Alumni

Staying Connected to Support Continued Recovery

Treatment is just the beginning. Recovery is a lifelong journey, and we’ve seen firsthand how staying connected to those who’ve been there can make all the difference. That’s why our Meadows Behavioral Healthcare Alumni Association, MBH Onward, exists — to provide alumni of all MBH programs with ongoing resources and community to empower them to continue the work they began during treatment.

Research shows that the longer someone is engaged, the better their chance of long-term, successful recovery. We know that everyone’s needs are different. That’s why we offer a wide range of resources, programming, and opportunities to stay connected. So why not join us as we celebrate the shared experience of recovery?

The Meadows Behavioral Healthcare Alumni Association Offerings

The MBH Onward App

Our app is just for alumni of our programs, putting community, connection, and resources at your fingertips 24-7. MBH Onward includes inspiration, practical tips, interactive prompts that encourage engagement and accountability, a community who “gets it” to support you when you’re struggling, and access to original MBH articles, podcasts, and more. Available on both iOS and Android devices.

For iPhone For Android

Alumni Events

Focused on engagement and inspiration, these events are held at a variety of different locations across the country. Typically, a trusted local resource shares their expertise, delivering a recovery-related presentation followed by a hands-on expressive arts project or other creative activity. These Alumni Events are free of charge with the exception of Alumni Weekend.

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Daily Virtual Groups

Announced through weekly email reminders, we offer opportunities to gather online with other alumni seven days a week. In addition to our popular Recovery Enhancement Groups, we’re expanding to include specialty topics, interactive recovery sessions, and meetings that follow a 12-Step format. As with other Alumni Association offerings, these groups are free to anyone who has completed an MBH program. [NOTE: As COVID restrictions are lifted, we will resume offering in-person options at our Meadows Outpatient Centers in Scottsdale, Dallas, and Silicon Valley.]

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Alumni Newsletters

Our monthly online newsletters highlight various opportunities each month while offering encouragement to all alumni. There is also information about Meadows-trained therapists in your area, a mid-month connection affirmation email, details about upcoming Facebook Live events, and other recommendations. Oh, and rest assured that we’ll never share or sell your email address.

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Recovery Replay Podcast

Recovery Replay, powered by Meadows Behavioral Healthcare, is a podcast that looks at the treatment and recovery process from three different perspectives. In each episode we hear from an MBH Onward alum, a loved one, and a clinician, each adding commentary, context, and teachable moments to the story. Every recovery journey is unique, but each of our stories share a sense of transparency and honesty. Visit RecoveryReplay.com for more details.

Social Media

Many MBH facilities are active on social media as well, allowing alumni to stay informed and find encouragement on Instagram and Facebook, so look for us online.

Our MBH Onward Facebook page is the latest addition, but many Meadows facilities are also active on social media. These options allow alumni to stay informed and find encouragement on Instagram and Facebook, so look for us online.

MBH Onward Willow House

Aleah Johnson

Vice President of Alumni Outreach and Family Services, Certified Recovery Coach

Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, Aleah Johnson earned her undergraduate degree from Washington State University in leadership and professional studies with an emphasis on event design. Prior to joining the Meadows Behavioral Healthcare team, she worked as an event planner, where weddings and social gatherings were her specialty. It was only after she found that planning parties and being the life of the party went hand in hand with addiction for her, that she knew it was time to seek help.

Through her own recovery journey, Johnson felt there had to be a higher purpose for her life and work. Wanting to make a change, she applied for a job with MBH, packed what she could fit in her car, and headed for Arizona. Now she channels those event planning skills into recovery-related events and programs. Being able to spend time with alumni after they complete treatment, hearing about their accomplishments, and helping them overcome setbacks are highlights of the job. Johnson’s primary focuses are connection and community, using those to provide safe places and platforms for alum from any of our programs to be able to gain knowledge and connect with others to be successful on their recovery journey.

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Rosie Martinez

Alumni Outreach Manager

A fifth generation Arizona native, Rosie Martinez was born in Phoenix. Her most recent work experience was in the nonprofit sector, serving as the community director for notMYkid, an organization that provides children and families with lifesaving programs, support, resources, and education.

In her role as an alumni outreach manager, Martinez works with alumni of all Meadows Behavioral Healthcare programs, hosting groups meetings and planning alumni retreats and events. One of her favorite parts of the job is hearing everyone’s stories and witnessing the next chapter that each alum is writing for themselves.
In mental health recovery therapy herself for more than seven years, she says she’s excited to be “working with an amazing team of individuals that have knowledge and experience within the behavioral health industry” who she can learn from.

A newlywed, Martinez enjoys traveling in Arizona with her husband and their two performance roping horses.

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Anne McQuaid, MA, LPC

Alumni Outreach Specialist

Anne McQuaid joined MBH back in 1999 as a family therapist before becoming a primary therapist and eventually going on to work in the Alumni program. A graduate of Ottawa University, she holds a bachelor’s degree in human services and a master’s in professional counseling as well as two chemical dependency certificates.

Originally from Mankato, Minnesota, McQuaid has served as a family counselor at Phoenix Shanti, a center for people living with HIV/AIDS, and Dignity Program, designed for prostitutes who have been arrested and choose to participate in a self-help program in lieu of serving jail time. She has also been part of Girl Scouts Beyond Bars, a program to allow the daughters of incarcerated women to belong to a Girl Scout troop and visit their mothers in jail.

Growing up in an alcoholic, dysfunctional home, McQuaid says she developed her own dysfunctional behaviors. Many years of personal therapy left her wanting to give back. She’s spent her career doing just that, and her current role allows her to connect with alumni from all over the world and to assist them in connecting with each other.

Passionate about wanting to empower people to be able to connect with themselves and have a voice, McQuaid has many other passions as well. Divorced with two grown children and two granddaughters, she enjoys reading, paint by number, watching TV, and attending concerts, plays, and movies.Anne McQuaid joined MBH back in 1999 as a family therapist before becoming a primary therapist and eventually going on to work in the Alumni program. A graduate of Ottawa University, she holds a bachelor’s degree in human services and a master’s in professional counseling as well as two chemical dependency certificates.

Originally from Mankato, Minnesota, McQuaid has served as a family counselor at Phoenix Shanti, a center for people living with HIV/AIDS, and Dignity Program, designed for prostitutes who have been arrested and choose to participate in a self-help program in lieu of serving jail time. She has also been part of Girl Scouts Beyond Bars, a program to allow the daughters of incarcerated women to belong to a Girl Scout troop and visit their mothers in jail.

Growing up in an alcoholic, dysfunctional home, McQuaid says she developed her own dysfunctional behaviors. Many years of personal therapy left her wanting to give back. She’s spent her career doing just that, and her current role allows her to connect with alumni from all over the world and to assist them in connecting with each other.

Passionate about wanting to empower people to be able to connect with themselves and have a voice, McQuaid has many other passions as well. Divorced with two grown children and two granddaughters, she enjoys reading, paint by number, watching TV, and attending concerts, plays, and movies.

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Rachele Rogers

Alumni Outreach Specialist

Joining MBH is January 2022, Rachele Rogers is originally from Omaha, Nebraska, but she grew up in Colorado before moving to San Diego for high school and college. She earned a BA in psychology from San Diego State University then became a manager in the hospitality industry in 2005.

Looking for a change from the hotel business and always passionate about helping people, the role of alumni outreach specialist seemed like a perfect fit for Rogers. Today, she works with the management team to implement initiatives that increase company visibility within the alumni community, providing support for their recovery journey.

Married, with four dogs, Rogers enjoys yoga, reading, sewing and anything outside, from “Jeeping” and gardening to nature walks, kayaking, and more.

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Ezra Sydnor

Research Assistant

New York native Ezra Sydnor earned his BS in psychology from Rochester Institute of Technology. He also holds an AA in communications and media from Dutchess Community College. Wanting to have more clinical research under his belt before transitioning to graduate school for neuroscience, he came to Meadows Behavioral Healthcare in 2020 to work with staff on completing outcomes research testing across our campuses. He also follows up and collects clinical data from alumni following discharge.

Prior to joining the MBH team, he volunteered in clinical psychology labs, looking at impulsivity and addictive behaviors, and he worked in a neuroscience lab with mouse models at Columbia University. “I really enjoy getting to explore data sets, especially finding interesting results that weren’t necessarily the original goal but help me better understand the populations I study,” Sydnor says of his work. An artist as well as a researcher, his favorite things to do are watch movies and rock climb.

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