Shanéa Thomas, LICSW, EdD (he and she pronouns) is a seasoned scholar-practitioner with more than 14 years of professional social work experience in the Washington D.C. metro area. His main commitment is training and educating social workers, educators and service providers around building safer therapeutic, service, and educational spaces for clients and students, especially those working in communities who are underserved, Black and people of color and/or LGBTQI folks.

For the past eight years, Dr. Thomas has dedicated her time as a Senior Lecturer for the University of Southern California’s School of Social Work’s Virtual Academic Center. As a Youth Psychotherapist, Thomas also commits time toward supporting local LGBTQIA+ youth and those affected by HIV/AIDS through organizations such as Whitman-Walker Health and in the past, the Wendt Center for Loss and Healing in Washington, DC. She is a proud alumnx of Virginia Tech, Howard University, and Widener University holding a BS in Psychology, a Masters of Social Work degree with a concentration of Direct Services (Families and Children), a Masters in Education and an Advanced Certificate in Human Sexuality Studies, respectively and an EdD in Organizational Change and Leadership through the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California.

John Dennem, PhD, MA, CADC-II, USN(Ret.), is a retired submariner. He completed his PhD course work in “Integrated Behavioral Health” at New Mexico State University (NMSU) in 2017. He completed his MA course work in “Social Psychology” California State University (CALSTATELA), 2014. He is CADC-II certified and has almost 15 years’ experience in the field.

Dr. Dennem serves as a reviewer of several scientific journals and has published articles on the intersectionality of sexual prejudice, stereotype, discrimination and identities. He has published articles on Native American Culture as a social determinate of health. He has worked with several local organization creating treatment programs including “Skid Row Housing Trust,” “Didi Hirsch,” and was one of two counselors who worked to set up the first of its kind “housing first project” in Los Angeles known as “Project 50”. He served as Project Director on a 2.5 million CABI grant. He is currently an adjunct lecturer at CALSTATELA in the Psychology Department. He is Co-Principal Investigator on the “Culture is Prevent Project” in partnership with Native American Health Center, Oakland. The purpose is to investigate and establish the efficacy of “Native Epistemology” (i.e. ways of knowing) in preventing and treating health disparities in Native diasporic communities.

In 2018, Dr. Dennem was awarded a quarter of a million dollar 2 year grant from Blue Shield of California Foundation to explore and investigate creating healthy communities. He works in private practice with physicians to assist in adherence to medication regimens and treatment, developing and changing behaviors toward healthier living. He is a sought-after speaker on the topics of substance use disorders, identity development, the impact of minority stress in development of health disparities, and the use of culture in treating mental and physical health diagnoses.

Dr. Lauren Costine is a licensed psychologist, relationship coach, consultant, author, educator, activist, and international speaker. Dr. Lauren has dedicated herself to the field of LGBT-Affirmative Psychotherapy, Women’s Empowerment & is a pioneer in Lesbian-Affirmative Therapy. Her first book: Lesbian Love Addiction: Understanding the Urge to Merge and what to do When Things go Wrong is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. You can get a free excerpt at lesbianloveaddiction.com. She is currently working on her second book on how to heal Internalized Misogyny. Articles written by Dr. Lauren have been featured in numerous mental health magazines and she publishes a monthly written and video blog titled “Dr. Costine’s Commentary.” Her website is drlaurencostine.com.

Dr. Lockwood has worked for non-profits, treatment centers, and has been a part of a number of startups over the past ten years. His background in community interventions began before he even graduated from the University of Missouri where he successfully co-authored a grant creating a virtual intervention to help parents on campus become more connected and develop a support community while working at ParentLink, a division of the university’s College of Education.

Dr. Lockwood has trained with experts in the field of addiction treatment, and has worked at every level of the mental health and addiction treatment industry. He works exclusively with addiction and comorbid/co-occurring disorders. He is an adjunct professor at California Lutheran University, teaching future clinicians about clinical skills, addiction, and research analysis. He also has a podcast on YouTube about topics related to mental health, wellness, psychology, and neuroscience called “The Psychology Checkup.” Finally, Dr. Lockwood is the author of “The Fear Problem,” a book integrating the neuroscience and evolutionary psychology of our fear process to explain why we get triggered by politics and other “hot topics.”

Donna Chavous entered the recovery community in 1994 kicking and screaming, not wanting to change her life. She was introduced to recovery through an Intervention by a friend, family and the local police department. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California Donna, attended Beverly Hills High School and then graduated from the University of Southern California with a bachelor’s degree in English and headed straight to the Hollywood scene. She started in the Mailroom and soon thereafter stepped into the fast lane as a Hollywood Agent at Creative Artists Agency in 1984, representing actors and directors and eventually crashed and burned.
After getting sober she returned to Hollywood for six years as a Talent manager at SLBG Entertainment and at NBC with Peter Engel. During her time as a manger she suffered the loss of a colleague and a client from the disease of addiction. These losses dramatically changed her perspective on life and she ended up taking a job part time at a Treatment Center in Malibu California, while continuing as a Talent Manager. While working at that Treatment Center Donna further enhanced her knowledge of how addiction affects the family as well as the patient. She has been sober for 25 years and because of her experience with people from all walks of life, has been able to utilize her gift of gab to compassionately guide those who need help to make a positive change by performing Interventions.
Donna loves the Intervention process because it not only saved her life but it has allowed her to assist others in potentially saving theirs. She now resides between New York City and Los Angeles and has been performing Interventions nationwide for the past 18 years and has continued her education in the field of addiction by attending Fordham University School of Social Work in New York City.
In 2010 Donna joined the Emmy nominated show Intervention on A&E for her premiere foray in front of the camera and is still shooting new episodes as of 2019.

Show Description

Tonya Meek's bittersweet comedy, "Flying Standby", reveals how the determination to escape her alcoholic mother carried her through a turbulent ride of addiction, lost love, and a final desperate flight toward reconciliation.

This show covers themes of trauma, addiction, and multi-generational transmission of trauma. It is a powerful piece of work that is a cathartic experience for the audience. This show was created to assist others in telling their story and for transformational healing. We all have a unique story to tell.

Tonya is a licensed psychotherapist & spent many years splitting her two lives: artist & caretaker archetypes. She eventually weaved the two worlds together sharing her productions with folks in recovery & mental health components. She believes we all have a story to tell! Visit www.tonyameeks.com for more info.

More about Tonya Meeks: Tonya is a creative inspirer!

A natural performer, Tanya began creating music & plays as a little girl back in Cincinnati, Ohio. She loved belting out songs from her whirling record player: Wake Up Sleepy Gee to Mary Poppins to Kenny Rogers Gambler to Total Eclipse of the Heart to Kentucky country artist Bobby Mackey’s Hero Daddy. One of her childhood dreams included getting a car so she could tour with her all-girl country band. She was a natural performer & creator, yet these pieces weaved in & out of her life. Growing up with a gypsy momma with their theme song being Willie Nelson's On The Road Again.
This childhood creativity was held captive until she started performing in 2003 via a BFA at EPI in SF focused on the interdisciplinary voice, dance, & acting program. Her leap of faith in diving deep into this performance program led her back to her creative soul and this is where she found another path into sobriety 1/10/04. Since then, Tonya has been creating art via her interdisciplinary shows she wrote and produced all over the US.

Tonya premiered her show Flying Standby in NYC Off Broadway. Tonya has created four original interdisciplinary productions Open Eyes in 2004, Flying Standby 2007-current, Flying Standby: the sequel, & Sparrow Land. She is currently writing a new lullaby series for Sparrow Land projects: show, events, book, and screenplay. Tonya is also facilitating creativity retreats: Find Your Creative Truth both locally & destinations next one in Kauai.

Her commitment to her son Sparrow has been revolutionary in her commitment to owning her intuitive artistic vision & parenting from what she's named: Soulship Parenting honoring a child as a sacred soul!

Ken Seeley has remained professionally and personally involved in recovery since his sobriety date of July, 14, 1989. He applies his relevant experience and boundless enthusiasm to change the lives of people suffering from the disease of addiction – for the individuals, their family, and their friends. Ken works with clients to realign family systems to support recovery through his work as the founder of Intervention 911 and Ken Seeley Rehab. Ken is featured on the Emmy Award Winning, A&E television series Intervention since 2005. He is often asked to speak on addiction at conferences, town halls and on television. Ken is the author of “Face It and Fix It” published by Harper Collins in 2009.

Ken is a Certified Case Manager Interventionist, Certified Intervention Professional, and Certified Trauma Professional. Today, Ken still derives the greatest personal satisfaction from the hundreds of interventions he has conducted, organized, and facilitated through Intervention 911.

In 2008, Intervention 911 initiated a long term case management program, which supports the recovery process for people and families impacted by addiction for one to five years. In 2011, Ken opened Ken Seeley Communities, a sober living community in Palm Springs, CA. In 2015, he opened an Intensive Out-Patient Program to create the seamless continuum of care to support the person suffering with an addiction. At that time he worked with The Joint Commission to create policies and procedures for case management in the behavioral health field. In 2016 Ken Seeley Communities was the first organization to become Joint Commission accredited for case managment. That same year, Ken worked closely with Breining Institute to create a new credential CCMI, Certified Case Manager Interventionist. In 2018, he added a licensed medical detox and residential care to the Ken Seeley family of treatment services. Ken and his team opened Mental Wellness KS in 2020, and it is the areas first dedicated, primary mental health inpatient facility in Coachella Valley.

TJ Woodward is a revolutionary recovery expert, bestselling author, inspirational speaker, and addiction treatment specialist who has helped countless people through his simple, yet powerful teachings. He is the creator of The Conscious Recovery Method, which is a groundbreaking and effective approach to viewing and treating addiction.

TJ is also a featured thought-leader on wholehearted.org along with Brene Brown, Dr. Gabor Matte, and Mark Lundholm. He was given the honor of being ordained as an Agape minister by Dr. Michael Beckwith, and is also the founding minister of Agape Bay Area in Oakland, which was the first satellite community of The Agape International Spiritual Center in LA.

TJ is the author of the bestselling books, Conscious Being: Awakening to your True Nature, and Conscious Recovery: A Fresh Perspective on Addiction. His third book, Conscious Creation: 5 Steps to Embracing the Life of Your Dreams, will be released in December of this year.

Delene is a Psychosexual Educator and Nurse Therapist by profession, with more than 27 years’ experience in the field of mental health, sexual health and education. She runs her own international consultancy, 2nd Sight Consultants, focusing on training, development and mentorship of individuals and groups (including peer educators and health care providers), to understand human sexuality, specifically sexual and gender diversity. She consults to various governments, NGO’s and the private sector in Africa and internationally. She is a sought-after public speaker, talking about the things that most adults struggle to talk about in a sex positive and affirming way.

Dr. Steffanie Grossman (she/her/hers), is a Licensed Psychologist and registered Animal-Assisted Therapist with a small dog named Rockstar. I provide therapy in person and via secure online video conferencing (http://doxy.me) for a wide range of concerns, with specialties in the areas of eating disorders, self-esteem, and LGBTQ+ related concerns. Therapy is something she is very passionate about, and truly enjoys helping my clients empower themselves to live the lives they wish to live and increase self-compassion. After having learned first-hand the benefits of therapy for herself, she is very excited and eager to be able to provide a safe space for others striving to find their own healing.

Jona Genova is an energy healer and meditation coach bringing more than 25 years of devoted study and practice to her work. Jona’s practice is rooted in the idea that training “on the cushion” can translate to life “off the cushion”. While Jona is an expert in meditation and healing, her work applies to a wide range of compassionate living teachings that include healthy eating, sustainable living, fitness, spirituality, and relationships.

Jona is the founder of Samadhi for Peace which offers social justice driven meditation workshops and classes to luxury health clubs, executives and professional athletes (Equinox, Woodside KC, PAAMCO, yMarketing, Hyundai Capital, LA Chargers).

In 2015, Jona was requested to share her gifts of energy healing with a preeminent residential treatment facility for adolescents with co-occurring disorders. The positive outcomes of her method led Jona to establish Reiki Collective, a team of healers with training modeled after other clinical professions and focused on the specific needs of those suffering from complex traumas.

As a highly sensitive person, Jona discovered a passion for the mind-body connection while conducting brain mapping research at Clarkson University. Buddhist practices were a natural fit when she met her mentor, Lama John Makransky at Boston College. Today, she is a teacher of meditation practices he developed called Sustainable Compassion Training (SCT) and is Vice President of The Foundation for Active Compassion. Before visioning Samadhi for Peace, Jona worked in private equity and as a start-up member & Director at several restaurants and nightclubs in NYC.

Her work has been featured on MSN, Good Morning America, Women’s HealthMagazine, and the Associated Press. Jona has traveled the world to study Reiki and Buddhism including trips to Nepal, Japan, Myanmar, Thailand, and the U.S. where she has accumulated thousands of hours of practice. She is vegan, lives in Laguna Beach, CA and is most interested in exposing and dismantling white supremacy in healing and meditation.

Willy Wilkinson, MPH is an award-winning writer, public health consultant, cultural competency trainer, public speaker, and spoken word performer who has been advocating for marginalized populations since the early days of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. He is the author of the Lambda Literary Award-winning book Born on the Edge of Race and Gender: A Voice for Cultural Competency, which illuminates trans experience from a Chinese American and mixed heritage perspective, and transforms the memoir genre into a cultural competency tool. Over the past three decades, Willy has provided LGBTQ and trans-specific training and consultation services for hundreds of community health organizations, educational institutions, and businesses. He is the recipient of a National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association Award, and the Transgender Law Center Vanguard Award. Willy coordinates care for his nonagenarian parents. He lives in Oakland, California with his creative, adventurous partner and three vibrant kids in elementary, middle, and high school. Learn more at www.willywilkinson.com.

Beth Zacher Burke, LCSW is the Clinical Program Manager for the Camino a Casa Program at Casa Pacifica Centers for Children and Families. Prior to her move to California, Beth worked at the New York Department of Education and in private practice in Brooklyn, NY. Beth previously worked at the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center where she created and facilitated the MSAHC's first support group for transgender and gender expansive youth. Beth helped the MSAHC develop a comprehensive approach to working with gender expansive youth and their families and has continued her work with transgender individuals and their family members in her subsequent roles. She has presented to interdisciplinary teams nationally about her work. She has a Masters’ degree in Social Work from Smith College and a B.A. from UCLA.

Jazzmun Nichcala Crayton’s career spans decades in show business and advocacy for the Transgender community. She has appeared in over fifty television series and movies, with her most recent roles portraying Bobbie Jean Baker, a prominent Transgender Activist and religious leader in the ABC series “When We Rise"; and playing Cindy Whitman, a wrongfully imprisoned woman of Trans experience on Fox's "Proven Innocent".
As an activist, Jazzmun serves as the founder and coordinator of the Midnight Stroll, which brings awareness and sorely needed self-care supplies for street based sex workers in order to empower them to embrace comprehensive community resources such as HIV testing and treatment, housing services, substance abuse counseling, legal and victim advocacy, and medical services.
She is a Board Member of the City of Los Angeles Transgender Advisory Council and is currently the Senior Manager of Strategic Partnerships at the Asian Pacific AIDS Intervention Team in Los Angeles. As Co-Executive Producer of the play “Lovely Bouquet of Flowers: An Exploration of Non-Traditional Gender Voices” and the accompanying the documentary “In Full Bloom. ... transcending gender”, she gives voice to members of the community from all walks of life, and challenges viewers to move past their preconceived stereotypes surrounding the complexities of sexual identities and orientation in order to see the commonalities that we all share as human beings.

Kristina Padilla is a leader with the California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals (CCAPP), where she serves as the Vice President of Education overseeing CCAPP’s Education Department. She also is the Vice President of Strategic Development for the organization wherein she travels throughout California and the nation bringing addiction focused businesses together to promote the profession, increase access to services and improve the quality of AOD service provision through education, business development, and investment in quality programming. Mx. Padilla led California’s innovative criminal justice program serving as the Offender Mentor Certification Program Director for three years where she managed 12 in-prison programs for training counselors. She worked closely with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) in California prisons for the duration of the contract bringing innovation and growth to the state’s in custody treatment programming. Mx. Padilla also was the previous Program Director/Adjunct Faculty of the Peer Support training and Placement Program which trained peers in Recovery/mental health to become certified and how to work with other peers in recovery such as, self-direction, advocacy, ethics, person centered approach, personalization, empowerment, strength base, goal setting, respect, cultural sensitivity and competency, responsibility, hope and at the very core of the program.

Mx. Padilla has a Bachelor’s of Science in Criminal Justice Administration and a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis on Marriage and Family therapy. Mx. Padilla is a Licensed Advanced Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor (LAADC), and an International Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor (ICAADC). She is also a Certified Gang Specialist of the National Gang Crime Research Center (NGCRC) and is on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Addiction Professionals and their Allies (NALGAP) where she is the Vice President and is the California representative. She is also on the Board of Directors for the Women's Association of Addiction Treatment (WAAT) Board where she is Chair. Mx. Padilla is the Chief Academic Officer for the CCAPP Academy at CCAPP and is a past Board member for the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) Sacramento chapter. Mx. Padilla sits on the Advisory Board for (NATI) Native American Institute in New Mexico and is a consultant for Faces and Voices NRI (National Recovery Institute).

Vaughn is a transgender registered dietitian who specializes in treating eating disorders among under-served populations, including gender-diverse teens and adults, high-weight individuals, and neurodivergent youth. Vaughn received his MS in nutrition from USC, and his BA in critical theory and cultural studies, with a concentration in transgender studies, from Scripps College. Vaughn works collaboratively with patients to establish a nourishing relationship between food and their body. Vaughn is also a public speaker and educator, and his TEDx Talk , “In a World That Is Wrong About Us,” addresses the unique concerns of patients for whom disordered eating manifests at the intersection of gender, fatness, food, and identity.

Angie Martell is the founder and managing partner of Iglesia Martell Law Firm, PLLC in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She has practiced law for over 29 years. In her holistic law practice, she works in a variety of areas, including family, mediation, peace-keeping circles, criminal, immigration, and business law, and also advocates for the LGBTQIA, Spanish-speaking, and Deaf communities. In 2014, she was the recipient of The Washtenaw County Bar Association’s Martin Luther King "I Have a Dream" Award for her work building trust between the community and the legal system, and for tireless devotion to securing fair and equal treatment for all individuals under the law. She also served as Co-Chair of Washtenaw County’s LGBTQ Rights section. She is a past Cooperating Attorney with LAMBDA Legal Defense and Education Fund and National Center for Lesbian Rights: co-wrote the amicus brief, In the Matter of Sharon Kowalski, Court of Appeals for the State of Minnesota. Angie is admitted to practice in New York, Michigan, and Massachusetts. Angie graduated with a Masters of Law from Harvard Law School and a Juris Doctor from the City University of New York Law School.

Leo Abaunza currently works as a research associate with David Fawcett PhD investigating the latest addiction science and evidence-based treatment practices. He graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania concentrating in organizational behavior and psychology. His career as an analyst working with Fortune 200 companies specializing in negotiation has given him insight into human behavior and seeing things from different points of view. He is currently studying to be an addiction clinician at UCLA. His other coursework includes Psychotherapy at Antioch University, The Science of Well-Being at Yale, and The Arts and Science of Relationships: Understanding Human Needs at the University of Toronto. His passions are recovery, mental health and positive psychology. His current focus is understanding and writing about the interplay between substance abuse and sex addiction with the goal of helping those who are struggling so they may thrive and live fulfilling lives.

Brent Heinze, LPCC holds a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience from Colorado College and a master’s degree in clinical counseling from University of Northern Colorado. He has worked in the behavioral health field for over 16 years with an emphasis on non-traditional relationships and gay men. He was the Director of Gay Men’s Wellness for Mile High Behavioral Healthcare in Denver before moving to Palm Springs in 2017. Brent is a licensed professional clinical counselor in California and Colorado with a private practice and works with Blue Tiger Recovery as a program director and therapist.

Brent presented at the U.S. Conference on AIDS 2011 in Chicago and is a monthly contributor and columnist for Out Front Magazine. He has published “Redefining Normal: A Modern Gay Man’s Guide to Happy and Healthy Living” (2016) and “Redefining Normal 2: More Perspectives on Happy and Healthy Gay Living” (2020) that explores topics relating to gaining success in interpersonal relationships while improving self-esteem and self-confidence. He also creates and performs with his electronic music projects Probe 7, AXIOM, and Darling Kandie.

Eric is CEO of The Ken Seeley Group which includes Intervention 911 and Ken Seeley Communities. Eric graduated from USC School of Social Work in December 2016 and graduated Magna Cum Laude. Eric enjoyed his education at USC and has begun the process of learning benefits and implementation of evidence-based practices in interventions, treatment, and therapy. He oversees all Clinical Services including intervention, treatment and long-term case management for all clients of Intervention 911 and Ken Seeley Communities.

Eric loves the variety of services offered under the Ken Seeley Group. His specialty is working with family systems to intervene and reset the trajectory of families that have been impacted by addiction and mental health issues. Eric combines his clinical background with his long term intervention experience to deal with clients and families struggling with , Intervention 911 has been offering training to interventionists for over ten years. Training has always been one of his strengths. He has worked hard to create a robust training for interventionists and case managers in the behavioral healthcare field.

Beck is a master’s level clinician with an undergraduate degree in Sociology with an emphasis on Gender & Sexuality and a master’s degree in Addiction Counseling. Beck has worked in the mental health & substance use field for over 10 years in various capacities. The main focus of his work has been invested in the LGBTQ+ community, adolescents, and families. Over this decade, Beck has trained numerous facilities on LGBTQ+ best practices, has been a keynote and presenter at many conferences, and has facilitated workshops about LGBTQ+, trauma, adolescents, gender and sexuality.

Beck is the Director of LGBTQ+ Programming at Visions Adolescent Treatment Center. This program is for young people at Visions who identify in the community, those who are questioning, and their families. It includes process groups, psychoeducation, and family programming with professionals specifically trained and experienced in the LGBTQ+ population and best practices. Alongside the already dynamic team at Visions Adolescent Treatment Center in Los Angeles, young LGBTQ+ people and their families will find a space that serves their specific needs in regards to healing and thriving.

Robert E. Turner, (LMSW, M.S. ED) has more than 25 years of broad-based experience in case management, people development, psychiatric rehabilitation, and social administration within the special needs population in New York City. He has a decade long career as Programs Director for some of the top treatment centers in New York, including the Odyssey house where he spent 5 years overseeing Clinical and Rehab services in an integrated behavioral healthcare setting.
His LMSW thesis was titled: Aging Gracefully or Aging on their own: Aging and Caregiving in the Lesbian, Gay Bisexual and Transgender Community.

Robert is currently the Programs Director at Samaritan Daytop Village, providing comprehensive health and human services to 90 people where he is on the front lines of the Covid-19 pandemic and it’s effects on the LGBTQ and communities in need. Daytop’s mission statement begins with “ We Believe That Good resides in each of our clients” .
Robert is a volunteer circuit speaker around the world these days speaking on his experience strength and hope as a recovered addict and alcoholic with 28 years of continuous sobriety in a recovery program. He is asked to speak at conferences around the United States, North America, Asia and Europe.

Robert’s emphasis with his clients and the populations he serves is on the spiritual component of healing.

Jake Weinraub is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with four years of experience in LGBTQ+ community mental health. Jake specializes in field-based interventions and program implementation for LGBTQ+ people experiencing homelessness, co-occurring and HIV-positive clients. Jake is currently working as a program manager for the LA County Department of Health Services Street-Based Engagement Teams, and operates a private tele-therapy practice.