CALL: 949.510.3845
Joanne Pennington
Program Director
Mrs. Pennington has over 30 years of life experience and many years working in addiction. She has developed programs and defined positions that focus on client’s strengths and capabilities. She works closely with each client to tailor a program to fit their individual needs. She is known for dedication, persistence, commitment and compassion. She has the capability to build a strong foundation for a program, identify changes necessary to strengthen the program and to then implement those changes. She is known for her directness and heart.
Dr. Martin Pennington
Executive Director
Dr. Pennington has over 30 years of clinical experience. He is a graduate of Boston University, Boston College and Ryokan College with a Doctoral
Degree in Clinical Psychology. He has additional training at the Cambridge Institute, Philadelphia Child Guidance Clinic and Hahnemann Medical College. He is a Clinical Member of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. Dr. Pennington is a practicing post-doctoral clinician eligible for licensure. He has spent the past 12 years working in drug and alcohol treatment.
Dr. Pennington integrates a synthesis of developmental, object-relations and cognitive behavioral therapeutic modalities to help his clientele navigate necessary, healthy transformational change in their thinking and behavior.
Stephen J Groth, MD,
Praxis-12 Detox and Physiogolic Services/Medical Consultant
Praxis-12 Medical Director
Dr Stephen Groth is Executive Director of the TRIAD Treatment Center, our affiliated detox and addiction medical services partner. He also serves as the Praxis-12 Medical Director. He both runs TRIAD and oversees all patient care at TRIAD.
He joined TRIAD in June, 2006 to help organize the TRIAD Treatment Center in order to bring the NTR™ System to Southern California, and soon added additional cutting-edge treatment modalities such as Prometa™ and Suboxone™. Dr. Groth is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Medical School (MD ’76), as well as Harvard College (AB ’73). He is board-certified in Emergency Medicine, and for over 14 years was Director of Emergency Services at Anaheim Memorial Medical Center in Anaheim, CA. He is an American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) member and will soon be certified in Addiction Medicine.
Dr. Groth brings to TRIAD a perspective of recovery, as he is now entering his fifth year of recovery from addiction to opiates, alcohol, benzodiazepines, and “other things”. In his “spare time”, Dr Groth is Publisher, Editor, and CEO of “California Together”, a recovery-oriented newspaper that serves the broad recovery communities of Southern California: www.californiatogether.com.
His concern for making sure that TRIAD’s clients are offered a comprehensive approach to recovery from addiction is what sets our clinic apart from other similar clinics. NTR™, Prometa™, or Suboxone™ in most cases will be only the beginning of recovery from addictions; rehab and psychosocial therapy (AA, NA, etc.) are also critical to ongoing sobriety and recovery. These important elements are introduced and encouraged. Liaison and coordination with drug and alcohol treatment facilities such as Praxis-12 is our highest priority, and we are pleased to be working so closely with Praxis-12.
John Collings, CAADE
Addiction Counselor
John has many years of working with other addicts and the field of addiction. He is a certified drug and alcohol counselor. John did a year as a house manager and counselor intern at Pacific Hills Treatment Centers, went on to a local proposition 36 provider as a staff counselor and now works in San Clemente at a well known Treatment facility.
John received his certification for Alcohol and Drug Studies, Family Services, Human Services Generalist and Conflict Resolution / Mediation from Saddleback College. John is Certified by California Association of Alcohol and Drug Educators and was earned the credential Certified Addiction Treatment Counselor- CATC, in 2003.
Connie Sasso
Art Therapist
Ms. Sasso’s art therapy in recovery came as a response to her families experiences with addiction and recovery. Her teaching experience ranges from junior and senior high school levels to university level to developmentally disabled adults. Her educational background is in the fine arts, a B.A. in Dance, a B.A. in Art and a M.F.A. in Art. She also has a comprehensive knowledge of the twelve step program.
Richard Leste
Business Development
Entrepreneur executive with over 30 years of experience managing sales, marketing, operations, personnel at the district, regional, corporate level for both start-up and established wholesale, retail, franchise and manufacturing companies.
Motivational management style with a record of building and retaining highly motivated sales teams, distributor networks and manufacturers representatives. Successful in identifying opportunities for accelerated growth.
JOHN PHILLIPS
12-Step Life Coach