Our Staff

Chris Cohn holds a Masters Degree in Addiction Counseling, (MAC) and has a Bachelors Degree in Sociology from the University of Arizona in Tucson – Bear Down! Chris brings strength, hope and inspiration to the organization as well as a strong desire and passion to help people get and stay sober. Chris was born and raised in Arizona and is well connected in the recovering community. Chris went to Brophy College Preparatory then graduated from the University of Arizona with a Sociology Major / Psychology Minor. Chris wanted to continue his education and study addiction more thoroughly, so he attained his Masters Degree in Addiction Counseling from Grand Canyon University.

Apart from being the Founder and Owner, he is highly involved in the therapeutic processes; utilizing his personal journey as well as his education. Chris is in this business for one reason: To help the still suffering alcoholic and addict get and stay sober. Furthermore, his ability to think outside the box and employ the best network of licensed therapists, substance abuse counselors, sober coaches, detox doctors, medical doctors, Interventionists and psychiatrists, opens the door to an all-encompassing recovery program that goes far beyond just Inpatient Drug Rehab. The programs implemented are all PROVEN to keep people sober and attain life-long sobriety. We give you the tools needed to get and stay sober; the willingness, acceptance and ones ability to surrender must come from within.

Lee Yaiva possesses the desire to go above and beyond all expectations to ensure client satisfaction and strives to keep our treatment centers “Sanctuaries For Sobriety.” Lee is committed to helping people stay sober and is a huge asset to our organization. His love for his fellow employees and the clients are paramount in Lee’s ideology to try to fix the drug addiction epidemic; to not just put a band aid on it and say its healed. Healing takes time and Lee, as well as our Clinical Directors, have developed a world renowned long-term treatment program here at Scottsdale Recovery Center. Lee brings to the table tremendous business and recovery experience, passion, commitment, honesty and integrity. He has been in the substance abuse field, in many different capacities, for the past seven years.

Dr. Gelow is the current Medical Director for Scottsdale Recovery Center. Originally born and raised in Michigan, Dr. Gelow received his Medical Doctorate (MD) degree from American University of the Caribbean. After getting a taste for the sun, and moving around the country a bit, he has found his way to Scottsdale, Arizona and completed his Residency at Scottsdale Healthcare (now HonorHealth) in Family Medicine. His motivation and varied interests in medicine show as he advocates for his patient’s health and success. Dr. Gelow’s knowledge is built upon his extensive experience in substance abuse addiction disorders as well as medications pertaining to addiction treatment and recovery. Dr. Gelow holds his DATA Waiver and has been with Scottsdale Recovery since October 2015.

Dr. Crystal Kunka, D.O. Is a dual board certified family and addiction medicine physician.   Dr. Kunka has been helping individuals in underserved populations achieve their health care goals for over 10 years. She currently treats addiction in the Gila River Community,  as well as around the valley.  Dr. Kunka specializes in medication assisted treatment and has obtained a DEA waiver to prescribe Buprenorphine products.  Her scope of treatment includes all substances, the majority consisting of opiod, methamphetamine and alcohol use disorders.    

Dr. Kunka graduated with her doctorate of osteopathy from Midwestern University in Glendale, Arizona.  After graduation Dr. Kunka completed a family medicine residency program with Honor Health in Scottsdale, Arizona.  

Dr. Kunka is a long-term resident of Arizona. She resides in Chandler, Arizona with her husband, son, two dogs, multiple fish, tortoise, leopard gecko,  rabbit and guinea pig.  She loves spending time at home with her family and pets.  Dr. Kunka is also very active in her church community.  Dr. Kunka volunteers as a Sunday school teacher, as well as with her church’s Care Committee, offering free screening services and health education in South Chandler.

Ed Gogek, MD is a board-certified psychiatrist with a broad range of experience, including 30 years working with people suffering from substance abuse and process addictions. During his residency, he attended the Rutgers Summer School of Alcohol Studies and did a one-year fellowship in chemical dependency. He has worked at several substance abuse treatment programs in Arizona. He brings an eclectic approach to each patient encounter, all with one aim—to treat the issues that lead to relapse and interfere with recovery. 

Patrice is a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner who was educated and trained in her home state of Maine. She has over 25 years of experience in Behavioral Health Addictions. Patrice’s practice philosophy is two-fold. First, she focuses on understanding the individual needs of each patient and then, in collaboration with the patient, develops a holistic, comprehensive care plan based on the individual. Patrice believes in the importance of a team approach to recovery and is proud to be part of the SRC Team where communication and collaboration ensure that each patient is provided the best that SRC has to offer.

Patrice is committed to ongoing education in Behavioral Health Additions in order to learn new treatments and interventions to better care for her patients. Patrice is certified as an Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner. She is also certified as an Advanced Practice Clinical Nurse Specialist and as a Certified Acudetox Practitioner.

Throughout her career Patrice has endeavored to help people live their best life. Whether in her professional roles as an administrator or direct care practitioner, Patrice believes the individual holds the answers within and she feels privileged to be part of the team that helps them discover their personal journey to recovery.

Michelle Sproule is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the state of Arizona. She graduated with a Bachelor’s of Arts in Psychology from the University of Arizona in 2006 and received her Master’s of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from University of Phoenix in 2014. Michelle initially began her career working with adults who suffer from mental illness. Her path later led her to begin working with adolescents with dual diagnosis mental health and substance abuse concerns in nonprofit behavioral health before becoming a clinician at SRC. She is certified in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) basic training. Michelle is passionate about the people that she serves and works collaboratively with clients to enhance their motivation and drive for recovery and creating a new identity within sobriety. She strives to live out the principles of the Four Agreements and challenges her peers and clients to do the same. Outside of her professional life, Michelle enjoys practicing yoga, reading, and listening to self-improvement podcasts.

Sara is our Director of Nursing.  She is a Registered Nurse with 35 years of nursing experience. She has been a nursing director, manager and educator to staff and patients throughout her career. She comes to the recovery center with the hope to educate clients on their health and help in their recovery. Her personal and professional experiences with addiction her have led her to this position and her hope is to make a difference in our client’s lives!

Lisa has over twenty-five years of experience in the field of counseling and fourteen years in the management of outpatient, residential, and inpatient settings, most often in the area of substance abuse treatment. Lisa has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Counseling with a Specialization in Addiction from Marywood University in Scranton Pennsylvania and has been BBHE licensed in Arizona since 2004.

Lisa has worked as a Counselor, Clinical Supervisor, Clinical Operations Director and Clinical Director. Lisa was chosen to be 1 of 15 professionals (from over 100 applicants from the southwest region of the country) to attend the Leadership Institute in California sponsored by UCLA. She has extensive experience serving both juveniles and adults with substance abuse issues in the criminal justice system. She specializes in addiction treatment and trauma, she is trained in EMDR which is an integral part of her therapy services.

Charlene is a Certified Life Coach specializing in helping others go beyond their current circumstances. By addressing life skills, while utilizing recovery tools, she maximizes on the strengths of our clients to reach their full potential and achieves results by her direct approach. She lends compassion, love and professionalism to each individual and meets them on their journey of recovery.

Charlene brings 15 years of sobriety with four years of private coaching experience to our center. Her enthusiastic love for living a sober life is apparent in every aspect of her life. Her interests include hiking, tennis, meditation and time with family and friends. Scottsdale Recovery Center is delighted to have Charlene to enhance the well-being of those who are seeking to reclaim their lives, particularly those clients who have completed Phase 1 of our program. Charlene helps Phase 2 clients with finding suitable jobs, applying for schools, interviewing techniques, resume building and how to utilize the tools learned in Phase 1 and apply them to the outside world. Charlene is often referred to as the “heartbeat of SRC.”

Jim Sapp has been a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Indiana since 2014 and a Licensed Professional Counselor in Arizona since 2015. He graduated with a Bachelor’s of Arts in Pastoral Counseling from Southeastern University in Lakeland, FL 1995. He has been working with persons who battle Substance Abuse Addiction and their families since 2004. He received a Master’s of Science in Counseling from Indiana University South Bend in South Bend, IN 2010. Jim has been certified as a Group Facilitator in the Batterers Intervention Program (working with male offenders of Domestic Violence) by the Indiana Coalition against Domestic Violence.

Also, he is certified in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Basic Course. The main focus of his work in counseling is with Substance Abuse and Domestic Violence. Jim is an Army Veteran. He served 3 years as an Infantryman stationed at Fort Campbell, KY and Schofield barracks, HI. Also, he was a Clinical Case Manager at the Robert L. Miller, Sr. Veteran Center in South Bend, Indiana for 2 years. The Vet Center is a 24 bed facility for Homeless Veterans connected with the Center for the Homeless in South Bend, IN.

My journey in recovery started on November 5th of 1995. I struggled being sober for the next 5 years and finally reached the point where I realized, I couldn’t do this on my own so, I put myself in treatment. It was there that I learned that I had a disease and not a moral deficiency. I was introduced to another 12 step program and was told that if I put forth the effort that I could recover from a hopeless state of mind and body and if I wanted to stay clean and sober, I had to give away what was so freely given to me. It was on February 15th of 2007 when I made the biggest commitment of my life. My father passed away unexpectedly back in Michigan. I didn’t have the money to get back there to be with my family. I went to a meeting and shared what had happened. Immediately after the meeting, people were coming up to me and putting money in my pocket and within an hour after the meeting, someone had purchased an airline ticket for me to fly back to Detroit and be with my family.

I was on a flight that night. All they told me to do was to pay-it-forward one day. It was at that moment that I made the conscious decision to do the work necessary to stay sober, one day at a time. I have been sober for over 10 years now and I’ve been working in the recovery industry ever since. I try to carry the message of hope to every person that comes into Scottsdale Recovery Center. I started my journey here on July 7th of 2015 and have been working with some of the most amazing people that I’ve ever worked with in my life. We go to battle for our clients here every day to help show them that there is a life worth living today. I hope and pray that if you have a loved one that is struggling with an addiction, that you choose Scottsdale Recovery Center so, we can have the opportunity to show them that there is a better way live today. My hobbies include playing jazz flute and playing with my golden retriever, Yeets.

When I entered treatment I was lost, broken, broke, and had burned all my bridges with my family. I truly believed I was a lost soul who hit rock bottom.
Now almost 10 years later I can’t begin to describe how different my life is. With a lot of hard work, and a program of recovery, and gratitude, I went back to school to get my certificate in Addiction Studies and have been working in treatment for 6 years. My passion is helping others who struggle with substance abuse and especially those who feel they are too old to change. I’m living proof it’s never too late. I help women find their true calling and passion and assist them with everything while here at SRC.

Courtney is a Massachusetts native, whose journey in recovery started at Scottsdale Recovery Center. From a starting point of hopelessness and brokenness, she was able to turn her life around. Courtney’s life experiences taught her to be her own advocate, and shaped her into the woman she is today. A woman of strength and compassion. Courtney has a true passion empowering others, and helping addicts achieve their greatness. She is beyond grateful to work for the same treatment center that saved her life. BOOM! #TEAMSRC

After moving to Arizona from Boston, MA in 2016, Kevin has been thoroughly involved in the recovery community. He received his BA in 2007 from St Josephs College of Maine. His passion and experience in recovery has led Kevin to make a professional change and work with others in addiction. He is devoted to helping men and women and their families as they struggle with the confusion and frustration of addiction by applying his love and knowledge of recovery. Outside of work Kevin is a member of a sober softball team and enjoys hiking and gold mining in the beautiful mountains of Arizona. He also loves dove hunting, drum circles and his pet Australian Shepard, Twopinch. By the grace of God Kevin has over two years sober and three years in recovery from his internet gaming addiction.

Gena was born in Show Low, AZ. She has been an integral part of Scottsdale Recovery Center since 2016 and has been sober since 2011. She loves fishing, the outdoors and spending quality time with her family. The clients love Gena because she’s so down to earth, sweet and compassionate and loves helping others.

Doris is an integral part of Scottsdale Recovery Center. She is very passionate about recovery and helping others.

Kelsey Sayers began her journey in recovery when she boarded her flight at Boston Logan airport and landed in the loving, welcoming hands of Scottsdale Recovery Center in 2015. She “was brought back from the gates of death” and rediscovered herself at this treatment program. Throughout this experience she has found her true passion for helping other addicts and alcoholics reclaim their lives in sobriety and give back to the recovery community.

Joe is a northern California native and has been living in the Scottsdale area since 2011. He brought with him a wealth of combined admissions, finance, marketing and utilization review experience in the addictions treatment field. His philosophy of effective, trauma informed treatment for those struggling with addiction combines personal accountability with care and compassion. Joe believes that effective, open communication with referents, families and clients is the most integral part of the admissions process at Scottsdale Recovery Center. Joe is skilled in residential substance abuse and mental health treatment after working in various treatment centers and intervention services for the greater part of the last 7 years. He holds a vast perspective of admissions, insurance (verification and pre-certification) and relationship building. He has the proven ability to flourish in high pressure, deadline-oriented environments, while possessing a high level of organizational and communication skills. Professionally, Joe is drawn to situations that provide hands-on access to the admissions process, allowing him to build symbiotic relationships that support the identified loved one’s admission to a program that benefits their sobriety and lifelong healing. In his spare time, he loves playing softball, fishing, and watching sports. Joe is an avid bullrider and is a spelunking enthusiast. He is a board member in a local recovery based sober softball organization in which he coaches the two SRC teams. #TEAMSRC

My primary personal and career objective is to contribute therapeutic interventions due to substance use disorders and/or mental health issues to individuals and their families. After 11 years as a High School Art Teacher, I attended and received a Master’s Degree in Counseling at NAU and became a Licensed Independent Substance Abuse Counselor (LISAC). I gained a wealth of knowledge in the behavioral health field since 1992, as a Therapist and Clinical Director for 26 years. My career started in Northeastern Arizona, privileged and actively involved in the lives of children, adolescents, adults and the elderly and their families in Navajo County. Also, became Professional Therapeutic Foster Parents for 14 years. We opened our home and family environment to adolescents with behavioral, CPS and often criminal justice involvement, the opportunity to learn and live life on life’s terms, thrive to find they truly do belong, and turning 18 to become independent. In 2007, I was elected by the Holbrook Chamber of Commerce “Holbrook Man of the Year,” an honor of recognition for giving back to others. As Therapist and Clinical Director for five Outpatient Treatment Centers, is a gift that I will share to all that are seeking change; to lead a better life. My driving force is based on three principles of an honest, open minded, and willingness; to provide ethical quality treatment, with professionalism and understanding to patients and families for wholeness and wellness in life. I look forward to the journey of recovery, by embracing where people are in life, listening to their needs and to empower with tools to discover their true inner power. In 2018, I celebrated 30 years clean, with extensive involvement in fellowships of 12 step recovery; community resources. My last service commitment; on the Board of Directors, completing my third term as CEO of NA in the Arizona fellowship in 2015.

Bethani moved from Arizona in 2008 when she was transferred to New York to further her career in fashion. She then went on to work for Corcoran, one of the largest Real Estate firms in Manhattan. Bethani went from assistant, associate, to business partner in less than two years. Bethani moved back to Arizona in 2017 after her brother became ill, he also was struggling with his sobriety. Bethani knows how hard the struggle is, she is 11 years 9 months sober. Her sheer determination, drive, and passion to help others with their addictions lead her to be invited to speak at the Arizona Capitol when the Governor announced the Emergency Session on Opioids. Bethani spoke to the Health and Wellness Committee of the Senate on the opioid crisis, and how it’s personally effected her brother’s life and millions like him across the nation. Bethani has found her life passion, to help make a difference in people’s lives who are fighting their addictions.

I’m originally from New Mexico, on the borders of the Navajo Nation. I graduated from Arizona State University with both my Bachelors in Psychology and Masters in counseling – Go SUNDEVILS! As an undergrad, I also participated in Rat Model Addiction Research. My inspiration to want to help those battling addiction, came from witnessing how alcoholism, addiction, and various types of abuse affected my family, my community, and my culture at large. Continuing along my family lineage of helpers and healers, I bring a contemporary, holistic, and thinking out-of-the-box approach, that is inspired by my traditional Navajo heritage, to battling addiction in the modern age.