Featured Staff
Stephen Kahn, M.D., Medical Director
Dr. Kahn is one of the most respected and well-reputed psychiatrist and addictionologists in the State of Florida. Dr. Kahn is a graduate of the University of Bologna, in Italy; He completed his Psychiatric Residency at the Long Island Jewish Hillside Medical Center in New Hyde Park, New York. He has maintained the position of Medical Director, Attending Physician and Psychiatric Consultant at various mental health and dual diagnosis treatment centers in the Miami-Dade and Broward County areas. Dr. Kahn also specializes in the treatment of patients with eating disorders.
Jeffrey Kamlet, M.D., General Practitioner and Addictionologist
Dr. Kamlet has been part of our medical staff since 1998 completing medical workups on all of our clients. Dr. Kamlet has six different certifications including ASAM certification for addiction medicine and is President of the Florida Society of Addiction Medicine. He holds a private practice in Miami Beach, Florida in which he incorporates cutting-edge approaches to drug addiction. Dr. Kamlet is also Adjunct Professor of Medicine at Barry University - School of Graduate Health Sciences.
Arlene Pena-Gonzalez, M.D., Psychiatrist, Board Certified in General Psychiatry and holds a sub-specialty in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Dr. Pena-Gonzalez graduated with a Doctor of Medicine from Albert Einstein College of Medicine-Yeshiva University and completed her internship and general psychiatry residency at Hillside Hospital-Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, New York. She went on to receive a Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship at the University of Miami- Jackson Memorial Medical Center where she was the Chief Fellow in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Chronic Relapse and Dual Diagnosis Specialists
G & G Holistic Addiction Treatment Program is located in North Miami Beach, Florida. Surrounded by the warmth of the sun and lush tropical breezes clients come to escape from the clutches of the disease of addiction and to begin the process known as RECOVERY. We have learned from our many years of experience treating addiction that the best way to ensure a successful treatment outcome is to remove the person from the people, places and things associated with their addiction. This reduces distractions and gives the individual an opportunity to fully engage in treatment and to learn the coping skills necessary to stay clean and sober when they return to their home environment. Our clients come from all over the country and world seeking a program to give them the solid foundation on which to recover, to begin a life free from mood altering substances and the ability to deal with life on life’s terms.
Holistic Living Environment
Our Center’s model is a network of guesthouses and our treatment offices. The comfortable and casual setting reduces the “institutional” feeling, provides clients an abundance of personal attention and enables us to have the flexibility to tailor the program to individual needs.
Program Philosophy
It is our sincere desire to motivate our clients to choose a more healthy way of life and to help themselves to get the life they really want. We take a Holistic approach to addiction treatment, BODY-MIND-SPIRIT. This three-fold approach encompasses the clients’ physiological, psycho-emotional and spiritual needs. We are a client-centered program based on respect and compassion. Although addiction has common characteristics and behavior patterns associated with it, we treat each client as unique. Each therapeutic issue is addressed individually. We utilize a wide range of therapeutic interventions in order to help each client achieve their specific goals. In addition to traditional group and individual therapy, these interventions may include Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (E.M.D.R.) for Post Traumatic Stress and Compulsive Disorders, Hypnosis, Neuro- Linguistic Programming (N.L.P.), Dialectic Behavior Therapy (D.B.T.), and Motivational Interviewing.
What Makes our Program Unique
The disease model of addiction implies that there is something wrong with a person that cannot be healed. For example, research has shown that there are alcoholic biochemistries that make some people predisposed to addiction. Rather than a "disease", we view addiction as a “dis-ease” which causes an imbalance and disharmony in the life of a human being. Furthermore we believe that the symptoms are physical, psycho-emotional and spiritual conditions, which can be treated and/or managed, and their impact dramatically reduced.
Our goal is to help clients build self-esteem and self-confidence and to give them the tools to deal with life on life’s terms. With a sense of empowerment and self-worth, our clients’ are in a better frame of mind to say "no" to unhealthy, addictive behaviors and to say "yes" to the healthy choices that make life worth living.
Program Design
We have a continuum of care in a variety of housing units. Some units are designated for PHP/IOP/RES depending upon the level of care and supervision requirements.
About Our Founders
The owners and founders of the program are John Giordano and Jerry Goldfarb. Both founders are recovering addicts with over 22 years of recovery time each from drugs/alcohol. They have a wealth of experience working in the field of addiction. These men are progressive, open-minded, forward thinkers who were far ahead of their time in terms of Holistic Treatment for addiction. This program design has developed from their insights and experiences and continues to change and grow as new therapies and scientific facts come to light.
Specialized Therapies
Psycho-emotional Therapy
Our Clients receive over 40 hours of group therapy and individual therapy per week. Our clients also receive a full history & physical and psychiatric evaluation with weekly follow-ups and medication management as needed. Our therapeutic approach is eclectic. Some of the modalities we use are Gestalt, Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (E.M.D.R.), Dialectic Behavior Therapy (D.B.T.), Neuro Linguistic Programming (N.L.P.), Motivational Interviewing, Transformational Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, all with a humanistic approach.
Hair Elements Analysis
We are one of the only programs in the world that does a full bio-chemical profile of each client’s body mineral and vitamin deficiencies and/or excesses and also a heavy metal profile. This allows us to create a customized supplementation protocol for each individual and rebalance their brain chemistry which significantly increases their sense of well being and chances for long term success.
Bio-Nutritional Therapy
All clients receive a nutritional assessment by a licensed nutritionist and may choose to develop meal plans to suit their individual needs for weight-loss, gain or maintenance. While in our care, clients are offered only fresh, healthy and nutritionally balanced meals and are encouraged to take our proprietary vitamin and nutritional supplements daily in order to restore the proper chemical balances in the brain and body. Special dietary needs such as vegetarian and Kosher can be accommodated.
Physiological
To further restore balance within the body, clients are offered Auricular acupuncture five days per week and are transported to the spa on Saturdays to cleanse and detoxify the body on a cellular level and encourage “sober fun”. Massages and colonics for relaxation and detoxification are also available to our clients at an additional cost. Our clients participate in a comprehensive fitness program. They are transported to the Olympia Gym, a state of the art fitness facility, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and to a Yoga studio & Karate Dojo on Saturdays and Sundays. The clients also have the opportunity to participate in a team building, self-esteem building, and confidence building Ropes Course, which is offered every thirty days.