Best Alcohol and Drug Rehab NJ in Lawrenceville, NJ

Christina D. Varano-Sanabria received her master’s degree in mental health counseling and addiction from Caldwell University. Over the course of her career, which spans more than a decade, she has exceeded requirements in order to obtain multiple licenses which include her LPC, LCADC, and ACS in the state of New Jersey. She believes in a client-centered approach utilizing DBT and CBT methods and has worked in both clinical and private practice settings addressing issues ranging from addiction to co-occurring disorders. Her undergraduate degree was completed in psychology at Manhattan College. She is also certified in treating anger management and is a national board-certified counselor. Christina’s hobbies include spending time with her husband and her 1-year-old puppy Flash, reading, and spending time in nature.

Jeffrey A. Berman, MD, FASAM is a Diplomate and Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine. He is the Executive Medical Director of Discovery Institute for Addictive Disorders in Marlboro, NJ and Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. He was recruited from Bergen Regional Medical Center, NJ’s largest acute psychiatric hospital, where he served as Director of Chemical Dependency Services to join Discovery Institute in Marlboro. Dr. Berman is a diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) in Adult and Addiction Psychiatry as well as Psychosomatic Medicine. He has been certified by the American Society of Addiction Medicine since 1988 and is Board Certified in Addiction Medicine (ABAM). Dr. Berman’s area of special interest in research and teaching is Pain Management and Co-occurring Opioid Dependence. He is also a strong advocate for Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) for the chronic persistent mentally ill. Dr. Berman participated in NIDA’s clinical trials of Buprenorphine/Naloxone for treatment of heroin addiction in 2001. Since then he has developed innovative treatment programs for individuals with Co-occurring disorders as well as Substance Use Disorders. Dr. Berman served as Chief of Psychiatry at Fort Leavenworth, KS including the Department of Defense’s US Disciplinary Barracks located at Fort Leavenworth. He recently retired from the US Army Reserve after 22 years of service which included service in Operations Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom. He is currently the Psychiatric Consultant to the Department of Immigration Health (DIHS), a division of Homeland security. Prior to coming to New Jersey, he served as Medical Director of Gieisinger Health Care’s Marworth chemical dependency center and consultant to pain management centers in New Jersey and Pennsylvania for issues of addiction, pain and co-occurring mood disorders. He has taken an active role in the medical treatment of HIV patients in all of these clinical settings.

My addiction took me to places I never imagined. I lived on the streets with a $300-a-day heroin habit. With dark circles under my eyes and track marks along my arms, I felt dead; my soul was gone. At the time, life seemed hopeless. After several attempts at rehabilitation, I finally successfully detoxed at Seabrook House in Seabrook, NJ. I then entered a women's transitional facility in Southern California where, during my 3-month stay, I began to gather the tools I needed to live without drugs. I learned the simple life skills that are necessary to stay clean and obtain serenity in my life. I stayed in California for 2 & 1/2 years while working and participating in 12-step recovery before returning home to NJ. I saw the need for something following the short term treatment that addicts were getting and began to pursue opening some housing for recovering addicts in NJ similar to what I experienced in California. So, here's what happened… 2001 - The Hansen Foundation, Inc. was formed. 2004 - Hansen House for Men opened with 34 bed capacity 2005 - Hansen House for Women opened with 34 bed capacity 2007 - Serenity House for Women opened with 11 beds 2008 - Serenity Meadows for Women opened with 10 beds 2012 - Randy Scarborough House for Men opened with 12 beds 2014 - Serenity Rose House for Women opened with 11 beds 2015 - Serenity Estates opened the first luxury sober living house for Women in NJ 2015 - September 15 - Enlightened Solutions opened with Partial Care, IOP & OP Treatment 2015 - Serenity Estates for Men opened with 14 beds 2015 - Hope Farm opened to the community to provide theraputic equine services I have been drug-free for 20 years and along with continuing to keep recovery my #1 priority, I practice yoga regularly and believe in eating healthy and organic foods. We are what we eat after all and our body is really all we have so we better take good care of it! I am so excited to be able to incorporate all of what I have learned in my recovery for the benefit of those in Enlightened Solutions and all of the Serenity Houses.