I was born and raised in Connecticut and came to Florida shortly after 9/11 in 2001. After receiving a BA degree in Sociology from Central Connecticut State College and entering a Master’s Program in Clinical Social Work from Columbia University School of Social Work in NYC.  As a result of 9/11, I left the New York area and moved to Florida where I received an MSW with Honors and a concentration in addictions from Florida International University. Prior to graduate school, I worked as a Behavioral Tech at Four Winds Psychiatric Hospital working with adults in Katonah NY. Although I spent many years in an unrelated field, I decided to make a career change where I could use my empathy, compassion, and understanding to help others. While at Columbia University, my Field Placement was at Greenwich Hospital Addictions Recovery Unit for one year. It was there I treated an older adult population in an inpatient and outpatient program where many patients had begun drinking heavily after retirement or the death of a spouse and suffering from loneliness, isolation, and loss of meaning. This piqued my interest and focus of study on Late-Onset Alcoholism. While at FIU my internships included The Pride Center serving the LGBTQ community in inpatient and outpatient programs. There, I became interested in Sexual Addiction which I noticed often coupled with chemical dependency. Jack went on to study with Patrick Carnes Ph.D. and trained to become a Certified Sex Addictions Therapist with the International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals. I completed my internship at Hanley Hazelden, now Betty Ford Center where I also worked as a counselor after graduation. I began exploring the underlying issues of addiction and came to understand that childhood trauma played a significant role in how one views the world. I studied Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing EMDR and became an EMDR Therapist Internationally Certified by EMDRIA. My favorite part of the job is facilitating a change and witnessing healing.