compassionate care for addiction and mental health

Specializes in research, innovation, and leadership, making him ideal as Roots through Recovery’s President. With a broad educational background grounded in the humanities and a keen mind further sharpened through the study of law, as well as an unflinching commitment to help others find what inspires them, Mr. Blackburn brings a unique skill set and knowledge base. Coupled with a broad resume of professional experience ranging from youth leadership academies to public law firms, Mr. Blackburn has led the agency in developing a continuum of care which is cutting edge in its philosophy and therapeutic approach to treating addiction. His commitment to challenging the status quo and exploration of multiple truths brings a sense of boundless opportunity to the agency as he guides the development of program and operations. The success of Roots through Recovery can also be attributed in part to his knowledge of law, reason and affinity for research.

Nicole Koontz brings an incredibly valuable skill set and unique educational and professional background to the Roots Through Recovery Team as program founder and client relations services. Ms. Koontz studied at the Institute of Chemical Dependency Studies, where she earned her CAADAC counseling credentials. She has held positions in a variety of fields and at various levels including youth counselor for Total Family Support Center, where she provided in school counseling for 2 different opportunity schools in Silverlake. There she conducted life skills classes and individual counseling with each student. Prior to her youth counseling position, Ms. Koontz worked for B Kwaku Duren and Associates Law Office, where she managed law office for 3 years. In 2013, along with Mr. Blackburn, Ms. Koontz founded United Community Support Center as an organization committed to serving vulnerable populations in need of mental health and substance abuse treatment.

In 2016, after expanding the leadership team and creating a trauma informed, intensive therapeutic program, Roots Through Recovery was born. Ms. Koontz role as client relations at Roots includes assisted case management, outreach, liaison and companion to clients as needed throughout their time at Roots. Ms. Koontz also has an active role in Alumni Services, to ensure client success both during and post treatment.

Fueled by his exposure to the impact of mental health and trauma on individuals and families, and the influence of an activist mother, Noah learned early on that he had a passion for helping people, and has spent the entirety of his professional career serving the most vulnerable populations in some capacity. After receiving his degree in Psychology and Sociology from UC Davis, he set out on a mission to provide direction and hope to young people in the foster care and juvenile justice system placed in out-of-home care.

This led him on a path of nearly a decade of direct care at a group home and a residential treatment center with adolescents struggling with co-occurring disorders, family systems dysfunction, and involvement in the juvenile justice system and multigenerational trauma. While there, Noah discovered that the program that had been in place long before him wasn’t serving the young men they were treating anymore, and was given full support from the CEO to re-write the program. Noah worked with residents, direct care staff—both new and old, the clinical team, a consultant, and other key stakeholders to develop a new, strengths-based approach that focused on skill building and empowerment, which almost immediately increased retention, improved treatment outcomes, reduced property damage and violence, and increased successful treatment completion.

Brings a level of experience to Roots through Recovery that spans from board member to accounting to tech support to her current role as CFO. With nearly twenty years in the field of accounting, she has provided several companies, both large and small, with the utmost professional and confidential service, taking three of those companies to the multi-million-dollar level. Kelly also ventured out on her own and built a client-base large enough to support herself financially, but jumped at the opportunity to build another great venture and work with family. She has formulated and continues to assist in the growth of Roots through Recovery through her systems and financial protocol as it pertains to payroll, audits, and budgets. Born and raised in Long Beach Kelly also raised her daughter locally, and as a member of the Long Beach community continues to open new doors. She graduated from Woodrow Wilson High, went on to attend UCI, USC, and other colleges racking up knowledge and class time. She is the effective glue of Roots through Recovery, and provides a broad base of experience and levity to the facility.

Dr. Andrei N. Dokukin is a Board Certified Addiction Medicine Doctor and Physiatrist (MD Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation) who also has been fellowship trained in Spine and Interventional Pain Medicine as well as Musculoskeletal Medicine.

Dr. Dokukin earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from City University of New York Hunter College. He received his medical training at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, where he also completed one year of training in Internal Medicine. His residency training in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation took place in Montefiore Medical Center Albert Einstein School of Medicine in the Bronx, NY where he also served as a Chief Resident. Dr. Dokukin completed his Pain Fellowship under Dr. Francis P. Lagattuta in Santa Maria California.

Dr. Dokukin uses minimally invasive techniques with the help of ultrasound, fluoroscopy (X-rays), and electromyography guidance to treat vast variety of diseases of joints, nerves, and bones and muscles that produce pain. He also specializes in treating disease and painful conditions of the spine. His scope of practice includes testing for the disorder of nerves and muscles by using Electrodiagnostic Medicine known as Nerve Conduction Studies and Electromyography. His expertise in Rehabilitation medicine gives him an edge on treating people with disabilities that may result from amputation, strokes, or brain injuries.

Dr. Dokukin also has a special interest in Performing Arts medicine, and has experience in treating dancers and musicians. Dr. Dokukin’s special interest in Musculoskeletal Medicine and Performing Arts Medicine originates from his previous career of a professional ballet dancer. He experienced many of the injuries firsthand during his training in the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow, Russia and The Juilliard School in New York, as well as touring and performing with the American Ballet Theatre. This experience adds to his understanding of musculoskeletal disorders and their impact on patient’s career and lifestyle.

Dr. Diana Cho Kang is a licensed Psychologist and came to Roots Through Recovery in 2017 with a strong clinical background specializing in all levels of care in various settings. Dr. Kang has managed and developed several programs for both residential and outpatient programs with a trauma-informed approach. Prior to Roots Through Recovery, she served as the Chief Clinical Officer for a nonprofit organization and has treated and overseen the clinical services for clients with trauma, substance use disorders, co-occurring disorders, mood disorders, psychotic disorders and personality disorders. The wide range of settings in which she has provided high quality clinical treatment includes residential and outpatient treatment centers, state hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and rehabilitation centers with young adult, adult and geriatric populations.

Dr. Kang received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from The American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University in 2009.  She is trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and is a Substance Abuse Professional (SAP). Dr. Kang is also an esteemed member of the UCR Extension Transformative Leadership in Disruptive Times Executive Program Advisory Board.