HELPING YOU ON YOUR JOURNEY

Meet Our Team

Quinn Dentler

Chief Executive Officer/Partner

Quinn’s personal journey of recovery and experience within the treatment industry has lead him to a life long commitment to helping individuals and families toward their own path to recovery. His background includes counseling, family intervention work, operation management, marketing and business development both locally and nationally. He is deeply embedded in his local community and has a mission to bridge the gap between treatment and lasting recovery.

Joseph Soares

Executive Director

Joe comes to the Golden Gate Recovery team with over 8 of years of experience working in the behavioral health field. Upon graduating with a Bachelor’s of Science in Sociology from University of Oregon, Joe began working as a Mentor and Life Coach for Dragonfly Transitions in southern Oregon. He has worked in operations management with sober living environments, has experience working as a clinician and administrator in substance abuse treatment programs, and has a background doing marketing and business development as well. Joe’s own journey through recovery was assisted by the men and women who worked in substance abuse counseling and he believes fully in the foundation-building of recovery that occurs in strong aftercare treatment programs.

Dr. Christian Small

MD, ABPN, ABPM, Medical Director

Dr. Small’s professional experience encompasses General Psychiatry, Addiction Psychiatry and Family Medicine. As the founder of Headlands Addiction Treatment Services, Dr. Small and his team have become leaders in the delivery of addiction medicine and psychiatry to treatment programs throughout California and beyond. These compassionate services are reliable, responsive, personable, and evidenced based. Most of the team providers carry multiple board certifications in psychiatry, addiction medicine and family medicine. They recruit the best and brightest addiction medicine professionals to deliver the highest level of treatment.

Charee Marquez-Crisci

LMFT, Clinical Supervisor

Charee brings 13 years of experience in the recovery field, offering a unique mindfulness-based therapeutic approach. With a passion for guiding and empowering clients, Charee is committed to helping them lead a purposeful and healthy lifestyle. Her extensive clinical background spans inpatient and outpatient recovery settings. She specializes in aiding individuals and families affected by addiction, while also lending her expertise to individuals, couples, and families grappling with concerns such as depression, anxiety, relationship dynamics, substance abuse, grief, trauma, life transitions, and more. Charee tailors each treatment plan to suit her clients, prioritizing compassion and effectiveness. She spotlights the inherent strength within each individual, fostering an environment of personal growth and holistic healing encompassing mind, body, and spirit. Charee earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Seton Hall University, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Women and Gender Studies. Additionally, she holds a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Southern California.

Carrie Atkinson

MFT Trainee, CADC-III, Clinical Director

Carrie has many years of recovery experience, and has worked in treatment in a variety of roles. Carrie came on board to GGR in the spring of 2021, as one of the first on the clinical team. After taking the reins as Clinical Director in early 2023, she has displayed strong leadership with her team by demonstrating quality care by example. Carrie has helped to create the warm, inviting environment that the entire GGR takes pride in on a daily basis. Carrie is a CADC-III, is currently an MFT trainee, and she is emerging on completion of her master’s degree at the end of 2023. Carrie’s dedication to the GGR community is highly valued, and most importantly, her presence at the center has been incredibly impactful to the clients we serve.

Aidan Newhall

Program Director, CADC-III, CCAPP Certified Intervention Specialist, LGBTQ Certification through CCAPP, AA in Psychology

Aidan comes to Golden Gate Recovery with six years of experience working in the addiction field, specializing in men’s recovery programming. Aidan began his own personal journey in Southern California in 2014, and the long-term aftercare program he participated in was so instrumental in his life that he decided to further his own education in addiction counseling. Aidan has worked on both operational and clinical side of treatment starting as a peer support technician and operations now working as a counselor for over three years. Aidan holds a CADC-III and is continuing his higher education in pursuit of a bachelors in industrial psychology. Aidan intends to continue to provide personalized and effective counseling to all clients in his contact by integrating his own personal experience, higher education, and 12-step framework into one approach.

Keith Kurt

CATC-I, Lead Counselor

Keith’s personal journey of recovery inspired him to work in the treatment industry, where he found his passion for human services and helping individuals battling with addiction. His background includes 3 years of experience in crisis intervention, operation management, counseling and group counseling. He is grateful to work with the clinical team in helping these men find a new way to live.

Rachel Cortes

MA, AMFT, Primary Therapist

Rachel’s compassionate approach provides a space for clients to explore their ways of coping that may not be working anymore. She strives to help others by creating a safe space full of warmth and where one can feel empowered to find the courage to lean into their discomfort and find better ways to manage life’s challenges and stresses. As an Associate and Marriage Family Therapist, she is skilled at supporting clients in exploring the complexities of substance abuse and how harmful behaviors interact with mental health challenges such as depression, anxiety, grief, loss, trauma and life transitions. She aspires to play a role in others’ healing journey by helping people explore the parts of themselves that desire change, connection and internal peace. She has experience in providing individual, group and family counseling. Rachel received her Masters of the Arts in Counseling Psychology from The Wright Institute in 2021.

Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist #130151. Supervised by Charee Marquez, LMFT #100506

Neal Carmichael

CADC-I, Primary Counselor

Neal has a passion for helping others achieve their full potential. Having an education background, and over a decade of personal experience in 12 step recovery, he combines hands on education techniques to form long term success with clients, while delivering a message centered in recovery. He believes in integrating life skills with recovery to help clients maximize their dreams.

Elizar Carrilo

Primary Counselor / CADC in training

Eli has years of experience working in treatment settings and brings his enthusiasm for his own recovery every single day. He’s been working at GGR since the beginning 2 1/2 years and has become an integral part of our operations and clinical team.

His background includes individualized case management, group facilitation, operational oversight and much more. Eli is also a marine combat veteran with two tours of duty in Afghanistan, allowing him to offer another unique perspective. His gregarious personality is infectious and the community is lucky to have him.

David Ford

CADC-I, CAI, ARISE Certified (Family Interventions)

Dave has been working on the front lines of substance abuse and mental health care for the last 5 years here in Northern California, diligently helping clients and families to their path of recovery. He is a Certified Arise Interventionist and Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor, he has worked in medical detox settings, co-owns a local sober living company and specializes in working with entire family systems for long durations of time. The love he has for the work that he does has a profound effect on the clients that he works with and is a true leader and man of integrity within the local recovery community.

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