Andrew T. Wainwright, President/CEO
Andrew founded AiR in 2002 and over the last decade he has built it into the leader of the modern intervention and crisis consulting industry. Andrew is a gifted interventionist trained by Dr. James Fearing, the direct successor of Dr. Vernon Johnson, creator of the Johnson Model of Intervention. With AiR Andrew has broadened the pioneering intervention approach of Dr. Johnson and Dr. Fearing to meet the expanding needs of families and patients across the behavioral health spectrum. The AiR Model of Intervention is now the standard of intervention practice today.
Andrew and Dr. Savage, AiR’s Clinical Director, shared a vision that the Johnson Model of Intervention could be expanded to address a wider variety of behavioral health needs. To that end they created the AiR Model of Behavioral Health Crisis Management, the internationally accepted standard for all forms of behavioral health intervention in the world today. Andrew and Tom have spent the last decade training new clinicians in the AiR Model and redefining the role of intervention in the continuum of behavioral healthcare, education and advocacy.
AiR, with Andrew as its guide, is constantly evolving, creating new services and solutions where none were previously available out of a genuine desire to be the most effective resource for anyone, anywhere who is faced with the burdens associated with chemical dependency, mental illness and eating disorders. Andrew has the knowledge, the experience and the team to make that desire a reality.
In addition to over fifteen years of hands-on experience helping families struggling with addiction and mental illness, Andrew sought help for his own alcoholism and drug addiction at the Hazelden Foundation in Minnesota in 1995. Andrew is intimately acquainted with the systems of addiction and recovery. He has lived through them himself and he has helped thousands of other families recover. His work in this field has given him a wealth of experience, compassion and personal insight.
Andrew is the author of It’s not Okay to be a Cannibal-How to Stop Addiction from Eating Your Family Alive, published by the Hazelden Foundation. This resource is widely regarded as the single best book on confronting addiction available to families today. He has trained many of the best known interventionists in the world. Today his volume of experience and insight has made him a frequent guest on CNN’s American Morning.
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Dr. Tom Savage, Psy D., LCAS, Clinical Director
Dr. Savage began his career at the Hazelden foundation in Minnesota in 1986 as a counselor and ultimately rose to clinical supervisor. He played a crucial role in building the Mental Health program at Hazelden throughout the 1990s. When Dr. Savage joined Andrew Wainwright at AiR in 2002 they collaborated to update the pioneering intervention approach of Dr.’s Johnson and Fearing.
Dr. Savage and Andrew Wainright shared a vision that the Johnson Model of Intervention could be expanded to address a wider variety of behavioral health needs. To that end they created the AiR Model of Intervention, the internationally accepted standard for all forms of behavioral health intervention in the world today. Andrew and Tom have spent the last decade training new interventionists and clinicians in the AiR model and redefining the role of intervention in the continuum of behavioral healthcare, education and advocacy.
Dr. Savage is the nation’s leading expert on behavioral health intervention. He is an eminently qualified and creative clinician with the highest level of education and licensing working in the behavioral health field today:
- BS degree in Biology at the University of Wisconsin
- Doctorate in Counseling Psychology University of St. Thomas
- Four Years experience in the field of education
- 14 years at the Hazelden Foundation in Minnesota
- 12 Years experience in business management
- 10 years experience at AiR
Dr Savage is dedicated to building important and lasting relationships with families. He has come to the aid of thousands of families in crisis with a powerful combination of knowledge, insight and empathy. He believes in giving his utmost attention and care to any inquiry that comes his way. He will take the time to listen and formulate a plan that is specific to the needs of every behavioral-health situation.
Dr. Savage firmly believes that recovery from behavioral illness is a process-driven solution available to everyone. His expertise has made him a frequent speaker and consultant at behavioral health treatment centers around the world. He is a passionate and tireless advocate on behalf of individuals and families suffering from behavioral-health issues and is driven by a desire to educate society as a whole about the needs and care of the recovery population.
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Dave Kelly, Director of Operations
Dave Kelly and his staff are the first point of contact at AiR’s national call center. He is one of the most respected clinicians in the United States and has worked in all areas of the behavioral-health field for 20+ years. Dave has an exhaustive knowledge of the behavioral-health resources available across the United States and around the world. He is a master at matching the needs of a family to the most appropriate care services. Dave was trained by Dr. James Fearing in the Johnson Model of Intervention and by Andrew Wainwright and Dr. Tom Savage in the AiR Model of Intervention.
Today he oversees Family Services for AiR and manages the most effective team of behavioral-health crisis facilitators in the world.
Dave received his training as a counselor at the Hazelden Foundation in 1985. Dave then went on to work as a counselor at Hazelden New York, Hazelden Chicago and Hazelden Saint Paul. While at Hazelden he collaborated with the top behavioral health clinicians and behavioral health program developers in the country. Dave designed and implemented the Assessment and Case Management program for Families of Means and Prominence at Hazelden.
Dave has three decades of experience in behavioral health counseling that he makes available each time he picks up the phone to help a new family in crisis. His expertise and knowledge are indispensable in the crucial moments when a family first reaches out to AiR for help.
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Gordy Brown, LADC, Clinical Consultant
Gordy Brown has 20 years of experience as an interventionist. He was trained by Andrew Wainwright and Dr. Tom Savage in the AiR model of intervention and has been a counselor in primary extended care for the Hazelden Foundation. He has strong local ties to the Twin Cities and a encyclopedic knowledge of the regional resources.
Gordy excels at creating a sense of order, competency and simplicity out of the chaos of active addiction.He always reacts with a sense of urgency and makes himself continuously available to families. He believes, as all of the staff at AiR does, that recovery is just beginning when a family accesses AiR’s help in an intervention and is committed to support, education and advocacy for the long term recovery of patients and families.
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Mark Guyott, MA, LADC, Clinical Consultant
Mark Guyott is a nationally respected behavioral health clinician with 10 years of experience consulting, mentoring, and advocating for families and patients. He has a Master’s Degree in Alcohol and Drug counseling from The Hazelden Foundation and was trained in the AiR Model of Intervention by Andrew Wainwright and Dr. Tom Savage.
Before joining AiR Mark was involved with Augsburg College’s Step-Up program in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Augsburg’s unique design for addressing the need for continuing care for young people returning to, or entering college in the midst of a program of recovery has informed Mark’s approach to helping families access recovery.
Mark’s experience has instilled a belief in him that this approach to mentoring young people should be available nationwide. With that goal in mind, he travels the country visiting university administrators, advocating for the implementation of AiR’s College Program which, is designed to guide a recovering student through their college career.
Mark is part of AiR’s proactive approach aimed at predicting and intercepting the progressive nature of addiction before it reaches a crisis level. Mark’s own relationship with recovery has made him impatient with the lost opportunities that stem from lack of education in society as a whole and seeks to reach out to patients and families long before consequences have piled up to unmanageable levels.
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Monica Bracht, MA, LADC, Clinical Consultant
Monica has twenty years of experience in the field of Eating Disorder and Addiction Treatment. She has worked in both inpatient and outpatient clinical settings as a Chemical Dependency Specialist in primary and extended care units at the Hazelden Foundation. She has also worked in private practice in New Mexico and across the county providing ongoing consultation and intervention services to families.
She is a national leader in the field of eating disorder intervention. In 2007 she was a featured presenter at a symposium in New York with Dr. Kimberly Dennis, Medical Director of Timberline Knolls focused on eating disorder intervention work. Monica was trained in behavioral health intervention work by Andrew Wainwright and Dr. Tom Savage at AiR in 2002 and has since become the director of AiR’s Eating Disorders Services.
Along with Dr. Tom Savage, Monica developed AiR’s “Family Meeting” model of intervention for eating disorders that has provided families with a unique solution to reaching thousands of individuals suffering from eating disorders who were considered stuck or unreachable. Monica has authored several articles on interventions and eating disorders and is frequently called on to consult for the nation’s top eating disorder treatment facilities.
As interventionist, counselor, consultant, and educator, she has helped thousands of individuals and families struggling with eating disorders and addiction to implement immediate solutions and embark on a plan for a sustainable, healthy and whole recovery.
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Meredith Sonetz, MA, LADC, Clinical Consultant
Meredith Sonetz has been with AiR since 2002 and is based in Naperville, Illinois. She is an AIS board certified interventionist, trained in the AiR Model of Intervention by Dr. Tom Savage and Andrew Wainwright. She has worked with hundreds of families across the country. Meredith has a broad base of experience providing behavioral-health counseling and consultation to individuals, families and businesses. She has worked for the Cathedral Shelter of Chicago, which provides outpatient addiction counseling to over 300 men and women each year, as well as for the Behavioral Health Services of Central DuPage Hospital. At AiR, she has facilitated interventions and provided clinical case management for the Recovery Assistance Program(RAP).
Meredith is a generous and compassionate clinician committed to ongoing family consultation and counseling. Her lengthy experience with a variety of recovery populations has made her a frequent clinical consultant for many of the leading treatment centers in the country. As AiR’s Chicago Area Manager, Meredith is a living directory of behavioral-health recovery services and resources in the greater Chicago metro area.
Meredith shares AiR’s commitment to providing the highest quality support, direction and guidance to individuals and families suffering with behavioral-health issues,especially related to eating disorders and addiction. Meredith is an enthusiastic advocate for the entire family who works tirelessly to formulate a vision for a sustained and permanent recovery that considers all of the complexities surrounding behavioral-health challenges.
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Jaclyn Wainwright, Program Manager
Jaclyn Wainwright is Director of Recovery Management Programs. She works closely with Clinical Director Dr. Tom Savage to oversee the caseloads for all of AiR’s continuing care programming. Jaclyn’s creative and entrepreneurial spirit is key in implementing the AiR vision of ongoing, care, counseling and advocacy in a practical manner. In her role as Program Director Jaclyn conducts intake interviews for the Recovery Assistance Program (RAP), conducts family conferences and ensures that the highest possible professional services are delivered by AiR.
Jaclyn is the chief strategist for allocating AiR’s resources for its Recovery Management Services. Jaclyn, along with clinicians Renee Most and Jill Davidson, is deeply committed to providing excellent support and advocacy to program participants. Her experience and education in business management bring clarity, organization and accountability to the lives of AiR clients and their families. Jaclyn strives to provide strong customer service, positive outcomes and a supportive program to help families and individuals adhere to an effective plan of recovery.
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Meghan Knutson, Intake Coordinator
Meghan Knutson has recently joined the team at AiR and brings with her knowledge from an insurance background in assisting both the individual and the family members in finding the appropriate care for chemical dependency treatment, mental health issues, and eating disorders.
Meghan works in the call center under David Kelly as a contact resource for family members who are struggling with an addict or alcoholic in their lives. Meghan will help to assist and educate the family to find the best possible solution and treatment for the family and the individual.
Meghan is a native of Minnesota, currently living in St. Paul, MN. In her free time lends her support to various chemical dependency volunteer organizations in the Twin Cities. It is her goal to help save family and friends the loss and hurt of losing a loved one to the disease of alcoholism and addiction.
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Jill Davidson, MSW, LGSW, Clinical Case Manager
Jill Davidson is a highly educated and accredited clinician with training in clinical social work. She completed her Bachelor’s Degree at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota and her Master’s Degree at St. Catherine University/University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. Jill spent several years supporting families all around the country as Team Lead Specialist at Children’s Home Society & Family Services. With insight and compassion, Jill helped families navigate the complexities of international adoption. At AiR, as a Clinical Case Manager, Jill is a patient and calm force, guiding families and individuals through the many clinical, legal and emotional variables of continued recovery. She is passionate about educating families and supporting participants in efforts toward lasting recovery and health.
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Katie Thiboutot, Outreach Coordinator
Katie Thiboutot joined the AiR team in June of 2012 as their Outreach Coordinator. She holds a bachelors degree in psychology from the University of Rhode Island and comes from a background in marketing and management, making her an asset to both staff and clients. In addition to marketing and networking, Katie updates and builds AiR’s Qualified Resource List and provides referrals to families exploring treatment options, sober living accommodations, and qualified therapists to name a few. She believes in AiR’s mission and says it’s a joy coming to work every day. In her free time, Katie volunteers at Crisis Connection as a crisis intervention counselor and is active in the recovery community in St. Paul.
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Natalie Sinkler, MSW, LGSW, Clinical Case Manager
Natalie Sinkler comes to AiR with a background in clinical social work. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minnesota and her master’s degree in clinical social work from University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. Natalie has experience working with families in different settings; in schools with special education students and their families, at an adoption agency with families planning adoption, and at an advocacy law firm with people applying for disability benefits. As a Clinical Case Manager for AiR, Natalie supports families with compassion and patience while helping them through their own recovery. She strives to educate and advocate for her families in the Recovery Assistance Programs. Natalie also works part time as a crisis counselor, helping youth in crisis access services and resources to stay safe.