Lloyd Vacovsky
Director
Lloyd Vacovsky is the Director of Assisted Recovery, which he co-founded in 1996. Lloyd was a social worker at Central Arizona Shelter Services for ten years prior to the creation of Assisted Recovery. He has a BS from Northern Arizona University and is a fourth generation native of Tucson, Arizona. Lloyd also serves as the Executive Director the American Council on Alcoholism.
Vacovsky states: "When we first started ARCA fourteen years ago we believed that naltrexone would soon become the standard for treating alcohol dependence. Naltrexone provides us a tool that is safe, effective and fully approved by the FDA. Despite this, naltrexone and medically assisted treatment (MAT) is still largely ignored by the traditional treatment community. This is despite the overwhelming body of research and experience which confirms the effectiveness of science based treatment.
We are extremely proud of the fact that Assisted Recovery was one of the first, if indeed not the first treatment program to fully embrace the use of medications to assist in the treatment of alcohol and drug dependence. The medications level the “playing field” which then enables an individual to work on the most difficult part of recovery. Simply stated, the most difficult part of recovery is learning how to be happy without the alcohol and or drugs.
Lloyd states that Assisted Recovery is committed to providing state of the art treatment for alcohol and substance abuse, in a safe and caring environment. ARCA also offers full and comprehensive psychological testing and evaluation.
Samuel C. Walker,
NMD, PC
Medical Director
Dr. Walker or more affectionately known as "Dr. Sam" to his patients, has been the Medical Director of Assisted Recovery for ten years. He practices family medicine at his clinic, Centro de Salud Familiar, which shares a building with Assisted Recovery. Seeing literally hundreds of ARCA clients, he firmly believes that alcohol dependence is a multi-faceted illness that requires treatment of the psycho/social issues, as well as the physical aspects of the addiction. He does not understand the reluctance of treatment providers in using Medically Assisted Treatment (MAT).
Dr. Walker summarizes: "Medication isn't a cure all; however, it does give the patient a fighting chance to succeed in achieving the goal of being alcohol and or drug free”.
David Maselli, PhD, Clinical Director
Dr. Maselli is a well known and highly respected member of the Arizona psychology community. He comes to Assisted Recovery with a wealth of experience in treating individuals who suffer from alcohol and drug dependency issues. He fully embraces Medically Assisted Treatment (MAT), but recognizes that effective therapy is a critical component of the recovery process. David has a strong background in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which is a cornerstone of the ARCA program.
David brings to ARCA the diagnostic and treatment expertise which allows ARCA to develop new clinical program services and treatment protocols. ARCA offers full psychological testing and evaluation
Dr. Maselli is fully licensed by the Arizona Board of Psychologist’s Examiners and is an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at Argosy University. David graduated from California School of Professional Psychology, an APA accredited institution. ARCA is a certified training site for PhD candidates completing their practicum and or internships, with Dr. Maselli overseeing their work.
Diego Machado, MAHR-SAC
Behavioral Health Professional
Diego Machado comes to Assisted Recovery from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where he was a Clinical Psychologist, with a private practice and served as Chief of Staff of Adao Pereira State Hospital. Diego is a recognized expert in the field of addiction, and has worked with alcohol and drug dependent individuals since 1998. He also served as the Director of International Affairs for the Brazilian Association for Alcoholism and Drugs. ARCA Director Lloyd Vacovsky met Diogo at an Association conference where Lloyd was a featured speaker on the effectiveness of medically assisted treatment (MAT). He recruited Diego to come to the United States and ARCA in 2007.
Diego and ARCA recognize that one treatment protocol will not work for all people. Further that an individual should have the choice of the treatment option that they feel will be most effective. Diego is a strong advocate of providing an effective treatment option utilizing non-12 step protocols. Diego is an expert in cognitive behavioral therapy as part of the science and evidence based approach to treatment. When provided with meaningful options to facilitate the process, he feels that any individual who wants to achieve change in their lives, for example quitting alcohol or drugs has every change of being successful.
Katheen Lagerman, PhD, CHT, CIHT, CMHT
Clinical Hypnotherapist
Dr. Lagerman brings to Assisted Recovery a unique and effective tool to assist ARCA clients achieve success in their recovery efforts. Clinical Hypnotherapy is a recognized method to assist individuals with a wide variety of issues including alcohol and substance abuse, weight loss, smoking cessation, pain management and anxiety and pain management issues. Katie has completed over 1000 hours of practicum prior to becoming a Certified Hypnotherapist. She works closely with Dr. Maselli, ARCA’s Clinical Director. Dr. Lagerman believes that “clinical hypnotherapy is a powerful adjunct to Medically Assisted Treatment (MAT) and the Pennsylvania Model of Recovery.
Fredric W. Rector, BA
Director Practice Development
Fred joined Assisted Recovery following a career as an Information Technology and Business Process Outsourcing executive. As an alumnus of Assisted Recovery he has personal knowledge of the struggle with addiction as well as the relief of successful treatment. He is active in the Episcopal Church as a Lay Eucharistic Minister, usher, Senior Warden, stewardship chairman, and various other activities. He completed the University of the South’s four year Education for Ministry Program in 2005. As a certified visitor for Mended Hearts (www.mendedhearts.org) he counsels and supports individuals who are recovering from heart surgery (he had his aortic value replaced in 2009). Other activities include support of Hospice of the Valley, El Hogar in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and a love of travel.
Fred say’s: “I took my first dose of naltrexone at 9:00 PM. By 9:20 I realized I didn’t have a craving to drink. I had no idea I even had a craving. I guess a fish doesn’t know it’s wet. I want everyone who battles with addiction to know the relief I have felt.”
Terry Weist
Office Administrator
Terry comes to Assisted Recovery from Lancaster, Wisconsin where he worked in restaurant management and later in human resources. Terry is the first contact that a client makes with ARCA, and he provides a calm and reassuring voice to people often in crisis. Terry helps to maintain the smooth and efficient operation of Assisted Recovery, from scheduling client’s appointments to scheduling fire drills.
Terry states that he “is really happy to work for an organization such as ARCA, which is dedicated to helping people overcome extreme adversity in their struggles with alcohol, substance abuse and other addictive behaviors.”
Intern & Practicum Students
Assisted Recovery is proud to be a training site for PhD candidates. ARCA is providing the experience in addiction treatment for the next generation of Psychologists. The program participants are supervised by Dr. David Maselli, PhD, Clinical Director of Assisted Recovery.
