Medical Director
Chief Legal Officer
National Director of Business Development
Director of Admissions
Clinical Director
Operations Director
Human Resources Director
Program Director
Dr. Matthew J. Bruhin is the Chief Executive Officer of Apex Recovery. Dr. Bruhin utilized his experience in the creation of high-end rehabs, to construct a facility that was cutting-edge and affordable. His vision, eye for detail and desire to lead, have created an unparalleled vision for treating additive illness coupled with mental and emotional disorders. Dr. Bruhin treats every staff member and participant like family and hopes to bring his clinical and administrative vision to all areas of the US.
Dr. Bruhin is a State of California Board of Behavioral Sciences, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, as well as an Addiction Specialist. Dr. Bruhin earned his Doctorate in Addiction Psychology, has a Master of Arts degree in Counseling Psychology, and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, with a Minor in Addictive Disorders. Additionally he holds many other certifications and has tens of thousands of hours of clinical and training experience.
Dr. Bruhin has a diverse clinical training background, working in the mental health field for over 20 years. He specializes in the treatment of addiction and has specialized experience and clinical training in the treatment of prescription addiction, sexual addiction and gambling addiction. He works with many individuals and families ranging from the chronic mentally ill, to professional athletes, executives, and media personalities. He has developed his own specialized and effective techniques for the treatment of addiction and chemical dependency.
Dr. Bruhin loves to write, blog, and he appears regularly on network TV as a leader in the addiction field. He has worked with clients from A&E’s hit TV show Intervention, as well as the Tyra Show. Dr. Bruhin also performs local TV segments in order to get the public educated about addiction, and to break down the stigma of mental health issues. Dr. Bruhin is an adjunct professor at NYU, where he has taught graduate students at the Steinhardt school. Dr. Bruhin balances his passion for work with the love of his family, enjoyment of travel, and his vintage Star Wars collection, which can be viewed in his private office.
Dr. Small received his medical degree at the University of Hawaii. He completed his medical residency in Psychiatry and Family Medicine at UCSD.
He is board certified in Psychiatry, Addiction Medicine, and Family Medicine.
Dr. Small is passionate about bringing quality care to patients suffering with addiction.
Jennifer has over 25 years of experience in the healthcare industry. She began her career as a paralegal in the legal department of BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee (BCBST) where she spent 15 years learning the health insurance industry. Jennifer held various positions at BCBST including Paralegal, Senior Privacy Consultant; Chief Privacy, Security and Compliance Officer for a technology subsidiary, Shared Health and Senior Counsel.
Jennifer then further advanced her healthcare experience by joining the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for almost 10 years. Jennifer served as the Director for Payer Relations where she was responsible for managing all payer relationships across the country for the VA. In her last position, Jennifer’s was a member of the Senior Executive Service (SES) and served as the Executive Director for Integrated External Networks which was responsible for the development, oversight and management of the Community Care Network program that provides Veterans access to community providers when VA cannot provide the service timely or close to home.
Jennifer joined Apex Recovery in February 2023 as the Chief Legal Officer. Jennifer graduated from Tennessee Wesleyan College with a Bachelor of Science business degree in Human Resource Management, Economics and Finance. She also holds a Juris Doctorate degree from the Nashville School of Law.
A passion for helping those in need started with his own personal experience growing up. This morphed into a professional expertise in the areas of outreach and community development.
A true understanding of what treatment resources are available and how to connect those in need with them has allowed him to develop relationships that continue to benefit APEX’s patients. “I love sitting with addicts and their families in moments of crisis and helping them understand there is hope through the process of treatment!”
Shauna Soderquist is the Director of Admission at Apex Recovery. With over 9 years of industry experience, Shauna is committed to helping those who struggle with addiction and has experience with all facets of the admissions cycle. Her experience includes lead development, account management, building and growing teams, recruitment and training, as well as a high-level understanding of insurance and financial implications of treatment. Shauna is a high performer who is driven to meet and exceed goals and while her career path has given her exposure to all parts of the treatment and recovery processes, her passion will always be in building and maintaining relationships with clients while helping them admit to treatment.
Shauna resides in Thompson’s Station, TN with her husband, and two children and is an active member of her community. When she is not helping those who struggle with addiction, she enjoys spending time with her family, working out, traveling, and enjoying live music.
Mila has been practicing in the field of Substance Use and Mental Health treatment for nearly a decade. She began her career as a Substance Use Counselor in 2014, has been advancing in her credentials with CCAPP, and is in the final stages of obtaining her LADAC.
Mila has gained extensive experience in working with a variety of client populations in various treatment settings. Her treatment modality is rooted in a trauma informed approach that views addiction as a complex disorder, the roots of which are often found beyond the surface. Mila is passionate about helping clients in identifying, uncovering, and resolving the underlying causes of addictive behaviors.
Mila graduated from Bethel University with a Masters Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. She has been with APEX Recovery since 2020 and began as an Intern Therapist. From 2021-2022 Mila took on the role of IOP Program Manager and demonstrated a high level of clinical and leadership skills in that role. She was appointed to oversee the Clinical Department in November 2022 and has been demonstrating a commitment to excellent client care in the role of the Clinical Director.
A passionate agent for change, David believes in each client’s intrinsic ability to recreate their lives free of substance use disorder. After nearly 25 years in marketing and sales, he took a leap of faith into a complete career rearrangement, returning to school to earn an AOD certification in 2009. Since then, David has worked in all levels of care as a clinician, manager, director, and executive, providing empathetic, compassionate, and person-centered care and empowering, collaborative, and servant-based leadership. Apex welcomed David into the family in February of 2023, where he currently serves as Operations Director.
David’s quest for continued personal and professional growth led him back to school at Springfield College, where he is currently completing his undergrad in Human Services with an Addiction Studies Minor to be followed by a Master’s In Human Services with a concentration in Organizational Leadership projected for 2025. Clean and sober since September 1999, David’s motto is, “It’s just another day in paradise!”
Carey Torres, Director of Human Resources, is a resourceful professional with 15 years experience and seven of those have been in a leadership role. The last several years have been in the Healthcare industry, serving as HR executive providing strategic HR partnership and support and acting as a sounding board and advisor to the senior leadership of the organization as pertains to the employee relations “pulse” of the organization.
Originally from Buffalo, NY. Carey holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a focus on Human Resources. Carey has two great kids and one granddaughter and in her spare time you will find her on the beach or reading a good book.
Christian Hodges came on in 2023 as the Program Director for Apex Recovery’s first of its kind out-patient detox treatment program in San Diego County. Responsible for clinical program management and leadership of clinical staff, Christian supervises care for individuals suffering from addiction and/or co-occurring disorders. This innovative program provides empirically based counseling services to ambulatory withdrawal management services clients. His goal is to create a client-centered, trauma-informed program that stabilizes individuals struggling with substance use disorders and connects them with ongoing SUD and behavioral health services to support their recovery journey.
Christian has spent his career (since 2005) assisting those struggling with mental health and substance use disorders, working at the forefront of pioneering community service programs to meet the needs of the San Diego community in outpatient treatment, crisis houses and various outreach services within the behavioral health system. That work includes the Behavioral Health Court Program—a groundbreaking program for nonviolent offenders who struggle with mental health and substance use disorders. In addition, he developed an expansion of outreach services at the Jane Westin Center, an urgent walk-in center that provides integrated, coordinated crisis and medication services for adults with serious mental illness. Most recently, Christian was the Clinical Director for the Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT) in San Diego County, which provides non police involved support to anyone, anywhere experiencing a mental health drug or alcohol-related crisis.
Christian is also a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, specializing in addiction, anxiety and depression. Through his private practice as an experienced mental health clinician, he helps others navigate an authentic and effective wellness journey. When Christian isn’t working, he’s enjoying recreational sports, including snowboarding, road trips in his adventure van, enjoying time with his family, including his 1-year-old Great Dane Atreyu, and of course, focusing on self-care and personal growth.
