Meet Our Team

Ian is our Director of Operations but he wears many other hats around the office. Ian will tell you though his most important duty is making sure that all of the staff and participants have everything they need in order to be set up for success. Always going the extra mile to make certain everyone feels welcomed and appreciated. Ian comes to us from Texas where he worked in Construction Management. After battling Alcoholism since his years of adolescence, Ian was able to make it to Recovery. He has found a greater purpose in life by helping others through such troubling and pivotal times. His position with Crescent Moon Recovery optimizes his ability to manage operations on a day-to-day basis but more importantly use his platform to help as many people as possible.

Cindy Connelly is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who has been Clinical Director at several treatment centers over the past 20 years in addition to maintaining a private practice in Mission Viejo, Ca. Prior to her LMFT licensure, she had a business career in the insurance industry managing others for more than 25 years. After engaging in her own therapy and experiencing the life changing results, she left her corporate job and returned to school, earning her Masters Degree at Chapman University, all while raising her 2 boys as a single mom.

She brings a unique set of skills to Crescent Moon Recovery, incorporating her management and clinical experience over the years. Her treatment philosophy is reflected below:

“We must believe in others until they can believe in themselves. Addicts are not    defective. They are wounded individuals that lack the coping skills to address the  stressors of daily living. Our role is to meet them where they are and assist them in   understanding why they use drugs/alcohol as their main coping mechanism. Once they  understand this, we can individualize their plan to give them the tools they need to live productive lives.”

Cindy is empathetic, caring, and compassionate about what she does. Her desire is to impact those struggling with addiction and mental health issues, addressing unresolved childhood trauma/grief and their impact on addictive behaviors. Her work with Complex PTSD in a co-occurring disorder treatment setting is guided by SAMHSA Trauma Informed Care guidelines, working with all employees in creating a safe environment that allows for in-depth work. “Connection is the correction.” She has been a member International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies for more than 15 years and continues to keep abreast of the latest research regarding addiction and trauma.

“When we become aware of our unconscious processes, we can change how we interact with the world and can gain a sense of mastery over our lives.”

Jeff is our Admissions and Social Media Coordinator. Jeff has been one of the brightest spots of our program because his success story starts with us as a client. Jeff grew up in Connecticut where he found his love for athletics and marketing. He struggled with drug and alcohol abuse from an early age. Jeff was in and out of treatments all over the country as he struggled to find the solution. Today he lives his life in the solution and commits most of his free time for service work.

Joshua was born and raised in Missouri where he first fell into the drug epidemic at the age of 13. Joshua attended his first of many treatment centers just 3 years later. After many trials and tribulations, Joshua has found the solution and soundness of mind that he was in search of for all this time. Today, Joshua dedicates his life to acts of service and client care, and continually practices a mindset where he can best serve others.

Carli started her life living under a bridge on the Southside of Houston, Texas. She was surrounded by drug use and poverty. She eventually asked Ian to sponsor her and moved into his apartment for sober living. Carli’s recovery has a strong emphasis on 12-treat programs and a dedication to comforting others. She is a loving and calming presence around the office but she also loves to go on outings with the participants. Specifically to the dog beach. Carli is a great example of discipline and compassion for our community members and overall just a really good girl.

Justin is a certified CADC-III SUD counselor and received his Associates Degree in Alcohol and Drug Studies from College of The Desert as well as his bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Cal State Fullerton.

Justin has worked in recovery since 2013 and has developed a strong sense of compassion and empathy towards his clients and the problems that substance abuse creates in their lives.

Justin specializes in 12-step modalities and has a passion for assisting others on their recovery journey. Through his personal experiences and continued ongoing education and training, Justin strives to assist clients in making recovery a reality.

McCabe is one of our facilitators who leads Art Therapy. She is a mixed media artist who has been helping people find their creativity for over 20 years. Specializing in process over product, McCabe creates an atmosphere where clients can safely explore and express their creative side. Mistakes are not only allowed but encouraged. With the intention of giving clients a fresh perspective of the arts, she hopes they will use creativity as part of their recovery program for life.

A fitness instructor since 2016, Becky has developed into a passionate teacher with strong focus on inclusion, safety and alignment. Becky’s yoga classes are known to have a playful element where she encourages people to challenge themselves, relax, and make a deep breath connection. As a graduate from Chapman University with a degree in Psychology, Becky skillfully combines the wisdom of yoga philosophy, the philosophies of Pilates and modern psychology to facilitate self-inquiry, connection and transformation for her students. You can find Becky in studio teaching yoga and Pilates in Ladera Ranch. Becky works tirelessly with Residential Treatment centers for the drug and alcohol community to create yoga programs designed for substance abuse survivors from initial intake to graduation of the program. This work has offered Becky the opportunity to work with all walks of life from across the country and impacted hundreds of lives. Becky lives in Ladera Ranch with her 3 children and husband. She spends time helping her oldest navigate college life in Colorado, staying fit and loving on her three dogs.

Certified 500 Hours Pilates Teacher
Certified E-RYT 200 RYT/500 Yoga Alliance
Certified Trauma Informer Yoga Teacher
Certified CorePower Yoga Sculpt Teacher Training
Certified CPR/AED

As an Addiction Counselor/Specialist/Sober Coach/Interventionist with over 25 years of experience in Addiction Treatment, Transformational Life Coaching, and other recovery programming Ihelp clients navigate their life’s path back to one of meaning and purpose. In working with clients I work from a place of deep compassion and empathy; understanding that shame and guilt are the chains that bind one to their past troubles and addiction.

Emily’s passions for mental health and nutrition have led her to specialize in eating disorders/ disordered eating (orthorexia, obsessive eating, etc.), anxiety/depression around food, intuitive eating (whatever that means to you), substance abuse recovery, and body kindness/positivity. Emily loves connecting with people at a deeper level and making food fun again. Food doesn’t have to be complicated! She believes that food makes life more exciting and memorable and shouldn’t control your life; … there is more to life than food and more the food then calories…

Emily is here to show you just that. Certifications and Credentials
        •       MS Clinical Dietetics || Grand Rapids State University, MI
        •       BS Applied Nutrition (Minor: Psychology) || California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
        •       Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
        •       Intuitive Eating PRO Skills Training

Affiliations
        •       Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
        •       The International Federation of Eating Disorder Professionals
        •       EDRD professionals
        •       OC IAEDP

Tracy Dunn is a National Interventionist and Addiction Coach who has received training at the Crossroads Recovery Coaching Academy of Seattle Washington and The Addiction Academy in Miami Florida. As the daughter of Roger Dunn of the Roger Dunn Golf Stores , Tracy knows all too well the dramatic impact that fame and addiction can have on the family system.

Her professional training partnered with over 34 years of sobriety has led Tracy to being deeply committed to both saving and changing the lives of those struggling with addiction.

As a group facilitator, she works collaboratively with her clients to help them focus on the action they will need to take to recognize the vision they will have for themselves. As an interventionist she has helped many families to overcome the paralyzing grip of addiction by teaching accountability, compassion and the other tools needed to break the cycle of addiction and maintain sobriety.

Tracy works with the media, treatment facilities, interventionists, therapists, addiction psychiatrists and consults with professionals in various treatment facilities. Her dedication to saving lives has given a dynamic voice of recovery to those who had previously given up hope and the belief that they are able to create their own successes.

Christian is an MFT Trainee currently finishing his Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at Alliant International University. He has previously held multiple Case Management positions at various treatment centers and private practices in California.

Christian is passionate about helping individuals create and maintain lives worth living without substances, by identifying their strengths and underlying causes of substance use. Having overcome his own battle with substance use disorder, Christian combines a 12 step and systemic therapy approach with personal experience in working with clients.

Ellis is originally from Portland, Oregon. Incomprehensible demoralization lead him to Orange County, California where he began his recovery journey.

Right away, he got active in Alcoholics Anonymous and surrounded himself with like-minded individuals. Being an athlete his whole life, he gravitated towards the gym in early sobriety to use as a wellness and recovery tool.

He enjoyed the gym so much that he wanted to share his experience with others new to sobriety. Ellis is a Certified Personal Trainer, Group Fitness Instructor and Bodybuilding Specialist. In his free time he enjoys mountain biking, hiking and traveling. Ellis has a sobriety date of May 29th, 2014.

Dr. Sanjai Thankachen is our Medical Director. He graduated from Adichunchanagiri Institute of Medicine in 2000. His psychiatry residency was completed in 2008 at Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in New York, with half of his rotations taking place at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. Following his residency, he served at Ventura County Medical Centers, focusing on adult outpatient care, before settling in Orange County, California.

Presently, Dr. Thankachen is an integral part of Pacific Neuropsychiatric Specialists, offering outpatient services while also contributing to various inpatient psychiatric and medical units. This allows him to provide cutting-edge psychiatric healthcare to his patients. His expertise covers a wide spectrum of disorders such as depression, bipolar illness, schizophrenia, anxiety, and dementia-related issues. Dr. Thankachen is an active member of esteemed professional organizations, including the American Psychiatric Association, Indian Medical Association, and the Karnataka Medical Association.