About A Forever Recovery
Our treatment center has provided an environment for recovery from addiction that is unique. Bringing together many different types of counselors, we hope to guide our clients into finding the recovery base that is best for them.
At A Forever Recovery, we have brought together a team of trained, licensed professionals or certified recovering members of many different modalities that also have a background in the addictions field.
Feel free to call us toll-free and speak with a certified counselor if you have any questions about our unique approach to recovery through our A Forever Recovery program.
Speak confidentially with a recovery advisor.
Our Staff
Pamela Anderson, MBA, MRT
Pamela Anderson’s career has been devoted to helping others. For 17 years she worked for a national health and human services foundation and learned that helping others gave her a genuine feeling of accomplishment. Although she is not in recovery, her brother suffered from addiction to cocaine and alcohol for many years. He is one of the fortunate who is now in long-term recovery.
Pamela believes that addiction can be eradicated and this belief led her to turn her career focus to substance abuse and addiction. She attended the University of Detroit where she received a BS and an MBA. Pamela has this to say about A Forever Recovery:
Recovery allows an addict to shine and be the beautiful person that has been hidden during active addiction. At A Forever Recovery, we utilize Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT) which is an evidenced-based cognitive behavior peer recovery program that develops a person’s moral compass. Individual counseling along with group therapy allows our clients to become productive, contributing members of society.”
We encourage our staff to work on professional development, and we strive to have a dedicated and educated staff delivering our program. Our program brings together professionals from several recovery support modalities of treatment, Faith-Based, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Self-Help Groups and Indigenous. Our goal is to find the right form of recovery that works for the client. We focus on the recovery of the Body, Mind, and Spirit collectively. We are here to help save lives!”
Amanda Smith, RN, DON
Amanda Smith, Director of Nursing, obtained her degree in nursing at Baker College in Owosso, MI in 2007. She is passionate about the medical field and helping others. Amanda became interested in working with addiction after seeing firsthand how addictions can not only affect the person but families as well.
Amanda is dedicated to helping others lead a clean and sober lifestyle. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and being on the lake. Amanda is grateful for this amazing opportunity to live her dreams and passions.
Arlene Donnelly, Counselor
Arlene Donnelly is a counselor at A Forever Recovery. She has a Masters of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, is a Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor, and is Moral Reconation Therapy certified as well as SMART Recovery certified. Arlene is married to the love of her life, and they have six children, ages 20, 18, 16, 7, 6 and 5.
Arlene has done a lot of volunteering throughout her older children’s education. In doing this, she found her passion in helping others achieve their goals. Here at A Forever Recovery, she is engaged in the initial assessment process conducted upon patients’ arrival at the withdrawal facility. She also provides individual counseling services and facilitates groups. She also enjoys being one of the first people that our clients meet as they begin their stay with us. In doing this, she has a unique opportunity to see each and every one of our client’s grow and change throughout their stay.
Though Arlene has never struggled with addiction herself, she has been the support system for some of her loved ones through their addiction. This role and her own life experiences have given Arlene an insight into the addiction process. With this knowledge, she discovered the desire to help others find the path to sobriety.
Holly Gray, Clinical Director
Holly Gray is a detox, residential group, and individual counselor at A Forever Recovery. She has a Master’s of Social Work from Western Michigan University and Bachelor of Science degrees in both Psychology and Sociology from Grand Valley State University. Holly married her best friend in 2012 and they have supported each other in their chosen professions.
Holly began working at A Forever Recovery on November 1, 2017. She is experienced in counseling all ages of individuals from children to adults. She previously counseled in a home-based substance abuse program and counseled families regarding drug use, trauma, and behavioral interventions. Holly is working toward a CAADC to continue providing the best services possible for our clients and to further her substance use counseling knowledge.
Holly started counseling at AFR because she and her husband experienced the loss of a close friend due to a car accident where the driver was under the influence. It helped Holly realize that she wanted to do a job that she loved and one that was making a positive difference. She wants to help make a positive change with the people who choose to come to A Forever Recovery because she believes everyone can change and have control of their lives. Holly hopes to continue professional development and walk with patients on their journey of recovery.
James Donnelly, Case Manager
James Donnelly is a Case Manager here at A Forever Recovery. He was born in Detroit, United States, and was raised in the foster care system. James has a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Services from Baker College. He previously worked helping people with disabilities gain employment and worked for the state of Michigan as an investigator for Children’s Protective Services. James is also a veteran of the United States Army.
James has dealt with his own addiction to alcohol and has been clean and sober now for over 10 years. Through his own struggles with addiction, James gained empathy for those who struggle with addiction. While working towards sobriety is a tough road, he looks forward to helping people achieve their sobriety and gain control of their life again.
Jessica McNutt, Client Services
Jessica McNutt was given the opportunity to join the A Forever Recovery team as a receptionist when she was 18 years old. Shortly after joining in October 2010, she witnessed our clients coming into the facility, and the families who brought them. Seeing these clients graduate, and seeing the families, the light in their eyes, the hope for their future in recovery, made Jessica eager to contribute more.
In April 2011, Jessica was promoted and worked as the Executive Assistant to the Executive Director for seven years. She recently accepted the position as Client Services working as the Recipient Rights advocate for our clientele.
Working with the substance abuse population as they developed the tools to move on to a life living in recovery has been instrumental to Jessica’s professional and personal growth.
Jessica is grateful to have had the opportunity and she found great success in helping others.
Tracy Laing, MA, LPC, CAADC
Tracy Laing is a Master’s level Licensed Professional Counselor and a United States Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor. She is also certified as a Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT) group facilitator.
Tracy has over 20 years of experience working within the mental health and criminal justice fields. She has received training in a variety of evidence-based therapeutic techniques including but not limited to, Motivational Interviewing, Family systems, and attachment techniques, along with a variety of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) techniques. Prior to moving into the addictions field, she was a Family Self-Sufficiency Program Manager with the State of Michigan as well as a Day Reporting Program Manager with the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department.
Her areas of work and interests include self-esteem, trauma (including domestic violence and sexual abuse), depression, anxiety, addictions, stress and coping, eating disorders, self-harm, grief and loss, and anger management.
Charles J. Anderson, MA, LLPC, MRT
Charles was born and raised in Dearborn, United States. He decided to join the team at A Forever Recovery in 2009 starting as a case manager, and since has worked as a lead case manager, group facilitator, program director and Director of A Forever Recovery North-Detox. Charles was a collegiate student-athlete at Henry Ford Community College and the University of Detroit prior to being drafted and play professional baseball within the Toronto Blue Jays organization.
Charles is a husband and the father of three children currently residing in the United States. When asked about why he likes to work at A Forever Recovery, Charles shared, “I really appreciate the daily challenges that I need to conquer. Trying to instill behavior modification does not always go as planned.” Charles has a passion to help people in need and loves to see people implement structure and direction in their lives. Charles holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Detroit and a Master’s degree in counseling from Spring Arbor University. Charles is a Limited Licensed professional counselor who is a certified drug and alcohol counselor and certified in Moral Reconation Therapy.
Todd Korteway
Todd Korteway is an accredited Journey practitioner and Leadership coach. He completed his Journey training in August of 2008 and Conscious/Visionary Coaching spring of 2009. Both Journeywork and Visionary Leadership Coaching has given Todd a life-changing experience and it allows him to live in consciousness and to speak truth from his direct experiences. Todd’s goal is to use all of his training and teachings to help people experience their full potential and to live life in a place of consciousness and truth. He also gained his Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC) on June 17th, 2014 and completed Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT) certification January 14th, 2016.
Scot Miller, MSW, MDIV, MA
Scot Miller combines life experience with academic excellence to develop therapeutic relationships with individuals and groups towards an outcome that promotes confidence, healthy risk-taking, and faith that recovery brings the kinds of results we have always thought to be impossible for people like us.
Scot incorporates music, film-clips, feminist studies, and postmodern philosophy into therapy in a manner that addicts find to be eye-opening and challenging. These components are remarkably easy to understand and apply to support changes in thinking and beliefs that are necessary for long-term recovery and self-discovery.
For those who want to explore faith, Miller is a recorded Quaker Minister and ordained with the Church of the Brethren.
Nicole Howe MA, LLPC
Nicole Howe has a Masters in Counseling Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology in Chicago, IL. She is also trained in Moral Reconation Therapy.
Nicole is a licensed counselor with the state of Michigan. Her populations of interest include adults, families, and children dealing with substance abuse and/or mental illness.
As a substance abuse counselor, Nicole enjoys her work and looks forward to continuing to grow in the field.
Laurel Odell, BS, MRT
Laurel Odell has a BA in Psychology and has 17 years’ experience working in the field of substance abuse recovery. She is also MRT trained and certified in SMART Recovery.
Laurel says she enjoys this field of work because she finds it rewarding and important.