ARUKAH INSTITUTE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Recovery Support Services Supervisor / Co - Director, Crisis Services
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- Behavioral Healthcare Therapist
Job Titles:
- Behavioral Healthcare Therapist
Job Titles:
- Recovery Support Specialist
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- Mind Body Therapy Instructor
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- Administrative Professional
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- Family Medicine & Psychiatry
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- Chief Operations & Compliance Officer
Dr. Michael Lau has been a Licensed Psychotherapist for over 24 years and has provided treatment to children, adolescents, and adults through eclectic best practice approaches that have been proven effective. He always tries to meet each individual at their own point in their recovery process and provide each with a non-directive, client-centered approach to treatment. Accepting and understanding each individual for who they are and what they bring and expect from the therapy process has always been a key variable in successful treatment for each individual he works with. Being able to demonstrate positive outcomes through the use of quantitative measures has been able to provide concrete evidence to individuals that recovery, balance, and overall wellness is possible. Lau has experience in psychological testing and evaluation. In addition to clinical work, he has applied corporate compliance and performance improvement theory as well as statistical process control and total quality management principles to behavioral healthcare. Education includes a BA in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, an MA in Clinical Psychology from Roosevelt University, an MS in Engineering: Quality Control from Southern California University, and a PhD in Health Care Management/Psychology from Southern California University. He holds a Certification as a Health Coach from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.
Job Titles:
- Director of Arukah Institute of Healing
Experience: 10 years in employment-related litigation matters.
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- Revenue Cycle Manager / Information Services
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- Chief Outreach, Prevention & Wellness Officer
Jake is a recent graduate of North Park University in Chicago, Illinois where he received a bachelor's degree in biochemistry with a deep interest in anatomy, physiology, and biophysics. Raised in Princeton, he wishes to serve the community with the skills he has obtained thus far before continuing education in medicine. Jake has a background in working with hospital databases and being involved with patient care. He enjoys analyzing numbers and statistics, which is an important determinant in the care Arukah provides based on the community needs.
Job Titles:
- Recovery Support Specialist
Job Titles:
- Director of Arukah Institute of Healing
Experience: 20 years as an executive in the corrugating and packaging industry.
Job Titles:
- Board Treasurer of Arukah Institute of Healing
Experience: 22 years of accounting, financial practices and systems.
Mrs. Carrington has a Certificate in Accounting with an Associates Degree in Business Administration from Illinois Valley Community College. Prior to joining the Arukah team, Mrs. Carrington has worked at Central Bank Illinois for the last 11 years in the community as a personal banker. Mrs. Carrington has a passion for mental health awareness. Since experiencing the Mind-Body Therapy program through Arukah, she knew she was being called to make a difference in her community. Mrs. Carrington is excited to utilize her finance and business backgrounds to serve through Arukah.
Job Titles:
- PRESIDENT of ARUKAH INSTITUTE of HEALING
Experience: 55+ years in entrepreneurship and small business management.
Job Titles:
- Director of WORTH, Speaking to a Classroom of Students
Kevin Scruggs, Director of WORTH, speaking to a classroom of students
Job Titles:
- Behavioral Healthcare Therapist
Job Titles:
- Intake & Care Coordinator Supervisor
Job Titles:
- Recovery Support Specialist
Lisa Serafini joined the Arukah team to become a certified Recovery Support Specialist. She has over 10 years lived experience with SUD and mental health disorders. Lisa traveled to India in August of 2022 to study Ayurveda, a traditional Hindu system of medicine which is based on the balancing of the bodily systems. She also attended classes on mediation and the mind, body, soul connection while there. She intends to bring what she has learned to the Arukah Living Room to help others in their journey to find balance in their lives by showing support, teaching healthy coping mechanisms and helping clients feel they are not alone on their journey!
Job Titles:
- Outreach & Fundraising Coordinator
Marcy is a CPA, working at CliftonLarsonAllen in Peoria. She graduated from Illinois State University in 2009 with degrees in Accounting and Finance. She works with a variety of nonprofit organizations in Central Illinois, and works with Federal and State agencies to secure funding and maintain compliance with funding regulations. She has been with CLA for 3 years and previously served as a Controller for a small manufacturing company in Pekin. She is honored to be a part of the Arukah team and help the organization grow and serve rural communities and families.
Job Titles:
- Director of Arukah Institute of Healing
Experience: 20 years in business, farming and entrepreneurship.
Job Titles:
- RECOVERY HOUSING PROJECT MANAGER
Michelle holds a Bachelor's of Science in Nursing, and is currently working towards her Master of Science in Nursing Leadership and Management. She has previous experience working with behavioral health as a nurse, and felt a calling to make more of an impact in this field by joining Arukah. Michelle will be working as a Project Manager for the Recovery Housing Project and as a Behavioral Health Crisis Counselor. Michelle is passionate about being an advocate for those in our community struggling with mental health or addiction issues and collaborating with community partners to provide needed resources to these clients.
Job Titles:
- Recovery Support Specialist
Job Titles:
- Recovery Support Specialist
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- Vice - President of Arukah Institute of Healing
Experience: >30 years of agri-business with an emphasis on commodity trading.
Job Titles:
- Behavioral Healthcare Therapist
Job Titles:
- Arukah As a Recovery Support Specialist
- Recovery Support Specialist
Rae Absher joined Arukah as a Recovery Support Specialist with over 15 years of lived experience in substance use and co-occurring mental health disorders. She is currently part of the Mobile Crisis Response Team and works in the living room as a Recovery Support Specialist. She is currently working on becoming a Certified Recovery Support Specialist and is passionate about furthering her education to obtain her CADC. Rae is driven and passionate about combating the stigma and bridging the gap by working with individuals in the community. She defies the odds stacked up against individuals by fostering growth and instilling hope. She will work with individuals to identify and achieve specific life and recovery goals while passionately advocating for those in our community. Rae will offer a unique insight and a valuable perspective that only lived experience can provide in addition to the traditional clinical approach. Rae believes that having guidance and support from someone who's "been there" is what helps establish rapport and builds a warm, trusting environment with individuals. She is passionate about advocating for those in our community struggling with substance use and co-occurring mental health disorders and collaborating with community partners to provide resources to these individuals.
Job Titles:
- Recovery Support Specialist
Ms. Duckworth joined our team as a Recovery Support Specialist. She has previous experience working with the ACT team providing intensive outpatient care to individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance misuse disorders at the Human Service Center in Peoria, IL. She is a graduate of the DACT program at ICC in Peoria, IL. She has 8 years of experience facilitating groups. She is passionate about continuing her education and training in Crisis intervention, Substance Misuse and Mental Health services. Ms. Duckworth is dedicated to working with individuals in continuation of fostering growth of personal development, expanding an instillation of hope for a successful future, defying the odds experienced by individuals experiencing substance misuse and mental health disorders. She is very passionate about establishing a warm and trusting environment to help individuals obtain new information and resources, express ideas productively and socialize knowledge in which provides an opportunity for the individual to find balance and take back control of their life. She is excited to be a part of a team dedicated to bridging the gap and contribute to the implementation of innovative approaches to reach individuals struggling with opioid or other drug addiction, and/or mental health.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Founder
- FOUNDER & Chief Executive Officer of Arukah Institute of Healing
Experience: 18 years in academia, molecular research and precision medicine and 5 years in non-profit administration.
Dr. Scruggs holds a Ph.D. in Physiology and Biophysics from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Medicine, and postdoctoral training in functional omics sciences and data science at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. She is also certified in general yoga instruction and in mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR). Dr. Scruggs worked as a Project Scientist at UCLA on several National Institutes of Health-funded projects that discovered novel mechanisms underlying complex disease pathogenesis. In 2017, Dr. Scruggs relocated to central Illinois and founded the Arukah Institute, with the goal of bringing holistic and innovative methods of behavioral healthcare to rural communities. Dr. Scruggs has 18+ peer-reviewed publications and several digital research products. She is a strong proponent of team science and collaborative work to accomplish a common goal.
Job Titles:
- Receptionist & Billing Specialist
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- Board Secretary of Arukah Institute of Healing
Experience: >20 years in a professional corporate environment, with the last five years focused in Procurement.
Job Titles:
- Director of Arukah Institute of Healing
Experience: 45+ years in business, founder of Geneva Holdings Group.
Job Titles:
- Behavioral Healthcare Therapist