PhD, CAP, CMHP | Clinical Director
Dr. Jeff is a therapist who has been helping people for more than two decades; he has served as Clinical Director at Tikvah Lake since its inception. Jeff is board-certified in addiction and mental health, and holds a doctorate degree in Counseling, in addition to his MA and BA degrees. However, this is not why patients come to see him.
Dr. Jeff is not the typical therapist. For Jeff, personalized care means getting personal. He evaluates every guest by talking to them, their families and possibly the center where they previously stayed, and then develops an individualized treatment plan for the 30 days they usually will stay at Tikvah Lake.
It is important to Dr. Jeff that the guests of Tikvah Lake are treated as guests in one’s home, and never chastised for their addictions. Because the maximum capacity of the center is only six beds, Jeff genuinely gets to know each person on an individual level, and he wants them to feel welcome and loved.
For this reason, people come to Tikvah Lake not only from all over the country, but all over the world. With high success rates, Dr. Jeff believes in restoration – more so than recovery – of each guest. He is empowering them to get to a place where they are fully better, instead of engulfed by a daily struggle. His words are backed up by his own story, which he shares with his guests.
Dr. Jeff is the only clinical director in the country who sits with every guest every day, because listening is a pillar of his treatment philosophy. He figures out the needs of each guest, and encourages them to set and meet their expectations.
Like everyone at Tikvah Lake, he wants every guest to feel like they are part of the family where everyone cares about them, in an environment where they feel safe. He knows for a fact that he can help, and he loves doing it: that is what makes him come back and do it all over again every day. And the guests feel that he truly cares.
Tikvah Lake is the only facility in the country that offers hours of intense daily one-on-one therapy. Dr. Jeff’s team (who have been working together cohesively for two decades) focuses on different therapeutic needs – depression and anxiety, alcoholism and anger management, cognitive behavioral therapy and more – so that the very specific deep issues can be addressed. Guests are given the time to process information and release their emotions and are encouraged to do their homework so that they can apply the lessons they learn in their daily life. Meanwhile, they can continue to do their work and communicate with their loved ones. All this is the reason why so many people are able to live a sober life after they leave Tikvah Lake.
As the guests open up to Dr. Jeff, the disconnect within them that was driving their addiction becomes more evident, and thus a challenge they can overcome. Sometimes, a person is ready to change, but their environment, including the people closest to them, stays the same. Dr. Jeff works with people and their families to make sure that changes are made all around.
He also stresses the importance of futurecare – the term he prefers to use instead of aftercare – which, at Tikvah Lake, means that guests can rely on their therapists after they leave the center.
The age-old adage that it takes a village rings true for Dr. Jeff – and Tikvah Lake is that village, where each guest feels wanted, needed and loved.
Outside Tikvah Lake, Dr. Jeff likes spending time with his family, hunting and an occasional golf game.
