James Dopp, President
CADAC II Executive Director: After serving with the US Army 5th Special Forces Group in Vietnam, Jim had a 30-year career in Real Estate managing shopping centers for ITT, General Electric, Prudential Insurance and Travelers Insurance. Jim’s second career began with the Hazelden Foundation at their facility in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Jim began working on the men’s units until his sixth year when he was recruited to become a member of the Clinical Leadership Team and eventually the Executive Leadership Team, finally chairing the Education Team. His responsibilities included the supervision of the professional addiction training Institute, the Physician Faculty Training Program and he led the internship programs with eight Master degree programs. Jim was sent to Costa Rica as a consultant/expert in 2002 to make a presentation on the Minnesota model to governmental agencies responsible for health care in Costa Rica. He was contracted to become the Clinical Director of ACERPA in San Jose to implement the Hazelden Addiction Treatment Model. Jim is one of the founders of Costa Rica Recovery.
Richard Lebow, Counselor
Richard has worked with the center for over 8 years and has personally helped 100’s of patients find their way to Costa Rica for treatment and leave clean. Richard is often working with clients on their action plans and helps coordinate some of the most exciting events and adventures. Richard is the proud father of two Costa Rican children and has lived in Costa Rica for over 24 years. He is an active member of the English speaking NA & AA community. He enjoys tennis and time with family.
With years of experience in Recovery and Relapse Prevention, he looks forward to each day helping other addicts find a new way to live. Costa Rica Recovery is a place where hundreds of people have been given the tools to rediscover themselves and lead their lives clean. “I am eager to be a part of that process and support those who want to heal.”
Rhett Byers, Counselor / Fitness & Wellness Coach
After traveling to Costa Rica in 2004 and staying for 3 months on my first 7 year Sabbatical with the Intel Corporation – I fell in love with the climate and the culture. In 2010, I quit my job with Intel after working there for 13 years and moved here full time. From patient to volunteer to employee; I have been working with CRR since April 28th, 2013 and a total of 13 years in Recovery. I am dual diagnosed with PTSD (Former US Marine) and quite familiar with depression and how to lead a happy and productive life despite it. Now a husband and father with 3 awesome dogs, I truly found a home here and love the work I do as a team member of the Costa Rica Recovery staff. My side interests are working with the patients and others as a Personal Trainer/Nutritionist and being the tech consultant for our largest AA Group here in Costa Rica where I also administer Costa Rica AA.com – Life is GOOD!
Deborah Schmidt, Clinical Psychologist
Deborah deeply understands the plight of women that are first getting into treatment and then continuing on the recovery journey. Deborah’s mission is to carry the message of hope in recovery to female patients at the center. Deborah’s holistic approach to recovery, combined with compassion and an alternative style of recovery coaching, offers women a real opportunity to put the past behind them and travel the road to recovery. Every woman who passes through the office to seek Deborah’s guidance comes away with hope for the future. Deborah works to help women overcome the trauma that often keeps them from committing to a recovery program.
Dra. Rosario de Vega, Staff Physician
Dra. de Vega is a Cincinnati, OH US trained family physician, who has practiced in Costa Rica since 2010. She has worked with Costa Rica Recovery since 2016 and has helped many patients overcome their acute withdrawal symptoms along with their detox programs. She is in charge of evaluating each patient that comes into Costa Rica Recovery and elaborating on an individual and well-titrated medication plan to alleviate any withdrawal symptoms. She is our on-call physician and is always available to address any medical condition a patient may present during their stay at Costa Rica Recovery.
Andrea, Yoga Instructor
Andrea began practicing yoga 10 years ago. Collectively, she has taken teacher trainings for more than 2000 hours. Andrea has a Bachelor in Human Sciences and is also a Thai Massage Therapist certified by the Sunshine Massage School. Andrea thinks of the practice of yoga as preventative medicine, balancing the body, mind, and spirit, through the study of anatomy, human physiology, and yogic subtle anatomy.
Alicia Sibaja, Head Chef
Food is energy – it restores the body and its essential for life. Quality food choices are important for any type of recovery program. Costa Rica Recovery believes in nutritional coaching, which is why we serve fresh fruits and vegetables with every meal. Costa Rica has an abundance of excellent fresh food choices and we incorporate them into our program. Alicia has culinary experience from three of the major hospitals in Costa Rica. She worked for 20 years in Clinica Biblica, 11 years at Calderón Guardia, and 3 years at Hospital Mexico. Alicia believes that if you give the body proper nourishment, your mind will reward you with the ability to process information and make the right choices.
Jennifer Schelter, House Manager
Jennifer is a native of the San Francisco Bay Area. As an alumnus of Costa Rica Recovery, she is deeply involved in the NA/AA community of Costa Rica. As House Manager, she works closely with the patients from early morning till the end of the day and ensures their safety and well being. When she isn’t working, you can find her backpacking all over the Costa Rican countryside. Her enthusiasm for life, helping others, and her positivity are all great examples of what recovery can bring.
Laura Roca, Administrative Director
Laura was born in Costa Rica. As an alumnus of Costa Rica Recovery, she is deeply involved in the NA/AA community of Costa Rica. As Administrator, her primary duty is to manage and ensure the efficacy of the treatment programs. This includes coordinating and supervising staff members, overseeing treatment program development and implementation, while also maintaining facility records and handling finances.
She has strong interpersonal, communication and problem-solving skills.
She loves to go to the beach and camp on the mountains. Her positive attitude, enjoying life, and will to help others are some of her great attributes that recovery has given back to her.
Ingrid Barquero, Social Worker
Ingrid was born in Costa Rica. She is a professional social worker who provides guidance on a variety of difficult life issues. She is interested in guiding the patients to establish a new lifestyle after treatment and help them to create goals that encourage them to continue their recovery.
She is always willing to help and listen to others, is empathetic and compassionate. This includes helping patients integrate into the 12-step community in their local area post-treatment.
Heidy Rodriguez, Housekeeping
Heidy makes sure that everything at Costa Rica Recovery is in tip-top shape. Thanks to her, we always have clean linens and stocked restrooms. We appreciate that she’s been with us for 4 years and we hope for many more!