An addiction treatment center survives and thrives off the quality of its clinical and medical staff. While fancy web site and high end amenities look nice and play well to the consumer, the quality of clinical services and treatment programming is what separates a rehab from others and makes it stand out in terms of best-in-class.
Here at Maryland Addiction Recovery Center, we believe it is the quality of our clinical and medical staff and their ability to implement our clinical philosophy through evidence-based therapeutic approaches that have allowed us to offer the high quality, comprehensive treatment services we have become known for throughout the industry and within our local community. Learn below about our clinical and medical teams.
Cheryl Caplan-Zalis, LCSW-C, Clinical Director
Cheryl is a 20 year veteran of working with an addicted and dual diagnosis population. She has experience in private practice, inpatient/residential treatment settings and outpatient addiction treatment. Cheryl offers supervision to therapists in the local community and has created and delivered workshops to colleges, schools and other organizations. She believes in a full family system approach to addiction treatment as well as a holistic body-mind-soul approach.
Douglas Woodruff, MD, Medical Director
Dr. Woodruff has experience caring for patients suffering from addiction and mental health issues in both inpatient and outpatient settings for over 40 years, as well as overseeing mental health services in the industrial EAP setting. He believes that medication is a starting point in recovery but it can only act as a foundation upon which therapy and treatment can build on to allow true holistic recovery for patients.
Jennifer Richards, PsyD, Staff Psychologist
Dr. Richards has extensive experience and expertise in the development of addiction and trauma-informed treatment programming, clinical management, clinical supervision and psychological assessment. She provided clinical leadership and management for a 56-bed detox and residential treatment facility in Pennsylvania specializing in addiction and trauma treatment for a dually diagnosed population as well as formerly being the clinical director of adolescent residential services for a program in Connecticut.
Karen Moore, LCSW-C, Director of Vocational Services
Karen, formerly a primary therapist at MARC, is in charge of the college/vocational/workforce training and reentry program that MARC patients engage in once at MARC. She has worked in hospital suicide prevention units, substance abuse units and inpatient psychiatry units before coming to MARC, as well as treating military veterans. She currently works with MARC patients in the extended care program that have transitioned beyond their initial phase of treatment, in order to identify specific goals and purpose, attain necessary skills to reenter college or the workforce and then being doing so well still in treatment.
Alfred Forrester, MD, LFAPA, Staff Psychiatrist
Dr. Forrester, a graduate of Yale University and the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, is board-certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. His experience includes residency in psychiatry at Johns Hopkins as well as working in both the public and private sectors in academic, inner city health clinics, hospital settings and outpatient private practice as well as previously being the attending psychiatrist at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions and Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital, the first Director of Psychiatrist Services at the Chase-Brexton Health Services and a consulting psychiatrist at the Towson University Counseling Center.
Judy Foster, RN, MSN, CRNP, Nurse Practitioner
Judy has practiced in the medical field for 20 years, getting her education at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. She has experience working in the fields of cardiology and cardiac surgery, before becoming interesting in working with an addicted and dual diagnosis population in 2004. Judy has also spend time as a clinical consultant to the Maryland Board of Nursing, as a medical consultant to three law firms and also co-developed the first EMT-P program in the State of Maryland.
Rachel Markus, LCSW-C, Primary Therapist
Rachel received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology/Pre-Med from the University of Maryland, College Park and her Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Maryland- Baltimore. She has spent time working in residential/inpatient addiction treatment settings as well as time at the Carroll County Youth Service Bureau (CCYSB), where she performed individual and family therapy and mental health counseling for children, adolescents and adults. Rachel has a strong working knowledge of 12 Step recovery programs as well as being trained in EMDR therapy, which she utilizes for treating patients at MARC with a history of trauma.
Arielle Seidler, LCSW-C, Primary Therapist
Arielle received her Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and gender studies from the University of Pittsburgh (Cum Lauder) and her Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania (Summa Cum Laude.) Previously, she gained experience working at a community mental health facility in Philadelphia where she worked with patients struggling with addiction and a variety of other mental health conditions. Arielle also has experience working with patients that have been victims of rape and sexual assault.
Corinne Burnett, LGSW, Primary Therapist
Corinne graduated from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City before returning to Maryland where she worked at Kennedy Krieger Institute while receiving her Bachelor’s Degree in psychology and the Master’s Degree in clinical social work from the University of Maryland. She was selected at that time for a specialized trauma-informed track. Corinne has experience working with victims of domestic sex trafficking as well as working as a therapist in an addiction and dual diagnosis Intensive Outpatient (IOP) program.
Tracy Sommer, LGSW, Primary Therapist
Tracy received her Bachelor of Science degree in sociology from Randolph-Macon College in Virginia before moving back to Maryland and receiving her Master’s Degree in social work from University of Maryland- Baltimore. Tracy has worked in psychiatric rehabilitation programs as well as spending time in the Family Services Division at St. Vincent’s Villa, part of Catholic Charities of Maryland. She also has previous experience working with the addicted and dual diagnosis population while providing individual and group therapy on an intensive outpatient and outpatient program in Baltimore. Tracy approaches therapy from a person-centered that incorporate motivational interviewing and skills-building.
Tyler Howard, LGPC, Primary Therapist
Originally from Texas, Tyler received his Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Trinity University in San Antonio, TX (Cum Laude) before graduating at the top of his class at Towson University for his Master’s Degree in counseling psychology. Tyler has experience working in research for an eating disorders laboratory as well as working with a variety of children, adolescents and adults at the Carroll County Youth Services Bureau (CCYSB.) He is also trained in Parent Child Interaction Training (PCIT.) Tyler views patients from a strengths-based and solutions-focused perspective.
Megan O’Shea, LGPC, Primary Therapist
Megan received her Bachelor of Science degree from Stevenson University in Baltimore before receiving her Master’s Degree in clinical mental health counseling from Johns Hopkins University School of Education. She has experience working in a community outpatient mental health center as well as individual and group therapy experience in a psychiatric rehabilitation program. Megan worked with patients with persistent mental health issues both onsite at the program as well as in the community. Her counseling philosophy in influenced heavily by mindfulness, with a particular emphasis on the need for individuals to have meaningful connections in life.
If you or someone you know is in need of help because of drug and/or alcohol abuse or addiction, please give us a call. Maryland Addiction Recovery Center offers the most comprehensive drug addiction treatment washington dc. If we aren’t the best fit for you or your loved one, we will take the necessary time to work with you to find a treatment center or provider that better fits your needs.
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