MEET OUR TEAM
We are a group of caring individuals that all share the same goal; Making sure our patients get the best treatment possible.
James Dopp Mueller
Founder
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. He began working on the men’s unit. He then worked on the older adult unit, and then was promoted to the education department. 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. He eventually became the chairman of the Education Team, a member of the Clinical Leadership Team, and ultimately, a member of the Executive Leadership Team.
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.
Laura Roca del Solar, B.A., M.S.
Administrative Director
Laura maintains administrative staff by recruiting, selecting, orienting, and training employees. Also by communicating job expectations and appraising job results. She ensures a safe, secure, and well-maintained facility that meets environmental, health, and security standards. In her free time, she likes to go to the beach and enjoy nature with her family. She likes music and arts.
Deborah Schmidt
Clinical Director
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.
Cindy Cervantes
Clinical Psychologist
Cindy Cervantes is a licensed psychologist who has worked in various addiction treatment centers in Costa Rica. In addition to addiction treatment, she also has experience treating patients suffering from psychiatric illnesses such as depression, anxiety, trauma, personality disorders, and others.
Sharon Fallas
Humanistic Psychologist
As a humanistic psychologist with an emphasis on Gestalt, Sharon’s work is aimed not only at helping the patient to overcome their symptoms or conflicts, but also to help them grow as a person, work on the blockages that prevent them from achieving self realization in their life; this through the work of “awareness”, providing the opportunity to regain balance. Sharon gives special attention to build and develop tools that help to deal with different life scenarios.
Dr. Rosario de Vega
Staff Physician
Dr. Rosario de Vega is a Cincinnati, Ohio 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.
Justin Konickson
Veteran Outreach
Carlos Zamora B
Transpersonal Psychologist / Counselor
Marco Morris
House Manager/Spiritual Hype Coach
Dr. Francisco Jimenez Marten
Psychiatry Specialist
Monica Otero
Addiction Counselor
Monica has been involved in recovery for the past 23 years being an active member of 12 Step Recovery programs. She has several certifications in the coaching field which qualify her to guide and support our clients and motivate them while holding them accountable so they can achieve a vision of change from active addiction to active Recovery.
She is also a facilitator and mentor specializing in coaching for Addiction coaches. She has been asked to speak in several institutions in Costa Rica and Internationally.
Her experience as Project developer in FundaVida , an NGO with the mission to rescue youth at risk of addiction and delinquent behavior in extreme poverty and marginal areas has served over 500 kids.
Timothy Soloman
Substance Abuse Counselor
Timothy has always been one who has helped individuals to reach their highest potential. He is a retired high school teacher where he has taught and coached track and field for over 27 years where he assisted students to go on and be successful in their chosen fields. He has been in the recovery community since he moved to Florida and received his Master’s in Addiction counseling. Timothy brings along work experiences that he received from working with clients along this journey since 2012.
Kaela O'Brien
House Manager
Passionate about helping those struggling with mental health and substance abuse disorder, Kaela is herself a former patient of CRR and grateful to be a part of the team. She is active in the San Jose recovery community, hailing originally from the United States. In her spare time she enjoys hiking, meditation, art projects, trips to the beach and connecting with her community.
John Holien
Business Development
Mark DeWaard
House Manager
Mark takes care of the patients in residence. Canadian by birth, Mark is a longtime member of the local 12 Step groups and resident of Costa Rica. He is a family man who enjoys sports and playing guitar. Mark compassionately looks after patients during their time of growth.
Chris Wright
House Manager
Girlannie Lara
Head Chef
Carrie Wessling
Research and Development
Andrea Lara
Maintenance Ninja
Andrea makes sure that everything stays in working order. She handles general maintenance, construction, and anything we need to keep the physical buildings in good working order. He’s a friendly presence always there with a smile and a “Pura Vida”. We appreciate all that he does for us!
Laura Naranjo
Occupational Therapist
Laura is passionate about helping others and has dedicated her career to occupational therapy. Her work focuses on discovering what patients really want from their lives and how to move forward to actualize their individual goals. She patiently plans and empowers patients on how to effectively move toward productive and independent lives. Laura has a Master’s degree and also speaks Portuguese.
Laura Sibaja
Sound Healing Therapist
Laura’s goal is to restore the balance and fluidity of each person´s natural state, operating on the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual levels. The vibration and sound of the instruments that we use together with the application of reiki in the session harmonizes the brain waves and introduces you to a deep state of relaxation that favors healing and translates into a feeling of unity: body, mind, and spirit making them work in harmony, increasing well-being and providing great peace.
Karla Zeledon
Yoga Instructor
Karla likes to practice and teach Hatha yoga or “vinyasa flow”: It is a practice whose objective is physical and mental transformation, always seeking the balance between flexibility and strength. It has a combination of guided meditations, postures, and breathing techniques. It can be practiced by anyone, regardless of age or physical condition.
It has a restorative effect on the entire body by improving the functioning of all the body’s organs, promoting sleep, balancing tension, and helping digestion.
It helps to release tensions, providing spiritual peace, relaxation and helps you feel happy with yourself, focus, and be aware of every action you take.
Meblyn Leal Ruiz
Masseuse
Meblyn is our go to talented and respectful masseuse who provides professional massage services with a variety of techniques for relaxing with lymphatic drainage which helps you relax with anxiety control and the detoxification process. She helps our patients to relax when they enter the center and is available for continuing sessions as well.
Rosa Canales
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. Rosa is our weekend chef with the talent and knowledge to make delicious and healthy meals.
Gustavo Chavarria
Maintenance
Gustavo makes sure that everything stays in working order. He handles general maintenance, construction, and anything we need to keep the physical buildings in good working order. He’s a friendly presence always there with a smile and a “Pura Vida”. We appreciate all that he does for us!
Luz Machado
Sous 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. Rosa is our weekend chef with the talent and knowledge to make delicious and healthy meals.
Imara Ayales
Cleaning Goddess
Imara helps to keep the house and grounds clean and in good order. She believes a clean and orderly environment is conducive to healthy recovery.
