Our Teamvictoria berman2020-07-01T14:55:51-07:00

Our Dedicated and Experienced Team

Leadership Team

Tarek Greiss
Chief Executive Officer

Alejandro Alva, M.D.
Medical Director

Clinical Team

Soren Shamsian, Ed.D.
Clinical Director

Jeremy Williams
Program Director

Melia Wallin, PsyD
Clinical Psychologist

Bob Weathers, Ph.D.
Recovery Coach

Celeste Martinez
Detox Manager

Cary Legarth
Detox Operations Manager

Taryn Feuerberg, PsyD, LMFT
Director of Utilization Review

Camille Cox, RADT1
Director of Sober Living

Noelle Swanger, LVN, RADT1
Nurse

Amanda Kim, AMFTi
Associate Marriage and Family Therapist Intern

Kathy Yutkins
Case Manager

Roian Rodde
Case Manager

Admissions Team

Cindy Wofford, CADC-II
Director of Admissions

Bruce Berman
Director of Marketing

Tyler Jacobson, RADT-1
Senior Admissions Counselor

Justin Girard
Intake Specialist

Franco Fera
Insurance Specialist

Renee Nedelman
Admission Counselor & Client Advocate

Administrative Team

Johnnie Aicher
Director of Clinical Operations

Brent Percy
Operations Director

Ashley Garner
Executive Assistant

Rosario Corona
Billing Assistant

Heather Bastio, RADT1
HR & Compliance Manager

Jay Alayon
Head Chef

Nickole Galvez, RADT 1
Support Staff

Marty Ferguson
House Manager

Staff Group Picture

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Alejandro Alva, M.D.

Medical Director

Alejandro Alva M.D

Dr. Alva received his education at the California State University of Fullerton and the Autonomous University of Guadalajara Medical School. After he completed his education and training in Guadalajara, Mexico, he returned to California to finish his residency at the University of California Irvine.

Dr. Alva is the CEO and Chief Medical Officer of Pacific Neuropsychiatric Specialists. A single-specialty medical group that focuses not only on psychiatric disorders but also on dual diagnosis conditions, which include alcohol and chemical dependency.

Prior to Dr. Alva's formation of PNS, he was involved in multiple endeavors including detoxification and rehabilitation work both inpatient and outpatient including the VA Medical Center In Long Beach, Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach, Chapman Medical Center in Orange as well multiple rehabilitation centers. Since the formation of PNS Dr Alva's focus is on the latest treatments available for psychiatric disorders and chemical dependency as well as aspects of ethnicity and gender and their correlation to pathological states. Dr. Alva has over 20 years of experience in serving the medical community in various capacities; as a patient advocate, clinician, researcher and medical director.

Dr. Alva's expertise in adolescent, adult and geriatric psychiatry including dual diagnosis states utilizing the latest pharmacological and nonpharmacological approaches to treat depression (RTMS) as well as the use of anti-craving interventions which include oral, injectable and implantable treatments make him one of the nation's most innovative and prominent psychiatrists.

Dr. Alva is a member of multiple professional organizations, including the American Medical Association, the Orange County Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the California Psychiatric Association, the American Board of Forensic Medicine, the American College of Forensic Examiners, the American Board of Psychopharmacology, the California Hispanic American Medical Association, the New York Academy of Science, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Association of Hispanic professionals.

Lastly, Dr. Alva understands the stigma associated with chemical dependence disorders and the societal bias against these medical conditions. Dr. Alva and his staff have a mandate to work together with rehabilitation and recovery center to optimize and provide the best medical care available.

Dr. Alva and is associates believe in forming relationships to create a true comprehensive bio-psychosocial-medical environment to maximize the recovery process.

Bob Weathers, Ph.D.

Psychologist

bob-weathers

Dr. Bob Weathers holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, and has over his professional career provided tens of thousands of hours of therapy and recovery coaching, particularly to those seeking recovery from addiction.

In addition to having served as founding clinical director of two nationally recognized residential drug and alcohol treatment centers, and now serving as consultant, trainer, and group facilitator to Beginnings Treatment Centers, he also has more than 35 years of experience in educating graduate-level clinicians. Formerly a professor of clinical psychology at Pepperdine University, he has also taught in graduate psychology programs at Loma Linda University, Pacifica Graduate Institute, Argosy University, and California State University, San Bernardino. For the past ten years, he has been Academic Effectiveness Coordinator for the School of Behavioral Sciences at California Southern University in Orange County, including helping lead the university toward full regional accreditation this past year.

Known to his clients and students as Dr. Bob, one area of career-long passion for him centers around holistic, or integrative, approaches to therapy and recovery coaching --- where the entire spectrum of human experience, from body to mind to soul and spirit, is drawn upon for its resources and nourishing contributions to healthful living. Related to this area of career interest and expertise, Dr. Bob has published numerous articles in a broad cross-section of professional books, journals, and edited volumes.

A sought-after speaker, as well as prolific writer, Dr. Bob’s current research areas of interest focus on reducing shame and stigma in addiction and recovery by means of instructing clients and their families about addiction and the brain. His lifelong commitment to education also motivates his constantly working toward creating and sharing success strategies for online learning and recovery-directed aftercare, including providing openly accessible, internet-based resources for training in mindful awareness practices.

Along with his vocational pursuits, Dr. Bob has maintained an active, lifelong involvement in music, including performing locally as a jazz drummer and world music percussionist. Related to this artistic passion, Dr. Bob regularly applies his having studied popular and ethnic drumming for over fifty years by performing and lecturing widely, to both professional and general public audiences, on the connection between musical creativity, personal spiritual development, and emotional well-being.

Johnnie Aicher

Director of Clinical Operations

Johnnie Aicher Beginnings treatment centers

Johnnie is the Director of Clinical Operations at Beginnings Treatment Centers. Johnnie grew up in Southern California and has undergone great struggles in his life since early childhood. Johnnie’s untreated addiction robbed him of many years of his life. Today with his sobriety he loves giving back to people and he finally feels that he doesn’t have to wear a mask anymore. Johnnie knows that by leading a sober life he can put the tough guy stuff away and just finally be himself. Sobriety keeps him from being complacent and he continues to strive for better things. Johnnie’s greatest gifts are his patience and tolerance. He loves to work with troubled young people because he can relate to their struggles. During Johnnies years of using he has seen a lot of death and lost a lot of friends to this disease. He knows that for an addict continued using will only lead to jail, institution or death.

Johnnie’s goal when working with clients is to break the revolving door of recovery. His goal is to not see clients constantly yo-yoing in and out of treatment and sober living. One of his strengths is that he doesn’t judge others as there is not a lot that people have done that will shock him. Johnnie believes that he went down such a bad path in life and was placed here in order for people to learn from his story. His greatest hope is that his experiences will enable other people to learn and make different choices without having to experience everything he went through. Johnnie is well aware that money cannot make you happy as he grew up with a privileged life. Johnnie says his greatest blessings today are his sobriety, his freedom, and the people that he considers his family today. Johnnie is very proud to say that his mother has 31 years sober and is his best friend today.

Addiction tore Johnnie and his family apart for many years and now with sobriety he has been able to get his family back. Everything Johnnie searched for as a child he has now and he would never have it if he and his mother weren’t both sober. He made bad choices most of his life trying to be part of something or trying to be someone he wasn’t in order to fit in. The path that Johnnie took ended up taking his freedom away from him.

Today Johnnie says he loves who he is. He doesn’t act on impulse anymore. Sobriety has enabled Johnnie to hear the word no and be ok with it. He says he has learned in life that it no longer a me thing but a we thing. With recovery, he now feels able to get through any traumatic times and daily trials and tribulations. For so long Johnnie said he used to just sit on his problems and make bad choices but now he is able to think things through and live in the solution and not the problem. While everyone who meets Johnnie can see his intelligence and innate abilities it is obvious he could work in so many different fields. His heart and passion is with helping those in early recovery just as so many reached out to help him in the past. Johnnie knows the importance of family involvement in recovery and is diligent about staying in touch with families and helping to ease the transition into sober living and then back home again. For Johnnie this isn’t a business - this is about saving lives.

Beginnings Treatment Centers in Orange County, California is Johnnie’s home and he goes above and beyond to make everyone feel loved and welcome. Just like a good parent though, Johnnie knows the importance of saying no and setting limits. But he is able to do it in a loving way and teach our clients to learn to set limits for themselves, and to ask for help when needed.