Program Staff

Sebastian has been participating in drug and alcohol treatment and recovery for over a decade, and has a passion for assisting people as they work through areas of life similar to the ones that he has struggled with. Sebastian has worked with New Life House in a variety of roles, and spent time both directing the houses and focusing on the alumni, as well as working with the clinical team at Clear Recovery Center.

Sebastian takes pride in having the opportunity to help young men transform their lives while working with their families.

Howard Barker handles all of the outreach and community engagement at New Life House. He works to spread education and awareness on issues surrounding mental health and substance abuse as well as help families navigate the difficult waters of getting a loved one help. Howard has spent the past 8 years working with young adults and their families, being a support during times of crisis.

A New Life House alumni, Howard went back to college and underwent CADC training in recovery. He has spoken on panels, in treatment centers, community centers, schools, with parents, students, teachers, law enforcement and mental health providers to give insight on issues that are impacting young people today. He works closely with the New Life House families and the management staff, helping to keep things innovative, add additional services for the guys, and deal with all of the logistics of running the New Life House programs.

Max Miner manages New Life House LA. An alumni of the program Max is committed to helping individuals transform their lives and repair their relationships with their families. Max is extremely passionate about the work he does on a daily basis and looks forward to helping others attain the same freedom and confidence that he enjoys in his recovery today.

Robert manages New Life House West in the South Bay. He has been involved with the community since 2011 and uses his experience to help motivate and teach the guys in the house a new way of life in sobriety. Additionally, Robert oversees the housemember’s involvement with volunteer opportunities, legal matters, and coordinating unique and fun experiential experiences to show the guys that anything is possible in sobriety!

Dillon is one of the managers at New Life House LA and offers support for the clinical team at Clear Recover Center as a case manager. He has a passion to help guide men in their journey of daily growth that is necessary for recovery and to lead happy and productive lives.

Dave Lewis has been associated with New Life House for almost 25 years. Through the years he has been a sponsor, teacher, confidant, manager, chef, carpenter and plumber. He has had many wonderful experiences through his time as a manager at New Life House.

When not at one of the South Bay houses, you can find Dave supporting the Stanley Cup Champions the Los Angeles Kings. If it’s football season he will be sitting at home watching the Cornhuskers. More often than not, he is often giving rides to meetings nearly every night.

New Life House has brought Dave a sense of gratitude and satisfaction from watching the guys who come into the house who are beaten and broken as a newcomer to transitioning to graduation and being told they have completed the program. Dave takes great pride and joy in being a small but hopefully successful part of the process.

Liam helps manage New Life East. Going through New Life Personally, Liam understands the process of the house, and navigating the ups and downs of early recovery. Being from the South Bay, he loves going surfing, skateboarding, and being around good people. His main goal is to share his own journey of healing, transformation, and finding an excitement in life that used to seem impossible. When Liam is not at the recovery house, you can be sure to find him at the beach or the skatepark with his friends laughing and having a good time.

Ryan helps manage New Life West. After having an experience going through and graduating the house, Ryan is bringing his passion and excitement for recovery into a management role. In addition to being excited about working with the guys, Ryan is passionate about playing music, learning about computers and technology, and living an active lifestyle. Ryan is involved in helping the young men in the houses build connections, develop compassion and understanding, and applying recovery principles in a way that works.

Adam has been involved in the New Life House community for over 4 years and is an alumni of the program. He is passionate about working with the young men in the house and helping prepare them for what life is like after graduation. In his spare time he enjoys hanging out with others in the recovery community, and the outdoors

Skyler has been involved in the New Life House community for over 3 years and helps manage New Life East on the weekends. As an alumni of the program after having become sober at 17 years old, he is ecstatic about having this opportunity to share his passion for sobriety and recovery with other young men. Skyler aims to help everyone who comes into the program have an experience that is worth holding onto. In his free time, he loves to explore new music, play basketball, and spend time with friends he graduated the house with.

Trevor is the weekend manager of New Life East and has been apart of the community for almost four years. Staying connected and giving back to the community is extremely important to Trevor which is why he loves being a member of this team. Outside of work, Trevor is currently working towards his goal of becoming a firefighter.

Dr. Martha B. Koo, M.D., a graduate of Princeton University and UCLA Medical School, is double Board Certified in Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine and has over 20 years of experience providing psychotherapy, psychoanalysis and pharmaceutical treatment for individuals and families.

Martha has worked with the guys of New Life House for many years, and is acutely aware of the specific issues that come along with young adult men. Dr. Koo provides substance abuse therapy and medication management for clients on a specialized, individual basis. She is an active member of the American Psychiatric Association, the New Center for Psychoanalysis, the Clinical TMS Society, The American Society of Addiction Medicine, the California Psychiatric Society and the Southern California Psychiatric Society.

Dr. Josh Lichtman is an experienced psychiatrist who has been practicing for close to two decades. He is dual board certified in both adult psychiatry and addiction medicine.

He is passionate about both mindfulness and psychiatry, and seeks to blend the two. Although he primarily focuses on TMS and psychopharmacology, he is trained in various modalities of psychotherapy including CBT, DBT, EMDR, and Psychodynamic Psychotherapy. He is a clinical instructor at UCLA, and has been selected to be on the list for Southern California Super Doctors for 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, and 2015. Dr. Lichtman brings his extensive experience with addiction psychiatry to serving the young men of New Life House.

Irina Jodzio is the Parent Intensive and Family Group Facilitator at New Life House. Irina has an extensive background working with young adults and their families, and has been participating in the New Life House community for many years, helping the young men recover. Through a lens of clinical expertise and a belief that everyone can recover and transform their lives with the right assistance, Irina helps both families and the young men in New Life House navigate recovery, heal family dynamics, and move towards healthy and whole relationships with one another.

Scott Dohren attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a focus in Business Administration. He also holds a CADC-II certification in addiction studies. Scott has a tremendous amount of experience with both administrative and interpersonal aspects of behavioral health. His background in the field of behavioral health extends to counseling, mentorship, and admissions.

Scott’s leadership and passion in the field of wellness allows him to bring a wealth of experience and insight into working with the young men of New Life House. In his free time, Scott enjoys maintaining a healthy exercise regimen, attending concerts, spending time in nature, and traveling with his wife Karen.

Alex Salman is the Director of Education for New Life House. He holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration and a Master of Public Health degree from Johns Hopkins University.

As a former clinical researcher at the National Institutes of Health with a diverse professional background as a chef at Clear Recovery Center’s detox program as well as a business development and strategy specialist at a digital health start up, Alex has strong experience in a range of occupational fields. He has also served as a mentor, career development consultant, and an interviewing guide for his peers at Johns Hopkins University.

Alex is passionate about helping others reach their professional goals. He finds nothing more rewarding than meeting with New Life House residents, solving problems and overseeing their learning and professional development process.