College Students
Cheryl Knepper
Cheryl Knepper, MA, LPC, CCDP, ATR-BC,
Executive Director of Caron Adult Services and Extended Care
Ms. Knepper oversees all of the adult primary care, relapse and adult extended care programs at Caron. She is actively involved in staff development, training and treatment at Caron. She has worked extensively in the field of co-occurring disorders with adults, adolescents and families over the past twenty three years.
Ms. Knepper directs the adult continuum of care at Caron, incorporating 12 step facilitation, skill building groups, evidence-based practices, art therapy and integrated treatment approaches for a spectrum of co-occurring addiction and mental health disorders. She also presents at conferences internationally about addiction related topics.
From 1987 through 2007, Ms. Knepper was the Clinical Director of Adolescent Services for the Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry at The Reading Hospital & Medical Center in Reading, PA. While at the hospital she developed, designed and integrated, innovative programming for adolescents and adults with mental health and co-occurring disorders.
She is a licensed professional counselor, board certified art psychotherapist and a certified co-occurring disorders professional. She received a Masters of Arts degree from Marywood University in Pennsylvania. She has a Bachelor of Science degree from Kutztown University.
Ms. Knepper has had academic appointments as adjunct instructor at Marywood University, guest lecturer at Kutztown University and on site clinical supervisor for internships affiliated with Penn State University, Drexel/Hahneman University and Villanova University.
David Rotenberg
David Rotenberg, MA, MBA, CAC Diplomate
Executive Director of Adolescent and Young Adult Services
Mr. Rotenberg is the Executive Director of Caron Treatment Center's Adolescent and Young Adult Services. He oversees both primary and extended care treatment for adolescents and young adults ranging from ages 13 to 25. He is recognized throughout the industry as an expert in treating co-occurring mental health disorders, relapse and family issues related to adolescents and young adults.
During his tenure at Caron, Mr. Rotenberg has pioneered innovative treatment approaches and developed gender-specific programs that emphasize cultural literacy as a key element in adolescent addiction treatment. In fact, his assertion that industry experts and parents must "speak teen" in order to prevent and treat adolescent addiction inspired groundbreaking research that identified how teens communicate about alcohol and drugs on the internet. In addition, he has also actively campaigned against the phrase "gateway drug," which often dismisses the harm caused by alcohol and marijuana on today's teens.
Mr. Rotenberg contributes to Counselor Magazine and Addiction Professional among other addiction trade journals. He holds a Masters from Marywood University in Pennsylvania and an MBA from Alvernia College. He is a board-certified addiction's counselor.
Harris Stratyner, Ph.D.
Harris Stratyner, Ph.D., CASAC
Vice President New York Clinical Regional Services
Dr. Stratyner is the Vice President of New York Clinical Regional Services at Caron New York's Recovery Center. He is a renowned addiction and mental health treatment specialist with more than 27 years of experience. In addition to treating patients, he oversees the clinical staff and develops and implements workshops and programs for patients in recovery at Caron New York.
Dr. Stratyner developed the technique "Carefrontation," which combines the latest motivational engagement techniques and an environment of respect and dignity to stress individual responsibility to deal with one's addiction or mental health condition.
Dr. Stratyner currently holds positions as a Clinical Associate Professor at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and as a Vice Chair of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) Board of Directors. He is also a contributing author to the PDR Guide to Pediatric & Adolescent Mental Health (Published in 2009 by Thomson Reuters).
Before joining Caron, Dr. Stratyner held leadership and academic positions at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and the Weill Medical College of Cornell University. He was listed by the prestigious Castle Connelly almanac as one of the profession's leading specialists.
Mylene Krzanowski
Mylene Krzanowski,
Executive Director, Caron Student Assistance Program
Ms. Krzanowski oversees Student Assistance services that Caron provides to over 200 schools in 10 states and the District of Columbia. In her role, she oversees 33 counselors and their development of student assistance programming, secures funding to support prevention education and speaks at conferences nationwide about best practices.
During her 27-year career in the field, Ms. Krzanowski has developed, coordinated and facilitated educational programming, support groups, faculty training, parent education, team maintenance, student leadership training, interventions and assessments. Her areas of expertise include current trends in adolescent substance abuse, best practices in prevention, intervention strategies, adolescent tobacco cessation, student assistance, and empowering parents to talk with their children about sensitive and high risk issues. She regularly contributes articles on these issues to industry journals.
Since 1999, Ms. Krzanowski has secured funding which enables Caron to provide tobacco cessation programs to more than 10,000 adolescents at no cost to the school or family. She has secured additional funding to support prevention education efforts in schools and communities.
Ms. Krzanowski was on the board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Association of Student Assistance Programs for eight years, serving in numerous positions, including President and Vice President of the board. She also served on the board of directors of the National Student Assistance Association and its executive committee.
