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Apex Recovery Nashville Team

Contact Apex Recovery for More Information on Rehab in Tennessee

(615) 703-4639

The Apex Recovery Nashville team is made up of clinicians, therapists, and support staff who are dedicated to helping our clients heal. Many of our team members are in recovery themselves and understand the unique challenges you might face on the journey to recovery—and how to overcome them.

Call 615.703.4639 today or reach out online to learn more about the Apex Recovery Nashville staff and how we can help you or your loved one heal.

Image of Dr. Matthew Bruhin

Dr. Matthew Bruhin

CEO

Staff icon image

Fred Bowen

Board

Image of Michael Cartwright

Michael Cartwright

Board

Image of Branch Atkisson

Branch Atkisson

National Director of Business Development

Thomas Hooker

National Director of Admissions

Billy McCoy

Vice President of Human Resources

Image of Jennifer Adams

Jennifer Adams

Chief Legal Officer

Ashley Evetts

Intake Coordinator

Jacob Radford, MD

Medical Director

Michael Hayoun, MD

Medical Officer

Caroline Drake, PMHNP

Nurse Practitioner

Deressa Marshall, FNP

Nurse Practitioner

Lauren Grude, WHNP

Nurse Practitioner

Leah Lima, PMHNP

Nurse Practitioner

Image of Brenna O'Brien

Brenna O'Brien

Lead Therapist

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Dr. Matthew Bruhin

CEO

Dr. Matthew J. Bruhin is the chief executive officer of APEX Recovery. Along with co-founder Fred Bowen, Dr. Bruhin utilized his experience in the creation of high-end rehabs to construct a center that was cutting-edge and affordable yet lacked nothing. His vision, eye for detail, and desire to lead have created an unparalleled vision for treating addictive disorders coupled with mental and emotional concerns. Dr. Bruhin treats every staff member and participant like family and hopes to bring his clinical and administrative vision to many.

Dr. Bruhin is a State of California Board of Behavioral Sciences-licensed marriage and family therapist as well as an addiction specialist registered by the Breining Institute. 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 12 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 those with chronic mental health conditions to high-level professionals, professional athletes, executives, Hollywood film producers, and TV personalities. He has developed his own specialized and effective techniques for the treatment of addiction and chemical dependency.

Dr. Bruhin loves to write and 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 balances his passion for work with the love of his family, his enjoyment of travel, and his vintage Star Wars collection, which can be viewed in his private office.

Fred Bowen

Founder & Board Member

Fred was raised in San Clemente, California. Fred was exposed to the drug culture at a very early age. By the time Fred had graduated from high school, his addiction had progressed to a point that most people do not return from. For another decade, he struggled with addiction and recovery with multiple attempts at abstinence. There were periods of homelessness along with periods of high functioning and experiencing success. Fred realized, ultimately, that addiction was always in control. At the age of thirty, on death’s door, Fred had hit rock bottom and had a moment of clarity that would save his life. That clarity was the sea of change in his life.

20 years later, Fred is not able to recognize his past life in comparison to where he is now. Early on, Fred had made the decision that addiction and recovery would be his sole vocation. He started sober living homes and found that working with people that suffered from the same addiction would be his passion. This was the beginning of Apex Recovery.

“I’m extremely proud of the person I have become simply by staying clean and having an open mind in regards to the recovery process.”

Fred’s hope for anyone suffering the way he did is to be able to find a way out of the vicious cycle of addiction. Recovery is a gift that all are entitled to. Apex can be a part of that.

Michael Cartwright

Chairman of the Board

There is no end in sight for Michael Cartwright. He has a sincere goal to provide endless resources to those who truly want to release the grip of addiction.

Known as a premiere addiction industry trailblazer, Michael Cartwright is a noted behavioral health entrepreneur. He founded Performance Revolution LLC, also known as Fit-Rx, in 2009 and, from that success, was then able to merge with a company named Forterus with a successful history of treating over 12 million individuals in need of addiction treatment. Another success in the industry was the founding of Foundations Recovery Network.

Soon thereafter, Forterus grew and developed into AAC or American Addiction Centers being led by their chairman of the board, Michael Cartwright.

Michael Cartwright is a pillar in dual diagnosis management and the founder of Foundations Associates. Under his management, the organization grew to include four alcohol and drug treatment facilities nationwide, including the Canyon, the leading recovery facility in Malibu, California. One highlight in Michael’s service career is when he served and testified on the Senate Help Subcommittee on Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services.

Branch Atkisson

National Director of Business Development

A passion for helping those in need started with Branch’s own personal experience growing up. This morphed into 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!”

Thomas Hooker

National Director of Admissions

Thomas’ journey through the depths of addiction has transformed him into a beacon of hope and resilience in the realm of behavioral health. Born and raised in a small town, Thomas initially pursued a path that led him down the slipper slope of substance abuse. However, it was his personal struggle and eventual triumph over addiction that became the catalyst for his profound dedication to helping others navigate the path to recovery.

Thomas embarked on a journey of self-discovery, seeking education and training in behavioral health to better understand the complexities of addiction and mental health, and found his calling as a national admissions director in a reputable behavioral health facility, where he plays a pivotal role in helping individuals take their first step towards recovery.

Billy McCoy

Vice President of Human Resources

Billy joined Apex as the Vice President of Human Resources with over 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry. Billy’s professional career began as an HR Coordinator and grew from there to include several leadership positions with focuses on employee relations, strategy, team development and performance, and HR technology. His background includes building high-performing teams and scaling human resources practices.

Billy is excited to lead the people of Apex and is passionate about creating a workplace where employees feel they belong, are valued, and heard; his philosophy is to support and take care of those who take care of others.

Billy graduated from Bryan College with a Master’s of Business Administration and he is a certified Professional in Human Resources through the Human Resources Certification Institute and a Society of Human Resources Management Certified Professional. 

Jennifer Adams

Chief Legal Officer

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, and 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 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 our 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.

Ashley Evetts

Intake Coordinator

Ashley grew up in Murfreesboro, TN and graduated from Smyrna High School in 2005. Upon graduating, she attended college and received an associate degree in applied science before taking on a role as a medical assistant.

After 10 years as a medical assistant, Ashley was in an accident and found herself dependent on medications she started taking while recovering. Long-term treatment gave her a path out of addiction and into recovery, and after this experience, she decided that she wanted to help people in similar situations. She began working for the same center she went to for treatment as a medical assistant in their admissions department, and she is now part of the Apex team in a similar capacity.

Ashley and her husband Shawn have five sons, and her free time is spent cheering on her sons in baseball and football and spending time with her granddaughter. Ashley can often be found reading, running, and relaxing with true crime documentaries and podcasts.

Jacob Radford, MD

Medical Director

The founder and CEO of Icarus, and now Medical Director at Apex Recovery Nashville has been an emergency room doctor since 2010, and is dual board-certified in addiction medicine. The failures he saw in the ER motivated him to create a better system, so he founded Icarus Addiction Care in 2022.

Michael Hayoun, MD

Chief Medical Officer

The Chief Medical Officer of Icarus and now Apex Recovery Nashville, Michael was born and raised in New Jersey. His education includes the Northeastern US, England, and California. He is a physician board-certified in emergency medicine and medical toxicology.

Caroline Drake, PMHNP

Nurse Practitioner

Nurse practitioner Caroline Drake practices with empathy, compassion, and whole-person understanding. She treats patients holistically from a patient-centered perspective. She has over 15 years of experience in administration, entrepreneurship, and mental health treatment.

Deressa Marshall, FNP

Nurse Practitioner

Nurse Practitioner Deressa Marshall has worked for a decade in a rich variety of Middle Tennessee primary care and addiction care settings.

Lauren Grude, WHNP

Nurse Practitioner

Nurse Practitioner Lauren Grude has a background in women’s health, but dedicated her career to addiction care starting in 2016.

Leah Lima, PMHNP

Nurse Practitioner

Nurse Practitioner Leah Lima has been practicing as a PMHNP-BC since 2022, building on 25 years of psychiatric RN experience.

Brenna O’Brien, LCSW

Lead Therapist

Brenna is a Nashville native who earned both her undergraduate and master’s degree in Clinical Social Work from The University of Tennessee where she graduated in 2011. She has a thirteen-year background working in the behavioral health field with adults at all levels of care. Brenna started her career working at a local inpatient hospital, followed by a six year career with a residential co-occurring treatment center. Brenna served as the founder and director of the Clinical Consultant team where she developed protocols to assist patients in getting access to care efficiently without sacrificing customer service. As a result of her efforts, she was named the treatment center’s Innovator of the Year in 2018. She loves to be the voice of hope for patients and families in crisis by providing education and clinical direction.
Brenna’s fun-loving and accepting nature has served her well as a clinician treating individuals struggling with complex trauma, anxiety, depression, perfectionism, and co-occurring disorders. Brenna is a certified NARM therapist and co-owner of SHEchiatry, PLLC, a boutique mental health practice for women in Nashville.

During her off time, you can find Brenna thrift shopping alongside her French Bulldog Reau. She also particularly enjoys early mornings with a matcha latte followed by all things local.

Flora Sadri-Azarbayejani, D.O., MPH, FAAFP, FASAM

Medical Director

Flora Sadri-Azarbayejani graduated from Boston University with a degree in biomedical engineering. She would later go on to complete two master’s degrees at Boston University, one in epidemiology and biostatistics and the other in medical science, along with her doctorate in medicine from the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Sadri began her career as an epidemiologist in infectious disease for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. After medical school, she began her career as a family physician at The Community Health Center of Franklin County and then Gardner Family Medicine, a private practice in Gardner, MA. Dr. Sadri made the decision to work with the recovery community as a physician at CleanSlate Centers, then become part of the Promises Behavioral Health leadership team, and then continued her career at PsyclarityHealth.

Dr. Sadri-Azarbayejani is an involved member of medical societies, including the Massachusetts Medical Society, the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), and the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM)and has a publication in AAFP News detailing how family medicine can lead addiction care efforts.

LinkedIn profile link: linkedin.com/in/flora-sadri-azarbayejani-42023345

Shauna Soderquist

Director of Admissions

Shauna Soderquist is the director of admissions at Apex Recovery. With over nine 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, and recruitment and training. She brings 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.

Call Our Toll-Free Hotline 24/7 at 615.703.4639