Best Alcohol and Drug Rehab TX in Gonzales, TX

Jamie Thompson was born and raised in Bastrop, Texas. She attended Southern Career Institute for her Medical Assistant Certificate in 2002 and 2015, and went on to National American University, where she graduated with honors on the President’s List and Summa Cum Laude. Jamie also received her license for Vocational Nursing. Jamie got her start in the addiction field when she was working in a county jail for over 6 years. In the last 3 years, she was the Director of Nursing at an exclusive male rehab facility. Jamie is not in recovery; however, her life has been touched in so many ways by recovery. Her cousin and best friend overdosed in 2008 on opiates and it changed her world. After that tragedy and working in law enforcement, she really saw how challenging the world of addiction can be. Jamie enjoys being of service to people in recovery, providing encouragement and love, and showing them that people care and are invested in them. She loves to be a part of their recovery journey. Her favorite part of being the Director of Nursing at Banyan is supporting her team and advocating for her nursing staff and the clients. She loves creating a therapeutic environment for the staff and supporting them in creating the same for the clients. Jamie’s goal for her career at Banyan is to create an atmosphere of acceptance, encouragement and longevity amongst the staff. She wants to plant the seed and grow along with the other staff members to have the best working environment possible.

Melanie has counseled hundreds of clients in residential treatment. She is a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and she has a BA in Psychology with a concentration in Addiction Studies. Melanie has obtained her MA in Social Work at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio. She has worked in several residential treatment facilities and intensive outpatient programs. Melanie is experienced with clients of all ages and she has extensive experience working with families. She practices Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Solution-Focused techniques, and is EMDR trained. She takes an existential attitude with any approach she employs. She is passionate about her work and believes freedom from addiction is available to all who are willing to work a recovery program.

"I love that I get to use my skills in management and operations, from my years as a naval officer to make everything at AIM run smoothly and efficiently. I also get to use my passion for mentoring as I lead one of the evening program classes. It is an honor to be able to help you in what ever way I can, to overcome your addictions and build a great life for yourself. It is a privilege to be part of this excellent organization. When I’m not at AIM, my wife and two children keep me busy. I have an active one-on-one discipleship ministry through my church as well. I love basketball, having played competitively since the age of ten. Though I’ve lost a few steps over the years, I still love the game. I also have a collection of tennis shoes that I’m quite proud of."