Welcome to Academy for Addiction and Mental Health Nutrition!

Address the Biochemical Leg of the Recovery Stool Using the Power of  Amino Acid Therapy

Many psychotherapists, psychiatrists, and addiction counselors are aware of the vital role biochemical and nutrient imbalances play in the etiology and maintenance of substance use and mental health disorders. However, we often don’t have the skills or confidence to effectively approach these issues with our clients without resorting to medication. Very often clients leave the treatment on more medication than when they started. 

We created the Academy for Addiction and Mental Health Nutrition to meet this need. We believe that many of these issues can be effectively be resolved without the use of medication, simply by accurately feeding the starving brain and identifying and addressing the underlying biochemical drivers of these disorders.

The Academy provides cutting-edge, in-depth on-line and lives education and consultation services for the purpose of thoroughly training mental health treatment professionals and addiction counselors in the skills necessary to identify and effectively address the biochemical aspects of client symptoms through nutrient interventions. 

Why Choose Us

We teach clinicians, treatment providers and health/recovery coaches how to reduce relapse and improve the quality of recovery by using amino acid nutrient therapy and diet to effectively address the biochemical aspects of addiction and mood/behavioral disorders.

Our Mission

The Academy for Addiction & Mental Health Nutrition believes that addictions, as well as MANY MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES, are driven by imbalances in the brain. 

Our Visions

Bring your complex cases and learn from each other in our low-pressure and safe discussion forum. Bring your practice success to new heights as you. Reduce Relapse! and Save Lives!

Meet Our Instructors

Christina Veselak MS, LMFT, CN

Lead Instructor, Founder, Director
Level 1 CORE & Level 2 ADVANCED

Christina T. Veselak is the founder and director of the Academy for Addiction and Mental Health Nutrition. She has been a licensed psychotherapist for over 30 years, and currently provides on-line Relapse Prevention Coaching and Mental Health Nutrition to a wide variety of clients.

Christina consults for supplement companies as well as IV detox programs and residential addiction treatment, helping them integrate this life-saving nutritional approach into their programs.

She is an experienced public speaker, and has presented at conferences and trainings around the country. Christina is also a founding member and former Executive Director of the Alliance for Addiction Solutions, a non-profit organization which promotes the use of nutritional and other natural modalities to support repair of the addicted brain.

Christina is committed to staying abreast of the rapidly growing science of orthomolecular psychiatry and functional nutrition & biochemistry for mental health, and is passionate about sharing her knowledge with both the general public and professionals in the fields of addiction recovery & mental health treatment.

Our Instructors

Level 1 CORE INSTRUCTOR
5-STAR PRO~RECOVERY DIET ©

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Pati Reiss
BA, HHC, CRNC 2

Pati Reiss is a certified holistic health coach/nutrition recovery coach, educator and chef. Her work focuses on teaching & coaching healthy lifestyle upgrades, addiction/mental health recovery and holistic gourmet cooking. This is done using nutrition, food, amino acid therapy, meditation and movement. 

Through her own healing recovery Pati has found that vibrant health, hope and recovery are possible and advocates this in all her teachings. 

Pati is a graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition [IIN] and holds and Bachelor of Arts in Human Services & Special Education from Trinity College in Vermont. She has completed Neuro-Nutrient Therapy for Addictive Disorders Training with Julia Ross in June 2008 and became a Certified Recovery Nutrition Coach (CRNC 2) through the Academy for Addiction & Mental Health Nutrition in 2014. She has been a board member of the Alliance for Addiction Solutions since 2010 and past president of the Board of Directors.
 
Pati has a private Holistic Health & Recovery Coaching practice in Salt Lake City, Utah, called High Vibe Recovery and works long distance with clients throughout the country. Pati is also founder of The Holistic Gourmet which offers cooking classes, food & nutrition education classes and support for living an inspiring life

ADJUNCT INSTRUCTOR
“Deep Dive” CONTINUING EDUCATION 

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Charlotte Hammmond
MS, RD, LDN, CDE, RYT

Charlotte Hammond is a Registered Dietitian, Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist, Certified Diabetes Educator, and Registered Yoga Teacher in Centennial & Boulder, Colorado (previously Chicago, IL). She owns Eating With Ease.

Her integrative and functional nutritional expertise includes counseling for weight-loss, digestive difficulties, detoxification and longevity, anxiety and depression, chronic diseases (such as thyroid disorders, autoimmune challenges, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer), plant-strong and sensitivity-supportive diets, and chronic fatigue.

Her integrative and functional nutritional expertise includes counseling for weight-loss, digestive difficulties, detoxification and longevity, anxiety and depression, chronic diseases (such as thyroid disorders, autoimmune challenges, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer), plant-strong and sensitivity-supportive diets, and chronic fatigue.
 
Charlotte studied with Susan Allen, RD, CCN to earn her certificate in Advanced Integrative and Functional Medical Nutrition Therapy and has Master’s Degrees in Human Nutrition and Dietetics as well as Biomedical Visualization from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology at Boston University. She has taken advanced level training in Kriya Yoga Meditation and completed her foundational yoga teacher training at the Temple of Kriya Yoga.
 
With curiosity and appreciation, Charlotte is constantly learning and teaching about the human body and seeking to improve the life lived in that body by sharing those insights with others.

ADJUNCT INSTRUCTOR
MENTAL HEALTH NUTRITION FOR THERAPISTS: FOUNDATIONS

Stephanie Small
LCSW,CRNC 1

Stephanie Small is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and nutritionist. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Yale University, her Masters of Social Work from Smith College for Social Work, and certifications in Holistic Nutrition Education and Mental Health Nutrition from Bauman College and the Academy for Addiction & Mental Health Nutrition.

Stephanie ran the nutrition program at a substance abuse recovery center in Denver for two years and has trained in trauma therapy, internal parts work, somatic therapies, and more.

Mental Health Nutrition is the foundation for all of her work. “Frankly, I think every human should know this stuff — but it’s especially effective for people with mood disorders, eating disorders, insomnia, and substance abuse struggles. I recommend starting here — because why chase our tails trying to heal your anxiety and insomnia when balancing your biochemistry could do it for us?”

She currently maintain a private practice online and in Boulder and Denver, CO, writes for national and local publications, consult for mental health agencies and substance abuse recovery centers, and speak at live events.
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Debra Filla, BA

Builder, and Owner of Inside Out, a business focused on “helping build health from the inside out” since 1998. Debra is a Certified Recovery Nutrition Coach (CRNC). She is serving her 13th year as Council Member – City of Leawood, retired from a 30-year career with IBM and is past VP of the KC Celiac Sprue Association (CSA).

Our Medical Consultants

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Hyla Cass, M.D.

Dr. Hyla Cass is an internationally acclaimed innovator, speaker, and expert in the fields of integrative medicine, psychiatry, and addiction recovery. She is board-certified in psychiatry as well as in holistic and integrative medicine. She appears regularly on TV including The Dr. Oz Show, The View, and E! Entertainment, as well as numerous radio shows, and national magazines.

Dr. Mary Braud, M.D.

Child & adolescent psychiatry specialist in Denver, CO and has been practicing for 30 years. Dr. Braud incorporates functional medicine in her psychiatric and behavioral health practice.