerful testimony from someone who was once in their shoes and allows them to connect with more experienced peers who can provide sober support when they leave treatment.

Delaney also works as a Behavioral Health Technician (BHT) at OARC. Along with nursing, BHTs are floor staff who often spend the most amount of time with our clients. This means all of our clients get to know Delaney before they are discharged from treatment. Upon discharge, clients are added to our private alumni groups so they can stay in touch and receive updates. Learn more about the alumni program at OARC.

Meet Teddy, one of the certified therapy dogs at OARC! Those who are familiar with us know we have always had animals incorporated into our program. We strongly believe in the healing power of animals.

Not a dog lover? That’s ok too. Being a well trained pup, Teddy can respect your privacy.