Dr. Keith Morgen, President, is a tenured Professor of Counseling and Director of the Graduate Counseling Programs (including the M.A. Clinical Counseling – Addictions Track Program) at Centenary University Hackettstown, Warren County NJ), where he is a prior recipient of the Distinguished Teaching Award. Dr. Morgen is the author of over 40 scholarly articles and book chapters in the areas of trauma, older adult mental health care, prison-based mental health/addiction issues, and co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders. Dr. Morgen is the author of the book Substance Use Disorders and Addictions (Sage) which is scheduled for a 2nd edition release in 2024. Dr. Morgen is also the co-author of the book Aging Behind Prison Walls: Studies in Trauma and Resilience (Columbia University Press) which was the 2022 recipient of the Society for Social Work and Research Book Award. Dr. Morgen is a former President of the International Association of Addictions and Offender Counselors (a division of the American Counseling Association) and currently serves on the NAADAC practice standards sub-committee focused on older adult substance use disorders care. Dr. Morgen is a Licensed Professional Counselor (New Jersey), Approved Clinical Supervisor, and operates a counseling practice with clients diagnosed with substance use and mental health disorders as well as trauma, anxiety, and mood disorders. presidentnjapa@gmail.com
Victoria Nagel (she/her), Ethics Committee Chair, is a Ph.D. candidate in Counselor Education and Supervision at Walden University and a dedicated behavioral health professional with over a decade of experience counseling individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders in both residential and telehealth settings. She is a Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor, Licensed Professional Counselor, Certified Clinical Supervisor, National Certified Counselor, Approved Clinical Supervisor, and Board Certified TeleMental Health Provider.
Victoria has nine years of clinical supervision experience and more than seven years of experience facilitating clinical training for professionals at various stages of their careers. She serves as Director of Clinical Training and Workforce Development at the New Jersey Prevention Network (NJPN) and is also the co-founder and a practicing therapist at Resilience to Thrive Counseling and Consulting, where she provides counseling services and professional development for behavioral health professionals. njapaethics@gmail.com
Rose Maire, LCADC, CCS, MAC, NCSE, Secretary, is one of the founding members of the NJ affiliate of NAADAC. An active member of NAADAC, she is currently the chair of the Ethics Committee and also served on NCCAP, the certification branch of NAADAC, for 10 years. Ms. Maire has worked in the addiction profession for over 40 years, working in many levels of care, including OP, IOP, short term residential, and as a student assistance counselor. She has also taught graduate level counseling courses. For the state, Ms. Maire has served on the PAC, the Co-Occurring Committee, and the Drug Court Committee. With NJAMHAA, she was a member of the Addiction Practice Group, and the Workforce Development and Peer Recovery Support Committees. Throughout her career, she has advocated for the underserved populations, particularly those in the criminal justice system. She remains passionate about her work with clients and with providing clinical supervision to counselors and interns.
Sandy Gibson, PhD, LCSW, LCADC, Advocacy Committee Chair, is a Professor with The College of New Jersey. She received her masters and PhD from the University of Maryland with a specialization in addictions. She worked as an addiction counselor for six year in Alexandria, Virginia before completing her PhD in social work and becoming a Study Director at a research institute at Temple University for seven years. There she developed and evaluated addiction prevention and treatment programming, including a Center for Substance Abuse Prevention model program Across Ages.
In 2010 she became faculty at TCNJ in the Department of Counselor Education where she teaches addiction counseling, research and statistics, measurement and evaluation and practicum/internship. She also received a grant to provide recovery support for students and promote environmental change strategies on campus. During her tenure at TCNJ, she received a contract from Mercer County to become director of the Intoxicated Driver Resource Center and recently developed a new curriculum that is now used statewide. She is now contracted to draft a new curriculum to bring harm reduction strategies into NJ OORP and IRTS programs. Dr. Gibson now works actively to promote harm reduction and promote a shift away from a criminal justice approach to drug use towards one of public health that centers on the decriminalization of drug use. She is also a practicing addiction counselor (25+ years), her private practice, Crossing Wellness, focuses on harm reduction psychotherapy. nnjadvocate@gmail.com
Kathleen Dennis, Clinical Issues Committee Chair, has a master’s degree in Counseling with an emphasis on Addiction Counseling. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and a Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LCADC) and has worked in the field of substance abuse and disorders for 25 years, primarily serving underserved and indigent clients. Dennis has worked in numerous levels of care, including outpatient, intensive outpatient, short and long term residential, and detox, as both a primary counselor and clinical supervisor. Dennis works from the perspective that strengthening counselors’ skills results in better client care, and ultimately an improved system of care. Dennis is credentialed as an Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS) and a Certified Clinical Supervisor (CCS). Currently working in private practice, Dennis provides individual counseling and supervision services. She holds designations as a Master’s Addiction Counselor (MAC), a Substance Abuse Professional (SAP), and is a Certified Grief Educator. nnjclinicalissues@gmail.com
Ruth Jean-Marie, MBA/PA, LCADC, CCS, Membership Chair, is a proven leader with over 20 years of experience in the Human Services field. She currently serves as the Chief Administrator Officer at Avatar where she provides administrative oversight of the facility, ensuring efficient and effective operations while meeting business goals. Her motivation in life, under her leadership, is to see lives restored.
She lives by this quote by the late Maya Angelo: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” nnjmembership1@gmail.com
Sharon Green, Communications Committee Chair, LCADC, LAC, CCS has over 20 years of clinical experience and served as licensed clinician and management positions in the federal, state, and local sectors ofbehavioral health. Sharon holds a Master of Science degree from UMDNJ and currently pursuing her EdD doctorate degree with a focus on traumatology and community care.
Currently, Sharon is the CEO of Journey into Wellness, and oversees clinical activities. Some of her work involves collaboration within the community and advocacy efforts with diverse populations. There is a concerted effort to address individual needs and reduce the stigma that is associated with addiction. nnjcommunicationspro@gmail.com
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New Jersey Addiction Professionals Association 