The founder and staff at SRI are Masters or Doctoral level therapists with degrees in Counseling, Psychology, Family Therapy and Social Work. All staff have expertise and training in addictive disorders and sexual concerns.

Clinical Staff

Robert Weiss, LCSW, CSAT
Founding Director | rob@sexualrecovery.com

Talk to Us. We Can Help You. Call 888.608.8504

David Sack
CEO

David Sack, MD is CEO of Elements Behavioral Health, the parent organization of SRI. He also serves as CEO of Promises Treatment Centers, a sister program to SRI. Dr. Sack has enjoyed successful careers in clinical, research and administrative psychiatry. After receiving his medical degree from Rush Medical College, he completed his residency in Psychiatry at the UCLA-Neuropsychiatric Institute. Dr. Sack served as a senior clinical scientist at NIMH where his research interests included affective disorders, seasonal and circadian rhythms, and neuroendocrinology. Dr. Sack is board certified in Psychiatry, Addiction Psychiatry, and Addiction Medicine, and is a certified Medical Review Officer.

Sharon O’Hara, MFT
Clinical Director | sharon@sexualrecovery.com

Sharon O’Hara, M.A. is a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist with 17 years of experience working with sex addicts/offenders and their families, spouses, and partners. For the past ten years, Sharon has been providing specialized treatment for sexual addiction and sexual trauma in her private practice in San Pedro and Torrance and written a monthly Q & A column on Love & Sex for the addiction newspaper, Steps for Recovery.

Sharon is the former Program Director of the Sexual Dependency program at Del Amo Hospital in Torrance, California. Sharon utilizes trauma integrative work such as EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), Somatic Experiencing, and Emotional Freedom Technique, in her work with sex addicts and their spouses. Sharon has appeared on a number of television and radio programs discussing sexual addiction, with a special emphasis on the problems of female sex addicts and co-dependents of sex addicts.

Monica Blauner, LCSW, CSAT Candidate,
Program Director

Monica Blauner is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and psychoanalyst with over thirty years of experience in addictions and mental health. Monica’s training and experience contribute to her ability to understand, empathize, and connect with clients, helping engage them in the treatment process. She integrates her knowledge of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy into her dynamic work with clients. She has taught courses on neurosis, narcissism, chemical dependency, and trauma.

Ms. Blauner is a board certified Diplomate in Clinical Social Work and a member of the International Psychoanalytic Association, the California Society for Clinical Social Work, the American Association for Psychoanalysis in Clinical Social Work, the National Association of Social Workers, and the Academy of Certified Social Workers. Prior to joining SRI, she worked in the Department of Psychiatry at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for over seven years. She holds a Certificate in Psychoanalysis from The New York Freudian Society Psychoanalytic Training Institute, and a Master of Social Work from Smith College School for Social Work. She maintains a private psychotherapy practice in Los Angeles.

Gregory Pospisil, M.A. LMFT, CSAT Candidate
Treatment Specialist | gregory@sexualrecovery.com

Gregory Pospisil graduated from the University of Nebraska with a degree in Communications and received his Masters in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University, Los Angeles. Gregory has experience working with sex addiction and sexual compulsivity as well as drug and alcohol addictions. He is currently a member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT) and the Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health (SASH).

Marty Simpson Revell, MA, CSAT Candidate
Addiction Specialist

Marty Revell is a graduate of the Master’s of Clinical Psychology program at Antioch University, Los Angeles. She is trained in LGBT Affirmative Psychotherapy and has a special interest in the relationship between Family of Origin, trauma, religion, addiction and intimacy.. Marty specializes in couple’s communication, mindfulness and nurturing a differentiated sense of Self all of which are key to developing healthy intimacy in relationship. She utilizes CBT and psycho-dynamic modalities (including Jungian and voice dialogue techniques,) with mindfulness practices, and works relationally.

Sarah Knowlton, MA
Addiction Specialist

Sarah Knowlton holds a Masters in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University Los Angeles where she was a member of the inaugural cohort of the Spiritual and Depth Psychology Specialization. She is a member of CAMFT (California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists), WATT (Women’s Association for Addiction Treatment), and has experience in treating both substance and process addictions with a wide range of populations, including clients with criminal backgrounds seeking treatment through alternative sentencing programs. Sarah works in a mindfulness-based paradigm, utilizing cognitive behavioral and psychodynamic approaches, in combination with 12 step and other wisdom traditions. Sarah seeks to help clients recover their authentic selves through exploring family of origin issues, examining core beliefs and cognitive distortions, modifying behaviors that have become maladaptive, and learning to live life on a daily basis with meaning, integrity, and joy.

Terry Gatewood, ASW, MSW
Treatment Specialist | terry@sexualrecovery.com

Terry Gatewood is experienced in forensic social work and has worked with offenders who have been mandated for treatment or are incarcerated. He has had five years of experience working with substance abuse issue, particularly crystal meth addiction and has had nearly 20 years of experience working with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues, including HIV. He received his Masters in Social Work from the California State University of Los Angeles.

Administrative Staff

Bill Owen, CADC
Administrative & Intake Director | Bill@SexualRecovery.com

Bill Owen is a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor and has been working primarily with sex addicts for the past 15 years. At SRI, Bill runs the intake department, assists with administration and treatment coordination, and facilitates groups and lectures for the Two-Week Intensive Programs. He also maintains a small private practice.

Bill previously worked at Del Amo Hospital in Torrance, California where he was a clinician on the Sexual Disorders Unit and also worked at Del Amo Hospital as the Director of the Intake Department. Bill works primarily from a cognitive-behavioral theoretical orientation in conjunction with a focus on 12 step program principals.

Sarah Chapin
Executive Director | sarah@sexualrecovery.com

Sarah Chapin, MBA, has worked in the addiction treatment field for nearly a decade, as both an admissions counselor and marketing manager for Promises Treatment Centers. She is a graduate of University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business, where she focused her studies on social entrepreneurship while engaging in volunteer consulting work with local non-profits, including Goodwill Southern California and Found Animals Foundation.

Prior to returning to school, Sarah earned her BA in Economics from Occidental College, received a Certificate in Alcohol and Drug Counseling.

Consulting Staff

Michael Alvarez, M.S., MFT
Managing Director | michael@sexualrecovery.com

Michael L. Alvarez is a licensed marriage and family therapist specializing in addictions. In 1981, he established a private practice while concurrently working in various residential and psychiatric facilities. In 1991, he was the first program director for Dr. Patrick Carnes and Dr. John Sealy in the establishment of the sexual disorders program at Del Amo Hospital in Torrance, California. In 1994, he created a specialized track for the treatment of nonviolent sex offenders.

Mr. Alvarez has established himself as a forensic expert, providing expert testimony for both prosecutors and defense. In 2004, he was invited to England to help establish an addiction treatment center, Lifeworks Community, in Old Woking, just outside of London. Mr. Alvarez has been a presenter at the National Council on Sex Addiction (presently SASH) and for The Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (ATSA). Additionally, he has published in Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity: The Journal of Treatment and Prevention. Mr. Alvarez is currently in private practice in Torrance, California.

Mark Hrymoc, MD

Dr. Mark Hrymoc provides comprehensive psychiatric services, specializing in those with addiction problems. Treatment can include medication management, psychotherapy, or both.

Dr. Hrymoc is board-certified in Addiction Psychiatry, Addiction Medicine, and General Psychiatry. He obtained his subspecialist training in Addiction Psychiatry at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where he currently works in his private psychiatric practice. He also holds positions as a clinical instructor in addiction psychiatry at both UCLA and Cedars-Sinai Medical Centers. Dr. Hrymoc is a consulting psychiatrist to Promises Treatment Centers.

Dr. Hrymoc completed his psychiatric residency training at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and trained at UCLA Medical Center and the West Los Angeles Veterans Administration Hospital as well. He obtained an MD degree at New Jersey Medical School and did his undergraduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania. He has worked in a variety of treatment settings, from non-profit community mental health clinics to federally-sponsored multisite medication development trials. In addition to his private practice, Dr. Hrymoc continues to be active in research and teaching psychiatrists-in-training. Dr. Hrymoc co-authored a chapter in the most recent edition of Principles of Addiction Medicine, the main textbook of the American Society of Addiction Medicine.

Dr. Jeffrey Gandin
Jeffery@SexualRecovery.com

Dr. Gandin received his Bachelor of Arts with a Major in Philosophy from the University of California at Berkeley. He subsequently completed a Masters of Science in Physiological Psychology from California State University. After completing Medical School at Sackler School of Medicine, he performed his Internship and Residency in Psychiatry at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA. He then received subspecialty training in Geriatric Psychiatry also at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA.

Dr. Gandin is licensed as a Physician and Surgeon by the Medical Board of California. He is also board certified in Psychiatry as a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. He is currently an Assistant Clinical Professor at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA.

Dr. Gandin has received psychoanalytic training at the New Center for Psychoanalysis and is a member of and remains active in various organizations including the Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health.

Linda Hatch, PhD
Treatment Specialist | linda@sexualrecovery.com

Dr. Hatch is a licensed Psychologist in California and a CSAT 4 (Certified Sex Addiction Therapist 4). She did her undergraduate work in Philosophy at Cornell University where she also held a USPHS fellowship in Child Development. She received her MA and PhD in Psychology from the University of California at Riverside and held an NIMH Postdoctoral Fellowship at UCLA where she also taught as an acting assistant professor and as a contract teacher.

Dr. Hatch has a wide range of professional experience which includes Community Psychology, student counseling, forensic assessment, expert testimony and private practice. Most recently she served as Training Coordinator for Santa Barbara County Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Services. Her current focus is in the field of sexual addiction. She is a member of the American Psychological Association and the Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health.

Mark Hrymoc, MD

Laura Dorin
Consultant

Dr. Laura Dorin is a licensed Psychologist specializing in the forensic assessment of professional misconduct and fitness for duty evaluations. She did her undergraduate work in Psychology at UCLA and received her MA in Clinical Psychology at Pepperdine University. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at California Graduate Institute where she obtained psychoanalytic training in early attachment, object relations theory, and primitive psychopathology.

Dr. Dorin has extensive inpatient experience (Del Amo Hospital, Charter Hospital, Bellflower’s Hospital, Doctor’s Hospital, Suncrest Hospital) and outpatient experience (private practice, Torrance, CA, 1990-present) conducting psychological assessments and psychotherapy for adolescents, adults and families. In addition to adolescent, adult and marital counseling, she has worked with trauma, dissociative disorders, sexual addiction/offender, chemical dependency, post-divorce/ high conflict families and corporate management consulting.

Additionally, Dr. Dorin conducts comprehensive fitness for duty evaluations for incoming candidates for the priesthood for the Western Dominican Province in Oakland, CA and the Los Angeles Archdiocese in Los Angeles, CA. She has served as a court-ordered 730 child-custody evaluator conducting comprehensive parenting plans for the courts in post-divorce, high conflict cases. She is the co-author of the article, Evaluating Juveniles in Custody Disputes, published in the Handbook of Juvenile Forensic Psychology, 2002.