Mental and Behavioral Health Specialists Malibu

At Center for Professional Recovery, our highly-skilled and compassionate staff are extensively trained in chemical dependency and co-occurring mental health treatment for professionals. Our perspective is uniquely different than that of most treatment centers, as many of us have walked in your, or your patient’s shoes, and thus have first-hand experience with professional treatment and recovery. With our distinct and combined specialties, we demonstrate unwavering compassion and provide comprehensive evaluations and personalized treatment plans utilizing a broad range of evidenced-based therapeutic modalities.

Gregory Skipper MD

Program Advisor, Professionals Program

Dr. Skipper is a Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine and a certified medical review officer. He previously served as medical director for the Alabama Physician Health Program and was on the council that created and oversaw the Oregon Health Professionals Program. Dr. Skipper was the primary innovator of ethyl glucuronide (EtG) testing and is an expert in alcohol biomarkers and drug testing. He was a principal investigator of the National Physician Health Program Blueprint Study, funded by a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant, and is the author of many articles regarding drug testing, physician health, and contingency monitoring. Dr. Skipper was formerly medical director of Springbrook Hazelden, and he was a chief advisor to the development of the professional’s program at Promises, Betty Ford Center and Bradford Health Services.

Matthew Goldenberg D.O.

Associate Medical Director

Matthew Goldenberg D.O. is double board-certified in psychiatry and addiction psychiatry and is a certified Medical Review Officer (MRO). He is an expert in the evaluation and treatment of mental health disorders and has provided addiction psychiatry consultations to some of the nation’s top addiction treatment programs. In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Goldenberg is an active author, researcher and invited speaker at local and national conferences. He volunteers his time as a clinical instructor in the Department of Psychiatry at UCLA and is an assistant professor of psychiatry at Cedars Sinai Medical Center. Dr. Goldenberg completed an addiction psychiatry fellowship through UCLA, in Los Angeles, California, and psychiatry residency at Banner University Medical Center of the University of Arizona, in Phoenix, Arizona. He completed medical school at Midwestern University, Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine, and is a native of Los Angeles.

John Pustaver, MDiv, MA

Comprehensive Diagnostic Evaluation Program Director

John Pustaver, MDiv, MA, completed his undergraduate education at Arizona State University majoring in fine arts. After serving the Archdiocese of Los Angeles for ten years, John found his spiritual path within the 12-Step recovery community and retired from active ministry. John then completed 60 hours of MFT coursework while working at the Betty Ford Center’s professionals program. He became the director of their Clinical Diagnostic Program after learning the science and art of conducting professional evaluations. John has been involved in professional assessments and treatment for fifteen years and has found a unique way serving professionals in crisis. John’s responsibilities with the Center for Professional Recovery include directing and overseeing professional evaluations, including, the collection and review of collateral information, remaining in contact with referents and preparing the Comprehensive Diagnostic Evaluation (CDE) final summary report for the CDE Team.

Reuben Vaisman-Tzachor

Ph.D., FACFEI, DABPS, FAPA, DABCHS

Dr. Rueben Vaisman-Tzachor brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the Center for Professional Recovery. He obtained his doctorate degree in clinical psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology in 1993 and has been a Licensed Psychologist since 1997. He has taught as an adjunct professor of clinical and forensic psychology at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology in Los Angeles and others for over 25 years, and served as an Attending Psychologist at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles for 16 years.

Dr. Vaisman is a Fellow at the American College of Forensic Examiners Institute, a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychology Specialties in Clinical and Forensic Psychology, a Fellow at the American Psychotherapy Association and a Diplomate of the American Board of Certification in Homeland Security.

He has conducted research and published over 20 professional journal articles, and has written or co-authored 8 books and 3 psychology-based novels. Many of his research articles are about addiction and chronic mental illness. Additionally, he has served as an expert witness for various courts including the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

During 6 years of counter-terrorism service as a navy captain and gun-ship commander for the Israeli navy, he developed an expertise in terrorism prevention. He was subsequently recruited to head a research project at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico to study and produce a national terrorism prevention protocol for the George W. Bush administration. The project was subsequently integrated by the CIA into the pursuit of Osama Bin Laden and has been adopted into the official curriculum at the FBI Academy.

Dr. Vaisman-Tzachor is a writer, reader and speaker of English, Spanish, and Hebrew.

Benjamin Nakanishi, Psy.D

Primary Therapist

Dr. Ben Nakanishi is a licensed clinical psychologist who has many years of experience working with clients struggling with addiction and mental health issues. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of California Santa Barbara and went on to obtain his doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University.

Dr. Nakanishi has worked in a range of settings including community mental health, schools, correctional institutions, and in private practice providing individual, group, couples, and family therapy. He strives to create a collaborative and supportive environment so that issues can be explored openly and honestly. He draws from a wide range of therapeutic orientations and techniques but specializes in psychodynamic and psychoanalytic approaches which focus on exploring the unconscious motivations that drive our behaviors.

Audrey Hope

Spiritual Advisor, RASi

Audrey Hope harnesses her gifts of finely-tuned perception and healing in her work as a Spiritual Intuitive Healer and Addiction Expert. Audrey served for eight years as Director of Spiritual Counseling at a popular rehab center in Malibu. The revolutionary techniques she uses to help clients in their personal transformations have been lauded by people from all walks of life around the world.

Audrey’s Spiritual Counseling transcends the boundaries of traditional therapy, with its mind-focused approach, helping clients reach the deeper soul, where true healing happens. Her goal is to help each client achieve full transformation in the physical, emotional, and spiritual body. “One must work with an alchemist, one who knows how to go down into the cave with you and solve the riddle of the soul, at the ‘root of the root of the root.’ When you unlock the keys, transformation is possible and life becomes a miracle of free creation.”

Kate Maddox

Kate Maddox, MA, LMFT

Psychotherapist and Certified EMDR and Brainspotting Specialist

Kate Maddox received her master’s degree in psychology from Phillips Graduate University in 2013 in the marriage and family therapy program. Kate specializes in addiction and co-occurring disorders. She has worked in a wide variety of clinical settings, including residential treatment centers for drug and alcohol addiction, family counseling centers, juvenile facilities, and private practice.

Kate incorporates cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), narrative therapy and family systems in her therapeutic practice. Kate facilitates weekly groups on DBT, narrative therapy and journaling. In addition to working as a therapist, Kate has been a journalist for nearly 30 years and believes in the power of writing to help clients express themselves and transform their lives.