Meet Our Staff

Patrice Alexander, LPC, MAC, CPCS | Chief Executive Officer

For over 25 years, Patrice Alexander, LPC, CPCS, MAC has worked in the behavioral health field in a variety of roles, specializing in addiction treatment. Beginning her career in clinical research, she transitioned into direct client care when she started working at MARR in 2002 as an Assessment Counselor. She eventually went on to supervise that department. She also served as a Family Counselor and was eventually promoted within that department as well to Clinical Coordinator of the Family Program. In 2016 she began serving as MARR’s Clinical Director, a role that she held until April 2020, working as Clinical Director at Pyramid Family Behavioral Health and Arise Recovery Residences before returning to MARR as CEO in May 2022.

Will Atkins, LPC | Clinical Director

Will began his counseling career at our Men’s Recovery Center as an intern before being hired on as a Residential Manager in 2013. He went on to fill the role of Residential Services Coordinator, and then succeeded Doug Brush as Men’s Recovery Center Director, a role he held from February 2020 until November 2021. Since then Will worked as Director of Outpatient Services at Lakeview Behavioral Health. In addition to being a Licensed Professional Counselor,  Will holds a Masters in Rehabilitation Counseling from the University of Arkansas and is also a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor.  Will began his role as MARR’s Clinical Director in August 2022. 

Matt Erwin, CACII | Director of Residential Services for Men's Recovery Center and Women's Recovery Center (Traditions)

Matt has been working in substance abuse treatment since 2001, and he joined the staff of MARR 8 years ago. He is a Georgia Certified Risk Reduction Instructor and a DBHDD certified clinical evaluator. His areas of focus are relapse prevention and anger management. He is passionate about instilling hope in the hopeless, helping build communities that foster change and growth, and watching clients reunite with friends and family.

Bob Day, MA, LPC | Director | Men's Recovery Center

Bob started as an intern at MARR in 2014 and then moved into the role of Primary Counselor after completing his degree at Richmont Graduate University. He specializes in breaking down denial in young adult clients and integrating counseling and spirituality. He uses a collaborative, non-judgmental, insight-oriented approach that helps clients connect how their past traumas, relationships, and experiences have molded how they interact with their lives in the here and now. He is passionate about helping people reconnect with their values and with one another.

Matthew Reese, APC, NCC | Residential Manager | Men's Recovery Center

Matthew is a Licensed Associate Professional Counselor (APC) in Georgia and a National Certified Counselor (NCC). His work as a Residential Manager has allowed him to develop and conduct groups exploring the disease model of addiction, which in turn affords him the opportunity to indulge his passion for ongoing study of the impact of addiction on the brain and, in turn, the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral facets of the disease. As a person in recovery himself, the most gratifying aspect of his role at MARR is his constant contact with clients throughout their journeys in recovery, and watching change begin to unfold in their lives and relationships. After spending more than two decades running his own business, Matthew returned to school and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BA in Psychology from Pfeiffer University followed by earning a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in 2019, followed by a second MA in Addiction Counseling in 2020, from University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, KY. 

Sade Andrews, MFT | Family Counselor at Women's Recovery Center (Traditions) and Men's Recovery Center

Sade started at MARR as intern at MARR’s Right Side UP Program in 2017 before becoming a Family Counselor for the Men’s Recovery Center and Women’s Recovery Center (Traditions). She specializes in assisting families with understanding that addiction is a family disease and learning how they can break the patterns of addiction in the family. She loves that in her role she can introduce families to recovery and a sense of hope when they realize that they no longer have to feel alone. She received her Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy from Northcentral University and her Bachelor’s  in Psychology from Georgia Southern University with a minor in Child and Family Development.

Shahzad Hashmi, MD, DFAPA | Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Shahzad Hashmi is the Chief Medical Officer and founder of Salveo Integrative Health, Inc. and the Salveo Foundation, Inc. He completed his medical degree from Dow Medical College in Karachi, Pakistan, where he specialized in internal medicine and surgery. He moved to the United States and completed his residency at Howard University Medical School. While there, he served as the Chief Resident and received his medical degree in Psychiatry. Dr. Hashmi received two years of additional training at Emory School of Medicine, where he received a prestigious fellowship in geriatric medicine. Dr. Hashmi is a Board-Certified Psychiatrist, who has been treating clients of all ages for over seventeen years.

Doug Brush, CACII | Men's Recovery Center and Professionals Group

Doug has been a  member of the National Association of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Counselors (NAADAC), and has served as a board member of the Georgia Council on Substance Abuse (GCSA). He also served as Chairman of the Ethics Committee for Georgia Addiction Counselors Association (GACA). Doug has also been Chairperson for the Standards Committee for the Georgia Association of Recovery Residences (GARR). For more than 40 years, Doug has served MARR in a variety of positions, including CEO and Director of the Men’s Recovery Center. He now works part-time and leads groups at our Men’s Recovery Center.

Mark Anderson, MS, APC, NCC | Primary Counselor | Men's Recovery Center

As a professional counselor and a person in recovery, Mark has always gravitated toward working with addicts and alcoholics. Mark believe MARR has the perfect approach: long-term treatment in a residential setting that employs the therapeutic community model combined with participation in a 12-step peer-support recovery group. Mark is passionate about helping individuals who struggle with addiction to move past their shame and guilt, to help them reach out and re-establish genuine human connections. First, with those uniquely qualified to understand the nature of their self-imposed exile – other addicts and alcoholics. Then, with their loved ones who have watched and suffered, desperate to help but unable to do so.

Jennifer Acker, LMA, NCC, LPC, CMAC | Director of the Women's Recovery Center (Traditions)

Jennifer Acker began working at MARR in 2015 and has a heart for MARR’s long-standing legacy in the treatment field, the healing power of the therapeutic community model, and MARR’s tradition of facilitating lifelong alumni support and engagement. She is playing a central role in the revitalization of our Women’s Recovery Center (Traditions). She started at MARR as a Family Program intern before transitioning into the Admissions Department as a full-time clinician. She then worked as a counselor at our Women’s Recovery Center for two years. She left MARR for a period during which she was a therapist and held administrative roles at multiple facilities. She returned to MARR as Program Director for our Women’s Recovery Center in January 2020. 

Constance Fields | Clinical Assessment Counselor

Constance Fields is a part-time Admissions Counselor, who holds her Masters degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Constance began her journey with MARR as a Family Counselor Intern at the Men’s Center, and once complete, knew that she wanted to remain a part of the MARR organization. One thing, of many, that Constance loves about MARR is how much it feels like a family. When she is not helping others via counseling, Constance enjoys watching movies (anything paranormal), acting, listening to music, and enjoying time with her family.

Tricia Meeker | Alumni Coordinator | Men's Recovery Center and Women's Recovery Center (Traditions)

Tricia Meeker has been an extremely active member of the MARR alumni community for 13 years. She was admitted to MARR as a client in 2010 was a residential client for 13 months. She is deeply committed to MARR’s vision of whole-person recovery and long-term involvement of our alumni as part of a lifelong recovery program–something she has firsthand experience with. Over the last 12 years, Tricia has held multiple positions within the Women’s Alumni Association group. Tricia is passionate about having fun in recovery, event planning, and volunteering. She is dedicated to bringing alumni together for fun events and fellowship. 

Sam Bennett | Clinical Assessment Counselor & Family Program Counselor

Sam graduated from the University of Auburn in 2016 with a degree in Hospitality Management. After going through MARR’s Men’s Recovery Center program in 2019, Sam began working as a Residential Assistant at the Men’s Recovery Center. In December of 2021, Sam joined MARR’s admissions team as an admissions/family program coordinator. He is extremely passionate about helping others get the treatment they need and sharing his own experience with MARR. He is currently working towards his CAC.

A. Umair Janjua, M.D. | Psychiatrist for Men's Recovery Center and Women's Recovery Center (Traditions)

Dr. Janjua is board-certified in General Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. He is a native of Atlanta and has trained extensively in psychopharmacology and in various psychotherapeutic modalities. After completing his residency training in General Psychiatry at Emory University School of Medicine, Dr. Janjua completed an additional year of training in Forensic Psychiatry at Emory and has a diploma in Executive Coaching from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. He also received the Walter Wellborn Endowed Fellowship in Psychiatry. Dr. Janjua holds an adjunct faculty appointment with the Emory University School of Medicine. 

Erica Welsh, MFT, APC, AMFT | Family Program Coordinator for Men's Recovery Center and Women's Recovery Center (Traditions)

I graduated from the University of Georgia with a B.A. in Anthropology, and then, after a brief stint in the tech world, continued to Richmont Graduate University to complete a Masters of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy with a concentration in trauma counseling. I enjoy being with people through a range of issues and concerns, but specifically enjoy getting to support families as they figure out their relationships with each other. I love that MARR continues to stay committed to its relational foundations in how we provide treatment to our clients as well as how the staff supports each other.

Todd Valentine, LCSW | Primary Counselor | Men's Recovery Center

Todd has over 15 years of clinical experience in the field of addiction, and he has been at MARR for over 12 years. He specializes in the integration of mindfulness, and he is passionate about helping men find joy in recovery and practice vulnerability that brings them out of isolation and into community. Todd leads clients in mindfulness practices, guided meditations, and recreational activities to reconnect with their bodies and learn to recognize emotions.

Alison Makely, LPC, MAC, NCC | Disordered Eating Therapist | Women's Recovery Center

Alison started off as a MARR volunteer in 2003. She felt so drawn to the work that it spurred her to return to school to get a graduate degree as a counselor. She was a  volunteer from 2003 to 2005, and then transitioned into the role of intern until 2006. After finishing her graduate work in May 2006, the MARR leadership created a dedicated therapist role for me as “Primary Counselor for Disordered Eating.” Alison stepped away from MARR for a while and developed her private practice, and returned to MARR in 2018 when they needed someone to fill the Disordered Eating Therapist position. She worked at the women’s center from 2018 until February 2020, and recently returned in August 2022.

Millicent Parker, MS, MDiv, LPC |
Family Program Director

Millicent has been at MARR for 11 years, six of those as a Family Counselor. She is passionate about supporting, guiding, and at times challenging clients and families as they take ownership of who they are and the life that they experience. She encourages others to tell their story, and walks with them to identify the changes that need to be made in order for them to cultivate a healthier way of being.

Andy Williams | Assistant Director of Admissions

Andy Williams has gained over 7 years of professional experience working in the substance abuse and mental health care field; first as a Patient Care Specialist, then as Family Counselor, Recovery Advocate/Crisis Interventionist, Intake Coordinator and Admissions Counselor. Andy now serves as a Clinical Assessment Counselor, working with all departments of MARR to support those in need and help them find the absolute best care possible. He is nearing completion of becoming a Certified Addiction Counselor. Having achieved sobriety from his own personal journey through addiction, Andy is deeply acquainted with the struggles of both individuals and families in early through late stage recovery and is extremely passionate to help others find their way to a changed life.