Our Staff

Darryl Doss, LISAC, CSAC (Program Director)

Darryl Doss, Licensed Independent Substance Abuse Counselor (LISAC), has been licensed in treating substance abuse and addictions for the past 25 years. He has clinical experience in educating clients on the disease concept of addiction through individual sessions, written assignments, group therapy, intensive outpatient therapy, continuing care group therapy, and family therapy.

He spent 9 of those years working with adolescents and their families to understand that addiction is a family disease using individual and group therapy. He also spent 6 years working for Valley Hope Association in both their inpatient and outpatient facilities. For the past 5 years he has been working with compulsive gamblers to overcome their addiction to gambling.

He also monitors pilot’s on the HIMS program, meeting with them for group therapy and individual counseling and giving quarterly reports to Dr. Bryman who is an aviation medical doctor. Darryl has been in recovery for over 30 years and his passion for helping people overcome their addictions in the community has proven that he understands the needs of his clients, giving them the tools to live a healthier lifestyle in recovery.

Rick Benson, CPGC, ICGC-II (Founder)

Rick founded Algamus Recovery Centers in 1992 and has directed gambling specific, Algamus residential facilities in Florida, South Carolina, Quebec, and Arizona.

A Cornell University graduate, Rick is an Internationally Certified Gambling Counselor (ICGC-II) and a Canadian Problem Gambling Counselor (CPGC). Algamus and Rick were featured on the very first episode of Intervention on the A&E channel.

He currently serves as a clinical supervisor for the Canadian Problem Gambling Counselor Certification Board and as an International Compulsive Gambling Counselor Certification Board member. He has been an advisory board member of the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling, and a founding executive board member of both the North Carolina Council on Problem Gambling and the South Carolina Council on Compulsive gambling.

For more than 20 years he has been both a student and a facilitator in Bonding Psychotherapy, Holiotropic Breathwork, Primal Therapy, and the Enneagram. He is presently a member of both the Arizona Enneagram Association and the International Enneagram Association, and is deeply involved in the Enneagram Prison Project. He is an executive board member of the International Primal Association. 

Rick now provides consulting services including admissions and network/marketing to Algamus Gambling Treatment Services.

Ben Isenberg (Executive Director)

Ben Isenberg a native of Eugene, Oregon and received his bachelors degree in sociology, with a business minor and Substance Abuse Prevention Program Certificate from the University of Oregon. Ben has worked in the Behavioral health and Addiction field since September 2012. Ben has worked various housing positions, medication management, gambling addiction and is a certified Brainpaint Nuerofeeback technician specifically in EEG Biofeedback treatments.

Prior to joining Algamus, Ben was a group facilitator and individual counselor at Granite Mountain Behavioral Healthcare where he grew and created the foundation of the program. Ben progressed to office manager overtaking the entire administrative department, then became the Program Director July of 2015 overseeing all the departments day to day operations.

Ben's hard work, dedication and passion to help others has created a successful environment for those in need of help overcoming the disease of addiction. Ben shares his experience and knowledge through his own addiction struggles and continues to be a light and compassionate leader in this field.

Dr. Terry Vaughan, M.D (Psychiatrist)

Dr. Terry Vaughan was most recently the Medical Director of West Yavapai Guidance Clinic and has practiced in Prescott for 11 years. She Was one of 41 Psychiatrist nationally awarded the 2009 “Exemplary Psychiatrist” award by NAMI (the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill).

She works with patients suffering from mood disorders, anxiety disorders, substance dependence, developmental disabilities and psychotic disorders. She is board certified in Psychiatry and works with adults and adolescents 13 and up. She is a member of the American Psychiatric Association and the American Medical Association.

Jeff Trudgian, ICGC-II (Primary Counselor)

Jeff is an Internationally Certified Gambling Councilor (ICGC-II) since 2007. Originally from the Midwest, Jeff became a Primary Counselor at Algamus' Gambling Treatment Center in 2012.

Jeff is grateful to have over twenty years of recovery from his destructive gambling addiction. He’s worked as a Counselor, Trainer and Educator in the Behavioral Health and 12-Step communities, helping to raise awareness and prevention around the emotional issues surrounding problem gamblers and their families.

Prior to coming to Algamus, Jeff was lead therapist at another gambling treatment program in Illinois working with gamblers and those afflicted with chemical dependency as well as their families in a private setting.

He utilizes Psycho-Educational and Cognitive Behavioral Therapies in conjunction with an emphasis on spiritual principals.

Ryan Pienovi (Operations Manager)

Ryan began his recovery at Algamus in North Palm Beach, Florida in 2006 and became a resident manager there late in 2007. In 2008, he relocated and became the lead resident/operations manager for Algamus Gambling Treatment Services in Prescott, Arizona.

Ryan is presently studying to become a certified gambling counselor and coordinates a variety of residential activities for our clients.

Victoria Stallings (Primary Therapist)

Victoria has been a Primary Therapist and Case Manager at Algamus for the past two years. She facilitates individual sessions and group therapy on psycho-education with a focus on recovery and family systems.

For three years prior to joining the Algamus team, she managed the Neuro-Feedback Center and was a group leader at A Sober Way Home.

She earned her Bachelor's degree in psychology and is presently completing her Master's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy.

Sherri Sharkins, MA (Primary Therapist)

Sherri received her undergraduate degree in psychology from Allegheny College and her Masters of Arts in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis is Depth Psychotherapy from Pacifica Graduate Institute. Sherri is certified in Somatic Experiencing (SE) and The NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM), two modalities aimed at the resolution of trauma.

She specializes in working with clients who suffer from complex trauma and addiction. She employs attachment focused therapy and integrates a bottom up (body-centered) and top down (cognitive behavioral) approach to access unconscious beliefs and patterns of behavior that underlie addiction and limit one’s connection with self and others.

Tom Uetrecht, CADAC, ASAT, SEP (Primary Therapist)

Tom has been in recovery for 27 years and brings over 22 years of experience working in the field of addiction and trauma. Tom is a certified Somatic Experience Practitioner and is also certified in the field of sex addiction therapy.

He specializes in experiential therapy methods to work clients through family of origin issues, trauma, abuse, and addiction. Tom also works with clients who struggle with anger management issues by utilizing anger reduction techniques to teach healthy alternatives for releasing frustration, anger, and stress.

Rob Heinrich, MA, LPC (Clinical Supervisor and Primary Therapist)

Rob brings years of varied experience to Algamus Gambling Treatment Services. After earning his Masters in Counseling from Denver Seminary, Rob immediately jumped into his career in addiction treatment counselling. First, as a general outpatient therapist in a dual diagnosis capacity in his hometown of Scottsbluff, Nebraska, then moving to Wickenburg, AZ to specialize and become a primary therapist in eating disorders.

Since then, Rob has been working as a primary therapist and clinical supervisor in addiction treatment centers and facilities, helping adolescents and adults with behavioral addictions and dual diagnoses including eating disorders, gambling addiction and drug addiction.

Rob helps supervise the clinical team as well as overseeing the outpatient groups. His theoretical applications include EMDR, Somatic Experiencing, CBT, DBT, and a strong integration on the power of love and relationship with a person-centered approach. His philosophy is that we are here to love and be loved.

Ann Balowski (Group Leader)

Ann has provided psycho-educational group facilitation at Algamus for 4 years. She works with individuals recovering from gambling addiction, alcoholism, drug addiction and many other recovery issues including family dynamics.

Her corporate background in Human Resources staff training has contributed to her skill set as a national trainer.  Ann is a Recovery Life Coach and a Certified Equine Assisted Learning Facilitator (OK Corral Series).  She brings more than 3 decades of personal recovery experience, providing a real life approach to the recovery process which is essential to client preparation for life after Algamus treatment.

Ann is also a certified/licensed Heart/Math Coach/Mentor and integrates this process into each group.  She is the founder of For Clarity Recovery Services and the Heroes & Horses Equine Program.

Colleen McHorney (Yoga Instructor)