Our Staff – Spirit Lodge Drug & Alcohol Treatment

George Joseph

Chief Operating Officer

George Joseph took over the reigns of Right Step in 1994, when the company had one location – a residential treatment program in Houston. With his hard work, Right Step is now the largest provider of drug and alcohol treatment services in the Southwest, last year serving over 3500 individuals.

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In 2007, George wanted to expand the continuum of treatment offered by Right Step. He envisioned an upscale, private residential facility that took a holistic approach to recovery. It was important not only to offer cutting edge treatment and therapy, but amenities such as chef prepared meals, concierge-style services and personal trainers to make the guest’s stay more comfortable.

“Spirit Lodge is the place that I would want to go, if I were to need treatment now.” – George Joseph, Spirit Lodge COO

George received the high honor of Counselor of the Year from National Association for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors in 2000. He serves on various school boards, and is a member of the Lone Star College Human Services Advisory Committee. With 28 years of experience in the field of treatment and recovery, George’s insight, knowledge, and leadership is well regarded within the community as well as among Right Step and Spirit Lodge organization.

Through all of his success, George is still most interested in helping fellow addicts return to a happy, productive life. Recently he participated in an intervention on The Dr. Oz Show and currently blogs for the show’s website.

Jonathan Ross

Regional Vice President

Jonathan oversees Texas and New Mexico operations in close partnership with Elements Behavioral Health. Immediately prior to joining Right Step, he served as president/CEO of Austin Recovery, a non-profit provider of drug and alcohol addiction treatment services. There, he was instrumental in the merger with the Council on Alcoholism and Drugs Houston. Jonathan also served as chief of quality management at Maximus, a publicly traded company providing government health and human services program management and consulting service.

In addition to his strong corporate operations and performance improvement background, Jonathan has bachelor and masters degrees in psychology and spent years as a fulltime therapist for individuals, groups, and families. He has extensive experience directing large residential treatment programs serving difficult populations. Earlier in his career, he developed a model program for treating violent adolescents featured on the nationally simulcast television documentary Scared Silent: Exposing and Ending Child Abuse, narrated by Oprah Winfrey. Jonathan brings a distinctive blend of business acumen, executive leadership, and clinical experience to his role at Right Step.

Jason Powers, MD

Chief Medical Officer

Prior to joining Right Step in 2006, Dr. Powers served as an attending physician at Memorial Hermann Prevention and Recovery Center and as an assistant professor in the department of family and community medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.

Dr. Powers received his medical degree from Texas Tech University Health Science Center. While in school, he was the recipient of several academic scholarships including the Kellogg Foundation Academics Scholarship and the Student Senate Endowed Academic Scholarship.

Dr. Jason Powers is an Addictionologist (M.D.) and has been voted one of Houston’s “Top 50 Doctors” for two years running. Dr. Powers was recently granted board certification from the American Board of Addiction Medicine. Read more about Dr. Powers’ ABAM certification…

Craig Franke, MD

Medical Director

Dr. Craig Franke, boarded in General Psychiatry and Addiction Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, provides Spirit Lodge clients with the highest level of clinical care and medication management. An industry veteran at the top of his profession, Dr. Franke came to Spirit Lodge by way of Austin Recovery, a well-respected member of the substance abuse treatment community. At Scott & White Memorial Hospital in Temple, he was medical director of the alcohol and drug dependency treatment program and senior staff physician in psychiatry.

Dr. Franke is an assistant professor at Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, where he completed his residency in general psychiatry. He directs courses in substance abuse disorders to residents and fourth year medical students. Over the years, Dr. Franke has presented and been published in articles, books, and peer-reviewed publications on various topics involving psychiatry and substance abuse.

Valerie Andersen, Psy.D

Executive Director, Spirit Lodge

Dr. Val ’s breadth of clinical experience spans 15 years and includes concentrations in psychiatry, neuro-psych testing, forensics, and substance abuse disorders. She has worked in variety of therapeutic settings and employed many treatment modalities including inpatient chemical dependency care, outpatient chemical dependency treatment, and inpatient psychiatric treatment. In addition, she has conducted psychological testing and evaluations for the court system.

Originally hailing from Florida, she received her undergraduate degree from University of Central Florida and completed her Masters and Doctorate of Clinical Psychology at Nova Southeastern University.

Jay Plotkin, MA, LCDC

Clinical Director

Jay brings both vision and passion to his work at Spirit Lodge. After more than 10 years in the commercial real estate industry, Jay made a decision to pursue his dream of helping those struggling with addiction. Jay obtained a Master’s Degree in Addiction Studies/ Counseling from the Hazelden Graduate School of Addiction Studies and also holds a Bachelors degree in Economics from Tulane University. Over the years, Jay has worked for the Hazelden Foundation in various capacities including development, counseling, and most recently serving as a supervisor at Hazelden’s Center for Youth and Families in Plymouth Minnesota. He is a licensed Addictions Counselor who is truly committed to providing the best care for Spirit Lodge client’s and their families.

Dr. Casey Green

Medical Director

Dr. Green earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from the University of Texas in 1996 and then a Medical Doctorate from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. He originally trained in anesthesiology, but after confronting his own addiction in 2004, he decided to train in psychiatry and dedicate himself to helping those who struggle with addiction and co-morbid mental illness. He completed his psychiatry residency at John Peter Smith hospital in Fort Worth, Texas.

Since then, Dr Green has worked at Terrell State Hospital, North Texas State Hospital, and in private practice. Before joining Right Step, he worked with the Mental Health and Mental Retardation Department of Tarrant County on the Mobile Crisis Intervention Team and at Pine Street Recovery Center.

Dr. Green’s philosophy is that effective treatment for alcoholism and drug addiction should address co-occurring disorders, and that treatment must be holistic, strength-based, and multidisciplinary. He focuses on the biological, interpersonal, holistic, and spiritual aspects of alcohol and drug addiction as well as their interactions with depression, anxiety, trauma, and mood disorders. He strives to provide clients with individualized care that enables them to live a sober and abundant life “one day at a time.”

Dr. Deborah L. Stote PhD

Psychologist

Dr. Stote’s therapeutic philosophy is twofold. First, psychological therapies that are supported by scientific evidence usually work best. The data are clear: addiction is a neurobiological disease that can affect people from all walks of life and there are reliable, effective treatments available. Second, a balanced lifestyle promotes a healthy brain and soundness of mind. Good nutrition, regular exercise, spirituality, work, intellectual stimulation, hobbies, and a robust social life all contribute to how we ultimately experience our environment. Keeping that experience on a positive plane is the foundation of recovery. Spirit Lodge richly supports this philosophy.

Dr. Stote received a B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. from the Department of Psychology at the University of California at Los Angeles, with an emphasis in neuropsychology. She completed her clinical training and formal internship with the UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Programs (ISAP), which coordinates substance abuse research and treatment within the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the David Geffen School of Medicine and the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA. ISAP is one of the largest substance abuse research groups in the United States. Dr. Stote has worked extensively with substance dependent individuals for several years, both in residential and outpatient settings and in her private practice in Austin, TX. She has also served on the faculty at UCLA and The University of Texas at Austin and is actively involved in research. For more information on Dr. Stote Click Here.

Michael Carter

Executive Chef

The cuisine at Spirit Lodge reflects the geographical spectrum of Chef Michael Carter’s 25 years of training and work. After graduating from Le Cordon Bleu’s California Culinary Academy in San Francisco in 1994, Michael worked at restaurants in San Francisco, Sacramento, and Yosemite, California. He then went on to Santa Fe and Houston before making his way to Austin, Texas. This is where he found a calling as an instructor at Le Cordon Bleu’s Austin campus before joining the team at Spirit Lodge. Chef Carter is certified with the American Culinary Federation, the International Association of Culinary Professionals, and is a Certified Nutritionist, Supervisionist, and Chef – all Proctor Status with the National Restaurant Association.

“I hope my food will comfort the guests here at Spirit Lodge; My goal is to conform to their needs, and confirm their worthiness. Every client here has the ability to succeed, and I can think of nothing more personally rewarding than being able to help them do just that.”

In addition to preparing and planning the menu, Chef Carter also teaches the bi-weekly cooking lessons to guests.