St. John's Recovery Place - DeLand

Ryan is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who has spent the past 10 years helping individuals and families struggling with addictions, mental illness and trauma. With a specialization in mindfulness based coping strategies, Ryan is passionate about helping empower clients to regain balance and control of their lives. While a student at the University of Central Florida, Ryan earned his bachelor’s of science in Psychology and then completed his Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of North Florida. Since then Ryan has worked as a clinician, advocate and public speaker encouraging holistic recovery and wellbeing. Currently, aspects of mindfulness based stress reduction, relapse prevention, movement-eco based therapies and somatic trauma resolution therapies, have been his main source of clinical interests.

In August of 2008, after yet again coming to my bottom, I began to realize unlike any other bottom, where my using had gotten me. Up to this point in life, I had seen many successes as a Fire Fighter, Contractor, Father Husband Etc.; but I was unable to maintain any consistency in my life. I continued to lose everything. I also realized that God had given me a heart to help others that had life controlling issues. my training includes: Certified Addictions Counselor (CAC), biblical and Family counseling, Recovery Support Specialist (RSS), and Relapse Prevention. After obtaining a Florida certification in addiction counseling and beginning my career in the field of addiction; I started to see the overwhelming turnover rate within the recovery community. Through this insight, was provided to me the motivation to begin to develop and hone my skills within the field, combining 12 Step programing, Relapse prevention and Spirituality. My methods of approach started to yield success, growth and achievement to those who found themselves at my door step. Around my 2nd year in recovery I open my first sober living home. As the founder and CEO of CornerStone Recovery Inc., (a ½-way & ¾-way living program) I was able to help hundreds of men and women achieve long term sobriety. CornerStone Recovery grew into 8 single family homes, housing 14 women and 42 men. Threw out the next 8 years Cornerstone reputation preceded itself. The recovery community and resources trusted and relied on the stability of the Cornerstone program. As my business knowledge grew as the CEO of CornerStone recovery; so did my career as in the field of addiction. I gained professional experience as the Assistant Director/ therapist of both: Lamb of God Recovery Centers, (Pompano Beach, FL), and Spirit of Life Recovery Center (Mount Dora, FL), which are both DCF Level IV, Six (6) month, residential, Faith Base Treatment Facilities, Christian track Therapist- Transformations Treatment Center, (Delray Beach, FL), Group Facilitator/ Male Housing Director- Hope & Grace, (Pompano Beach, FL); as well as Re-entry coordinator (LOGRC), Court liaison (Broward Drug Court/ Mental Health), Provided Consultant services with the startup of 4 treatment facilities in south Fl, Central Fl and west coast Fl, Service provider for the Pride Prison Program. As the current Growth and Achievement (GAP) Director of The Neighborhood Center of Volusia County (Deland, FL) and Group facilitator/ RA of Serenity Springs Recovery (Edge Water) as well as Board member of the Volusia County Recovery Alliance; I have worked in the field for over 15 years helping men and women overcome their life controlling issues and develop a relationship with the God of their understanding.