Contact Us
Phone: 209.313.4511
Email: [email protected]
Address: Peer Employment Learning Center
4085 Colts Way, San Diego, CA 92115
Who we are
Crestwood Recovery Resilience Solutions has brought together a dedicated, dynamic and compassionate team of professionals with lived experience who bring their vast array of expertise of serving, mentoring, coaching, and training people who receive behavioral health services. Our team’s lived experience gives us the credential of “having been there” and our ITE (I’m The Evidence), that recovery and resilience are real.
What we do
We consult with organizations and systems nationally and internationally to support them in optimizing recovery and resilience learning strategies. We provide an internationally recognized, nationally certified, and competency-based peer support training program. Our peer support training program has also been adopted as the national peer support training program in Singapore and it is an approved California Mental Health Services Authority (CalMHSA) Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist Certification Training provider. We also collaborate with federal, state, and county partners, including various peer run organizations and integrated health organizations across the United States.
We believe…
- Recovery is the expectation, not the exception.
- The fundamental way to move recovery forward and optimize recovery outcomes is to employ peer support specialists throughout an organization.
- When peer support specialists contribute genuine peer support services within an integrated team, then recovery outcomes will be optimized.
- Behavioral health services are not merely treating mental health issues and/or addiction challenges but is mostly about supporting and empowering people to live happy, healthy, and meaningful lives as contributors in their communities.
- Not only can people recover, but also organizations and systems can recover.
- Just as it is often true about personal recovery, organizational recovery is an ongoing process.
- Hope, personal power, recovery relationships, recovery culture, and meaning and purpose are fundamental paths for both personal and organizational recovery.
- Sustainability practices keep recovery alive and build resilience while strengthening continued recovery outcomes.
“Chris Martin was amazing, his ability to maintain the attention of participants through the various mediums, as well as his ability to make everyone feel valued was exceptional.”
– Student – D.C., Fresno County, CA
Our Team
Patty Blum, Ph.D, C.P.R.P.
As Crestwood Behavioral Health’s Executive Vice President/Chief Strategy Officer, Patty Blum’s responsibilities include formalizing and leading Crestwood’s strategic planning processes, establishing and implementing long-term and short-term goals, objectives, and expected benchmarks and outcomes. In leading Crestwood’s inclusive strategic plan, she collaborates with campuses, operations leadership teams, and executives to advance the well-being of the people we serve, our employees, programs, and the sustainability of Crestwood’s initiatives and projects. Patty has been with Crestwood since 1980 and has created the template for Crestwood’s model of care and continues to lead the growth and expansion of our services. She is also proud to be a founding member of CIBHS’ Mental Health and Spirituality Initiative.
James Ritchie, Ph.D., CMPSS
James Ritchie has leveraged his 40 years of lived recovery experience to actively train, promote, and support recovery and peer support in California and beyond. James also led the development of 15 county-run prevention and early intervention projects and programs. He has also been certified as an instructor/trainer in several Behavioral Health areas, including suicide intervention, prevention, crisis response, and Crisis Intervention Team Training for first responders. James is currently the Director of Operations on the Crestwood Recovery Resilience Solutions team and facilitates and coordinates peer support and related training across the State of California and beyond.
Chris Martin, MA in Ed. & Ed, Counseling, ITE
Chris Martin is an international trainer and curriculum designer who has more than 30 years of experience as an adult educator, enabling him to design and develop effective learning programs for adult learners. Chris’s personal and professional experience brings a depth of “having been there” in both his training materials and delivery. His human enrichment materials have been used in organizations all over the world, including the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Singapore, and Brazil. Chris presently serves as the Director of Learning and Performance for Crestwood Behavioral Health, Inc.
Theresa Sorensen, BA, CMPSS
Theresa Sorensen serves as a Director of Learning and Performance II at Crestwood Behavioral Health, Inc. Having more than 20 years of experience in the mental health field and as an adult educator and developer of course curricula, she supports adult learners in both classroom and online platforms. She started working with Crestwood in 2014 and has previous experience in the field, working for Catholic Healthcare West in the early 2000s after earning her degree from California State University, Sacramento. Theresa is privileged to have the opportunity to work with Crestwood and our affiliates to support recovery and resilience, bringing attention and intention to the vital work of supporting people as they journey toward fulfilling their hopes and dreams.
Gloriana Hunter, Ed.D, MBA, CPSS
Gloriana Hunter is a nationally recognized leader in professional development for peer support specialists. Gloriana believes skill-based training is crucial for fostering a vibrant peer support workforce, and she has been creating innovative programs that have pushed beyond traditional boundaries for 20 years. In the classroom, she facilitates with humor, enthusiasm, and heart while providing practical tools and insights that apply to real-world situations. As someone with personal experience in recovery and resilience, Gloriana credits her darkest moments as the fuel that lights her path. Once a high school drop-out, Gloriana achieved a Master of Business Administration degree and a doctorate in Organizational Leadership. Her doctoral dissertation explored ways organizations enhanced career growth opportunities for entry-level peer support employees, which made her a passionate advocate for adding peer support leadership into every aspect of health care. Gloriana enjoys traveling with her family, getting lost in museums, creating digital art, and gardening.
Michael Zeeb, BA, CPSS
Michael earned his BA from Sarah Lawrence College and has a Certificate in Psychiatric Rehabilitation from the University of Arizona. He was drawn to a career in human services because he had received meaningful support during his own recovery process and wanted to give back to others. He started his career as a vocational counselor and special education teacher. From 2002-2023, Michael worked as a Peer Support Educator and Program Director at Recovery Innovations/RI International. While there, he helped develop and implement several programs, including Peer Employment Training, the Wellness City whole-health program, and the RI Career Center. He has approximately 15 years of experience supervising employees who provide peer support services. He has provided consultation to other behavioral health organizations on peer support workforce development and supervision of integrated teams. Michael currently serves as a Director of Learning and Performance II at Crestwood Behavioral Health, Inc.
Ryan Cooksey
Ryan Cooksey serves as a Director of Learning and Performance I at Crestwood Behavioral Health. He began his career with Crestwood Behavioral Health in 2014. He started as a recovery coach empowering and supporting others in exploring and perusing their goals. Since then Ryan has been able to support other working multiple positions which included supporting others find meaningful roles and employment opportunities and creating a learning environment by facilitating trainings for staff and persons served. Ryan also has lived experience as he has been able to survive and overcome various of his own traumas and supporting his family members through their recovery. Ryan continues to stay committed to recovery by supporting others obtaining their Peer Support certification and finding roles in the community where people can utilize their own life experiences, strengths and abilities to make the world a place of genuine love and support.
Diana Echaves, BBA
Diana Echaves brings a wealth of experience and deep commitment to her administrative role at Crestwood Behavioral Health. She has 15 plus years of experience as an office manager, holds a B.S. in Business Administration, and is nearly finished with her MPA. From work experience with the San Diego County Probation Department to her own lived experiences, Diana is inspired to use her past to connect with others. She volunteers her time as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) with Voices for Children mentoring and advocating for youth in the foster care system. Her commitment to supporting others in recovery and her presence on the Recovery Resilience Solutions team will undoubtedly have a positive impact. Diana looks forward to making a positive change in the world, one lived experience at a time.