Professional Development Community Council

Phoenix Adams oversees all Caron Florida’s programs and operations, including those at Caron’s new e Keele Medical Center. Making use of 30 years of business experience and 15 years of clinical experience, he shapes the direction of Caron Florida's programs.

In addition, he supervises administrative and clinical staff and oversees program development and administrative functions such as budgeting and operations.

Phoenix began working at Caron in the admissions department for Caron Florida in 2012 and has since held several positions including Clinical and Executive Director of Caron’s Ocean Drive program, and Vice -President of Caron’s Florida Continuum before assuming the role of Executive Vice President of Florida Programming. In this role, Phoenix combines his heart of a social worker with his years of business experience to influence the strategic direction of Caron Florida Programming and to ensure that excellence in patient care is paramount.

In addition to his Master’s in Social Work and his Masters in Business Administration, Phoenix received a Doctorate of Social Work degree in May 2019 from Florida Atlantic University. Phoenix is very passionate about his doctoral research study, which involved examining outcomes for family members participating in the treatment of a loved one impacted by substance use disorder, and has presented his research findings internationally, including London and Toronto. His research continues to cement his clinical orientation and fuel his passion for family involvement in treatment, which is a cornerstone of treatment at Caron Florida.

Ron Corbin earned his Master’s Degree in Social Work from Barry University School of Social Work. He worked in the field for the past 22 years, gaining experience in mental health, substance abuse and psychiatric services. He began his career as a clinician and quickly worked his way to middle and senior management positions.  His is equally experienced in both outpatient and inpatient programs, providing clinical and executive leadership to multidisciplinary teams of professionals.

Heather DeStefano, DSW, LCSW is the Director of Clinical Services at Community Partners of South Florida where she oversees community-based mental health services while providing clinical and administrate leadership. She is an adjunct instructor in Palm Beach State College’s bachelors of Human Services program where she teaches crisis intervention, ethics, and research. Heather earned a Doctorate of Social Work from Florida Atlantic University, a MSW from the University of Pennsylvania, and a BSW from University of North Carolina Wilmington. She is a qualified supervisor for social workers seeking licensure and is a field instructor for training mental health therapists.

Renée E. Layman, MS, LMHC, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Child Counseling is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with over twenty years of experience in mental health. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Florida Atlantic University and a Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling from Nova Southeastern University.

In her various leadership roles over the past fifteen years, Ms. Layman has been a passionate advocate for child and family mental health, bringing innovative programs and high-quality services for some of the most pressing issues facing children in Palm Beach County. Most recently, in collaboration with leaders in the child welfare system, she developed the Childhood Trauma Response Program, to ensure immediate assessment and therapeutic care for children ages birth to 5 entering the foster care system. Under her leadership, Center for Child Counseling launched a community-wide Fighting ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) Initiative, bringing awareness on the health and economic impact of early adversity throughout the South Florida region.

Ms. Layman has extensive clinical training, including evidence-based interventions such as Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Child-Parent Psychotherapy, Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), and Filial Therapy. Under her leadership, Center for Child Counseling’s Institute for Clinical Training provides an year-long experience for twenty interns every year and community-wide training for over 3,000 people, focusing on ensuring that developmentally appropriate and effective, trauma-informed practices are used for the most vulnerable children and families in our community.

In recognition of her work, Renée was recognized as Palm Beach County’s Nonprofit Executive of the Year (October 2017) and received Delta Sigma Theta Sorority’s Women of Excellence: Health & Wellness Award in 2011. She is currently the Co-Chair of the Palm Beach County Chapter of the Florida Association for Infant Mental Health and was elected to the statewide Board of Directors in January 2018. She also serves on the School District of Palm Beach County’s SHAC Mental Health Advisory Committee, Heath Mothers Healthy Babies’ Medical Advisory Committee, and is Board Secretary of the Nonprofit Chamber of Palm Beach County. She is a graduate of Leadership Palm Beach County’s Class of 2010 and is currently in Leadership Florida’s Cornerstone Class XXXVI.

Terence McGarry, LCSW, MCAP serves as a school social worker, attendance manager and coordinator of the MSW Intern Program for Broward County School Board and has worked for the Board for twenty-one years while gaining additional social work experiences part-time and per-diem. He currently leads the crisis response team for Broward Schools, responding to the grief, loss, emotional recovery of students and staff on a school campus. He serves on Community Committees for Broward County Schools, the County Commission, and other agencies. A 1993 graduate of Saint Thomas University, Terence earned his MSW from FIU in 1997. His experience includes work in substance abuse treatment centers, psychiatric hospitals, and therapeutic foster care. He also maintains a private psychotherapy practice. Terence said, “I enjoy sharing my experiences and contributing to the collective group, for the benefit of many others.”

Patrick McNamara joined Palm Health Foundation, Inc. as President and CEO in March of 2017. He previously held the position of President and CEO at Community Partners (Housing Partnership, Inc. and Parent-Child Center) in Riviera Beach, where he worked since 1999. Patrick is licensed in Clinical Social Work, holds a Master of Social Work from Tulane University and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Franciscan University, and attended Georgetown University for three years. He completed an executive fellowship at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

He currently serves on the Board and Executive Committee of the Florida Community Loan Fund; he previously served on the Board of the National NeighborWorks Association, and the Health and Community Development Advisory Committee for NeighborWorks America. Patrick is an Alumnus of Leadership Palm Beach County and received its 2013 Leadership Excellence Award, as well as the Alumni Citizenship Award from Franciscan University in 2014.

Having spent most of his professional career in cross-sector work to improve communities, Patrick has designed and implemented initiatives in behavioral health, housing, family services, health, and non-profit leadership. He is a lifelong learner and is passionate about applying results-based, performance-driven change in complex environments for vulnerable populations. He has become increasingly focused on the intersection of health and community development, including innovation for better results on the determinants of health.  A native of New Orleans, McNamara and his wife Ana are the proud parents of three children.

With a background in social work and training, Dr. Lori Miller-Rososhansky currently serves as the Learning and Development Officer at the Children’s Services Council (CSC) of Palm Beach County where she oversees professional development opportunities for practitioners in programs funded by CSC.  Over the past twenty years, she has been a passionate advocate for vulnerable populations with particular focus on working with homeless individuals, persons affected by HIV/AIDS, and children.  Dr. Miller-Rososhansky holds a BA in English from Boston University, a MS in Nonprofit Management from Worcester State University, and a PhD in Educational Leadership from Florida Atlantic University. She also maintains her certification as a Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP) from the Association for Talent Development since 2008.

John began working with individuals suffering from substance use disorder and pervasive mental illness in 2013 in a support staff role. During this time John completed his bachelor’s degree in social work from Florida Atlantic University in August of 2016. John was accepted to the advanced standing master’s in social work (MSW) at Florida Atlantic University and completed his degree in May of 2017. Currently, John is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), a master’s certified addiction professional (MCAP), and serves as an adjunct instructor within our School. John owns a private psychotherapy, crisis intervention, and case management practice in Boca Raton, FL. Additionally, John works as a forensic social worker reviewing civil and criminal cases involving substance use disorder treatment. John is passionate about providing community-based services that bridge the gap from conventional residential treatment into the community.

Matthew has achieved his holistic vision of the practice of mental health treatment as a Director of a Non-Profit Treatment Center since 2016, was instrumental in the start of other facilities in 2019, and is the founder of Therapeutic Health Services. His goal is to integrate the interests of clients, families, the community, experienced therapists and newly graduated therapists with an approach that touches on the needs of each person involved in the context of the private practice setting and beyond.

Matthew has the practical and educational experience base in utilizing effective therapies in a treatment milieu and engagement in social aspects of clinical work. Matthew holds a dual bachelor’s degree in psychology and social work, and attained his master’s degree in social

work, all from Florida Atlantic University (FAU), where, as a qualified supervisor, has supervised both BSW and MSW students through their field practicums from various Accredited Florida Colleges. Matthew, as an alumnus of Florida Atlantic University, is currently a board member for The Board of Professional Development at FAU Phyllis & Harvey Sandler School of Social Work. Matthew is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with the Board of Mental Health and is a Certified Cognitive Behavioral. Matthew is utilized as a Notary Public and holds several certifications and community engagement seats where Matthew is also a board member of the Community Prevention Partnership of the Palm Beach County Health Department and certified in HIV Testing, Linkage and Counseling.

Matthew has dedicated his time client's over the years in developing useful tools for engagement and use of evidenced based clinical services. Matthew has extensive background in Individual Therapy, Family Therapy, Substance Abuse Counseling and working with the LGBTQ+ communities. Matthew is passionate about working with his patients and utilizes out of the box treatment modalities to address issues in clinical work, which include; sand-tray therapy, experiential therapies, and evidence based practices.