Welcome,  

Understanding "my why" is one of the biggest reasons that my clients choose me. Thank you for taking the time to visit this page while learning about my journey and my passion for helping people with their addiction recovery. 

I am also on my own journey of recovery every day.

McMaster University Graduation. Never too late for change.

Click the image below to see Dean on Rogers TV as the Host of,

Invisible: Breaking Through the Stigma of Addiction

Invisible; Breaking through the stigma of addiciton, available on rogers tv.

Invisible; Breaking through the stigma of addiciton, available on rogers tv.

Education and Certifications:

McMaster University, Professional Addiction Studies Diploma

Canadian Professional Counsellors Association: Master Practitioner in Clinical Counselling, Registered Professional Counsellor

University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine, Certificate in Intensive Smoking Cessation Counselling, CBT Accreditation, and DBT Accreditation

Chestnut Health Systems, GAIN Q3 MI Assessment Certified

Certified Coaches Federation, Certified Coach Practitioner

Ontario Tobacco Research Unit, Certificates in Smoking Protection, Evaluation, Cessation, and Prevention.

Metal Health First Aid Certificate, Mental Health Commission of Canada

Livingworks, Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) Certified

The Red Cross, First Aid, and CPR Certified.

Crisis Prevention Institute, Non-Violent Crisis Intervention Certified.

PROUD MEMBER OF THE

My Personal Story

My entire life has been lived in London, Ontario, where I currently reside in the old-south end of the city and where my Father still lives nearby in our family home. The stereotypical middle child of three siblings, attention-seeking, overactive, and full of energy. Being raised in the 70's by baby boomer parents, my older brother and younger sister and I were instilled with the values of respect, hard work, honesty, and integrity. Which was a tall order for a middle child but it was thankfully etched in my belief system as I came to learn as I became older. I have been blessed with having four wonderful, intelligent, loving and healthy children by two equally as wonderful women who have dedicated their lives to the children's well-being.

The majority of my professional career was spent in leadership and management roles in the service industry. Being very outgoing and extroverted helped me to help others and to have a unique perspective in the hospitality and retail industries. While working within the restaurant industry it became very clear to me that my outgoing personality and extroversion made it very easy for me to overindulge in alcohol and drugs. This quickly became an all-or-nothing mentality when it came to drinking. I was either drinking heavily or not at all. Throughout my twenties, I lived in a cyclical manner where I would have a life of abstinence from psychoactive substances or I would be in full swing "functioning alcoholic" mode. During my dry times, I seemed to manage my day-to-day life but my emotional regularization in hindsight was deplorable. In my 30th year, I married my now ex-wife and made the decision to discontinue the use of any and all mind-altering substances, which I "successfully" did for 6 years. During this time I continued to climb the corporate ladder, progress in my career, make lots of money, help to raise my family and build the appearance of the American Dream. Meanwhile, I was still emotionally and mentally unsure of my place and purpose in the world. Depression and anxiety became an unwanted yet increasing regular part of my life. This anxiety and depression lead to a life of discontentment, fear, restlessness, and eventually relapse into active alcoholism. In a couple short years, I managed to alienate my family, destroy my career, wreck my marriage and spend all my money. This aided me in deteriorating my health physically and mentally literally to the brink of death.

My four amazing and beautiful children.

“Humility is the ability to give up your pride and still retain your dignity.”
— Vanna Bonta

It was then that everything changed forever. I was introduced to the recovery community and all the wonders it had in store. Residential treatment is where things blossomed and a new perspective on life began. With this new found drive, I took part in everything recovery had to offer. I voluntarily went to: 

  • Mutual aid groups.

  • Cognitive therapy programs.

  • Relapse prevention classes.

  • University and institutional seminars.

  • Chaired recovery based social events.

  • Webinars and online classes.

  • Became active in many recovery based social activities.

  • Attended < hundreds of 12 step meetings.

I began on a journey of self-actualization and awareness by submerging myself in the culture of abstinence and holistic self-care. This lead to years of volunteer work, sponsorship, special event planning, education, leadership roles and the eventual realization of my calling, being a helper. I went back to school and earned a University education from McMaster in Addictions in addition to several other certificates in self-care and personal development from C.M.H.A. (Canadian Mental Health Association), University of Toronto, The Certified Coaches Federation and much more.

Now I have a very happy and content life based on giving. It isn't that nothing goes wrong in my life or I don't make mistakes. The exact opposite is true, "life" happens to me all the time; but I continue to use the skills that have been taught to me and I have learned in order to navigate the pitfalls that we all inevitably deal with. It is now my passion to be able to use my life experiences and knowledge to help build upon the wisdom of others and teach people how to live a holistic, balanced and happy life regardless of outside influences. 

If you would like to learn more about me or my journey please feel free to contact me with any questions.