Arcata, California Drug Rehab Programs

“Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen.” - Leonardo da Vinci Growing up I had a lot of “growing pains.” Assimilating with the American culture back in the early 90’s was difficult especially immigrating from another country. I understood my role in life but I just couldn’t understand “me.” This led to many difficult challenges I had to over come but I knew one day I would see the light at the end of tunnel. Addiction had brought me to my knees begging for salvation. Finally I surrendered everything I use to know about life so I re create a new way of life in recovery. Today I live a clean and sober life, with two successful careers, and a golden education. I have devoted my life to giving back to the community today because action is what completes my journey.

Jan Bresson, RN, Director of Nursing at Laguna Treatment Hospital, has centered her career around helping those with substance use disorders. Her passion for this work is highly personal, having lost her own daughter to addiction in 2004. She has been a registered nurse for 25 years and holds a degree in Business Administration from Indiana University. Her experience includes directing a residential treatment program in Arizona for addiction, eating disorders, anxiety, and PTSD and co-founding a detox and addiction treatment program at the Acute Care Psychiatric Pavilion, Community Health Network, Indianapolis, IN. Jan also served on the Governor’s council for Addiction Treatment in Indiana. She has been active in the National Zero Suicide Initiative, has served on the board of directors for a domestic violence shelter, and has extensive training in evidence-based patient care, including dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT). Jan is instrumental in developing and training our healthcare professionals at Laguna Treatment Hospital in exceptional customer service and effective communication. She lives in Aliso Viejo with her son, who plays high school football, and her dog Dylan.

Harvard trained Drs Ronnie Frankel Blakeney and Charles Blakeney, brought Harvard’s developmental model to the identification and treatment of people trapped in mental illness and addiction. They founded, and for 20 years co-directed, Berkeley Academy for Youth Development/The Institute for Clinical-Developmental Psychology. Together they have been among the foremost leaders in the field for the past 35 years, and most recently at the Department of Education and Educational Psychology, Univ. of Fribourg, Switzerland for 10 years refining the Developmental Integrity Approach to addiction and recovery; an addiction treatment manual (One Grain of Sand); two recovery and prevention-related program evaluations; and founding and implementing the Developmental Integrity Profile that assess developmental needs and strengths and guides tailored treatment in a range of recovery programs. Drs Blakeney consulting on human development includes two years at the White House Office of Domestic Policy, two years at the California Legislature, and two years as research scientists for the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health