Paul Getzendanner JD, LCSW, CADC
Chief Executive Officer
Paul is an attorney, social worker and person in long-term recovery. Paul received his law degree from Loyola University Chicago in 1994 and, 16 years later, returned to Loyola’s School of Social Work to earn his MSW degree. Following a successful litigation career, Paul began a second career as a counselor for Hazelden Betty Ford in Chicago. From there, Paul held clinical, supervisory and executive positions with Gateway Foundation, the nation’s largest nonprofit SUD treatment provider, ultimately managing Gateway’s Chicago residential, outpatient and recovery-home services. More recently, Paul held executive positions, Regional Executive Director and Senior Vice President, Strategic Initiatives, with multi-state medication-assisted treatment provider Symetria Recovery, helping grow that company from 1 to 12 locations.
Paul is a member of Illinois’ Opioid Crisis Response Advisory Council and has been an expert witness before the Legislature’s Heroin Crisis Task Force. Paul formerly served on the Illinois Association for Behavioral Health’s Board of Directors and currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Counseling Center of the Northshore.
The lesson learned from this professional experience, along with past personal experience as a consumer of treatment services, is that treatment as usual (“TAU”), despite the best intentions and a heroic frontline workforce, does not work for most participants, often perpetuating a cycle of treatment-relapse-more treatment. TAU is too brief, too one-size-fits-all, relying almost exclusively on group therapy and 12-step underpinnings, and, perhaps most significantly, it is delivered in a completely artificial setting that makes returning home and sustaining progress so difficult.
Paul was drawn to Front Door Health (“FDH”) as an alternative, or complement, to TAU, offering the right kind of treatment, evidence-based and (truly) individualized medical and behavioral services, administered for a sufficient length of time to take hold, and delivered in the appropriate context – the client’s real-world, home environment.
Dr. Jonathan Adelstein MD, DABPN
Chief Medical Officer
Jonathan Adelstein, MD, is board-certified in both general psychiatry and addiction psychiatry. He has trained and worked in several cities and treatment environments, and this experience has left him frustrated, because the treatment of substance use disorders as we know it simply doesn't work.
Dr. Adelstein believes substance use disorders are a medical illness and indicate a biological and-more specifically-a neurological vulnerability, and should be treated as such, with the best evidenced-based, cutting-edge, technologically advanced strategies and resources we have. But to assume addiction stops at the water's edge of the brain is far too simplistic. Addictive disorders occur in the context of an amalgamation of our human passions, frailties and struggles and the rich tapestries of our lives, and while the brain plays a crucial role, to treat only the neurologic dysfunction or only the behavior is tragically insufficient. As such, Dr. Adelstein worked to create Front Door Health’s comprehensive approach that works for you and all the nuances of your existence and environment.
Dr. Adelstein draws on his experience in attending medical school and residency training at New York University and Bellevue Hospital, the nation's premier public hospital. He then completed his addiction fellowship at the University of Washington. Dr. Adelstein has worked in both public and private settings, inpatient hospitals, outpatient clinics, rehabs, addiction treatment centers, with adults, adolescents and families, and is trained in myriad forms of psychotherapy and medication management. He is now a Health Systems Clinician of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern University Medical Center in Chicago, and the Chief Medical Officer of Front Door Health.
Eric Dean JD, MBA, MA, MA, LPC, CADC
Chief Operating Officer & Chief Technology Officer
Eric Dean strongly believes that there is no-one-size-fits all approach to recovery – we are unique individuals with varied needs, values, and goals. Therefore, to be effective, treatment must be personalized and adaptive as our needs change. As such, Eric has worked to develop Front Door Health’s distinctive addiction treatment program which gives clients 24/7 access to a physician-led multidisciplinary team of healthcare providers in their homes.
Eric brings to Front Door Health years of experience in the behavioral health field where he held clinical, administrative, and research roles – most recently as manager of Research & Development for Gateway Foundation, the largest non-profit addiction treatment provider in the United States. This diversity of professional experience allowed him to see different sides of the treatment process. He has expertise in addiction and mental health treatment, evidenced-based treatment practices, program evaluation and data analytics, and using digital technology to support mental health and improve access to care.
Eric is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Certified Alcohol & Drug Counselor (CADC). He earned a Bachelor of Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; a Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration from Case Western Reserve University School of Law and Weatherhead School of Management; a Master of Counseling Psychology with a concentration in the Treatment of Addiction Disorders from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology; and a Master of Public Policy from The University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy.
He is also an adjunct professor at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology where he teaches graduate students about addiction, addiction counseling, psychopathology, and psychopharmacology.
He previously served on the Board of Directors and Finance Committee (2019-2021) of Lion’s Pride Mentoring – a Chicago-based non-profit peer mentoring organization that helps high school students excel, achieve social-emotional aptitude, and get into the college of their choice.
He now serves Front Door Health in the dual role of Chief Operating Officer & Chief Technology Officer.
Jerrard Walker RN, LCSW, CADC, SAP
Clinical Director
Jerrard Walker, RN, LCSW, CADC, SAP, joined Front Door Health in 2022 as Clinical Director. Jerrard has worked in addiction medicine and psychiatric social work/nursing since 2012. He obtained his Master of Social Work from Wayne State University - School of Social Work and received his Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Resurrection University.
Jerrard was one of the architects who established the CCHHS County Care Managed Care Organization and worked to ensure the needs of individuals with psychiatric and addiction issues were not overlooked in treatment and care planning.
Jerrard is a passionate advocate for addressing the biophysical, psycho-emotive, and psycho-social aspects of substance disorder dependency and recovery. He enjoys playing tennis, traveling, and reading in his free time.
Liz Brach LCSW, CADC
Therapy Lead
Liz is a Licensed Social Worker and a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor. She earned a Bachelor of Science at Purdue University and a Master of Social Work at Aurora University.
Liz is a passionate believer in building a strong rapport with clients and collaborating as a team to navigate the treatment process together. She believes that a healthy therapeutic relationship is essential to accomplishing treatment goals. She is an active, directive, cognitive-behavioral, solution-focused therapist. Liz enjoys incorporating humor into her sessions to break-up the heaviness of emotional processing.
Having worked in residential treatment prior to Front Door Health, Liz recognizes the barriers presented by the standard treatment model. She noticed clients repeatedly returning to inpatient treatment within a short amount of time. She enjoys working in the highly personalized in-home treatment model with Front Door Health and developing long-term relationships with clients.
Coming Soon
Stephanie McGinnis
Nursing Lead
Stephanie grew up on the south side of Chicago where she earned her BSN as well as her MSN at St. Xavier University.
Her background lies heavily in Emergency Medicine where she has spent about 15 years working in a variety of settings from community hospitals to Level 1 trauma hospitals. She has worked with patients that have chronic and/or acute substance abuse struggles as well as many different mental health conditions.
She takes great pride in working with Front Door Health; a group that genuinely cares about the very best interest of its patients as well as their support systems. Stephanie enjoys explaining the model of FDH’s work to those who have not heard of FDH. She loves to see the wheels start to turn in their head when they realize how treatment can be delivered in such a way.
Nicole Dicks
Recovery Coach
Nicole is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a Master of Education in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from DePaul University. Nicole began her counseling career at Haymarket Center in Chicago working with chronically homeless individuals to maintain their permanent supportive housing through community and mental health services. She continued her practice at Hazelden Betty Ford where she would facilitate didactic and therapeutic groups, helping individuals with substance use disorders achieve the change they desire and deserve.
Nicole believes there is a part of each person that remains untouched by addiction, and by tapping into this potential, each person can become the best version of themselves.
From personal experience as someone in long-term recovery and having eight years of experience in residential and outpatient programs, Nicole recognizes the need and efficacy for flexible treatment methodologies that is signature to Front Door Health. Utilizing a solution-focused approach, Nicole employs evidenced-based practices and various recovery philosophies to help her clients reach their potential and achieve sustained sobriety.
Casey Pletcher
Director of Digital Marketing
Casey Pletcher’s goal as the Director of Digital Marketing at Front Door Health is to reach potential patients that are in need. He believes in the mission of Front Door Health to provide patients suffering from the disease of addiction with the support they require and deserve.
With a background in marketing related to drug and alcohol treatment and through working with those in recovery, Casey has a unique understanding of what patients are looking for and how to communicate with them in a way that encourages them to seek life-saving treatment.
While Casey looks to grow Front Door Health with the help of his digital marketing services, his main mission is always focused on how to help those most in need. Front Door Health helps to save lives, and Casey is honored to have the opportunity to work with a treatment provider that offers outstanding services for patients that are in need of not only support, but hope.
With a background that includes over 11 years of experience in the fields of copywriting, digital marketing, branding, social media, and SEO, Casey is able to efficiently reach potential patients in a way that is engaging, thoughtful, compassionate, and urgent.
Ryan Paul, MBA
Vice President, Marketing
Ryan is passionate about the recovery space and has 10 years of experience in the field—along with over 15 years in marketing in Healthcare, Pharma, and Technology. He has seen firsthand the damage those in need can cause to loved ones, friends, and co-workers. He is also acutely aware of the stigma that comes with behavioral health conditions and the difficulty it can cause for those looking to get the help they need. He believes in the ability of people to recover (with proper treatment) and become productive members of society. He has witnessed the miracle of sobriety and wants to enhance opportunities for others to achieve the same results.
Ryan is an agile leader with an MBA from Loyola’s Quinlan School of Business, where he graduated with honors as a Baumhart Scholar. He is focused on delivering impact in innovation, brand development, and marketing. His passion is the fuel that propels his purpose, creativity, design thinking, collaborative style, and entrepreneurial work ethic. He brings an upbeat energy and enthusiasm to all engagements, effectively driving excitement throughout the process. An ability to view projects on a broader scale allows Ryan to envision the big picture—as well as strategize and operationalize processes efficiently down to the fine details—in order to help deliver Front Door Health’s wonderful care.
Ryan is focused on achieving patient results in an ever-changing environment and continually seeks professional development opportunities to grow and learn through research, education, discussions, and experiences.
Ryan was drawn to Front Door Health due to his passion for helping others to achieve and maintain their sobriety goals. He believes in the mission of Front Door Health and is excited to contribute to the growth of such a worthwhile, life-changing organization.
Coming Soon
Aaron McClenon
Fitness Trainer
Aaron McClenon is a certified National Academy of Sports Medicine fitness specialist with four years of personal training experience. Aaron is also a certified group fitness instructor and holds a degree in Criminal Justice from NLU in Chicago.
Aaron specializes in muscle development, skill development & weight loss working with a wide range of clients, from youth to senior citizens.
Aaron's fitness journey began while working the front desk at the mental health and substance abuse outpatient facility Gateway Foundation. Since then, Aaron has been honored to train and learn from professionals in Denver, Colorado, and San Diego, California. Aaron has worked with and trained amateur and professional boxers, powerlifters, and retired professional basketball players.
Through Aaron’s understanding and ability to write comprehensive exercise programs, he now brings his expertise and motivating energy to FDH.
Aaron is an active boxing practitioner and seasonal runner with multiple 5k and 10k finishes across Chicago.
In addition, he enjoys traveling, researching, and consistently expanding his knowledge of the human body and how it relates to exercise science.